Afternoon News Brief

A fire engulfed a home at 162 State street in Batavia this morning killing 3 cats and 1 dog.  No people were home when the house went up before 8 am.  Fire fighters were on the scene quickly as a n off duty firefighter was passing by and called in for help along with many residents of nearby homes.  He was informed someone was in the house and attempted to gain entry but the flames were already too hot.  After the fire department arrived and doused the flames they found no people inside.  The residents arrived at around 11 am.  The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Governor Cuomo has announced new restrictions designed to fight the rise in COVID cases in New York State.  Just in time for Thanksgiving Cuomo says that no ore than 10 people are allowed to congregate in private homes, bars, restaurants, and gyms must close by 10pm starting Friday at 10pm.  These restrictions are very close to what neighboring states are doing.  Cuomo says that the rules for private homes are needed as Halloween parties are reported to be the cause of some clusters in areas around the state.

Cashless tolls begin Friday night on the NYS thruway.  This is almost a month ahead of schedule.  Cars getting on the highway will not have to stop at the booths anymore as the cameras positioned above will shoot a pic of the front and back license plates and also scan for ezpass tags.  Those without ezpass will be charged more than those with them.  The next phase of the project involves removing existing toll booths. During this period, drivers will be asked to drive through toll lanes at reduced speeds without stopping. Citizens are asked to exercise caution when driving up to toll plazas.

Maybe you felt the earth shake.  The US Geological survey reports that a 1.5 magnitude quake has struck up near Wilson in Niagara county.  They say that the depth of the quake was 5 kilometers down into the earth and happened Tuesday morning.

The salvation army is getting going with it’s red kettle campaign with bell a ringing.  Requests for help are at an all time high as many people are suffering from the shutdowns and decreased economy that came from them.  If you don’t carry change or cash then you can give online on the salvation army’s website or via apple pay or google pay.