Local News

The health department has 2 clinics which have appointments available for residents of Orleans and Genesee counties.  They are encouraging anyone eligible who hasn’t received their vaccine yet to sign up.  A reminder that people 50 years old and up are now eligible to receive the vaccine.

Did you pay for live sports that didn’t air or even get played during the 2020 pandemic?  Seven cable and satellite companies are now pledging to refund their subscribers in New York a total of 76 million dollars.  The Attorney General’s Office says that 4 million people have already received their refunds or rebates and more are possible in the future.

The City Yard Waste Station on Law Street will open on April 5^th and remain open Monday-Saturday 12-6pm until November when the hours will change to 11am to 5pm.  Batavia residents can bring yard waste material (grass, leaves and tree limbs) to the Law Street Yard Waste Station as there is no spring curbside pickup of these materials.  No stumps, building materials, rocks or fill.

We may soon be inundated with red eyed black bugs that will set up quite a racket in the trees.  Billions of Cicadas are set to emerge from the soil across western NY and it will be a bigger emergence than usual.  Periodic cicadas, which emerge every 17 years and are different from the green bodied yellow eyed annual cicadas are set to come out this spring and summer.  This is in addition to the annual cicadas.

The Buffalo Sabres are now holders of an ignominious record.  They have now lost the most games in a row of any team in the NHL since the shootout rule went into effect in the 2005-2006 season.  Their 15^th loss straight was to the Pittsburg Penguins on Wednesday night 5-2.  Their next game will be against the Penguins again tonight at 7.

A new report claims Governor Cuomo told top state health officials to prioritize coronavirus testing for his family in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources tell the Times Union several of his relatives were screened by high-ranking members of the state Department of Health. Associates of the governor were also reportedly given similar priority, but there are no signs pointing to those tests being done by high-ranking officials. A senior advisor to the governor claims these allegations are an attempt to rewrite the past and that the state went above and beyond to get all residents tested for coronavirus.

Here in Genesee County there have been 12 new COVID-19 cases over the 24 hours – four are hospitalized. Officials report five of the new cases are individuals who are inmates at the Genesee County Jail.
Seven new positive cases of the virus reported in Orleans County.

The area’s community theatre, Batavia Players, cashes in big from New York State.
The Main Street Theatre 56 project is getting a $417,000 grant to put toward construction of their new theatre in the City Center Mall.
Batavia Players, a not-for-profit organization for over 80 years is the longest continuing regional theater company in New York State.+
The Main Street 56 Theater and the Main Street 56 Dance Company will occupy 14,000 square feet in the City Centre.

A Batavia family, that has operated businesses in the city for nearly 60 years, are selling and plan to retire. Gary VanValkenburg operated The Bedroom on East Main Street which later became the Rest and Revive float Center. His parents operated the first business on the site, known as Central TV. He says until a new owner is found, it will be business as usual at the Float Center.

After years of trying, it appears state lawmakers have finally reached an agreement on legalizing recreational marijuana. Under the tentative deal, people 21 and older would be able to purchase and use the drug through a distribution and cultivation system run by the state. For weeks, lawmakers involved in negotiating the bill have been working through key parts of the legislation including how impaired driving laws would be enforced. If approved, retail sales of marijuana could begin in about two years

Governor Cuomo’s office is promising the two women making sexual harassment accusations against the governor, but who still work for him, will not face retaliation. In addition to the sexual harassment investigation, the governor’s office is facing two other investigations. They include an FBI criminal probe on nursing home death data and an assembly review of both, which could lead to impeachment proceedings.

Congressman Chris Jacobs announced the formation of an Advisory House Agriculture Committee to hear directly from farmers and share information that effects farmers.  Congressman Jacobs’ Agricultural Advisory Committee is comprised of members who represent all areas of NY-27 agricultural production. The committee is set to have its first official meeting later this month and will meet quarterly. Jacobs is also a member of the House Agriculture Committee and the House Maple Caucus for the 117^th congress.

Doctors are saying that in order to get maximum protection a person must get both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine if they are getting a two shot vaccine.  University of Buffalo’s Chief of infectious disease at the Jacob’s School of Medicine, Dr. Thomas Russo says that “With the second dose, your antibody response increases 10 fold. It will significantly increase the duration of how long the vaccine is going to be effective for.”  Younger people, which means under 55,  and women are more likely to have side effects after the second dose but they should clear within 24 to 48 hours.

Members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee say a decision on whether Governor Cuomo should be impeached could take months to reach. The investigation is expected to cover several issues including multiple allegations of sexual harassment made against the governor and how his administration handled nursing home residents in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will be high winds on Friday according to the national weather service which has issued a high wind watch for Friday from 8am to 5pm effecting most of western NY including Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties.  Expect winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour with up to 60 mph gusts.  Officials warn of widespread power outages and travel difficulties.

COVID Update: Genesee county has 12 new cases and 30 people have recovered.  We are saddened to report the death of another person over the age of 65 in the community.  This brings the total dead to COVID in Genesee county to 120.  There are 3 new cases in Orleans county and 5 people have recovered.  Genesee county has 63 active cases and Orleans has 27.

The New York State Assembly has passed a bill that will extend unemployment insurance to parents who were forced to leave the workforce to care for their children.  Over the last year, more than two million working mothers have had to leave their jobs because of the pandemic.  The new legislation clarifies that meeting child care obligations constitutes a “compelling family reason” to leave the workforce, therefore qualifying those parents who quit their jobs to take care of their children for unemployment insurance benefits.

The Muckdogs have announced that Batavia Native Griffin Della Penna is going to be the voice of the Muckdogs.   The class of 2019 graduate was a batboy for the Muckdogs during the 2017 season and currently studies at Canisius College with a major in Sports Broadcasting and Strategic Communication.  He writes for the Griffin school newspaper and covers men’s and women’s basketball and soccer.

Governor Cuomo is being accused of attempting to manipulate the Attorney General’s investigation into sexual harassment claims that surfaced against him over the last month.  Governor Cuomo’s office has been having lawyers meet with staff members before they are interviewed by the AG office.  State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, a Democrat, said that Cuomo’s move is a form of intimidation. “The lawyers the governor is providing do not represent staff questioned by the attorney general’s office. It’s highly inappropriate. New Yorkers should be outraged, and it’s another example of the governor using his position of power to circumvent accountability.”  These reports come after ethics concerns were raised over State Vaccine Czar Larry Schwartz making several calls to county executives across NY State asking if they were loyal to Governor Cuomo last week.

President Biden has created a new national day, March 23^rd is now National Agriculture Day.  Mr. Biden in a press release said that this is to recognize farmers across the country who stepped up to help during COVID 19.  Specifically he said that black, indigenous and other farmers of color have faced the harmful effects of systemic racism and National Agriculture Day will address “racial inequities for all to participate in the Great American Enterprise of agriculture.”

The Genesee Orleans County Health Departments have several upcoming vaccination clinics with appointments available for Genesee Orleans county residents.  County Health officials are urging all eligible residents to sign up for a vaccine appointment.  Links can be found on WBTAi.com

Genesee Clinic at GCC

https://apps2.health.ny.gov/doh2/applinks/cdmspr/2/counties?OpID=B9996975FE3A04BCE0530A6C7C166199

Orleans Clinic at Ridgeway Fire Hall, Medina

https://apps2.health.ny.gov/doh2/applinks/cdmspr/2/counties?OpID=B9996975FE3C04BCE0530A6C7C166199

The Buffalo Sabres streak of losses continues with a 5 to 3 loss to the New York Rangers last night.  The Sabres are now down 14 games in a row which ties the longest losing streak in NHL history since the shootout rule was implemented.  They are tied for most straight losses with themselves in the 2015 season, The Hurricanes in 2011, and the Islanders in 2010.  If they lose again to the Penguins on Wednesday night they will have the longest losing streak record.

Rachel Tabelski

Batavia City Hall is looking to fill two key positions.
Newly named City Manager Rachel Tabelski says the she has placed two help wanted ads: one is for her assistant City Manager, the other is for Director of Public Works:

The salary range for the assistant city manager is is between $82,946 and $100,604  per year. No salary range was listed for the DPW director.
The Acting head of the DPW, Ray Tourt, doesn’t want the job. He wants to go back to manager the maintenance bureau.

Starting today, the number of New Yorkers eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccination will grow again significantly. Beginning at eight a-m, anyone over the age of 50 can sign up to get their shot either online or by calling 1-833-697-4829. Governor Cuomo made the announcement yesterday while discussing the new “Roll Up Your Sleeve” campaign.
The goal of the program is to get more houses of worship to team up with medical providers and create community vaccination sites.

Livingston County deputies have released the name of the woman who lost her life in a weekend fire.
21-year-old Mikayla Ross died Saturday after flames engulfed a two-story home on Caledonia Avon Road. Several first responders were injured at the scene but none seriously. The investigation into what started the fire continues.

The state budget deadline is coming up soon, and it appears New York’s finances are in better shape than first thought. State Budget Director Robert Mujica said yesterday that thanks to billions of dollars from the federal government and increased tax revenues, cuts proposed by Governor Cuomo are no longer needed. Now, members of the Legislature are calling for increased spending to support programs aimed at helping New York recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Lawmakers and the governor have until April 1st to reach a budget agreement on-time.

Today members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee will be meeting with the lawyers hired to handle the impeachment investigation into Governor Cuomo.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says the private law firm will look into sexual harassment claims made against the governor.
The investigation will also look into how the governor’s administration handled nursing home patients in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Cuomo has announced the roll up your sleeves initiative attempting to get churches on board to serve as vaccination centers.  New York Ranks 41^st out of the 50 states in percentage of the population vaccinated with only 12.4 percent of people in New York having received both doses of the vaccine. Cuomo Says that the reason New York is so far behind is because of mistrust.  Governor Cuomo also announced that vaccines are now available to people 50 years of age and up.

Now pharmacies in New York can vaccinate the same people that previously only vaccination sites and pop up clinics could.  Until Sunday pharmacies have been able to vaccinate people who were over the age of 60 or teachers.  Now people 16 and over with comorbidities such as cancer, Intellectual and Developmental disabilities, those who are severely obese or have liver disease.

Regulations for indoor and outdoor gatherings are being relaxed a little today.  Private outdoor gatherings can now have up to 25 people. Private indoor gatherings are still limited to 10 people.  Public indoor gatherings are capped at 100 people.  Public outdoor gatherings can be up to 200.

Gas prices are still going up albeit a bit more slowly.  Over the past week gas in Batavia went up by a penny to 2.85 for a gallon of regular.  The NYS average is also up a penny to 2.91.  The national average went up 2 cents.  Demand is still on the rise but the price of oil is dropping so experts at Gas Buddy believe the price will come down a bit in the near future.

