Shooter Jennings proposes to former Sopranos star on-stage in Utica
(UPI Photo/Laura Cavanaugh)
UTICA, June 14, 2009-- It has been reported in the country music magazines and the tabloids that while performing at the Stanley Theatre in Utica on Thursday night, country singer Shooter Jennings proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Drea de Matteo, while on-stage and she accepted.
Both People Magazine and TV Guide have reported the story from Utica after Jennings, the only son of country music legend Waylon Jennings and Jessie Coulter, posted the news on his Twitter account after the show in Utica.
SEE PHOTOS IN GALLERY TO THE RIGHT
"Asked drea to marry me on stage tonight. I'm a lucky man," he Tweeted. "I'll never forget Utica, Ny. Hands off m------------ she said yes but she's mad," Jennings posted.
De Matteo, 37, who played Adriana La Cerva on the HBO hit series, The Sopranos, and Jennings, 30, have been dating since 2001, gave birth to their daughter, Alabama Gypsyrose, in Nov. 2007.
People Magazine quoted one source in Utica as saying, "[Drea] was dancing on the side of the stage holding [the couple's 18-month-old daughter] Alabama when [Shooter] called her on stage," a source says. "She was so surprised by the proposal." (photo credit TV Guide/HBO)
The concert was a benefit for The Robert Esche Save of the Day Foundation. Esche, a professional hockey player and local restaurant owner, set-up the charity for children in the area who face life-threatening illnesses.
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DATE: Thursday July 2, 2009
FROM: Michael J. Hennessy, Minority Leader
RELEASE DATE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michael J. Hennessy, 527-9663; Edward C. Stephenson, 841-8691;
Mike Clancy, 525-0491; Martin Kernan, 725-7688; Chad Davis, 404-4417.
Frank Tallarino, 337-6340
ONEIDA COUNTY DEMOCRATS SUPPORT SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND’S
EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF DAIRY FARMERS
Utica, NY – Democratic County Legislators Michael J. Hennessy, Edward C. Stephenson, Mike Clancy, Martin Kernan, and Chad Davis, whose districts include at least some farms, announced their strong support for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s efforts to press for emergency legislation designed to save dairy farms.
On June 24, Farm Bureau President Ben Simons advised the Board of Legislators that the 228 dairy farms in Oneida County face a $30 million combined deficit this year because of low milk prices and high operating expenses.
As New York’s dairy farmers face possible financial ruin because of a complicated and antiquated federal system of maintaining milk prices, many long-term farmers and their families have been forced to leave the industry because the cost of producing milk exceeds the price they get when selling it. Others have found themselves deeply in debt through no fault of their own while struggling to stay in a business that is so vital to the financial health of this State and the physical health of its citizens.
Senator Gillibrand, who is from the Albany area, is the first New York Senator to sit on the Agriculture Committee in forty years. As a Congresswoman she supported the dairy industry vigorously. Gillibrand helped craft the 2008 Farm Bill - inserting a “buy-local” amendment to promote local food production in New York, working hard to establish an organic transition fund to help farmers move from traditional to organic farming, and providing more funding than ever for fruit and vegetable farmers.
While serving in the House, Gillibrand was a leader for increased support and greater opportunities for dairy farmers. The first bill she introduced in Congress was the American Dairy Farmer Protection Act, which called for an increase in the maximum payment under the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program.
As Senator Gillibrand has pointed out, about one-quarter of New York State is made up of farmland and 42 of New York’s 62 counties are rural. Agriculture contributes nearly $4 billion annually to the state’s economy. There are currently about 228 dairy farms in Oneida County, a number that has shrunk drastically and dangerously over the years. Democratic Legislators insist that it is essential that the trend has to be reversed because farmers are the backbone of New York’s economy and there is no doubt that recovery of the upstate economy New York depends on financially secure farms.
The disparity between milk prices farmers receive and the costs they incur for feed, fuel, taxes, and other maintenance has become so great that some farmers lose thousands of dollars a day. They have been forced to incur additional debt, re-mortgaging property and equipment in order to stay in business. Some farms, regrettably, have closed. Democratic Legislators want to wage an active campaign with federal and state policymakers and lawmakers to ensure that they recognize the importance of changing the law so that farmers will no longer face such deficits.
On June 23, 2009, Senator Gillibrand held a conference regarding the difficulty faced by dairy farmers. A brief summary of the problem is as follows:
Milk prices are set according to rules established by the federal government, a system that was established in the 1930s. It was designed to alleviate the effects of the Great Depression on farmers. That system no longer protects the farmer. As a matter of fact, it hurts them. The price a farmer gets for milk has decreased substantially (now only 97 cents a gallon) and ironically, while consumers continue to pay high prices for milk products, none of that money goes to farmers.
Just how bad things are for dairy farmers is perhaps best illustrated by the charts below, with data provided by Cornell University.
2008 Class I Prices in the Boston Zone of the Northeast Marketing Area (per Hundredweight)
Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
24.22 22.93 19.95 21.86 19.87 21.43 24.03 21.72 20.90 18.78 20.58 18.68
2009 Class I Prices in the Boston Zone of the Northeast Marketing Area (per Hundredweight)
Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
18.99 13.97 12.68 13.61 14.22 13.33 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
The safety net called Milk Income Loss Contract, or MILC, is in place: When the price of milk drops below a certain level, the government makes up part of the difference. When the price gets too low, however, the subsidy provided by MILC does not come close to offsetting losses incurred by farmers. Senator Gillibrand pointed out in her recent press conference a safety net cannot be sustained over the long term.
To address the immediate crisis Senator Gillibrand is introducing two new bills in the coming days to provide temporary relief and assistance for farmers. The first measure would double the amount of assistance provided by the MILC program, up to 90% of the difference between the trigger price and the actual sale value.
The second measure is designed to have a longer-term effect by tying the trigger price to index the MILC trigger prices to inflation so that they adjust automatically to meet the changing economic conditions, rather than having Congress adjust the prices in times of crisis. Gillibrand hopes that both bills will pass before the Senate breaks for the summer. But she recognizes that her legislation will provide relief only in the short-term.
In the much longer term, Senator Gillibrand recognizes the need to create a new system for the overall pricing of milk to replace the 1930s system. This would require input from all the parts of the current system, including farmers, processors, and retailers, to ensure fair pricing for everybody. Major Farm Bills are enacted every four years. The next time one will go before Congress will be in 2012. Dairy farmers cannot wait that long.
Oneida County Democratic Legislators are united in urging federal officials to act as soon as possible to assist dairy farmers as they struggle for survival.
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