Year after year Laborers Local 17 of Newburgh keeps hiring and training Marlboro High School graduates in its apprentice program. The apprentices are paid and most often work full time and at the end of four years graduate from the program and get a huge increase in their per hour pay and are on their way to making enough money to own a home and raise a family.

This year it has 12 Marlboro members of its apprentice program, They are Tony Gondolfo, Michael Schiavone, Mike DuBois, Vinny Garitta, Anthony LaMela, Sean Burley, Lorenzo Cavazza, Sean Maloney, Darren Olympia, Zach Fakadelis, Dominic Santora, and John Bochicchio.

Working this summer at the union hall are Austin Casey and Christian Diorio. Temporary workers are Scott and Xavier Oliver, and Michael Logue.

The apprentice program is an associate’s degree for construction, while those, who complete it have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree for construction. But Laborers Local 17 will continue training them for life.

L. Todd Diorio, the business manager for the local, pays attention to national and state infrastructure budgets, as they provide a lot of funding for work the members do. If President Trump approves, after two and a half years, his first infrastructure budget, Diorio may be looking for more apprentices. Diorio may have another problem; “Moscow” Mitch McConnell may not again allow the senate to vote on an infrastructure budget, while Nancy Pelosi is ready in a moment.

Congressman Antonio Delgado has been meeting with Todd Diorio and other representatives of the local.

Al Lanzetta and Paul Hansut may not have this in their budget plans
Global Warming is creating problems throughout the world and the towns of Marlboro and Lloyd have not been given a pass. Heat, flood, and fire records are constantly being set throughout the world because of the cumulative nature of climate change.

What if a record breaking hurricane, which dumps a record 45 inches of rain on the towns occurs, could the towns drainage infrastructure handle it, or in preparation for such a nightmare should the towns upgrade their drainage infrastructure in key areas?

Budgets normally do not include “what if” budget items, but this Global Warming is not normal. There have been two back-to-back record heat waves in Europe, record breakers in Greenland and Alaska, which are accelerating ice melts, the hottest July in the known history of the world, and the wettest mid west in history in the United States. Too many records are being set.

This is an unusual happening: The Republicans in Congress may be losing the Young Republicans because of Global Warming. In a poll the Young Republicans have a 73% disapproval of the Republican Party’s position on Global Warming.

New York State decriminalizes some marijuana
The New York State Legislature has approved legislation, which will partially decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, on a party line vote, with Democrats supporting the change and Republicans opposing it as they feel it will encourage people to use it. I support the legislation as until the new law was approved too many people ended up with criminal records for possession of a non-addictive drug.

New York State’s approach to the use of the drug reflected legislators believing marijuana and heroin were like drugs, when they are not. Also 86 percent of those arrested for using marijuana were black, when they represented 14 percent of the users.