A multiple agency investigation continues after a Batavia police officer fired a shot at a man, which prompted a wild car chase that ended when the suspect vehicle crashed. It started around 2:30 a.m. Sunday at Speedway on West Main Street. As police approached the vehicle with three men inside, a handgun was in plain view. An officer attempted to remove the gun from the car and a struggle ensued. At one point, the officer fired at the suspect. No one was hit. The man then took off leading police on a wild chase that ended when the suspect vehicle crashed on Woodland Drive in the town. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without further incident. A handgun was recovered from the crash scene. Charges are pending. The incident is being investigated by the City of Batavia Police Department. The discharge of the duty weapon and the incidents that took place outside of the City of Batavia are being investigated by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

NY Republican Congressman Tom Reed announced he will not be running for office in 2022. The announcement follows allegations of sexual misconduct. Nicolette Davis, a lobbyist, accused Reed of inappropriately rubbing her back and unhooking her bra at a networking event in 2017. In a statement Sunday, Reed apologized to Davis and took full responsibility for his actions. Reed was among the lawmakers calling for the resignation of Governor Andrew Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations. Reed issued a statement Sunday night which explicitly ruled out a run for governor, which Reed had long hinted was a possibility. He says he will not seek any elected office in 2022. He also described his “powerless” struggle with alcohol and says the alleged incident Ms. Davis describes happened during a time he was “struggling.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new guidance has been rolled out allowing pharmacies to vaccinate New Yorkers with comorbidities. Pharmacies were previously able to vaccinate New Yorkers over the age of 60 and teachers. The governor said “New Yorkers with comorbidities are among our state’s most at-risk residents, and access to the COVID-19 vaccine protects this vulnerable population.” He added “As New York receives more doses and more people receive the vaccine, we’re able to expand the population pharmacies can serve, and this is a commonsense step forward that will help make it easier to protect New Yorkers.”

A single-engine plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Orleans County Sunday afternoon. The Sheriff’s Office says they received a call for a plane down 2 miles east of Pine Hill Airport. Crews found the plane and pilot in a corn field. The pilot, from Rochester, told authorities two skydivers jumped from his plane before he ran out of fuel and made the emergency landing.  The pilot was not injured and the plane was not damaged. The sheriff’s office is still investigating the incident.

Additional details are expected today following Saturday nights deadly house fire in Caledonia. Three first responders in Livingston County were injured and one person was killed. Livingston County Sheriff Tom Dougherty later reported that a 21-year-old female had died. Due to the large size of the fire, several companies were called in to help put out the fire. Crews are still investigating what caused the fire.

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Offic eis investigation a one car, fatal, motor vehicle crash on Dublin Rd., in the Town of Bergen.
Deputies responded to the scene at 12:23 a.m. Saturday morning. When deputies arrived on scene it was determined that one car had struck a utility pole and the driver of the car was dead.
The driver was later identified as Bryan S. Holland of Clinton Street Road in Bergen. M r. Holland’s age was not available.
Deputies determined Mr. Holland was eastbound on Dublin Road when his vehicle traveled off the south shoulder of the road, striking several mailboxes, a utility pole and coming to rest after hitting a large tree.
Holland was pronounced dead at the scene.

An 8^th woman has come forward with allegations against Governor Cuomo.  This time it’s a current aide to the governor.  According to the New York Times, Alyssa Mcgrath said that Cuomo would “ogle her body, make remarks on her looks, and make suggestive comments to her and another executive aide.”  So far those making the accusations have been former employees, aides and reporters and this is the first woman to be a current employee of the governor to come forward.

Taxes are due a little later this year due to COVID.  The department of Tax and Finance has moved the filing deadline to May 17^th instead of April 15^th.  The Federal and State tax dates have both been pushed back 30 days.

The Buffalo Sabres game that was supposed to be played against the Boston Bruins on Saturday has been postponed as 4 Boston players were added to the COVID protocol list on Friday afternoon.  This was supposed to be the first game where fans were allowed back in the stands for the Sabres.  According to the Sabres’ FAQ on their website, tickets and related expenses will be refunded and fans can receive a free ticket to a game next season. The team can’t directly refund the costs for the COVID tests required by New York State.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra is having a livestreamed memorial concert to honor late musician and educator Bob Knipe.  In a note to friends and supporters about the concert, Music Director and Conductor S. Shade Zajac, says Bob was truly a “force for the arts,” one who “worked tirelessly to make our GSO a vibrant part of our GLOW region.”  Knipe played in the Orchestra and served on the board for many years.  The concert is set for Friday March 26^th at 7:30pm.  The link on the GSO website will go live at 7:20. The GSO is also establishing a Memorial scholarship fund in Knipe’s name to help students advance their music education through camps, festivals and Area All State festivals.

The Genesee County Sheriffs office has found another body that was turned over to Tomaszewski Funeral Home and Internment center that was not properly disposed of.  No more information such as where the body was found or the identity or condition of the remains.  There is an ongoing investigation and more information will be released if charges are filed.

COVID Friday Update:  On the last official day of winter Genesee county has a big bump in cases with 36 new cases and 9 people recovered.  Orleans county has 6 new cases and 7 people have recovered.  There are 83 active cases in Genesee county and 41 in Orleans.  72 hundred people have had both doses of the vaccine in Genesee county and 36 hundred have been fully dosed in Orleans county.

Representative Tom reed of New York’s 23 district has been accused of sexual misconduct by a former insurance company lobbyist.  Nicolette Davis said that in 2017 Reed put his hand on her back and unhooked her bra before rubbing her thigh in a bar in Minneapolis before another patron kicked Reed out of the restaurant.  Reed, who said he was mulling a run at the governors office and has been a vocal critic of governor Cuomo especially since the allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment came out against the governor has said “This account of my actions is not accurate.”

Maple Weekends was slated to start Saturday but was canceled by the NYS Maple Association for the second year in a row due to COVID 19.  Concerns that maple production locations were too small and hard to properly socially distance along with farmers being focused on getting their crop processed and ready for consumption lead the association to pull the plug.  Several maple producers including Merle Maple south of Attica are still having activities such as wagon rides, tours, and concessions not to mention maple syrup and candy sales.  Also Congressman Chris Jacobs is set to be at Merle Maple at 11am Saturday morning to tap a tree.

Genesee County making significant progress in the fight against COVID-19. County Manager Matt Landers says just last week, a major milestone was reached

The COVID Positivity rate has also been dropping. Landers says it has now dropped to 2-percent

As for the homebound, shut-ins unable to get to a clinic. Health Director Paul Petit said process is being made on that front

Pettit emphasized that you should not worry about which brand of vaccine you get, just get the vaccination. All are safe and effective.

Batavia Downs has made one change in their Summer Concert Series.
The Grass Roots will replace The Sweet that had been originally scheduled for July 30th.
The Grass Roots originated in the mid 60’s with hits like Midnight Confessions, Temptations Eyes, and others.
The Downs has also announced that American Alternative Rock Band “Puddle of Mud” will return this summer.
Puddle last perform in 2018. They will return on August 20th.

A new poll shows Governor Cuomo’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level since 2011. Only 39 percent of people surveyed by Quinnipiac University said they think the governor is doing a good job. Even worse for the governor, 58 percent of voters said he’s not honest and trustworthy.

The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester has announced the finalists for enshrinement into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. This year’s nominees include classic games such as Call of Duty, Animal Crossing, Guitar Hero and Microsoft Flight Simulator among others. Voting is already underway and can be done online through March 25th. The Class of 2021 will officially be revealed on May 6th.

New COVID cases have ticked up slightly in Genesee County. On Thursday, 15 new cases were confirmed. Eleven of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Three of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Meanwhile in Orleans County, 11 new positive cases have been reported with three hospitalizations.

The American Rescue Plan includes an estimated $2.6 billion for New York’s public, private, and proprietary institutions of higher education. In Genesee County, Genesee Community College is expected to get $9.1M and Genesee-Livingston-Steuben-Wyoming BOCES is expected to get a total of $662,000. The total allotment for the Finger Lakes Region is almost $164M. Sen. Schumer said that public and nonprofit schools will use half of their award on emergency financial aid grants to students to help them with college costs and basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare. The other half of the funds will allow institutions to provide additional student support activities.

As New York State legislators finalize negotiations on a measure to legalize recreational marijuana, NY Senator George Borrello from the southern tier is calling for the deal to include the requirement that all police officers be trained and certified as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) and $600 million to fund the mandate. In calling for the expansion of this specialty training for law enforcement, Borrello noted that he is opposed to legalization of marijuana for many reasons, including its impacts on public health, rates of substance abuse and traffic safety. Yet, with the momentum towards legalization growing, he noted that legislators have a responsibility to incorporate provisions to help mitigate the risks.

The Genesee County Interagency Council is offering a $1,000 scholarship for the Fall 2021-2022 semester for Genesee Community College students and high school seniors. Those eligible will be students living in Genesee County and attending Genesee Community College or high school seniors; in good academic standing, and majoring in or intending to major in Human Services, Social Work, Sociology or Psychology ONLY. Because the goal of this scholarship is to support those students who have a strong drive to contribute to the field of Human Services, special consideration will be given to those students who have already demonstrated a commitment to the field through their employment, volunteer, academic, or extracurricular pursuits.  Completed applications must be received by Friday, May 7.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center has announced that with the anticipated completion of a $2 million infrastructure project this summer, water capacity will increase to more than 1 million gallons per day at the 1,250-acre STAMP mega site in Genesee County. Development President & CEO Steve Hyde says “Every infrastructure milestone adds to the tremendous momentum behind STAMP. Our ability to deliver low-cost, 100-percent renewable power, and utility infrastructure aligned with project timelines and capacities, is driving even greater interest from site selectors and companies looking to locate in Genesee County.”

The New York Mets and New York Yankees can resume play with spectators in the stadiums, beginning April 1. Professional sports in large outdoor stadiums that hold 10,000 people or more will be allowed to reopen at 20 percent capacity. Attendees must show proof of a recent negative test or completed vaccination series prior to entry and are subject to strict state guidance on face coverings, social distancing, and health screening. The New York State Department of Health will re-evaluate the testing and vaccination entry requirements in May, and if the public health situation continues to improve, they may be discontinued in mid-May.

Batavia Downs has added a headliner and swapped one out for their concert series this summer.  Puddle of Mudd is coming on August 20^th and The Grass Roots are replacing The Sweet in their spot on July 30^th.  Check the downs website to see all the acts coming to the Downs this summer.

The border with Canada remains closed for at least another month.  The Department of Homeland security announced that restrictions are extended till April 21^st.

The 2 teens who allegedly set 53 year old, Steven Amenhauser of Lyle ave, on fire in Rochester have confessed but have not provided a motive for the grisly killing.  16 year old Zayvion Perry and 14 year old Adrien Riley Jr are being held at the Monroe County Children’s Detention Center. In a virtual court appearance, each suspect plead not guilty, and a judge ordered them held with no bail and no release.  Police say that they confessed at the scene and then in writing but are now saying they didn’t do it.

Two new retail stores are coming to Veterans Memorial Day in the Town of Batavia over the next few months.
Old Navy and Ulta Beauty are moving in.
Old Navy will take over the space vacated by Bed, Bath and Beyond, a space of more than 14,588 sq ft. Ulta Beauty is planning an an 10,723 sq ft. store at 4192 Veterans Memorial Drive.

Rather than reorganizing his debt, Michael S. Tomaszewski, the local funeral director also facing mcriminal charges, is now seeking to dismiss all of his debt. A judge has signed an order converting Tomaszewski’s bankruptcy filing from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7. This means Tomaszewski can liquidate most of his assets and have any debts not paid after liquidation discharged. Tomaszewski shows a million dollars in assets and 3.2-million in liabilities. That doesn’t include any restitution he may be ordered to pay if convicted of the nearly 200 criminal charges he faces locally.

