Afternoon News Brief

Best Buy is recalling multiple Insignia air fryers and air fryer ovens after reports of overheating. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced there have been 68 reports from US consumers and 36 reports from Canadian consumers of the air fryers catching fire, burning or melting. These include seven reports of minor property damage and two reports of injuries, including an injury to a child’s leg. They range in size from 3.4- to 10-quart models. The air fryers were sold between November 2018 and February 2022 for between $30 and $150, with 635,000 units sold in the US and 137,000 in Canada.

The air fryers being recalled in the US have the following model numbers: NS-AF32DBK9, NS-AF32MBK9, NS-AF50MBK9, NS-AF53DSS0, NS-AF53MSS0 and NS-AF55DBK9. The air fryer ovens have the model numbers: NS-AFO6DBK1 and NS-AFO6DSS1. In Canada, the item numbers are: NS-AF32MBK9-C, NS-AF50DBK0-C, NS-AF50MBK9-C, NS-AF53MSS0-C, NS-AF55DBK9-C and NS-AFO6DSS1-C.

 

City residents will soon be voting on a $54.8 million budget and a 1 percent tax levy increase. The school board adopted those final numbers at last night’s meeting. There was no discussion or questions after hearing the proposed 2022-23 budget presentation, which subsequently culminated in board member approval. The 1 percent tax levy increase means a total of $19,688,898 to be raised through taxes. If approved by public vote next month, that will push the tax rate from $19.23 per $1,000 assessed value to $19.42.  The increase of 19 cents more per $1,000 would result in an extra $19 for a home assessed at $100,000, or a total of $1,942 in property taxes. School board President Alice Benedict noted that the related tax levy increase of 1 percent falls under the tax cap of 1.62 percent, which is what the board had asked for.  In other business from last night, the Board approved the appointment of Nathan Korzelius as the new principal of Batavia Middle School.  Additional information about last night’s meeting is available on our news partner’s website, thebatavian.com

 

The U.S. Marshals Service says the search for a missing child and her mother has come to an end in Chatauqua County. Last month, police in West Virginia issued an arrest warrant for 35-year-old Adrienne Marean after she failed to transfer custody of her young daughter. An investigation later revealed Marean and her child were in the Western New York region and the pair were found yesterday in Stockton. The child was not injured. Marean is charged with felony concealment of a child and kidnapping.

 

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have issued a health advisory; they are seeing an increase in the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19. This recent increase in Covid-19 cases is due to the new Omicron variant BA.2, which spreads more easily than other earlier variants. In light of the updated data, the CDC now places Orleans County at a high risk level for community spread; the risk in Genesee County is now at a moderate risk level. Both counties were previously in the low risk range.

 

 

Wyoming County Waste Management began the distribution this month of 23,000 96-gallon garbage and recycling carts to residences in its solid waste collection program. Waste Management is supplying garbage totes for participating households there. The cart distribution will continue through the end of this month as the County makes the conversion to a cart-based collection system. Residents are encouraged to start using their carts as soon as they get them. Wyoming County made the decision to implement cart-based pickup for efficiency, sustainability, and cost effectiveness. All residents who are eligible under the county contract for curbside collection services will receive— or have already received — a cart for trash and a cart for recycling. There is no further action required by the resident. Any Wyoming County residents not currently eligible may contact Waste Management and enroll in the program to receive their carts before the changeover, planned for next month.

 

Flu season is seeing a late-season uptick in cases this year. And in fact, for the third consecutive week, influenza cases in the GLOW region are up. Flu is a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system. It may seem like a common cold, with a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat, but while colds usually develop slowly, the flu tends to come on suddenly. People at higher risk of developing flu complications include young children, pregnant women and those two weeks postpartum, those over 65, those with weakened immune systems and some chronic illnesses, and those who are obese. Local public health officials recommend continuing to follow universal precautions, stay home when sick and get the flu vaccine. It is not too late to get a flu shot, but the earlier in the season, the better an individual is protected from serious illness.

 

If you shop at Whole Foods or Aldi’s, this recall alert is for you:  A voluntary recall has been issued for Whole Foods Market Red Lentil Dal, sold at Whole Foods and Aldi stores because the product may contain Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially harmful and fatal organism for certain people. Bakkavor USA said it was recalling the product because it includes recalled pickled curry cauliflower provided by another company. The Whole Foods Market Red Lentil Dal comes in 12-ounce plastic trays with UPC code 1 95515 02394 8 and with the following “use by” dates:  4/15/2022, 4/17/2022, 4/18/2022, 4/19/2022, 4/22/2022, 4/24/2022, 4/25/2022, 4/26/2022

Customers who purchased either of the recalled items can return them to the store for a refund. Listeria is a hardy bacteria that can linger on surfaces in production facilities or other places. Listeria symptoms usually start one to four weeks after eating contaminated food, but can start as soon as the same day. Symptoms for everyone can include headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says listeria most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults age 66 and older and people with weakened immune systems. Pregnant women can suffer miscarriage, stillbirths, premature births or the baby could be born with a life-threatening infection.
Symptoms can appear as late as 70 days after eating contaminated food.

 

Governor Hochul is applauding the newly announced federal program to help Ukrainian refugees. She praised the Biden Administration’s announcement to help 100,000 Ukrainian refugees enter the U.S., adding families of fleeing Ukrainians can now apply for expedited humanitarian parolee status for relatives to come and be sponsored by New York. The state is home to more Ukrainians than anywhere in the country, and the Governor says many communities are waiting with open arms to welcome refugees. For more information on how to provide assistance to refugees, visit NY.gov/Ukraine for details.

 

The Buffalo Sabres have extended their winning streak to three games following a victory on the road. Owen Power scored his first career NHL goal as the Sabres beat the New Jersey Devils; the final score at the Prudential Center in Newark last night, was 5-2. Tuch, Okposo, Skinner and Dhalin also had goals for Buffalo while Craig Anderson stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced. The Sabres will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at home against the New York Islanders.

 

 

There hasn’t been a Powerball winner in weeks, and that means one of the biggest jackpots of the year is up for grabs this weekend. Whoever picks the winning numbers for tomorrow night’s drawing will receive at least $400,000,000. The cost to play the popular lottery game is $2. The drawing will be streamed online at powerball.com. Please play responsibly.

 

 

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says he’s not planning to put any restrictions in place to slow down the spread of COVID-19. More people have been testing positive for the illness recently due to a highly contagious omicron subvariant. But Poloncarz says that so far, there hasn’t been a significant increase in hospitalizations due to the illness and that for any mandates to be enacted, those numbers would have to jump into the hundreds. Since pandemic began, 221-thousand 572 residents have contracted COVID-19.

 

 

More than a year after crashing a vehicle into the McKinley Monument, a Buffalo man has found out the punishment for his crime. Yesterday, a judge sentenced Paul Tolbert the third to spend up to the next 15 years behind bars. Prosecutors say Tolbert was under the influence of fentanyl and cocaine at the time of the crash which happened on Thanksgiving in 2020. The impact of the collision killed Angel Marie Cobb, who was a passenger in the vehicle.