Today's headlines for August 13

You're listening to WXXI Daily News. I'm Michaela Singleton. An event in Orleans County protesting immigrants and farm workers being deported matches demonstrations all across western New York. A youth center housing homeless children may lose funding after Trump administration cuts and a college admin talks parents through the potentially difficult transition time of sending your kid to college for the first time this fall. It is Thursday, August 13th. Nearly 20 people gathered Wednesday in Albion to protest the detention and deportation of immigrants and farm workers. WXXI's Jose Sondival was there. The event was organized by Rural Migrant Ministry, a nonprofit that serves farm workers and rural families in New York. Monter Jimenez is the group's chief program officer. He says the march was organized after a member of the youth group on Alia Figueroa and her family handed encounter with federal immigration agents about three weeks ago. Speaking to WXXI just after the March, Annalia says she and her family were on their way in a town to get a coffee when they passed by a field. She says she witnessed agents swarming the field and going after workers. She says her family was then approached at a stop sign on the same road by an agent wearing a vest with Border Patrol lettering. They stop us and they're like put on your window. They go straight to my brother who is more colored than us. And he's like, are you a U.S. citizen? My brother answers. We answer a couple of times. On Aaliyah, her mom and brother all tell the agents they are U.S. citizens. She says they were then let go, but she claims that agents continue to drive past her family's house in the days after the encounter. which she says made them feel intimidated. In an email to WXXI, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said CBPN ICE conducted an immigration enforcement operation after receiving information through an ICE tip line. Eight people were arrested and processed for removal. Jose Sanoval, WXXI News. A new poll shows Governor Kathy Hochul has a double-digit lead over her Republican challenger, Bruce Blakeman. But the race does seem to be tightening. Here's Jimmy Veilkind with the New York Public News Network to break it all down. A Sienna University poll of likely voters finds 49% of New Yorkers ready to support the Democratic governor for re-election and 39% behind her challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Kathy Hochul's lead has narrowed in Sienna surveys as pollsters included more Republicans in their sample, reflecting likely voter turnout. But poll spokesman Steve Greenberg says Kathy Hochul is trailing other Democrats in the heavily Democratic state. The fact that she's only up by 10.

has to give Republicans some hope and has to give Democrats some pause. A hocal spokesperson says the contrast with Bruce Blakeman is clear. Bruce Blakeman's campaign says other polls show a closer race. In Albany, I'm Jim Eilkind for the New York Public News Network. The executive director of the Center for Youth in Rochester says the Trump administration could pull up to $2 million worth of funding. That money helps provide beds and shelter for homeless children in the Rochester region. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development said this week that the Trump administration will cut funding for wasteful programs that fail to solve homelessness. Elaine Spall joined WXXI's connections with Evan Dawson to discuss this uncertain time. I've made up a word. I say that we continue to be injunct because we never know day to day which injunction will impact us. So our funds come through the COC, partners addressing homelessness, working very hard. And then we have new protocols, practices, policies that come out of HUD. after we've all been told what our funding is. So there's an uncertainty. What is certain is that homelessness is rising, for sure, 16 to 21, the most aggressively homeless population here in Rochester, Monroe County, and across the country, and that the uncertainty means that some smaller organizations, those really struggling, not the center, thank goodness, can't get the grants done in time. And we're hearing through the grapevine, you know, people like to tell me stuff that a blue state, matter how good, no matter how hard, no matter what the legacy is, for three or four decades we've been funded, is under review. So, you know, we have to be strong. Listen, we have choices. We can be braver, fiercer, more resilient, more persisting, and that's what we're doing at the center. Other people are going in the other direction, closing shelters, not applying, just not playing along because it's too hard. Some of the highest rates of homelessness are in the contiguous American South in states like Mississippi that tend to be read politically. You're saying that there's less targeting of red states? We're being told, you know, just a lot of people are saying, you know, do you want to spend? You know, it's a 90-page application, and we used to have 60 days to respond. Now we have less than three weeks. So funding is up in September. It's already August. So by the end of September, early October, our grants could go away. You can hear this full conversation on our website, WXXXI News.org slash connections. Well, it is back to school time, and for some students, it is the beginning of their college careers. It's a big life transition for both those students and their families. Chelsea Petrie is the director of parent and family programs at Rochester Institute of Technology.

During a conversation with WXXIs Beth Adams, she explains the advice she gives to parents who may struggle with sending their children off to college for the first time. Chelsea, good to have you here. Thanks for joining us. Thank you for having me today. How important is it to set the right tone for how involved a parent is going to be in their child's college life in those first few weeks of the semester? Actually, it starts before then. It starts now in the summer before they even go off to college. Setting expectations, helping them understand how you'll support them, whether that be financially or talking about grades or how you're going to help your student when they come to you with issues. It's definitely important to set that up from the start. So you have clear expectations before they even leave the home and step foot on college campus. Back when I went to college in the 1980s, it was just mom dropping us off at the front door, see you later, at a good time. Two, I think we went through this era of, you know, where the term helicopter parent became synonymous with parents in this stage of life. Do you have any specific tips for parents to... Let's say be a supportive coach versus getting over involved. Yes, absolutely. You know, the truth is that students want their parents involved. Students thrive when they have support from home as well as support from the university. But you hit the nail on the head is this is a key time for parents to begin to let. their child be an adult and not a child. But college is a time of transition. So you don't just turn 18 and become an adult. You need some time for that transition. And this is a key time for parents to let their student make their own doctor's appointments. But as a parent, you can help your student understand what questions they should ask or how insurance works. But it's really up for the student to take ownership in things like that. Can you talk a little about perhaps a specific? scenario or instance where it is important for a parent to get involved and how they should become involved. Yes, absolutely. I actually used the word helicopter parent earlier in our conversation, and I don't really like that term because I think it stops parents from reaching out when they really should. And having worked in this field for as long as I have, I can name instances where I would receive an email from a parent that says, I don't want to be a helicopter parent. but my student hasn't left their room in two weeks. Or I don't want to be a helicopter parent, but I haven't heard from my student. And those are times when, you know, a lot of times parents will learn things before we on campus know. And we want them to help us help their student. And so we want them to be good helicopters where if they notice an issue, they come into help and then they let us take care of it if it's something we can take care of. So do you have any other? dues or don'ts for parents who are sending a child off to college for the first time.