In just a couple of weeks, New York State will be lifting a curfew that’s been in effect for places like gyms, movie theaters and casinos. Starting April 5th, they’ll be able to stay open past 11 p-m, but restaurants and bars still have to follow guidelines they’ve been dealing with for months. Catered events like weddings and parties also still need to end by midnight. However, if the state’s COVID-19 infection rate continues to fall, it’s possible certain establishments will be able to stay open later in the coming weeks.

The Buffalo Sabres are mired in a 12-game winless streak, and it’ll be up to a new head coach to try and turn things around. The Sabres fired Ralph Krueger yesterday, less than two years after he was picked for the position. Buffalo’s general manager Kevyn Adams says he feels like a change needed to be made now and announced that Don Granato will serve as interim coach until a permanent replacement is found.

The Batavia retail scene is getting a boost. Two new stores – Old Navy and Ulta Beauty – will be coming to the Towne Center on Veterans Memorial Drive within the next few months. Town of Batavia Building Inspector Dan Lang confirmed that the merchandising giants are expected to open at the retail hub this spring. He said that the Old Navy clothing store will feature more than 14,000 square feet of retail space while the Ulta Beauty cosmetics store will have nearly 11.000 square feet of retail space. The Old Navy store is taking space formerly used by Bed Bath and Beyond.

Court action is pending for a Batavia woman who faces felony and other counts. Sheriff’s deputies arrested 28-year-old Angeline Escudero of Columbia Avenue. She was charged with felony grand larceny, criminal mischief and conspiracy. The alleged crimes occurred at Walmart when the woman allegedly stole property valued at more than $1,000. She will appear in Town of Batavia court on April 8^th.

Batavia Downs Gaming has donated nearly $1,500 to the Batavia Police Department’s K-9 Unit.  The money was left at Batavia Downs and was turned into the police.  When the money went unclaimed, Batavia Downs decided to donate that money to the Police Department’s K-9 Unit.  The money will be used to help fund the program. The Batavia Police Chief said the funds will be used to offset the cost of food, veterinary services, training, equipment and other K-9-related expenses.

The Genesee County Health Department brought a COVID-19 vaccine clinic to Washington Towers for residents who can’t get to a vaccination site. Office for the Aging organized the clinic, Washington Towers staff registered residents online and the health department sent over the providers to administer the vaccines for up to 50 residents. The residents received the Pfizer vaccine with a second dose schedule for early April.

Rather than reorganizing his debt, Michael S. Tomaszewski, the local funeral director also facing more than 200 criminal charges, is now seeking to dismiss all of his debt. A judge Wednesday signed an order converting Tomaszewski’s bankruptcy filing from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7, which would allow Tomaszewski to liquidate most of his assets and have any debts not paid after liquidation discharged. Tomaszewski, both personally, and his company Acme Holdings of New York filed for bankruptcy in Federal Court on Feb. 5. Combined, he lists about one million in assets against $3.2 million in liabilities. That doesn’t include any restitution he may be ordered to pay if convicted of the nearly 200 criminal charges he faces locally.

Justice For Migrant Families has been advocating for detainees at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center, and the organization launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to support those that have been released. The GoFundMe organizer wrote, “Batavia has begun releasing people from immigration detention where they are dropped off at a gas station with very little resources to secure basic needs. People need funds for temporary housing, transportation, phones, and food.” The community has poured support into the fundraiser, contributing over $12,000 in 7 days. Justice For Migrant Families is also hosting a supply drive on Saturday.

Genesee County on Wednesday reported a dozen new COVID-19 cases. Fifteen of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  Three of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Six new cases were reported in Orleans County with seven new cases confirmed in Wyoming County.

Next Friday is Healthy Kids Day 2021 and there will be a free drive-thru event sponsored by the Genesee County YMCA. Healthy Kids Day provides all the ingredients for developing healthy, resilient kids and to celebrate kids being kids! It will take place behind United Memorial Medical Center’s Jerome Center, located at 16 Bank St. in the city. Get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny and pick up a Healthy Kids Day activity kit (one per vehicle while supplies last). Registration for the drive-thru is required and will be capped at 100 children. Call the Y to register.

There is more money for schools in Genesee county on the way.  As part of the American Rescue Plan 2 and a half billion dollars are allocated to Upstate New York to help school districts fill budget gaps, address learning loss, help students with disabilities and more.  The Finger Lakes region is getting 392 million dollars and Genesee county is getting 10 million 677 thousand dollars in aid money.

Money that was left at Batavia Downs has been donated to the Batavia Police department’s K-9 unit.  1463.14  was left at the casino and turned over to the police.  After no one claimed it the casino decided to donate it to help fund the k-9 program.

Agricultural Literacy Week is this week, the 15^th through the 19^th and this year it is focused on the Dairy industry.  Agricultural Literacy Week has been celebrated for the past 17 years as a way to promote agricultural literacy and learning to students across New York State. This year’s program highlights the dairy industry as the book “Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish (Tales of the Dairy Godmother)” by Viola Butler will be read to students. The book will help students understand the importance of dairy farms and how ice cream is made.  Assemblyman Steve Hawley has been visiting classrooms digitally through prerecorded videos.

The case against Michael Tomaszewski has been delayed again.
A plea deal is expected in the case against the former Batavia funeral director. Tomaszewski was been charged with more than 200 counts of grand Larceny. He’s accused of accepting prepayment funds for funeral services and not placing the money in a truck account, as required by law.
He was in court earlier this month where his acceptance of a plea deal was widely anticipated. Now, his case has been put off until April 13th.

Michael Tomaszewski

New York State’s Assembly now has a top team of lawyers to lead the impeachment investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says the team at Davis Polk And Wardwell will be authorized to go after all evidence in regards to serious allegations against the governor. One of the attorneys was part of a team investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and part of the prosecution of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Starting today, even more New Yorkers are going to be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. Among those who can now get their shots include public works employees, DMV employees, sanitation workers and child service caseworkers. The hope is by vaccinating those individuals, it will further limit the spread of the coronavirus since they’re often in contact with other people.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia Easter Egg Hunt is a rite of spring.
Last year, the egg hunt was cancelled entirely due to COVID-19 but this year Kiwanians has vowed to hold the egg hunt – with some modifications.
Instead of hunting for eggs all at one time on one morning, the hunt will be spread out from this Friday through the end of March.
A golden egg will be placed in Centennial Park in different places at different times.
The egg hunt is open to all kids 12 and under. The finder of each day’s Golden Egg will win a Chocolate Bunny from Oliver’s Candies.
Complete details are in this story 

The Buffalo Sabres have fired head coach Ralph Krueger has been relieved of his duties.
He has been with the team since 2019 and was the sixth coach of the Pegula ownership.
The Sabres have struggled through the 2021 season, they have a 6-18-4 record and are currently on a 12-game losing streak. Krueger finished his tenure with the Sabres with a 36-49-12 record
No word yet on who will replace him as head coach of the team.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia is excited to offer a modified version of its annual Easter Egg Hunt for the community to come together and enjoy.  Due to Covid restrictions, the typical Easter Egg Hunt could not be safely run, but the Kiwanis members couldn’t stand the thought of cancelling the event outright for a second year in a row due to COVID-19.

This year’s event takes one of the fun aspects of the annual event, the Golden Prize Egg, and is makes this the focus of the hunt.  Starting on Friday, March 19^th, there will be one golden prize egg hidden each day in Centennial Park for the kids to look for.  One egg will be hidden each day through March 31^st.  The eggs will be hidden at different times to allow for families with different schedules to walk the park looking for the eggs.  Each egg will entitle a child to an Oliver’s Chocolate bunny as with past year’s winners.  There will be a note inside each egg with instructions on where to gather for a picture with the Easter Bunny and to collect the prize chocolate bunny.  Winners must bring this note with them to collect the prize bunny. There will be a limit of one prize egg per family.

The Kiwanis Club is very happy to provide this safe and healthy activity for families to participate in over the course of two weeks.   We encourage the whole family to come out and spend time together in the park, but since this is an Easter Egg hunt for kids, prizes will be restricted to kids 12 and under, as with past years.  That’s not saying a big brother or big sister can’t help though!

An anticipated plea from Michael S. Tomaszewski in his funeral home fraud case has been delayed until April 13. During the virtual hearing, the judge and attorneys mentioned a prior off-the-record discussion about the case without indicating what was discussed but it seemed to have some bearing on Tomaszewski’s decision not to enter a plea on Tuesday. There is no indication that Tomaszewski won’t accept the plea deal that’s been offered by the District Attorney’s Office.  Tomaszewski, who operated the Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral Home and Cremation Chapel in Batavia for more than a decade, faces more than 200 charges stemming from accusations that he took money from customers who intended to prepay for funerals and, instead of depositing the money in appropriate accounts, he allegedly used the money for other purposes.

Genesee County reports ten new COVID cases. Seventeen of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Two of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center. Two new cases were reported in Orleans County with three hospitalizations. Officials in Wyoming County report three new cases.

NY officials have announced toll plaza removal and interchange reconstruction will resume on the New York State Thruway’s former ticketed system this week and is expected to be completed, weather permitting, by the end of summer. This next phase of construction is the second and final portion of the $355 million cashless tolling design-build project which went live on Nov. 14, 2020 and was immediately followed by the removal of toll plazas at six high-volume interchanges statewide. The second wave of removal and road reconstruction is scheduled to begin at Exit 47 at LeRoy and Exit 48 at Batavia.

***Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced nearly $15 million has been awarded to support agricultural water quality conservation projects across the state, benefiting 147 farms. The funding supports projects that address water quality challenges in priority watersheds and protect the environment. $264,000 was awarded to the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District to work with one farm in the Lake Ontario Watershed. This project will construct a concrete manure storage facility to improve waste collection and management.

Genesee County deputies report the arrest of 33-year-old Christine Jones of Hutchins Place in Batavia. She was charged with felony counts of grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. She allegedly filed SNAP benefit applications that either omitted or had false information on them resulting in her receiving more than $17,000 in benefits. Court action is pending.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 54-year-old Dawn Puleo of Maple Street in Batavia. She was charged with felony grand larceny and four felony counts of offering a false instrument for filing. She allegedly obtained more than $4,500 in questionable SNAP benefits. She was arraigned and released pending further action by the court.

NYS officials announced more than 4.5 million New Yorkers have received at least one COVID vaccine dose. More than 134,000 doses have been administered across New York’s distribution network in the last 24 hours, and more than 1 million doses have been administered over the past seven days.

New York Farm Bureau members continued to make generous food donations during a challenging year for so many families in need. This past weekend, American Farm Bureau Federation recognized New York Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) program for its efforts to donate more than eight million pounds of food to the regional food banks across the state last year. That was the second highest donation total in the country for 2020, behind Florida.

Batavia Police have completed their investigation into the crash involving a minivan and the fire chief, 41 year old Daniel Coffey on Sunday Morning.  Coffey was driving west on West main st in Batavia with lights and siren on when 81 year old Constance Lamilia attempted to turn left in front of him out of the Tops parking lot and collided with the Fire chief’s front ride side.  Her minivan appeared to accelerate and struck a utility pole and flipped on the side in front of 389 West Main St.  She was taken to ECMC and treated for minor injuries. Coffey was not injured.  Lamilia was issued a traffic ticket for failing to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle.

