Daily Digest: Community plan: 2026 Neighborhood Improvement project applications now open

Also: HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL: Sectional play tips off in Class AA, A • Entertainment calendar

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Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone is having a great week. Before you head out or enjoy that morning cup of coffee or tea, check out some of the top stories on our website. Be safe and enjoy the day. — Ron Rosner, Senior Editor e-edition                            obituaries Community plan: 2026 Neighborhood Improvement project applications now open TROY, N.Y — Council President Sue Steele recently announced the 2026 Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) applications are now available, aimed at supporting community projects and fostering neig… Read more → HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL: Sectional play tips off in Class AA, A CAPITAL REGION — The Section 2 high school girls sectional tournament tipped off on Monday evening in Class AA and Class A. CATHOLIC CENTRAL 57, AMSTERDAM 61: In Class AA, leading 17-12 after the f… Read more → Entertainment calendar Please email entertainment listings to entertainment518@digitalfirstmedia.com. Thursday, February 26, 2026 THE EGG:  1 Empire State Plaza, Albany. Justin Willman, 7pm. www.theegg.org Friday, February 27, 2026 PALACE THEATRE: 19 Clinton Ave., Albany. Brett Young, 8 pm. www.palacealbany.org. Saturday, February 28, 2026 COHOES MUSIC HALL:  58 Remsen St., Cohoes. Super 400 and Drank The Gold, 7 pm. www.thecohoesmusichall.org. THE EGG:  1 Empire State Plaza, Albany. Dusty Slay, 7pm. www.theegg.org PROCTORS: 432 State Street, Schenectady. Brit Floyd, 8 pm. www.atproctors.org. Sunday, March 1, 2025 TROY SAVINGS BANK MUSIC HALL:  30 Second St, Troy. Lunasa, 3 pm.  www.troymusichall.org. Thursday, March 5, 2026 TROY SAVINGS […] Read more → Army pilot wounded in Maduro raid gets Congressional Medal of Honor during Trump's speech Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover was the pilot of the helicopter that descended on the 'heavily protected military fortress.' Read more → Trump honors National Guard members shot in Washington Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was presented the Purple Heart medal during Trump's State of the Union. Read more → State of the Union offers Trump a chance to make the case for his foreign policy approach He's making the case to Americans who are increasingly uneasy about his priorities. Read more → New Hampshire resident charged in shooting at Canadian border Prosecutors said the case is still under investigation and the FBI is taking the lead. Read more → Government fines businesses over 6 deaths at Colorado dairy Federal workplace safety regulators fined three businesses over their failure to protect six dairy workers. Read more → Ukrainian envoy says US raised concerns about strikes aimed at Russia that impacted US oil interests Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna noted the concern on the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Read more → Court says the IRS can continue to share immigrants' taxpayer data with ICE A three-judge panel declined to issue a preliminary injunction at the request of an immigrant rights group. Read more → Watch live: President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech The address is likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters in November's elections. Read more → Justice Department lawsuit says UCLA failed to protect Jewish employees from hostility The suit accuses UCLA of failing to discipline those who were involved in protests. Read more →

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We've been busy! Advocacy Days, Budget Hearings & What’s Next

Hi Ashley, We're officially more than halfway through this year's budget season in New York, and we've never been busier. Advocacy Days in Albany Hundreds of students, parents, educators, and advocates traveled to Albany from across the state for Early Childhood Advocacy Day on January 29, and then again a week later for AQE's Education and Child Care Advocacy Day on February 4th. Click above to hear Kenesha McBride, single mother in Syracuse on her struggle to afford child care. Click above to hear Laila Torres, sixth grader in the Bronx, on how suspensions are harmful to students. Take action Send emails to Governor Hochul and your State Legislators using the buttons below. Child Care Foundation Aid Budget Season in Full Swing Since the Governor announced her budget proposal in January, including a major proposal to expand child care, we have been busy digging into the details and testifying at budget hearings to push for what we need in the final budget. We released our side-by-side analysis of the executive budget Marina testified at the Elementary and Secondary Education Budget hearing on Jan 30 AQE was in Albany for Tin Cup Day, when mayors and other local elected officials come for the Local Governments Joint Budget Hearings, to amplify the call for raising taxes on the ultra wealthy Kaiser testified alongside nearly 30 AQE leaders in person and in writing at the New York City Council Mayoral control hearings on Feb 10 Report: New York Speaks Our latest report, New York Speaks: Listening to Famlies on Education and Child Care Across New York State, is based on findings from our statewide tour last summer. Families told us, again and again, that they do not experience child care and education as separate systems, but as one continuous path for their children. That insight shaped our priorities for this year, and the report, survey, and analysis helped us bring those voices directly into this year's budget fight. Caucus Weekend We hosted a panel on Friday diving into the findings from our statewide Foundation Aid and child care tour, followed by a reception. Our panelists included Assemblywoman Gabriella Romero and AQE parent organizer Sheree Gibson, alongside AQE's Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Marina Marcou-O'Malley and Kayla Mumtaz. De Corazon Family Daycare Spotlight Our fundraiser to support De Corazon Family Daycare is open until March 14th. If you'd like to donate materials or funds to help support this Albany area child care program and the families it serves, click here or contact Kayla at kayla@aqeny.org. Don't miss the video above of Sheila Cora, the owner of De Corazon Family Daycare, put together by our partners at YouthFX in Albany. News Highlights AQE Co-Executive Directors Marina and Zakiyah appeared on Inside City Hall (NY1) NYC home care workers eagerly await Mamdani's expansion of child care (Gothamist) Coalition rallies in Utica for higher child care worker wages and funding changes (CNY Central) Push for "Invest in Our New York" tax hikes on Tin Cup Day (News10) Advocates in Albany push for universal child care (CBS6 Albany) Upcoming Events February 25th: AQE will join DSA and Our Time to mobilize thousands of New Yorkers for a "Field Trip to Albany" to tell our reps to tax the rich to fund child care! March 10th: At our monthly NYC member meeting, a speaker from Invest in Our New York will brief us on their campaign and upcoming actions. March 28th: AQE will lead a workshop on the past, present, and future of school funding at the annual New York Collective of Radical Educators convening. Our Education Warriors are currently working on their final projects! Participants are supported as they learn a new skill, like public speaking, writing op-eds, leading a lobby meeting, and more. Coalition Events February 26th: The Coalition for Equitable Education Funding will host a phone zap to call our state legislators and demand that they update the Foundation Aid Formula to more accurately reflect the true cost of educating students today. February 27th: The Solutions Not Suspensions Coalition is hosting a phone bank from 1-2. March 17th: The People's Plan will launch its Make 'em Pay Campaign to demand that the City enforce existing regulations to raise revenue for essential public services. Support our work All our advocacy — from going to Albany to grassroots organizing to workshops — is only possible because of the support of people like you, who believe in our public schools and universal child care. Every dollar helps us organize families, train leaders, and hold our lawmakers accountable. DONATE AQENY.org   Facebook   Instagram    Bluesky Donate

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