As we move into the dog days of summer in August, there are a number of brief updates I wanted to share for you and your family.

Citizen Preparedness Training. Gov. Cuomo will be hosting a Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program event on Tuesday, Aug. 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland. To register for the event, individuals can sign up at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/aware-prepare/nysprepare.

National Night Out. Tuesday, Aug. 4 marks National Night Out. Here is a listing of the evening’s activities across the 109th District.

Center Square/Hudson Park, Hudson and Jay Park (Albany), 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Central BID, Central Avenue and Robin Street (Albany), 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

West Hill, 553 Clinton Avenue (Albany), 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Pine Hills, Ontario and Hamilton streets (Albany), 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Helderberg, Grove and Helderberg avenues (Albany), 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Whitehall, Edgecomb and Dartmouth streets (Albany), 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Jewish Community Center (Albany), 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Tawasentha Park (Guilderland), 6-9 p.m.

Public hearing on telecommunications. The Public Service Commission (PSC) will be holding a public hearing on telecommunications in New York State, including the possible expansion of Verizon FiOS service in our region. The hearing will take place at Bethlehem Town Hall (447 Delaware Avenue, Delmar) on Wednesday, Aug. 13 starting at 6 p.m. with an information session, followed by a public statement hearing at 7 p.m.

It is important for residents to make their opinions heard on expanding this broadband service, as availability of FiOS is highly limited in parts of New York State.

Red Light Cameras on Everett Road. The Albany Police Department announced that the red light cameras for the northbound and southbound approaches at Everett Road and Watervliet Avenue Extension will be fully operational starting on Wednesday, Aug. 5.

There will be a warning period for the first ten days. Starting on August 16, motorists who are captured passing through a red light may be subject to a red light camera citation. Red light camera citations will not add points to a driving record. Each violation will be treated as a parking ticket, and will include a fine of $50 issued to car owners rather than drivers. Under a contract with the GATSO USA, a number of features to ensure citations are issued and processed fairly, include:

+ having Albany Police Department make the final determination of whether a citation will be issued;

+ issuing citations only when cars enter an intersection after a light has turned red;

+ making yellow lights at these intersections, which are under the control of the City, last four seconds;

+ having contested citations handled by Albany City Court, as are parking tickets.

For more information about red light cameras, visit albany-ny.org.

Job Opportunities: New York State has setup a new job portal entitled Jobs Express, where thousands of private and public sector jobs are listed. Visit jobs.ny.gov for more information on how to apply for these opportunities.

As always, for the latest news or for upcoming events, please visit my office online, on Facebook, on Twitter, or my Times Union blog. If you would like to reach my office, please feel free to send us a note.

Sincerely ---

Pat