Afternoon News Brief

There is a young woman with ties to Batavia that has been reported missing by her family. 24-year-old Nikayla Jackson was last seen in the Rochester/Brighton-Henrietta area wearing black leggings and a yellow shirt. Anyone with information is asked to call Brighton Police at 585-784-5150.

 

 

Residents of Albion have expressed concern regarding the $236,000 over-payment that has been made to police officers during the previous five years. The village board room in Albion was packed last night with discussion focused on whether or not the money should be recouped. A CPA firm last week presented the results of an audit, looking at officers’ pay checks over five years, ever since the village changed from having officers work five 8-hour shifts a week to 12-hour shifts. The change was made to reduce overtime in the police department and to give officers more days off. However, the village made an error in determining the hourly pay rate. In the end, board members voted to have the officers continue to be paid at the rate they’ve been getting, at least for the time being, until all details of the overpayment are available.

 

The Town of Batavia Fire Department responded to a small fire in one of the rooms at the Red Roof Inn on Park Road. Last night around 9:30, they were called as the hotel was evacuated. The fire was contained to a small corner of one of the rooms, put out with an extinguisher. The hotel was ventilated and guests were allowed to return to their rooms a short time later. The cause of the fire was determined to be a lithium-ion battery from a remote control car that overheated while being charged.

 

33-year-old Roy Watson Jr. of Batavia has pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in the fourth degree. He admitted to entering a home in Medina without permission and damaging items. He may be required to pay $650 in restitution. That amount will be determined during sentencing in October. Watson faces a maximum of 60 days in jail or four months of weekends. He could also receive a conditional discharge and three years of probation.

 

According to data from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments, the number of confirmed Covid cases in Genesee and Orleans counties is holding steady, with 86 confirmed cases in the two counties from July 13 to July 19, compared to 81 the previous seven days. In Orleans, the Covid cases increased from 28 to 36, while in Genesee they decreased from 53 to 50. In New York State, the seven-day positivity rate, ending on Monday, was at 8.93 percent statewide. Orleans and Genesee counties are in the nine-county Finger Lakes Region, where the seven-day positivity rate is at 6.87 percent. The percentage is the highest in Western New York at 10.39 percent and the lowest in the Southern Tier at 6.64 percent.

 

Governor Hochul is outlining how New York State is going to tackle COVID-19 cases this upcoming fall. Under the plan, 3,000,000 test kits will be distributed to school districts and kids won’t have to mask up in the classroom. The plan also includes bolstering hospital systems and improving access to vaccines and treatment. The governor also announced yesterday that the state would conduct a review of how it handled the pandemic and said that information will serve as a blueprint for dealing with future emergencies.

 

The Batavia Muckdogs didn’t get the ‘W’ last night; they lost to the Niagara Power, 2-1. They return home to Dwyer tonight to host the Elmira Pioneers. Game time is 7:00.

 

 

 

Next week, 84 Lumber will be holding a hiring event as the company tries to add employees to its stores in the Buffalo area. The job fair is happening on Wednesday, July 27th from 7:00am until 5:00pm at the Depew store, which is located on Walden Avenue. Among the positions that are available include manager trainees, truck drivers, window and door service technicians and also forklift/yard associates. Anyone who is interested in attending can pre-register online and should be prepared to participate in an interview. https://www.84lumber.com/

 

Health officials say plans are currently in the works to offer monkeypox vaccination clinics in Monroe County. There have been several cases of the virus confirmed in the county and shots could be distributed as early as this Monday. The Department of Public Health says anyone who has been notified that they’ve been in close contact with a person who has monkeypox will automatically have the chance to get vaccinated. The exact dates, times, and locations the clinics haven’t been made public yet.