The Thruway Toll plazas at Batavia exit 48 and Leroy’s exit 47 are coming down this week.  This is the latest phase in the $355 million project that started in November to make I-90 completely cashless. When it’s complete, 52 toll plazas made up of approximately 230 individual toll booths, will be gone.

The Kiwanas club is not going to cancel the annual Easter egg hunt again this year, but is altering it.  Instead of one big egg hunt they are hiding eggs over the course of 2 weeks.   Starting on Friday, March 19th, there will be one Golden Prize Egg hidden each day in Centennial Park for the kids to look for. One egg will be hidden each day through March 31st.  The eggs will be hidden at different times of day and each egg will have a note inside which entitles the finder to a chocolate bunny from Oliver’s as well as instructions on where to take a picture with the Easter Bunny.

A Batavia woman has been arrested following a Sunday morning crash involving an emergency vehicle.
Batavia police ticketed 81-year-old Constance Lamilia with failure to yield the right of way. Police said as she exited the Tops Market she struck the Town of Batavia Fire Chief’s vehicle which was headed to a serious crash on Galloway Rd.
Lamilia was treated at ECMC in Buffalo. She’ll answer the charge in city court in June.

A new poll shows there are a lot of New Yorkers who believe Governor Cuomo should not resign from office. According to Siena College, 50 percent of people surveyed think the governor should keep his position compared to 35 percent who don’t. The governor has faced pressure to step down due to a growing number of sexual harassment claims made against him.

A Pembroke woman will answer animal cruelty charges at the end of the month.
47 year old Lori Ann Adolf of Akron Road has been arrested for allegedly torturing animals and failing to provide them with proper food.
The case dates back to January when deputies responded to a complaint at the Adolf home and found 13 dogs, caged, in deplorable condition. They also found 10 dead rabbits and one dead dog inside the home.
The dogs and two cats were taken to the county’s animal shelter where they have been receiving care. Adolf is also facing a charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

The state Board of Regents has announced the cancellation of most Regents exams this year. That means many students must only pass their courses to advance to the next grade or graduate.

The losing streak of the Buffalo Sabres has now reached 11 games following a blowout loss at home. None of the Sabres were able to score last night as they were shutout by the Washington Capitals 6-0.
They’ll be back on the ice again tonight when they visit the New Jersey Devils. Face-off for the contest is set for 7p.m.

COVID Update: Since Friday evening Genesee county has 26 new cases and 19 people have recovered.  1 more person has passed away from coronavirus in Genesee county.  Orleans county has 10 new cases and 18 people have recovered.  1 of the new cases is at Orchard rehab and nursing.  There are 65 active cases in Genesee county and 28 in Orleans.

The Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System says COVID-19 vaccines are available for all enrolled veterans in Western New York regardless of age. As of Saturday, over 50 percent of enrolled veterans have been vaccinated with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.  Vaccine sites are already open in Buffalo and Batavia.

47 year old Lori Ann Adolf has been charged with 26 counts of torturing or injuring animals and one count of child endangerment after deputies went to her house on Akron rd in Pembroke following an animal complaint on January 22^nd.  Police found 13 dogs in cages covered in their own filth and surrounded by garbage, 1 dead dog and 10 dead rabbits and 2 cats.  The dogs and cats were removed from the home to the animal shelter, they were underweight and in need of medical attention.  Adolf is set to appear at the Town of Pembroke Court on March 31^st.

You now have the opportunity to vote for the new Genesee County flag design.  Go to wbtai.com’s local news page to look at the 5 options for the new design for the county and follow the link to the genesee2050 website to vote.  There are also 5 designs submitted by children to be voted on as well.

Over the weekend local basketball teams ruled the courts with the Elba Lady Lancers winning their 5^th straight title against Prattsburg/Avoca 66 to 27.  Notre Dame’s Lady Irish became the Class d1 Champions by beating South Seneca 55 to 48.  Oakfield Alabama boys took the Class C2 Section 5 title by beating Caledonia Mumford 55 to 50.

A driver told deputies he fell asleep prior to a head-on collision on Galloway Road that sent both that driver and another driver to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo. It happened around 9 yesterday morning.
As the Town of Batavia Fire Chief was responding to the call, his vehicle was involved in a crash on West Main Street when a mini-van pulled into the path of Chief Dan Coffee’s car operating with lights and siren.
The driver of the mini-van then crashed into a utility pole blocking traffic on West Main for several hours. Fire Star Bank on West Main and River Street is still without power and has closed for the day.

For the first time, President Biden is publicly addressing the sexual harassment allegations involving Governor Cuomo. Biden said quote “I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.” Several Democrats, including Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have called for the governor to step down.

With the state budget deadline looming, members of the Senate and Assembly will be casting important votes today. Each chamber will vote on their own versions of the fiscal plan which include proposals involving issues such as tax increases for the wealthy and legalizing online mobile sports betting. An agreement on recreational marijuana legalization will likely be negotiated outside of the budget process. Lawmakers and Governor Cuomo have until April 1st to pass the budget on-time.

The price of gasoline has spiked again.
According to Triple A the average price of a gallon of regular in Batavia is $2.83, up 7 ½ cents since last week, and up 40-cents from a year ago.

The Batavia Police Department has a new community crime fighting and awareness tool. It’s CRIMEWATCH, a new website that gives people who use social networks and mobile devices an easier way to help fight crime and stay informed.
The online tool gives the public direct access to crime and public safety-related information happening in the community.

Finalists have been selected for a new county flag and now the public will determine one winner from five flags designed by children and five flags designed by adults.

Please visit: https://www.genesee2050.com/pages/get-involved to vote for your favorite.  Voting will end on Friday, April 30 and the winning selections will be announced the following week.

“We are excited about the entries for the contest and when residents go online to vote, we also are strongly encouraging them to fill out the various surveys for our 2050 Comprehensive Plan,” said Felipe Oltramari, director of the Genesee County Department of Planning. “It is very important that we hear from our residents, business owners, and other stakeholders as we go about drafting a plan that reflects community priorities decades from now.”

Those who vote online will have to win free shelter reservations at DeWitt Recreation Area and the Genesee County Park & Forest for the upcoming season.  Voters are automatically entered into the drawing by voting for one of the flag designs and by filling out any of the Genesee 2050 surveys.  The more surveys someone completes, the more chances that person has to win.

“Kudos to everyone, both adult and child, that participated in the flag design contest,” said Genesee County Legislature Chair Shelley Stein. “I know the committee had a difficult time in selecting the finalists in each category and that can only attributed to the vision, passion, and pride we all have for Genesee County.”

The five entries from the adult category are described below:

Flag 1 symbolizes Genesee County’s farming heritage as its foundation, in the blue horizon line over a green field of crops backed up by the sunshine, coming together to form a G for Genesee.

Flag 2 features a green shape in the center as the geographic boundary of the county; the G is for Genesee and it is surrounded by 13 stars representing the County’s 13 towns.

Flag 3 – includes the Holland Land Office Museum as its main graphic, symbolizing the birthplace of Genesee County (and all of Western New York). The enclosing shape has 12 stars, plus one more within it, representing the 13 towns in the County.

Flag 4 – Sunshine and the plant growing from a cultivated field represent the agricultural character of Genesee County. The graphic within the sun is an indigenous star symbol, which means courage and purity of spirit. The valley symbol comes from the Iroquois word Gen-nis’-Thee-yo, meaning “The Beautiful Valley”. The combination of these images symbolize the County’s Seneca heritage.

Flag 5 – It is a bicolor design with two horizontal color fields in royal blue and gold. A blue and gold representation of the county seal is in the center consuming the middle two quarters of the width. It has a gold half circle outlining the top half of the seal to provide contrast against the royal blue field.

Follow this link to vote for your favorite!

https://www.genesee2050.com/pages/get-involved

A driver told deputies he fell asleep prior to a head-on collision on Galloway Road that sent both that driver and another driver to ECMC. It happened around 9 a.m. Sunday. According to the accident report, 18-year-old Rylend L. Callicutt of Batavia was driving eastbound when he crossed the center line. The vehicle struck a sedan driven by 31-year-old Danielle C. Neuhaus of Batavia. Neuhaus was trapped in the vehicle and sustained serious injuries. She was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC. Callicutt was transported by Mercy EMS. He was issued a ticket for failure to remain in the right-hand lane.

Police investigators have yet to determine what may have caused a driver of a minivan to accelerate after the vehicle struck a Town of Batavia Fire chief’s car that was heading to a serious injury accident on Galloway Road. The minivan appears to have been exiting the Tops Market parking lot when it struck the emergency vehicle, which was in emergency mode, driven by Fire Chief Dan Coffey. Coffey’s vehicle sustained damage on the passenger side front fender. The minivan then swerved and struck a utility pole, snapping the pole off near the base.  The minivan continued east and came to rest on its side in the yard of 389 W. Main St. Charges are pending.  Coffey was uninjured in the collision and did eventually make it to the accident scene on Galloway Road.

The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown efforts in NY start tomorrow and will end on Sunday. St. Patrick’s Day Weekend is a notoriously deadly period for impaired driving due to the number of celebrations and drivers on the road. New York State Police, County Sheriff and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force in this across-the-board effort to reduce the number of alcohol related injuries and deaths.

Le Roy Town Supervisor James Farnholz said that while he respects the wishes of his colleagues on the town board to restrict community solar farms in residential and agricultural districts, his preference would have been finding a “middle ground” to give farmers the chance to repurpose their land. The subject of the town’s proposed local law and zoning on solar projects was part of the agenda of the recent Genesee County Planning Board. Planners discussed the Le Roy Town Board’s 4-1 vote to not allow these smaller solar projects in the aforementioned designated zones. Farnholz cast the lone vote to permit them.

The City of Batavia Police Department has launched CRIMEWATCH, a new website that gives people who use social networks and mobile devices an easier, more effective way to help fight crime and stay informed. The new Batavia Police Department website was developed in partnership with CRIMEWATCH Technologies and is part of the CRIMEWATCH Network. The website is an online tool that gives the public direct access to crime and public safety-related information happening in their community. The City Police Department is the first New York based police department to go live on the CRIMEWATCH Network. The new Batavia Police Department Website can be found at BataviaPolice.org.

Two people, including a woman from Batavia, are facing drug charges following a traffic stop in the Wyoming County Town of Sheldon. Sheriff’s deputies say a metal cylinder with 2.19 grams of methamphetamine was recovered in the front seat of the vehicle.  Multiple pieces of methamphetamine paraphernalia were also seized.  Through investigation, it was also alleged that the passenger had another bag and a glass vial containing 1.97 grams of methamphetamine, both concealed. 35-year-old Michael Sweet of Varysburg and 34-year-old Rachel Baehr of Batavia were both was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree. Sweet faces additional charges as well. Both were issued appearance tickets for court on March 29.  They were both processed and then released.

