ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — With the 150th anniversary of the Civil War just months away, New York's government has failed to scrounge up a single Yankee dollar to commemorate a conflict it played a major role in winning.
New York isn't alone. Other states saddled with similar budget woes are unable or unwilling to set aside taxpayer funds for historic re-enactments and museum exhibits when public employees are being laid off and services slashed.
Even South Carolina, where the war's first shots were fired upon Fort Sumter in April 1861, has declined to provide government funding for organizations planning events.
Virginia and Pennsylvania appear to be leading the way in efforts to plan, promote and stage Civil War commemorations.
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