Tastebuds tingle at 5th annual Mac & Cheese Fest
Proceeds from the festival all go to benefit the Binghamton Philharmonic. BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — Creamy or gooey, cheesy or spicy, whatever makes your mouth water, Mac & Cheese fest has the mac for you. “We’re doing an elote-style mac and cheese with a cheddar queso cheese sauce, topped with queso fresco, chili powder, and poblano peppers,” said Jeffrey Thacher with Garage Taco Bar. In it’s fifth year, dozens of restaurants gathered at the Holiday Inn in downtown Binghamton with unique and signature recipes, all to dazzle a panel of judges. For those attending, the twists on mac and cheese bring people back year after year. Restaurateurs and attendees can all agree the festival brings foodies together. 
“It’s a good way to get into the community, talk to other restaurants and cooks, exchange ideas,” said Thacher. “I love the familiar faces, there’s so many people that I’ve seen that I recognize, and it’s great, everyone seems to love it,” said Tabatha Newton, owner of The Relief Pitcher. “We started coming here at the first Mac and Cheese Fest, and we’ve been coming ever since. It’s a tradition for us,” said Christina Taylor. She’s made it a yearly tradition to taste all the macs with her daughter. After taste-testing all the macaroni, attendees have the chance to place their vote for five different judging categories. While it’s nice to claim the coveted title of having the best mac and cheese, restaurants can agree the festival brings a little more than friendly competition. 
While the school’s spirit week is over, he still plans on making videos to share. BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — With schools closed across the state until April 29, many are resorting to online learning. Teaching lessons of love and light, even when school is closed. “I think it’s super important during this time that they get to see me, they still know that we’re here, that we’re behind them, that we’re supporting them, and it’s a great way for me to stay connected to the kids on a platform that they love and they use,” said Richman. “I had never even honestly heard of TikTok or knew what it was, but I felt like since the kids wanted that to happen, it was my role to do it,” said Richman. Richman posts things from funny videos about being home, to videos tailored to the day of the week. But it’s not all about the academics, Binghamton High School principal Kevin Richman is teaching his own lesson about spreading joy and positivity. Like many educators would say, it’s all for the students. Mr. Richman has even challenged other buildings and staff to hop on TikTok and do the same. Take ‘Workout Wednesday’ for example. For more on the coronavirus, click here. Not only is Mr. Richman spreading joy onto your feed, he’s also sharing the messages students need to hear most. Richman started posting videos on the social media site, TikTok as a part of Binghamton High School’s virtual spirit week. “We do love them. And we do miss them. And if I can use TikTok as an avenue to show everybody that, then I’m going to do that,” he said. “I decided to hop on the treadmill here at the high school holding a cinnamon roll and lip syncing to a song,” said Richman. “The reality is that we all need a laugh, we all need a smile, and again, if I can do a little dance or do a little singing to make that happen then I’m doing a very small part that needs to be done to get us through this time.” “We really were trying to come up with some ideas to keep our kids connected to the building while they’re all home,” he said. While the school community is adjusting to many changes, TikTok was also a learning curve for the principal.
Schools will have to submit their data starting Tuesday, Sept. 8 and the tracker will be available on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Cuomo said every school district in the state will be required to provide the New York State Department of Health with daily data of positive COVID-19 tests. (WBNG) — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday the state will launch an online coronavirus dashboard for parents and teachers. 
Cuomo hopes the tracking dashboard gives parents and teachers some confidence that the district’s plans are being implemented.
Officials say parents or caretakers of children who received free or reduced priced meals during the 2019-2020 school year will be receiving the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer food benefits. This benefit will also be given to those who live in a district where free or reduced priced lunches were provided to all students during that year. Residents can apply for one or more of these programs by visiting the state benefits website. STEUBEN COUNTY (WBNG) — County Department of Social Services Commissioner Kathryn Muller said online applications for Steuben County residents seeking food, heating, Medicaid, and temporary assistance benefits are now available. For help with uploading supporting documents to the website, officials say you can download the free app, ‘NYDocSubmit’.
For more information about the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits, click here. Those with questions about their benefits are asked to call the Stuben County DSS at (607) 644-2000 and leave a message with your contact number.