I do. So one of the lighthearted ones, people always laugh when I say this, but it's not a joke. Make sure your student knows how to do laundry before they come here. But also I would tell parents to really enjoy this time and really enjoy getting to know your child as an adult and the person that they're going to be for the rest of their lives. I think a lot of parents kind of mourn the past. Like they're so sad because their child is a grown up. But what a great time when you get to become friends with your child instead of taking care of them all the time. So I think my advice would be to embrace that and enjoy getting to know the adult that they're becoming during the college years. Chelsea, thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. An invasive insect is threatening the survival of grape growers in the Finger Lakes and across the state. New York Public News Network's Scott Willis tells us that if left unchecked, the spotted lanternfly could cause exponential damage. The insect native to Asia was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and in New York in 2020. We're just seeing them starting to become a problem in the Finger Lakes. They're a factor and coordinator with Cornell Integrated Pest Management. He says the spotted lanternfly feeds on a variety of plants, but around this time of year it moves to vineyards. It weakens the vines and can have impact on the fruit. quality and characteristics as well as the vines themselves, especially when it feeds late into the fall, even after the grapes are removed, it's weakening the vines and in some cases they don't over winter. So in the following spring, they don't come back. On the first year, Pennsylvania researchers found out that there is no decrease in yield. but there is a decrease in the quality of the grapes. Alan Pinto is a Cornell Research Associate with a specialty in agriculture economics. And on the second year, they found out that there is a decrease in quality and quantity. He says over three years, economic damage could cost the industry over $14 million. Eshenauer says natural predators keep the spotted lanternfly in check in Asia, but not so in New York. Without... those predators to feed on it, the populations explode. And that's what we're seeing. So what can vineyards do? Alan Pinto says pesticides work, but they're pricey. They're doing two to three more during the season and one or two. after the grave was harvest. So we include some cause for that, and it could be $200 more per acre. He says that doesn't include the cost of labor or soaring fuel prices. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and others have introduced bipartisan legislation to designate the spotted lanternfly as an invasive species. That would make it a high priority for research and control. In Syracuse, I'm Scott Willis for the New York Public News Network. Equicenter in Menden has received $500,000 from New York State to help make some improvements on the campus. They use horses, horticulture, and other nature-based experiences for educational and therapeutic programs. The focus is on people with disabilities, young people from underserved communities, veterans, and first responders. Assembly member Jen Lunsford announced the money yesterday when she, an assembly speaker, Carl Heistee, visited the organization.

They also announced $400,000 to aid with operating expenses. So we want to make sure that we're finding ways to give back and to make our capital investments work for the people. Organization officials say the money will be used to make heavily used areas more accessible. It'll also offset the cost of improving a Mustang corral, making it usable year-round. The corral is important for a program serving the veterans. As summer winds down, the busy season begins for the local food and drink scene, and City Magazine editor-in-chief Leah Stacey is here to tell us all about it. The revelry on University Avenue has closed. Rev Barbecue, the smaller concept in the adjacent plaza, will remain open and add a full bar. An upscale concept called Eschelon Lounge is currently being built out in part of the former spot coffee space on East Avenue. And big festivals will close out August. Huchinani is this weekend, August 14th through 16th at Parenthood's Center Park West in Fairport. It will feature a world of whiskey tasting tent and bands My Morning Jacket, Joy Wave, Modest Mouse, and more. The 7th annual Barry's Irish Festival takes place August 21st and 22nd at the Webster Fireman's Field, hosted by the family that produces Barry's Irish cream and owns Barry's Irish pub in Fairport. And Rochester Teaky Week returns for year three, with 10 bars celebrating rum-soaked culture, including a sundown swizzle contest at Marches on August 30th. Leah Stacey, WXXXI News. Seneca Park Zoo has a new female red panda. Rose was transferred to our local zoo from Zoo Atlanta as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's Breeding Program. Seneca Park Zoo does have a successful track record of breeding red pandas as the species is endangered due to deforestation and loss of habitat as well as climate change. Seneca Park Zoo visitors can expect to see Rose in about a month. She's under the standard 30-day quarantine at the zoo's animal hospital right now. It is the hope that Rose and the zoo's male red panda gizmo will get along and then become a new breeding pair advancing the survival of their species. Today's weather forecast for Rochester and the Finger Lakes. A foggy start to the morning and cloudy. The clouds may produce a scattered shower or thunderstorm, but there will be times of sun. High temps in the mid to high 70s and the evening low dips to the 60s. Subscribe to the WXXI Daily News podcast and let us get you ready every weekday morning with all the top stories. And of course you can always read more at WXXI News.org. Thank you for your time. I hope you have a fantastic day and I'll see you again tomorrow.