Evening News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on May 21, 2021
The DEC has issued an air quality warning for Western New York again today till 11pm. The pollutant of concern is Ozone. Officials warn that ozone in the air can create health problems for people with breathing difficulties especially children. They advise that those who may be more susceptible not do strenuous activity outdoors. Ozone at ground level can form when there is summer heat combined with a specific pressure system which traps car exhaust and other pollutants at a level that it effects people on the ground. Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing should consider consulting their doctor.
The Empire Hemp Company at 204 Main Street has had its grand opening. The CBD shop owned by Chris VanDusen and Sally Wolanske have actually been open for about a month but yesterday was the ceremonial ribbon cutting. Empire Hemp’s retail store is new. A processing and manufacturing facility has been operating for several months. During the ceremony, VanDusen talked about the company’s best sellers. The company extracts the CBD oil from hemp and processes various products in concentrations of THC – the active ingredient in marijuana – that are within legal limits.
The incredibly popular week long Christian music festival Kingdom Bound held annually at Darien Lake Amusement Park has announced that it will not be running this year. The Kingdom Bound organization sent out a press release that said that because of New York State’s COVID guidelines and “despite exhausting all possible options and pursuing all possible solutions, Kingdom Bound has been postponed and has been rescheduled for July 24-27, 2022 at Six Flags Darien Lake.” For those who already bought tickets or other packages to the 2021 festival their tickets will be automatically rolled over to 2022 and they will be sent a gift card for 15 dollars towards next years Kingdom Bound.
Did you get a ticket to see the Blue Jays at Sahlens field? If you didn’t grab a ticket for the first 8 games it’s too late now. The tickets went on sale yesterday and they are already sold out for all games available. Tickets for the next 10 games will be available June 8th. The Blue Jays say that capacity may increase so keep checking for more tickets to become purchasable.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the closure of the U.S.-Canada border to non-essential travel has been extended through June 21. It was set to expire today.
You might notice that Main Street in Batavia looks a little different today. The Batavia Downtown Business Improvement District has put 111 new banners up on light poles down the street. The department of Public Works and Hodgins Printing worked with the BDBID for the collaborative effort. The new banners feature a picture of downtown Batavia.
