Afternoon News Brief

Highly pathogenic avian flu has been confirmed in a wild bird in Livingston and Monroe counties, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The disease has been found in multiple wild bird species in several areas of the state. The DEC didn’t provide further details about these regional cases but listed a variety of species in which it has been confirmed statewide. Infected birds have included Canada geese, mallard and wood ducks, great blue herons, red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, turkey vultures, snowy owls, redhead and ring-necked ducks, snow geese, mute swans, great horned owls, tundra swans, sanderlings and cooper’s hawks. Small songbirds have not been affected, but many other species of waterfowl — including shorebirds, gulls, raptors, herons and cranes — are also vulnerable. DEC officials are offering advice for dealing with wild game birds. People can protect themselves by only harvesting game which appears to be healthy and properly cooking any game meat being eaten to an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit, which kills the virus. If handling wild birds — particularly waterfowl, gulls, and raptors — people should follow precautions such as using personal protective equipment including masks, gloves, and eye protection. They should also wash their hands thoroughly afterward. People are asked to report any suspicious deaths of infected wild bird species to their local DEC office.

Batavia City schools board members have quite a full agenda for tonight’s meeting, which includes a public hearing about spending district reserves to repair the roof at Batavia High. The meeting will begin with a presentation about that $140,000 proposal. The public will be given time to voice questions, comments and concerns before the board is scheduled to vote on the work later in the meeting. Other agenda items include a review of the tentative 2022-23 budget, followed later by a vote to adopt the $55 million financial plan. The most recent preliminary budget in March included a nearly $3 million increase, or 5.75 percent more than the current budget. The tax levy was at $20.57 million for a 5.5 percent increase, overriding the tax cap levy by $756,449. The meeting is set to begin at 6 this evening at the BHS library, 260 State Street. Business Administrator Scott Rozanski is expected to go over the proposed budget up for board vote during Thursday’s meeting. The preliminary plan included spending increases of $692,575 for teacher/administrative support salaries, $481,970 more for support salaries and nearly $1 million more for fringe benefits. Those total increased numbers are $19.9 million for teacher salaries, $6.5 million for support salaries and $12,306,449 for fringe benefits.

The Covid case numbers in Genesee and Orleans counties continue to climb. Genesee is at 168 and Orleans at 113 as of the measurement week that ended April 19. These numbers are up from the previous week when Genesee had 119 cases and Orleans had 83; all of this, according to data from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. Governor Kathy Hochul discussed Covid during a news conference yesterday when she announced a mask mandate would remain in place in certain settings in the State despite a federal judge striking down the requirement for airlines, trains, subways, and buses. Governor Hochul says for the short term to include nursing homes, health care facilities and on public transportation systems. Hochul says she thinks she would have lifted the mandate in all settings if not for two omicron sub-variants driving up the number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in New York State. Right now, the seven-day-average infection rate in the Western NY region is just under 12%.

Law enforcement agencies across Genesee County are providing the public the opportunity to dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. On Saturday, April 30th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be three locations across the county where citizens can dispose of their medications. Sharps will only be accepted at the Batavia location. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. The Batavia Police Department, in conjunction with United Memorial Medical Center, will be accepting prescription drugs and sharps in the Alva Place parking lot across the street from Batavia Showtime. The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at the Pembroke Town Hall, 1145 Main Rd. Corfu. And the Le Roy Police Department will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at their headquarters located at 3 West Main Street, LeRoy. The Batavia Police Department Headquarters has one for everyday collection of drugs and sharps located in the rear entrance at 10 West Main Street. Containers are also located at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office on Park Rd, Batavia, and at the Le Roy Police Department.

Three men who failed to stop at a checkpoint at the U.S. border with Canada were taken into custody after a chase that ended in a field off Route 20A late Tuesday afternoon. Wyoming County Sheriff Gregory Rudolph said his department was contacted after an SUV failed to stop at the checkpoint and led border patrol and agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a chase that went through Erie County and into Wyoming County. When the driver went off Route 20A near Snyder Road, the SUV ended up in a field about 75 feet from the road. All three men inside ran into nearby woods. K9 Units from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Genesee and Erie counties were called to assist in the search. All three were soon taken into custody without further incident and there was no indication as to why the men fled.

After having the last few days off, the Buffalo Sabres will be back in action in the Garden State tonight. They’ll be on the road to take on the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Sabres are on a two-game winning streak after picking up a pair of victories against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sabres are currently in 6th place in the Atlantic Division with 69 points. Face-off for this evening’s contest is set for 7:00.

Customers of multiple cell phone companies reported outages across the country yesterday afternoon, an issue that appeared to be centered on problems with Verizon’s network. Reports of outages began to increase starting around 3:15 p.m. Outage spikes were reported by customers of multiple carriers. Apparently, this is often a case of somebody with one carrier not able to reach a phone number for someone with a different carrier. But they may report it as a problem with their own provider. According to a Verizon representative, a fiber issue in the core of their network caused some customers to experience intermittent call failures, but has now been resolved. But either way, the lines of communication all appear to be fine and open now.

Divers have finally been able to get into the waters of Lake Erie to get a close-up look at the damage to the USS The Sullivans. Last week, the ship suffered a massive hull breach, which caused it to fill up with thousands of gallons of water and partially submerge. It was announced yesterday the oil that had been leaking from the vessel is now contained. Officials haven’t said yet how long cleanup and repair efforts are going to take.

New advertising has been launched as part of a public health campaign that’s focused on informing New Yorkers about the state’s Cannabis Law. The ads are educating consumers about the dangers of impaired driving, the risks of youth cannabis use, safe cannabis storage, and respectful consumption of cannabis in public. Governor Hochul says part of building the strongest cannabis industry in the nation is making sure New Yorkers have relevant facts at their fingertips. More information on the law can be found online.