The National Endowment for the Humanities grant will enable thousands of rarely-seen archival documents, photos and artifacts to be fully accessible by museum visitors.

The three-year archival project will feature bilingual content and use new, state-of-the-art, interactive portals and displays featuring over 3,000 items from the archive collection.

Donald Trump

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump released the first budget blueprint of his new administration on Thursday, and it appears he’s held to his promise to build up the U.S. military while slashing domestic spending – even for programs that benefit the rural and lower-income Americans who voted for him last November.

The proposed $1.15 trillion “skinny” budget distills much of Trump’s sweeping campaign rhetoric into a set of hard choices and cold priorities. He is calling on Congress to boost defense spending by $54 billion, a move popular with many Republicans. A wall along the border with Mexico, a core campaign promise, would receive $4 billion to start construction.

Trump’s campaign promises to gut ineffective programs and shrink a bloated bureaucracy translated into a plan that cuts environmental protections programs, community development funding, housing vouchers, scientific research, a commission to create economic opportunities in Appalachia and other programs.

Funding for popular social services like Meals on Wheels, which provides food to the elderly, and after-school programs for children, also are on the chopping block. The outline – the start of negotiations with Congress – leaves untouched Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid spending.

Cuts that will impact his voting base in rural areas of the country include the elimination of funding to keep the Great Lakes clean, eliminating financial aid for rural and regional airports across the country, and flood insurance program funding.

EPA, GREAT LAKES CUTS

Trump proposes cutting the Environmental Protection Agency budget by 31 percent, from $8.3 billion in fiscal year 2017 to $5.7 billion in fiscal year 2018. That’s the largest cut among all Cabinet departments and major agencies.

The budget says that change, which would cut 3,200 EPA jobs, is needed “to ease the burden of unnecessary Federal regulations that impose significant costs for workers and consumers without justifiable environmental benefits.”

As part of the EPA cuts, the Trump budget eliminates the $300 million in annual funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which finances environmental projects all over the region. The initiative, created in 2010 with strong bipartisan support, has supported thousands of projects across the Great Lakes region. In December, the initiative’s funding was re-authorized by Congress.

TRUMP PROPOSES CUTS IN ARTS & HUMANITIES PROGRAMS

President Trump’s proposed budget calls for big cuts in a wide array of domestic programs — among them, agencies that fund the arts, humanities and public media.

Funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would be cut to zero under the proposal, and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) would be eliminated entirely, the first time any president has proposed such a measure.

CPB received $445 million in federal funding in the last fiscal year; the NEA and NEH got about $148 million each — a tiny portion of the roughly $4 trillion federal budget.

Most CPB funds go directly to local radio and TV stations, but the federal funds are especially crucial for local stations, as well as local arts groups, which often receive matching funds from other donors based on their federal allocations.

Trump’s plan now goes to Congress, which can make changes before enacting federal budget legislation

REACTION FROM NY OFFICIALS

New York Senator and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with fellow NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand have both come out strongly against the budget.

Senator Schumer said the budget clearly shows that the president talks like a populist, but clearly is out to only help special interests, adding that democrats in the senate will emphatically oppose the spending plan.

Gillibrand also said the President’s budget is irresponsible and will short-change middle class New Yorkers, seniors, and students alike while doing harm to a fragile economy.

Meanwhile, Governor Andrew Cuomo called the proposed budget “dangerous, reckless, and contemptuous of American values, adding that should be rejected by Congress out of hand.”

And State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the President’s budget threatens funding for vital services including housing assistance, environmental protection, anti-poverty programs and more.

He added that it provides little specific information regarding the impact of broadly proposed cuts, but it is clear this budget will hurt New Yorkers.

Congressman Tom Reed’s (R-Corning, NY 23) office didn’t release a statement on the budget, but the congressman is expected to address the issue during his weekly conference call with media on Tuesday, March 21.

The free event, which is being funded by the New York State Council for the Humanities and coordinated by the city of Jamestown’s Cultural Bridges Action Team, will take place Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. inside the Reg.

In light of the current economic crisis in Puerto Rico and the growing population of Puerto Ricans in Jamestown, this public discussion will address issues related to migration, inclusion, and the complex relationship between the U.S. and its Territory.

the topics that will be focused on include What are the larger economic and political forces that fuel this migration, What led to previous waves of migration, and how might the Jamestown community become more welcoming to newcomers.