The operation of youth sports in the LeRoy community will never be more important than in the coming months. LeRoy Youth Softball’s Board of Directors announced that it is getting a grant for $3,700 from the Victor L. Blood and Maudaline L. Blood Charitable Foundation to support youth athletics in the community of LeRoy. Youth softball in Le Roy has been steadfast for decades, in the local community. The Blood Foundation, as it is commonly known, was created on April 14, 1989 through the generosity of Vic Blood, a prominent businessman from LeRoy. He envisioned a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the residents of the Town and Village of LeRoy. Vic Blood passed on in 1996, but his legacy lives on through the work of the Blood Foundation.

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand along with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez are calling on Governor Cuomo to resign as the impeachment investigation into him goes into action and a 7^th accuser has come forward.  Jessica Bakeman said Friday that the governor used touching and sexual innuendo to stoke fear in female aides and reporters.  She said that his actions are a textbook example of sexual harassment.  Cuomo came out Friday with a blanket denunciation of the accusations, saying that he did not do the things he was accused of and that there are often many motivations for making allegations.

New York State is 40^th in terms of percentage of the population who have had both doses of the COVID Vaccine with 10.7 percent.  Alaska is number 1 in percentage with 17 percent of it’s population fully dosed.  In terms of sheer numbers the Empire State is 4^th with California in the lead. New York is also behind most of the rest of the country in the rate that COVID is declining.  The rate of newly diagnosed cases per day is twice the national average as is the rate of hospitalization.  Part of this could be explained by the fact that over half the new cases being diagnosed in New York City are new variants of the Coronavirus according to the New York City’s Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.  New York City also has it’s own variant, called b.1.526 which is more infectious.

A Rochester Music teacher has plead guilty to 61 counts of production of child pornography and 13 counts of possession of child porn.  43 year old Philip Close, owner of Close School of Music on West Ridge Rd and former teacher at another music school was accused of placing cameras in bathrooms and other locations throughout the schools and recording young girls while they were naked between 2012 and 1019.  Hundreds of videos and 13 recording devices were discovered.  The charges carry a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum 2,090 years in prison, and a $18,500,000 fine.

COVID update from Friday night: Genesee county has 16 new cases and 24 people have recovered.  Orleans County has 7 new cases and 7 people have recovered.  There are 56 active cases in Genesee County and 37 in Orleans.  6482 people have had both doses of the Covid vaccine in Genesee county and 3230 Orleans county residents have had both doses.

In local basketball the Batavia Blue devils lost 55 to 56 to the Wayne Knights.  Both teams had identical undefeated stats of 14 to 0 before the Sectional final game Friday night.

A smell of natural gas ended the school day for students at Pavilion High School today.  At around 10AM students and staff reported smelling gas in the building and students in 6-12^th grade were sent home while Pavilion Fire and RG&E attempted to hunt down the source of the odor.  The Pavilion girls basketball team is scheduled to play a Section V championship game at home tonight. The status of the game is unknown at this time.

Firefighters across New York state say, check your smoke detectors and change your batteries this weekend.  This weekend marks the spring forward of daylight savings time and it is also the standard time to replace smoke detector batteries.  If you have ten year batteries then check the alarm on the smoke detector by pushing the test button.  It is also important to have a plan to get out of the house if those smoke alarms go off.

The Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is hosting its annual Spring into Nature celebration on May 1^st.  The theme for this pared down COVID friendly event will be Sing, Fly, Soar like a Bird.  Visitors will get to participate in a variety of nature-related activities. There will be activities for all ages, including sunflower seed feeder construction, track casting, a guided hike, pollinator planting, fisheries discoveries, origami, sun art projects, feather ID, and archery and fishing games. You must register to participate.  To register follow the link on wbtai.com

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-into-nature-sing-fly-soar-like-a-bird-registration-144667052047

The Buffalo Sabres fell short in their match up with the Pittsburg Penguins last night at home 5 to 2.  The Sabres are now in their second longest skid with 9 lost games in a row.  Their first place longest losing streak was in 2015 with 14 games.  Tage Thompson and Victor Oloffson scored the only goals for Buffalo.  Their next match is against the Penguins again at home on Saturday at 7pm.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has announced the start of an impeachment investigation into Governor Cuomo.
This latest development comes after even more lawmakers urged the governor to resign as controversy grows around his administration.
The impeachment inquiry will reportedly include both the sexual harassment claims involving the governor and how his office handled nursing home patients during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis.
If Cuomo is impeached, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul would take over as acting governor.

Starting April 1st, most people who travel to New York State will no longer have to quarantine after arriving. Last year, a mandatory 14-day quarantine order was put in place a blunt the spread of coronavirus. That guideline will still remain in effect for people who travel to New York from international locations.

A Batavia man is returning to prison for Drunk Driving.
43 year old Walter Hale Jr. has just been sentenced to five more years upon his fifth felony DWI conviction.
Hale was just released from prison last year, after serving time for DWI.

A second arrest has been made in a Corfu burglary case from last summer. Sheriff’s deputies collared 19-year-old Chance Luke Flanagan of Corfu.
He was charged with felony counts of burglary, criminal mischief and grand larceny and a lesser count of conspiracy. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance.

A big night in High School Basket tonight. Number 1 seeded Batavia Blue Devil’s host Number 2 Wayne in the Class B-1 Championship.
Both teams ate 14 and 0 on the season.
Live Play-by-play coverage with Bob Brown begins tonight at 6 on WBTA.

A second arrest has been made in a Corfu burglary case from last summer. Sheriff’s deputies say they took 19-year-old Chance Luke Flanagan of Corfu into custody. He was charged with felony counts of burglary, criminal mischief and grand larceny and a lesser count of conspiracy. He was arraigned and release. Corfu Village Police assisted.

A Batavia woman faces a drug charge. 32-year-old Christina Sanchez-Anderson was charged by deputies with criminal possession of a controlled substance. She was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over. Deputies said a search revealed she allegedly possession cocaine. She’ll respond to the charge in city court March 25^th.

According to preliminary figures released by the New York State Department of Labor, the number of private sector jobs in the State increased over the month by 29,400 to 7.3 million in January. However, jobs dropped by 1,700 in Genesee County compared to January 2020. In addition, New York State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 8.7% to 8.8% in January 2021.

13 new COVID cases were reported in Genesee County on Thursday. Four of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Five who tested positive are hospitalized. One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center. Six new cases were reported in Orleans County with seven new cases in Wyoming County.

A man has been accused of stealing more than $50,000 in property from a Bergen business. Bruce D. Smith has been indicted for second-degree grand larceny. It is alleged that between April 2018 through March 2019 in the Town of Bergen that Smith stole property having a value of more than $50,000. He is also accused of falsifying business records in the first degree, a Class E felony.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says an impeachment investigation will begin following mounting allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In a statement Thursday night, Heastie said he’s authorized the Assembly Judiciary Commission to begin an impeachment investigation. The committee will be able to subpoena documents, examine evidence and interview witnesses. More than 120 lawmakers now say the governor should resign. Members of the Senate Republican Conference say if the governor doesn’t resign, the next step is impeachment. Democrats calling for his resignation say Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is capable of stepping in and serving the remainder of his term.

A grand jury has leveled a four-count indictment against a man stemming from a violent crime last October on Liberty Street in Batavia. Christopher C. Good faces a top count of first-degree burglary, a class B violent felony. It is alleged that he entered and remained unlawfully in a home and caused physical injury to a victim inside. He was also indicted for felony assault, menacing and aggravated harassment.

A Batavia man is headed back to prison after being convicted of his seventh DWI charge. A judge sentenced 43-year-old Walter Hale Jr. to up to five years behind bars. The case was his fourth felony impaired driving conviction.

Domestic travel restrictions have been lifted for New York residents. Travelers are no longer required to quarantine after entering New York from any U.S. State or U.S. Territory starting April 1. While no longer required, the NYS Department of Health still recommends quarantine after domestic travel as an added precaution. Mandatory quarantine remains in effect for international travelers. All travelers must continue to fill out the Traveler Health Form. Individuals should continue strict adherence to all safety guidelines to stop the spread – wearing masks, socially distancing and avoiding gatherings.

Are you looking to travel but don’t want to because you cant afford to sequester yourself for 2 weeks when you get home?  Well, April 1^st the quarantine order will be lifted for people traveling within the US or it’s territories.  If you travel internationally you will still have to quarantine for the 10 days or 4 days with 2 tests.  All travelers will still have to fill out a health form upon entering New York.

The Western New York Independent Living family of agencies is now putting out a 30 minute public radio program called “Independent Perspective – In Depth” on the Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service which is available online by going to their website and clicking on “Listen Live.”  The show airs at 8:30 in the morning on Sundays and includes leaders from the community talking on topics such as Disabilities, Governmental Agencies, as well as elected officials who speak to issues important to people with disabilities in Western NY.

Batavia City Fire Fighters answer an alarm for a grass fire that quickly spread to a home.
It happened just after 1:30 yesterday afternoon. Crews responded to a grass fire encroaching a home at 30 Vine Street.
The fire was declared under control in 12 minutes.
Damage was contained to the outside of the home with minor smoke and water damage. The adjacent house at 32 Vine sustained minor heat damage to the siding. There were no injuries, the cause was labeled accidental.

More information has been revealed about the latest sexual harassment claim made against Governor Cuomo. According to the Albany Times Union, the sixth woman to come forward saying the governor acted inappropriately towards her says he groped her in a sexually aggressive manner. The alleged incident happened last year while she was at the governor’s mansion to help him with a phone problem. In a statement, the governor called the details of the woman’s allegations gut-wrenching but said he didn’t do anything wrong.

Genesee County reports 18 new cases of COVID-19. Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 11 of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center.
Orleans County has confirmed six new cases and Wyoming County reports four new cases.

From the police blotter this afternoon:
27 year old William Nichols of Holley arrested by State Police following a fracas in the Town of Batavia.
Nichols was charged early yesterday morning with felony assault with intent to cause injury with a weapon.

19 year old Thomas Hofmeier of West Seneca man has been collared by Corfu Police for burglary and grand larceny.
Authorities said Hofmeier offenses occurred back in early June.
He was arraigned I n Corfu village court, then released on his own recognizance.

In just over one week, fans of the Buffalo Sabres will be able to watch their team in-person and tickets for that game go on sale today. The Sabres are set to take on the Boston Bruins March 20th at KeyBank Center, the first time people have been in the stands this season. Season ticket holders are going to get first choice of seats with the general public having their opportunity tomorrow. Attendance will be limited and all fans will have to test negative for COVID-19 before being allowed inside the arena

Court action is pending for a Holley man following a violent incident in the Town of Batavia. State Troopers say they arrested 27-year-old William A. Nichols. He has been charged with felony assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon. He also faces lesser counts of menacing with a weapon, criminal obstruction of breathing and preventing an emergency call. The incident was reported at 3 a.m. Wednesday.

Genesee County deputies have leveled multiple felony counts against a West Seneca man. 19-year-old Thomas Hofmeier is charged with burglary, two counts of grand larceny, criminal mischief and conspiracy. He was arraigned and released to return to court April 5^th.

Officials have announced the award of up to $50.7 million to providers throughout New York State to expand access to addiction services. The majority of this funding will go towards regional networks designed to support a continuum of care that includes prevention, treatment and recovery. $3.1 million is earmarked for Value Network Behavioral Health Care Collaborative Network. It serves Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and five other counties.

