Afternoon News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on January 30, 2024
GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare plans to host its second annual career exploration event for local students interested in healthcare career pathways and opportunities. Approximately 600 students in grades 8-12 from 28 schools will gather at Genesee Community College on March 22, to connect with various healthcare businesses and organizations to learn about careers in healthcare and science-related fields throughout the GLOW region. GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare will provide the healthcare sector with the opportunity to meet and recruit its future workforce. Participants include representatives from hospitals and health systems and those in nursing, mental health, social services and first responders. Attendees also will be able to explore educational pathways in the healthcare sector through BOCES and local colleges and universities.
New rules are about to go into place that will make a lot of changes necessary for the Genesee County Animal Shelter. Companion Animal Law will force the Shelter to update its HVAC system to have separate systems for dogs and cats and keep the temperature set between 60 and 80 degrees at all times. Also they have to build larger kennels for dogs and cats, separate washing facilities for both dogs and cats, additional wash sinks for volunteers, and daylighting for diurnal lighting. The updates are expected to cost quite a lot and the shelter is hoping to get a grant of 500K. Other changes are how the animals activities are tracked with logs for interactions and regulations for how much noise there is in the shelter.
Monroe Community College is moving forward with its plan, unveiled in September, to equip campus security officers with long guns. At a MCC Board of Trustees meeting, school officials said having officers with patrol rifles would allow for a swifter, more effective response if someone intending to do harm comes on campus. They say they’ve learned from other incidents around the country that seconds count. Campus Safety Chief Stephen Wise said that handguns had a limited range, between 20 and 30 yards, and long guns would allow campus safety officers to engage threats from hundreds of yards away. According to MCC officials, officers would not carry the guns. They would be kept in a secure location where officers could get them in an active shooter or mass casualty situation. The college notified faculty of the decision on Monday.
Rochester police are saying that they are understaffed and it’s affecting their day to day operations. The department is currently down more than 90 officers. With fewer officers on hand it means longer response times for 911 calls and fewer investigators to work crime scenes or follow up when crimes are committed. Current officers have felt the pinch. Many of them have been forced to stay overtime and work double shifts. The officer shortage dates back several years to the “Defund the Police” movement and cancellation of a police academy class which has resulted in a higher murder rate especially in poorer areas and higher crime rates across the city.
It’s something most of us have already experienced firsthand while on the road, pothole season in Western New York is already off and running. AAA Emergency Road Service Dispatcher Dan Fisher, not to be confused with the former owner of WBTA, said that the early freeze and thaw caused the potholes to open up earlier this year. AAA of Western and Central New York responds to thousands of tire-related calls each month and says that one of the biggest culprits is potholes. In 2022 nearly 2 in 10 drivers had to get their vehicles repaired after hitting a pothole. The average cost of repair was over $400 and prices continue to rise.
Another Trash Removal service wants your business. Dirty Dan’s Junk and Trash Removal started in June with Dan King wanting to help people get rid of their waste after experiencing trash pickup delays and neighbors missing having their cans emptied. For junk removal, King says it’s $100 per load for a one time pick up of junk. Trash pick-up is $35 per month and includes 10 bags with 2 bulk items and recycling per week. He says he picks up junk and trash areawide. Dirty Dans Junk and Trash Removal also offers small moving services. His fiance answers the phone and sets up appointments and sometimes his 2 year old rides along.
