Hometown News: Paterson Visit

Governor David Paterson yesterday announced his plan to establish a Flight 3407 Memorial Scholarship, to help ensure that the children of the victims of that tragedy will have the financial resources to get a higher education. The scholarship would go to the children and financial dependents of the 50 victims of Flight 3407. The grants could be used for up to four years of undergraduate study at any public or private college in New York State.

The Governor has agreed to take a ten-percent pay cut. The decision came after pressure from residents who pressed him to identify the sacrifices state leaders were making to help close the multi-billion-dollar budget gap. Paterson also agreed to reconsider raises given to top staffers. The governor was in Wstern New York for much of yesterday, including a Town Hall-style meeting in Niagara Falls last night to discuss the 14-billion-dollar state budget deficit and respond to Western New Yorkers' concerns.