Morning News Briefing

The investigation continues after a fire caused heavy damage to a Batavia home and claimed the lives of several pets. Flames were spotted Thursday leaping from a home at 162 State Street. The fire chief said it was a two-alarm fire. No one was home when the flames broke out. A dog and three cats died in the blaze.

The Genesee County Health Department is reporting 40 new positive COVID-19 cases. Some of the new infections involve a staff member at Batavia High School and a student at Byron Bergen High School. Both individuals are in mandatory quarantine. Both schools remain open. Orleans County reports 30 new virus cases and Wyoming County reports 18 news cases since Tuesday.

A lack of staffing because of the spread of COVID-19 in the community is forcing Batavia’s Original to close for the weekend. The owner will evaluate staff availability on Monday to see if she can reopen. Five workers at the pizzeria have tested positive and because of close contact, several more are in mandatory quarantine for two weeks and can’t come to work.

Cashless tolling will go live on the New York State Thruway’s ticketed system – more than a month ahead of schedule – during the overnight hours of tonight into tomorrow. The historic conversion will take place simultaneously at 58 tolling locations across the Thruway’s 450-mile ticketed system. At the time cashless tolling goes live, cash will no longer be accepted as a form of payment at toll booths and printed toll tickets will not be handed out. The conversion to cashless tolling marks the end of phase one of the project. Phase two, which begins following the conversion, includes the removal of existing toll plazas.

Families will have the opportunity to visit a local dairy farm without ever leaving the couch. Genesee County’s Oakfield Corners Dairy is the next stop on American Dairy Association North East’s “Fun on the Farm” series, which can be seen on Facebook at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. This week, dairy farm team members Adam Dresser and Jamie Black will discuss how Oakfield Corners uses genetics when breeding their cows, leading to healthy animals who produce a lot of high-quality milk.

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York says that Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed critical legislation addressing the growing decline in volunteer firefighters across the State. The new law creates a New York State Recruitment and Retention Task Force that will study challenges to recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters. Its mission is to develop recommendations and policy changes to assist fire departments across the state in boosting their ranks.

$400,000. That’s how much Buffalo Bills fans have raised in honor of Bill’s quarterback Josh Allen’s grandmother. She passed away over the weekend. The Bills Mafia is making donations to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo in increments of $17 dollars—Allen’s number is 17.