Panelists for the forum will include Nelson Denis – a former New York State Assemblyman.  Indo Quiñones – an Outreach & Engagement Specialist/Technical Assistant at Evergreen Health Services. And Peter Lombardi – a Jamestown native, city planner, and local author.

The event will be moderated WRFA’s Jason Sample.

This event is part of a daylong celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month including art, food tastings, and live music.

The day begins with a public “Meet the Artist” reception at 2 p.m. in the 3^rd on 3^rd Gallery with Pablo Shine, one of two artists featured in the exhibit “Hispanic Heritage.”

David Gonzalez will perform with Poetic License during a free show for the community on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Reg Lenna.

Also just before the forum at 4:45 p.m., the Reg Lenna will present a short video – Jamestown: The Welcoming City – examining the lives of local Hispanic citizens and their experiences in Jamestown.

The 5 p.m. forum will immediately be followed by a Latino Food Fiesta hosted by CHQ Foods, starting at about 6 p.m. A cash bar will be open to offset costs for the evening.

Also starting at 6 p.m. – four Videoworks students from Jamestown High School will be available to record any local residents who would like to tell share their story.

The evening will end with a free concert at 7:30 p.m. by David Gonzalez with the band, Poetic License.

All events are free and family-friendly.

Hispanic Heritage events are made possible by support from New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and New York Council for the Humanities.

For more information, call 716.484.7070 or visit reglenna.com.

The City of Jamestown’s Cultural Bridges Action Team (part of the city’s Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission), Reg Lenna Center for The Arts, and 3rd on 3rd Gallery are inviting the public to a day and evening of free activities on Saturday, Oct. 15 as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

As part of the weekend, the current 3rd on 3rd Gallery show, Hispanic Heritage, will culminate with a public “Meet the Artist” reception on Saturday  at 2 p.m. with Pablo Shine.

Also on Saturday at 4:45 p.m., the Reg Lenna Center for The Arts Theater will present a short video – Jamestown: The Welcoming City – examining the lives of local Hispanic citizens and their experiences in Jamestown.

Then at 5 p.m. a Community Conversation will take place, with the topics of Migration and Inclusion planned to be discussed in this town hall-style event. In light of the current economic crisis in Puerto Rico and the growing population of Puerto Ricans in Jamestown, this public discussion will address issues related to migration, inclusion, and the complex relationship between the U.S. and its Territory.

The event will immediately be followed by a Latino Food Fiesta hosted by CHQ Foods. A cash bar will be open to offset costs for the evening. Both events are not ticketed and are free and open to the public.

The evening will end with a free concert at 7:30 p.m. by David Gonzalez with the band, Poetic License.

Hispanic Heritage events are made possible by support from New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and New York Council for the Humanities.

For more information, call 716.484.7070 or visit reglenna.com. Reg Lenna Center for The Arts and 3rd on 3rd Gallery are located at 116 E. 3rd Street in Jamestown.

The focus group meeting is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. and is open to the public. It is part of the upcoming Democratic Dialogue Project, a town hall style meeting intended to address issues of migration and tolerance.  The Democratic Dialogue Project is being facilitated by the New York Council for the Humanities and which will take place in Jamestown later this year.

Tuesday’s focus group will discuss panel participants, specific topics for the public discussion, text or visual materials to ground discussions and audience outreach strategies.

The Democratic Dialogue is a series of town hall meetings in six communities across the state, including Jamestown, designed to address different aspects of inequality in national life and in the community. A main town hall meeting will take place in Jamestown in October.

Funding for the statewide project was provided by a $200,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

According to commission co-chair Jennifer Gibson, the National Endowment for the Humanities has approved a regional request for $200,000 from its Humanities in the Public Square grant, which will be used to support the Democratic Dialogue initiative. The initiative is designed to work with several cities and towns across the State –including Jamestown – to explore the meaning and challenges of democratic citizenship in the 21st century.

According to organizers, the Democratic Dialogue Project aims to help New Yorkers gain better insight into the struggles their communities face and to create spaces where advocates for different, sometimes seemingly incompatible, solutions can learn from and about each other.

The project will address a variety of concerns in a set of diverse communities, including Jamestown, New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Poughkeepsie. Specifically for Jamestown, the project will work to address issues of migration and tolerance as it relates to our growing Hispanic community.

Officials with the National Endowment for the Humanities will be working with the Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission and the Democratic Dialogue Project in the coming weeks to begin the planning process for programming in Jamestown.