Police in New York make impaired driving arrests everyday…but sometimes, there are more coordinated efforts. The next crackdown focuses on St. Patrick’s Day, which is next Wednesday. State Police, county and local police plan to have a full-court press beginning March 16^th and continuing thru the 21^st. There will be increased patrols…some you’ll see and others you won’t. There will also be STOP-DWI checkpoints.

New York State still has nearly 4,800 people hospitalized for COVID…with another 999 patients in an intensive Care Unit. As of Wednesday, the statewide positivity rate was 3.16%. 58 COVID-19 deaths were reported in NY on Wednesday. The Finger Lakes Region reports 158 COVID patients in area hospitals and 397 patients in the ICU.

Following what has been arguably one of the most challenging years for athletics departments across the nation, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has recognized Genesee Community College’s Assistant Vice President of Student Engagement & Inclusion and Director of Athletics, Kristen Schuth as the Junior/Community College Athletics Director of the Year. In addition to the countless impacts the coronavirus pandemic has had on collegiate communities, the Association has also had to reinvent its recognition ceremony and will present Schuth with the Director of the Year honor at its 56th Annual Convention virtually in July. This prestigious award has earned Schuth a place in GCC’s Recognition Matters series which highlights the accomplishments of the College’s faculty, staff and students.

Genesee County reports 18 new cases of COVID-19. 17 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. 4 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 11 of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center. Orleans County has confirmed six new cases and Wyoming County reports four new cases.

The Genesee County Highway Department has created a website to help keep the public informed during the reconstruction of the South Lyon Street Bridge. The project is being paid for by a $498,000 federal grant and $124,600 from county funds. Construction is expected to begin in the spring. Considering the importance of this bridge to the traveling public in our community, a website was created to keep residents and businesses apprised of the project’s progress.

New York Senate Republicans have announced a resolution to repeal Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s requirement that bars serve food with alcoholic beverages. Cuomo issued the order in July, and some restaurants created small snacks to satisfy the requirement. Senate Republicans say the order caused “mass confusion” for restaurants and bars, an industry that was already struggling to comply with pandemic regulations.

Congressman Christ Jacobs has introduced legislation that would make it easier for Dairy Farmers to hire migrant labor by expanding h-2A temporary agricultural visas to include the dairy industry.  As of right now the dairy industry, because it is year round, can’t qualify for temporary or seasonal hiring of migrant labor.  Jacobs said,  “The bottom line is that we need a migrant worker program that respects and enforces our immigration laws while providing farmers with the workforce that they need,” He was thanked by the president of the New York Farm Bureau, David Fisher, and the president of the National Milk Producers Federation, Jim Mulhern.

The USDA is extending the Summer meals program through September 30^th.  It is estimated that 12 million children in the US live in homes where they may not always have food to eat.  These summer meal programs fill the need for these kids and are also open to those over 18 who have mental and physical disabilities.  Schools, Parks, Community Centers, Libraries and churches can be sites for these meals.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley has issued a reminder that all motorboat operators, regardless of age must have a boating safety certificate by 2025.  Information on taking the boating safety course in-person or online can be found at https://parks.ny.gov/recreation/boating/

Authorities in Wyoming County today have released the names of two women killed in a Gainesville crash as they left a COVID vaccination clinic.
The driver 83 year old Jacqueline Simpson and her passenger, 82 year old Jessie Button, both from Perry, were killed when their Volkswagen bug pulled into the path of another car yesterday afternoon..
Deputies said the women were leaving the vaccination clinic held at the Wyoming County Highway department on Route 19.
The driver of the second car suffered only minor injuries.

A sixth woman has now come forward claiming that she was sexually harassed by Governor Cuomo. The alleged incident happened last year at the governor’s mansion when she went to help him with a work-related matter. Once the woman’s supervisors found out about what happened, they reported it to the governor’s counsel. The governor has denied all allegations of misconduct and says people should wait for the results of an ongoing investigation before judging him.

Another Genesee County resident has died from COVID-related complications. This brings the county total to 120 deaths.
The latest victim was over the age of 65.

Starting today, even more New Yorkers are going to be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccination. All folks over the age of 60 can sign up to get a shot starting at eight a-m. And beginning March 17th, people like public works employees, DMV employees, sanitation workers and child service caseworkers will also be eligible to get vaccinated. Until now, vaccination efforts have been focused on the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions and health care workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.

The losing streak of the Buffalo Sabres is now at eight games following another disappointing defeat. Sam Reinhart had a pair of goals while Brandon Montour and Riley Sheahan also scored, but the Sabres still fell to the Philadelphia Flyers on the road last night five-to-four in a shootout. The Sabres will be back home tomorrow night when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The investigation continues after two people, just vaccinated for COVID-19, were killed car crash in Wyoming County. The collision occurred in front of the Wyoming County Highway Department on Route 19 in the Town of Gainesville.  The Wyoming County Vaccination Clinic was in operation at the Highway Department and EMTs from the clinic immediately responded to render aid. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies said two people were a vehicle leaving the clinic, when they pulled onto Route 19 into the path of an oncoming vehicle. A “T-bone” type collision resulted. The driver of the other vehicle received minor injuries. The investigation is continuing, but charges are unlikely.

Genesee County received 14 new positive cases of COVID-19. Ten of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. The death toll has also climbed. Health officials report the death of a resident who was over the age of 65. Orleans County reports just two new cases of COVID while ten new cases were confirmed in Wyoming County.

New York State officials say there is a record 5.8 million New Yorkers enrolled in healthcare coverage through the NY State of Health, which is nearly one in three people in the state. The enrollment period began in February 2020 and ended last month. The Marketplace programs saw a surge in new applicants last year. It increased by nearly 900,000 people.

NYS Farm Bureau President is annoyed with the Governor for excluding farmworkers from the COVID vaccine eligibility list. In a statement, David Fisher said… “It is frustrating that Governor Cuomo visited a location synonymous with New York agriculture, the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, to announce the expansion of the state’s COVID vaccine eligibility list, yet he still refuses to protect farmworkers by including them in the ongoing rollout of phase 1b. The CDC recommends that food and agricultural workers be eligible for their own safety and that of our food system. (Fisher said) It is time do what is right and prioritize the essential workers who help ensure New Yorkers have food on their tables.”

New York State United Teachers has launched a $1 million statewide television and digital advertising campaign drawing attention to the critical safety guidelines that schools need to follow as they reopen more classrooms for in-person learning. Titled “My Kids,” the new 30-second ad notes the critical importance of in-person learning for students, drawing attention to the need for COVID-19 testing in schools, vaccine availability for education professionals, social distancing, mandatory masking, and sanitization and hygiene protocols as part of reopening strategies. It will air in all regions of the state for the next month.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in New York. Beginning today, all New Yorkers 60 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine, while public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit entities will be eligible beginning March 17. This expansion also includes public-facing essential building services workers. Additionally, the Governor announced that with increased supply of the vaccine, restrictions concerning which segments of the eligible population specific providers can vaccinate will be relaxed to align with the expanded eligibility on March 17.

Batavia Downs has announced who is going to be Rockin The Downs this Summer after the 2020 drought of concerts and performances for most people.   It kicks off with Steve Augeri at the end of June followed by Molly Hatchet, Don Felder, Tommy James and the Shondells, SkidRow and The Sweet in July.  In August The Pink Floyd cover show The Machine and Queensryche will be playing.  More information such as dates and prices can be had at the Batavia downs website www.bataviadownsgaming.com

New Yorkers 60 and above will be eligible to receive the COVID Vaccine starting March 10^th at 8am.  Also starting on the 17th, public-facing public employees, public-facing not-for-profit emergency workers and public-facing building workers will be able to schedule vaccine appointments and all vaccine sites except pharmacies will be able to vaccinate anyone who is eligible.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is among the Republican legislators who have introduced impeachment proceedings against Governor Cuomo.  More than 40 Democrats in the assembly and senate have called for Cuomo to resign over the sexual harassment accusations while Republicans have focused more on the deaths in nursing homes.  Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes says that Cuomo’s scandals have “brought Albany to a grinding halt.  “There have been days where we’ve been scheduled to go into session, and we never did just because there’s been so many conferences going on, on how to handle the governor.”  A New York Governor has only been impeached once before, in 1913 with Democratic Governor William Sulzer being convicted of perjury.

The New York DEC wants to remind everyone that the Brush burning ban is in effect starting March 16^th and going through May 14^th.  Dry conditions are expected to be highest during those 2 months and open burning of brush and debris are the leading cause of wildfires in New York State.

UMMC is following through on its commitment to keep babies safe by giving every family who delivers a newborn baby at the hospital a Halo Sleepsack Swaddle.  The UMMC League donated enough swaddles for a year’s supply, so that no baby leaves the hospital empty handed.

The Genesee County Fair is set to run July 24^th through 31^st this year.  The Genesee County Agricultural Society has plans to ensure attendees, participants, and organizers will be safe and will be following a plan supported by the State Department of Health and Local Officials.

The Shooting for a Cure fundraiser by the Pembroke Girls Basketball team has raised over 41 thousand dollars for the Roswell Cancer Center and they hope to raise even more by April 1^st.  The team has raised 192 thousand dollars for the cancer research center in the last 10 years and hopes to break 200 thousand this year.  If you would like to give to help them reach their goal you can follow the link at wbtai.com

https://give.roswellpark.org/site/TR;jsessionid=00000000.app334a?px=1009177&fr_id=1571&pg=personal&NONCE_TOKEN=02AB38BCAA67EAF14F2671C61A27A2C4

A bill has passed the state senate to make flamethrowers illegal.  Bill s1269 would make owning a flamethrower a felony.  A flamethrower is described as a device capable of projecting a stream of burning fuel a distance of 3 feet.  An exception to the ban is for agriculture, construction or historical collection purposes.

Batavia City Council approved the odds on favorite for the permanent post of City Manager.

Rachel Tabelski won a unanimous vote and a three year contract.
Tabelski said her first goal will be hire an assistant city manager, a position that has been open since Tabelski took on the interim assignment.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski said he likes the idea of a manager with local roots:

Tabelski will earn $110,000 a year in the permanent role

A Wyoming County man fights for his life this morning with extensive burns.
68 year old Al Kilanski was injured late Sunday night when fire swept his home on Gardeau Street in Perry.
Perry volunteers said Kilanski’s home was fully engulfed when they arrived on the scene.
Kilanski was able to get out of the house just as firefighters arrived but not before he suffered serious burns.
He was airlifted to Strong Memorial and is listed in guarded condition this morning.

The family of Daniel Prude has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both the Rochester Police Department and city. Prude passed away last year several days after being involved in an encounter with police and his death was ruled a homicide. But, it was recently announced the officers involved in the incident wouldn’t be prosecuted. The family is seeking unspecified damages for Prude’s pain and suffering.

State Attorney General Letitia James has announced who will be leading the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo. The case is going to be handled by former acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon Kim and employment discrimination attorney Anne Clark. So far, five women have come forward claiming the governor acted inappropriately towards them. The Attorney General has already said once the investigation is done, a report will be made public.

The number of Finger Lakes residents hospitalized due to COVID-19 has fallen to its lowest level in nearly four months. There are currently 156 people receiving treatment for the virus which is the fewest since November 12th.

