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Utica (/ˈjuːtɪkə/ ^ⓘ) is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, it is approximately 95 mi (153 km) west-northwest of Albany, 55 mi (89 km) east of Syracuse and 240 mi (386 km) northwest of New York City. Utica and the nearby city of Rome anchor the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area comprising all of Oneida and Herkimer Counties.

Formerly a river settlement inhabited by the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy, Utica attracted European-American settlers from New England during and after the American Revolution. In the 19th century, immigrants strengthened its position as a layover city between Albany and Syracuse on the Erie and Chenango Canals and the New York Central Railroad. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the city's infrastructure contributed to its success as a manufacturing center and defined its role as a worldwide hub for the textile industry. (Full article...)

Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River on the Canada–United States border. With a population of 278,349 according to the 2020 census, Buffalo is the second-most populous city in New York state and the 81st-most populous city in the U.S. Buffalo and the city of Niagara Falls together make up the two-county Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 1.2 million in 2020, making it the 49th-largest metro area in the U.S.

Before the 17th century, the region was inhabited by nomadic Paleo-Indians who were succeeded by the Neutral, Erie, and Iroquois nations. In the early 17th century, the French began to explore the region. In the 18th century, Iroquois land surrounding Buffalo Creek was ceded through the Holland Land Purchase, and a small village was established at its headwaters. In 1825, after its harbor was improved, Buffalo was selected as the terminus of the Erie Canal, which led to its incorporation in 1832. The canal stimulated its growth as the primary inland port between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Transshipment made Buffalo the world's largest grain port of that era. After the coming of railroads greatly reduced the canal's importance, the city became the second-largest railway hub (after Chicago). During the mid-19th century, Buffalo transitioned to manufacturing, which came to be dominated by steel production. Later, deindustrialization and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway saw the city's economy decline and diversify. It developed its service industries, such as health care, retail, tourism, logistics, and education, while retaining some manufacturing. In 2019, the gross domestic product of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls MSA was $53 billion (~$62.3 billion in 2023). (Full article...)

The crime problem in New York is getting really serious. The other day the Statue of Liberty had both hands up. — Jay Leno

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Robert Sterling Yard (February 1, 1861 – May 17, 1945) was an American writer, journalist, and wilderness activist. Born in Haverstraw, New York, Yard graduated from Princeton University and spent the first twenty years of his career in the editing and publishing business. In 1915, he was recruited by his friend Stephen Mather to help publicize the need for an independent national park agency. Their numerous publications were part of a movement that resulted in legislative support for a National Park Service (NPS) in 1916. Yard served as head of the National Parks Educational Committee for several years after its conception, but tension within the NPS led him to concentrate on non-government initiatives. He became executive secretary of the National Parks Association in 1919.

Yard worked to promote the national parks as well as educate Americans about their use. Creating high standards based on aesthetic ideals for park selection, he also opposed commercialism and industrialization of what he called "America's masterpieces". These standards subsequently caused discord with his peers. After helping to establish a relationship between the NPA and the United States Forest Service, Yard later became involved in the protection of wilderness areas. In 1935, he became one of the eight founding members of The Wilderness Society and acted as its first president from 1937 until his death eight years later. Yard is now considered an important figure in the modern wilderness movement. (Full article...)

Letchworth State Park is a New York state park located 35 miles (56 km) south of Rochester, New York. The park is roughly 17 miles (24 km) long, covering 14,350 acres (22.42 square miles or 58.07 km²) of land along the Genesee River. Within the park there are three large waterfalls on the river and perhaps as many as 50 waterfalls found on tributaries that flow into it; the gorge formed by the river, with rock walls rising up to 550 feet (170 m) in places and which narrow to 400 feet (120 m) across above the middle of the three falls, prompted the area's reputation as the "Grand Canyon of the East".

• June 16: Wikinews interviews candidate for New York City mayor Vitaly Filipchenko
• August 13: Water main bursts in White Plains, New York, US
• June 19: On the campaign trail in the USA, May 2020
• February 15: California lawyer Michael Avenatti convicted of attempted extortion
• October 17: Hundreds arrested for 'dark web' child porn by international task force
• October 10: U.S. judge orders release of President Trump's tax records, appeals court issues delay
• September 29: Fiancée of murdered Saudi journalist demands justice at UN General Assembly
• September 21: NYC Mayor de Blasio ends US presidential campaign

• ...that the Adirondack Park Agency was created in an attempt to settle the dispute over whether wilderness within the site should be preserved, or be exploited for profit?
• ...that Same-sex marriage in New York became legal on July 24, 2011, under the Marriage Equality Act?
• ...that Coney Island in southern Brooklyn has a population of 60,000?

• Esther Brann (July 21, 1899- January 9, 1998) was an American children’s author and illustrator who was born in New York City
• Jonathan Myles (born July 24, 1982) is an American luger who competed from 1999 to 2006. He finished 18th in the men's singles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Myles currently owns a landscaping business in New York
• Olive Risley Seward (July 15, 1844 in Fredonia, New York – November 27, 1908) was the adopted daughter of William Henry Seward, United States Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.