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A look inside Willard State Hospital, New York State Fair ends, Starbucks employees hold sip in at Eastview Mall, and update on medical debt collection changes in New York.

Here are the stories we’re following for you Tuesday, September 6th. The Morning Edition is a daily digest of the biggest stories that matter to your life in the Finger Lakes. Today’s newsletter is sponsored by DiSanto Propane. Learn more about them and other FingerLakes1.com partners by scrolling down.

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5 Things To Know: Get Your Day Started Here

1. We got inside the former Willard State Hospital property in Romulus, New York. Months after the state Department of Corrections shuttered a 400-acre drug treatment facility — questions loom about its future. The psychiatric facility there shut down in 1995. What happens next, though? [MORE]

2. Starbucks employees and union supporters held a ‘Sip In’ at the coffee chain’s Eastview Mall location on Labor Day. The move was in solidarity with unionization supporters and efforts across the U.S. [MORE]

3. Last session the New York State Legislature banned some medical debt collection. Advocates say it needs to go further, though, protecting people’s homes and wages. Wage garnishment has been removed as a means of collecting on medical debts, but some assets can still be collected. [MORE]

4. The New York State Fair has come to an end. How did it compare to 2021? What about pre-pandemic attendance seen in 2019? Most vendors and attendees agree — 2022 was much better than the 18-day version in 2021. The fair ended on an unfortunately rainy, dreary Labor Day. [MORE]

5. Carl Paladino could challenge his loss to Nick Langworthy in court. What happens if he challenges the primary win in court? How will it get there? Those questions remain largely unanswered, but here’s where things stand. [MORE]

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More Than A Drug Treatment Facility: Willard State Hospital Is Historic Marker Along Seneca Lake

The following photos were taken by News Director Hayley Jones as part of her first piece in a new regular series on historic preservation in the Finger Lakes. Read the full-story and check out all of the photos here.

Elliot Hall. Built in 1931, this structure remained in use by DOCCS up until early 2022.

Many patients who died between 1910 and 1960- about 5,700 people- were buried in anonymous graves on the property.

 Gas House. Possibly the only remaining structure from the original Willard complex.

Storehouse / Sheltered Workshop. Completed in 1896. At the time of Willard’s closure in 1995, staff discovered the suitcases of roughly 400 former Willard patients in the attic.

Map of Willard Asylum for the Insane grounds from the east. Willard Landing visible in lefthand corner. Now-demolished Main Building visible in center. Credit: Willard Asylum Scrapbooks, Edith B. Ford Memorial Library. (1874-1894). Willard Asylum Scrapbook, Volume A. Retrieved here.

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