2 more women have joined the 3 already accusing Governor Cuomo of sexual harassment.  Ana Liss, a former staffer, and Karen Hinton a press aide for Cuomo are the latest women to say Cuomo harassed them.  Democratic leaders such as assemblyman Pat Burke, Sarah Clark and Senators Samra Brouk and Jeremy Cooney as well as Majority leader Andrea Stewart Cousins and 35 other democratic state politicians are calling on Cuomo to resign but the governor says “I was elected by the people of the state. I wasn’t elected by politicians. I’m not gonna resign because of allegations. The premise of resigning because of allegations is actually anti-democratic.”  The assembly can vote to impeach Cuomo which would start a trial by a special impeachment court and Cuomo would be replaced by Lt Governor Kathy Hochul until the trial was over.  Unlike States such as California New York has no recall law.

The CDC says that fully vaccinated people are able to gather with others indoors without social distance or masks in a report released today.  The CDC also says that vaccinated people can gather with those who have a low risk for the disease even if those people are not vaccinated.  A person is fully vaccinated 2 weeks after they have received their second dose.  About 9 percent of Americans have had both doses.

Gas prices continue to rise but a bit slower than the last few weeks.  A gallon of regular was up 4 cents to 2.76 in Batavia.  The national average is 2.77 and the New York state Average is 2.83.  Last year the average national price was 2.39.  The rising prices are being blamed on continued issues after the blackouts and cold weather in Texas and the Gulf Coast along with OPEC nations cutting their supply.  Demand is also on the rise as more people are traveling and covid restrictions are being lifted in more and more places.

The Buffalo Bills after their deepest playoff run in the last 25 years are raising prices for season tickets and are hoping to open the stadium up at 100 percent capacity during the next season barring restrictions from Albany.

Rachel Tabelski

The Batavia City Council tonight is expected to approve Rachel Tabelski as the next, permanent, City Manager.
Tabelski has been serving as the interim City Manager since the departure of Martin Moore.
City Council President Gene Jankowski said the search came down to two candidates with Tabelski being one of them. Council will vote on the permanent appointment during its business meeting tonight.

Governor Cuomo is standing firm, saying he won’t resign even though two more women have accused him of sexual harassment.
The governor again asked New Yorkers to withhold judgment until an investigation into the allegations is complete. Five women have come forward in the last couple of weeks claiming the governor acted inappropriately towards them.

The search continues for a Batavia man who went missing in Ecuador.
On February 21st, 36-year-old Travis Sackett went for a day-long hike near an extinct volcano. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Since his disappearance, local authorities and the US Embassy in Ecuador have been notified. The family is offering a $2,000 reward for any information that helps locate him.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page has been established to add to the reward and cover expenses. It has grown to more than $10,000.

A much-needed financial boost is on the way for most restaurants in New York State. Beginning March 19th, restaurants outside of New York City can operate at 75 percent capacity, but tables will still need to be spread apart.
The number of customers at restaurants has been limited for months in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Gasoline continues to cost more in Batavia. The average price of a gallon of regular is $2.76, up 4-cents from a week ago and up nearly 22-cents from a month ago.

The losing streak of the Buffalo Sabres has now hit seven following another loss on the road. Jeff Skinner and Colin Miller had a goal apiece, but it wasn’t enough as Buffalo fell to the New York Islanders yesterday by a final score of five-to-two.
Buffalo will look to get back on the winning track tomorrow night when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers.

More than $31.5 million is being awarded to strengthen New York’s agricultural industry through the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants program. These projects will protect a total of 15,600 acres on 22 New York dairy farms and eight non-dairy farms. The Western New York Land Conservancy will receive $453,000 to protect Schmieder Farm, located in the Town of Alexander. The Genesee Valley Conservancy is earmarked to receive a little more than $10.3 million. One of the projects involved Heindale Farm, located in the Town of East Bethany.

Court action is pending after a Holley woman who face multiple felony counts following a fraud complaint in Albion from nearly two years ago. State Troopers arrested 31-year-old Margaret Yarbrough, charging her with felony counts of welfare fraud and first-degree filing a false instrument. She was initially detained.

In the midst of a pandemic, when attendance was limited, Pembroke’s annual “Shooting For A Cure!” fundraiser has raised at least $39,200. Organizer Mike Wilson said that amount breaks last year’s record-breaking total of $33,000. Donations are still trickling in and Wilson is hoping the event goes over $40,000.

State Police say they filed multiple felony counts against an Elba man. Troopers arrested 33-year-old Kevin Moscicki. He was charged with felony aggravated driving while intoxicated and a separate count of felony DWI. He’ll appear in court at a later date.

An unattended propane heater triggered a weekend fire that destroyed a garage, a car and tools. Flames were reported at 344 W. Main Street in Batavia. Destroyed along with the building was a 2014 Toyota Camry and several tools. Two nearby structures received minor damage from radiant heat. There were no injuries.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is now calling for the resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo — a sign of escalating pressure from members of his own party to step aside amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct. Cuomo said Sunday he has no plans to step down. Stewart-Cousins’s decision to join a growing number of state Democratic lawmakers pushing for Cuomo to step down upped the pressure on the three-term governor, who appears to be losing his grip on the state capitol he has ruled for a decade.

New York is increasing restaurant capacity to 75 percent for areas outside of New York City. The change will take effect on March 19, pending the Legislature’s review. Restaurants outside of New York City are currently capped at 50 percent capacity. The increase in capacity comes as some neighboring states have loosened capacity restrictions in restaurants and New York has seen a continued decrease in COVID-19 positivity and hospitalizations.

A vehicle crash in the Town of Bergen resulted in charges for the driver. Sheriff’s deputies arrested 55-year-old Reginald Sampson of Ellicott Street in Batavia. He allegedly drove off the highway and struck a sign on Route 33. He was charged with driving while intoxicated, having a blood alcohol content above .08%, aggravated unlicensed operation and moving from a lane unsafely. He’ll appear in Bergen Town Court March 17^th.

Former Eastman Kodak Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Colby Chandler has died. He led the company from 1983 to 1990. While CEO, Kodak expanded its consumer product lines, acquired Sterling Drug and ranked number 18 on FORTUNE’s list of America’s largest corporations. Chandler was 95.

The Batavia City Council is primed to select Rachel Tabelski as the new permanent City Manager for Batavia when it meets tonight.  Tabelski has been serving as Interim City Manager since August of 2019.  If approved by Council, Tabelski’s annual salary will become $110,000 plus benefits.

Monday night the City Council is set to select Rachel Tabelski as the new permanent City Manager for Batavia.  Tabelski has been serving as Interim City Manager since the departure of Martin Moore in August of 2019.  If approved by Council, Tabelski’s annual salary will become $110,000 plus benefits.  City Council went through a search process using the same company that found Moore in 2018. Moore lasted one year in the job.  Tabelski has held a series of politically appointed jobs including as a legislative aide to Assemblyman Steve Hawley, communications director with the county’s Economic Development Center and stint with the Batavia Development Corporation.

The New York State Assembly and Senate passed a bill Friday that limits the Governors emergency powers to renewing and extending and modifying the orders that he already has in place.  It also gives the assembly the power to reject any of these and makes it so all orders will expire within 30 days unless the governor’s office comes to the assembly 5 days in advance of the deadline to make the changes or extensions.  Assemblyman Hawley was not happy with the bill and said that “What people expected of us today was simple—a clean ending of the governor’s emergency powers. What they got was a sham of a deal the governor himself had a say in that does nothing to rein in his power in a meaningful way, and instead preserves his emergency powers indefinitely.”  Other republicans also complained.  One criticism is that this bill allowed the emergency powers to be sustained indefinitely, all of the Governors mandates passed with emergency powers were set to expire on April 30^th and this bill effectively extends all of them past that if they are renewed.

COVID Update from Friday at 4pm: Genesee county has 12 new cases and 19 people have recovered.  Orleans County has 4 new cases and 14 people have recovered.  There are 74 active cases in Genesee county and 34 in Orleans.  As of Friday Afternoon 5200 Genesee county residents had 2 doses of the vaccine and 2500 Orleans county residents had had both doses.  8.8 of the New York State population has been vaccinated completely against COVID.

The state health department responded to questions about the pop up Mass Vaccination clinic at GCC having most of it’s appointment slots booked up by urban counties instead of rural counties as planned.  The state said that all non FEMA state run mass vaccination sites are open to all New Yorkers and when more vaccines are available they will determine if exclusive sites are necessary.  Assemblyman Hawley says that there was a statewide free for all that left Rural counties behind.  County Health director Paul Petit said that “With only 864 of the 3,500 doses of vaccine remaining in our three counties, we are still well below the current state-wide vaccination rate. We will continue to seek additional allocations to bring parity for the counties’ vaccination rates.”

The City Water Department is planning to make repairs to a water line in the area of 53 River Street on Monday. Repairs will begin at 8:00 AM and should be completed by 3:00PM. The water may have to be shut off from #73 River to South Main Street. Residents in the area may experience low water pressure or discolored water, which should return to normal once repairs are complete.  Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry.

Pembroke High School Girls Basketball Team broke all previous records by raising almost 38 thousand dollars Friday night for Roswell Cancer Center with their Shooting for a Cure fundraiser.  This is the tenth year doing the fundraiser and it has grown each year.

Rachael Tabelski

Rachel Tabelski has been selected to become the new permanent Batavia City Manager.
City Council will vote on her appointment at its meeting Monday night.

Tabelski has been serving as Interim City Manager since the departure of Martin Moore in August of 2019.
If approved by Council, Tabelski’s annual salary will become $110,000 plus benefits.

City Council went through a search process using the same company that found Moore in 2018. Moore lasted one year in the job.
City Hall officials said the choice came down to two candidates, one of them Tabelski, who was said had the support of Council President Gene Jankowski from the beginning

Tabelski has held a series of politically appointed jobs including as a legislative aide to Assemblyman Steve Hawley, communications director with the county’s Economic Development Center and stint with the Batavia Development Corporation.
Her husband, Adam Tabelski was a former Batavia City Councilman who had to resign his seat when Rachel entered the management ranks at City Hall.

Genesee Orleans County Health Director Paul Pettit put out a press release this morning about who signed up for a vaccination at the GCC 5 day mass vaccination clinic and Genesee Orleans and Wyoming Counties are getting less than a quarter of the vaccines.  Out of the 3500 doses expected residents from Genesee county got appointments for less than 600, Orleans county residents signed up for 169 and Wyoming County residents only got 99 spots for shots.  Erie County residents signed up for 1666 appointments.  Petit Says that “With only 864 of the 3,500 doses of vaccine remaining in our three counties, we are still well below the current state-wide vaccination rate.” He also says that “For those who live in our GOW region and were shut-out of this clinic, we will continue to advocate for vaccines for our residents.” Residents from 23 counties and some out of staters have appointments for the vaccine at GCC.

More allegations are coming out about Governor Cuomo’s role in the cover up of nursing home deaths to COVID 19.  The Wall Street Journal and New York Times are reporting that top advisors to the governor pushed the state health department to remove data from a public report on those deaths. The revised data lowered the number of COVID deaths in nursing homes.  According to the newspapers, state officials knew the number of residents who had died from COVID, but the health department did not release the data, despite calls to do so, for several months. The governor’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, previously admitted withholding in fear of a federal investigation.

The GCEDC board has approved Plug Power’s incentives for the proposed 232.7 million dollar green energy plant at the STAMP park in Alabama.  Under the terms of a proposed 20-year PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) agreement, Plug Power would pay approximately $2.3 million annually to support local municipalities and infrastructure, including Genesee County, the Town of Alabama, and the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District.  Plug Power is also investing 55 million dollars into a substation for the STAMP park as well as over 100 million in investments into site infrastructure and municipal partners.  The county expects a 4 times return on investment for the project.  The Board also accepted applications for several new solar farms and approved incentives for a John Deere facility.

Fire of undetermined cause destroyed a barn on Starowitz Road.
Flame were reported around 10 last night at Star Growers and brought multiple fire companies to the scene.
Elba Fire Chief Mike Healy directed firefighting

PHOTO: Elba Fire Chief Mike Healy

There was equipment inside the barn but no livestock. A dollar estimate of damage was not available. No injuries reported.

In an effort to get schools closer to normal Assemblyman Steve Hawley is asking the State Health Department and the Governor to allow a three-foot distance between students.
Right now, the rule requires a six-foot distance for in-school learning.
Hawley says that in many ways, remote, on-line learning is harmful to young students.

Genesee County reports 16 new cases of COVID-19. Twelve of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. In Orleans County, officials report five new positive cases with two people hospitalized. Wyoming County also reports five new COVID cases.

That new state run mass COVID vaccination site opened today at Genesee Community College.
The site has 35-hundred doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to distribute between now and Tuesday.
Health officials say that although all appointments were filled in the first 90-minutes of the website going live, you should keep checking because cancellations do occur.

Call:  1-833-697-4829 or Check this website HERE

State lawmakers could vote today on a measure that would strip Governor Cuomo of his COVID-19 emergency powers. In the early days of the pandemic, the governor was granted the authority to make important health and safety decisions without getting approval from the legislature. Since then, he’s put several orders in place including a mask mandate and has also played large role in deciding what businesses should be open

Flames destroyed a barn in Elba. The 10 p.m. three-alarm blaze was reported at Star Growers on Starowitz Road. Crews heard explosions inside the shop-type building upon their arrival. Elba firefighters made the initial attack and were assisted by Town of Batavia, Byron, South Byron, along with City Fire’s Fast Team. Ten departments in total responded. No injuries were reported. The cause remains under investigation.

State Police continue to investigate a fatal vehicle crash on State Route 237 and East Morganville Road in the town of Stafford. Troopers said a vehicle was struck on the driver side by a garbage truck traveling south on State Route 237.  The operator and only occupant of the passenger vehicle was 73-year-old Ann K. Wood of LeRoy. She died at the scene. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Collision Reconstruction Unit assisted. This is still an ongoing investigation.

Genesee County reports 16 new cases of COVID-19. Twelve of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. In Orleans County, officials report five new positive cases with two people hospitalized. Wyoming County also reports five new COVID cases.

A Wyoming County man is headed to prison stemming from a deadly car crash. 21-year-old Michael Conrad of Eagle was sentenced Thursday to serve 1 1/3-4 years in state prison. He was convicted of manslaughter and felony assault. Conrad was driving 100 mph when he crashed in Wethersfield. The crash killed 20-year-old Cori Lynn Shearing, a 2018 graduate of Letchworth Central.

A temporary COVID vaccination clinic begins today at Genesee Community College’s main campus Athletic Center. The clinic runs today from noon- 4p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Monday and Tuesday from 9a.m.-1p.m. Appointments must be made through the New York State ‘Am-I-Eligible’ webpage. The state-run clinic, expecting to vaccinate 3,500, is targeted to Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County residents who are in the state eligible groupings. The state has confirmed the vaccine will be the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) one dose vaccine.

With New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposing to commit no funding in the 2021-2022 state budget dedicated to combating the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases throughout the state, Southern Tier State Senator Tom O’Mara this week joined other members of the Senate Republican Conference and a coalition of researchers and advocates to put a spotlight on the need to invest in research, education and prevention initiatives. The group is calling on Cuomo and other state leaders to commit at least $1.5 million in the final 2021-22 budget to badly needed Lyme-related initiatives.  O’Mara said, “Now is no time to ignore funding for critical public health responses.

New York State United Teachers is calling for school districts to ramp up COVID testing efforts for students and staff as many explore ways to bring more students back for in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year.  Joined at a virtual press conference by the American Federation of Teachers and local education unions, the National Football League Players Association and the Rockefeller Foundation, the Union called on districts to look to effective testing strategies for New York City schools, SUNY and the NFL as models they can adopt best practices from in creating or expanding their own testing programs. The union also is calling for federal and state funding to implement testing.

More details are now available about the crash in Stafford.  The New York State Police are confirming that the driver of a 2010 Kia, 73 year old Ann Wood of Leroy was killed in a collision with a Peterbilt Refuse Truck at the intersection of E Morganville Rd and St Rt 237.  It appears that Wood failed to yield right of way to the truck and was struck on the drivers side.  She was pronounced dead at the scene.

News Release

On March 4, 2021 at 11:12 A.M., Troopers out of SP Batavia responded to a two-vehicle collision on State Route 237 and East Morganville Road in the town of Stafford. Further investigation revealed that a 2010 Kia was traveling east on E. Morganville Road and stopped at the stop sign at State Route 237. The Kia proceeds into the intersection, not yielding the right of way and was struck on the driver side by a 2002 Peterbilt refuge truck traveling south on State Route 237. The operator and only occupant of the Kia, Ann K. Wood, 73 of Leroy, NY was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Collision Reconstruction Unit assisted in this investigation.

This is still an ongoing investigation.

An accident in Stafford between and garbage truck and a passenger vehicle was deadly.  Details are scarce at the moment but it appears to have been a tbone accident at the intersection of Rt 237 and Randall Road.  Mercy Flight responded to the scene and additional emergency responders were needed to extricate the driver of one vehicle.  There has been 1 fatality confirmed.

Genesee county park and forest is starting up their birding walks March 6^th.  There will be 4 walks, the 6^th, 20^th, April 10^th and May 1^st from 7am to 10am.  Birding walk is led by a guide and takes you through forest, meadow and wetland habitats and helps you identify birds by sound and sight.  Perfect for beginner and experienced birders. These 1 mile walks are free.  Masks must be worn whenever unable to maintain 6 feet of social distance.  Pre-register by calling 585-344-1122.

The COVID vaccination Clinic at GCC is now under state control.
But don’t get too excited – all appointments for the five days of the clinic, are gone.
The clinic will be open tomorrow from Noon until 4, Saturday and Sunday
8 to 4 and Monday and Tuesday, 9 to 1.
Clinic started accepting appointments at 8 this morning and in about 90-minutes, the all appointments were taken.
A total of 3,500 doses of the vaccine were available.

No sooner had the state announced that the clinic was open and available to anyone, Republican assembly Steve Hawley criticized the effort saying the original intent was only for residents of Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia)

It is unknown how many of the 3,500 doses allotted to GCC went to residents outside of the three county area.

Governor Cuomo isn’t planning to resign despite three women making sexual harassment claims against him. The governor said yesterday that he was sorry for making those women feel uncomfortable and that he’s embarrassed. Two of his former aides are accusing him of asking them inappropriate personal questions. A third woman named claims the governor put his hands on her during a 2019 wedding reception. The governor is asking people to withhold judgment until the state Attorney General’s office finishes its investigation.

As the number of New Yorkers testing positive for COVID-19 falls, limits on gatherings are about to see a change. Beginning March 22nd, the limit on outdoor gatherings at private homes will increase from 10 to 25. However, gatherings inside a residence will still be limited to 10 people. Social gatherings in public spaces are also allowed to grow from 50 people to 200 outdoors and 100 indoors

UPDATE: All appointments have been taken through Tuesday, Mar 9. Site filled appointments in 90-minutes.

The New York State Department of Health have agreed to host a temporary regional mass vaccination clinic at Genesee Community College (GCC) main campus center (1 College Rd, Batavia) to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to rural counties.

The announcement comes after the legislative leaders and public health directors of Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties sent a letter last week to the Governor urgently requesting the designation of such a clinic to serve rural populations in the region.

“We are pleased to see this allocation for the Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County area,” stated Lynne Johnson, Chairperson of the Orleans County Legislature.  “Our three counties have been underserved throughout this pandemic, especially with the lower vaccine allocations which in turn produces lower vaccination rates.”

This state-run clinic, expecting to vaccinate 3,500, is targeted to Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County residents who are in the state eligible groupings.  The state has confirmed, as of 03/02/21, the vaccine will be the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) one dose vaccine.  The clinic is located at the GCC Athletic Center where signs will guide those with appointments to the entrance.  The clinic will be held starting:

• Friday, March 5^th from 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m.,
• Saturday and Sunday (March 6^th and 7^th) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Monday and Tuesday (March 8^th and 9^th) from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Appointments must be made via the New York State ‘Am-I-Eligible’ webpage  HERE or by calling the New York State COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-697-4829 only.

“We are pleased to be a part of this mass vaccination clinic,” stated Rebecca Ryan, Chairwoman of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors.  “This will help put a dent in our priority groups.”

A Batavia resident with years of volunteer service locally and overseas, including the Peace Corps, is reportedly missing in Ecuador.  Travis Sackett, a 2003 graduate of Batavia High School, has reportedly been missing since Feb. 21 after going on a hike. Recently, he has been a volunteer at a farm in Ecuador. The U.S. Embassy in Ecuador has reportedly been notified that Sackett hasn’t been heard from since he left for the hike. Local search efforts began on Feb. 25. A GoFundMe page says Sackett’s parents are offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the safe return of their son. The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo says…he’s not resigning. Governor Cuomo apologized during a press conference for his actions and promises to be better.  At least three women have accused Governor Cuomo of inappropriate behavior and unwanted sexual advances towards them. This comes as his policy keeping COVID-19 patients in nursing homes in the early days of pandemic and undercounting coronavirus deaths is under federal investigation.

State Senator Rob Ortt and more than 60 state Senators and members of the Assembly Wednesday joined the call from county and town highway superintendents and other local leaders from throughout New York for increased state support for local roads, bridges and culverts. It’s been an annual movement since 2013. The Senator says “Maintaining our roads and bridges is essential not only for the safety and well-being of our communities, but it’s a critical component to help spur job creation and economic revitalization.”

Genesee County received 21 new positive cases of COVID-19. Thirteen of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Three of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Seven new cases are reported in Orleans County with one hospitalization.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 33-year-old Michael Flatley of Buffalo following a traffic stop on Alleghany Road in the Town of Alabama. He was charged with felony DWI and felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation. He was arraigned in court and released. He’ll return to court May 5^th.

U.S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of NY has announced the introduction of the Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act, which will create a new program for all essential workers and personnel who have been injured or impacted by COVID-19. Modelled after the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), the new fund would provide compensation to any individuals, or their families, who were deemed essential workers that were required to leave their home to perform services, and became ill or died as a result of COVID-19. The legislation would also create a website to facilitate access to the fund and simplify the application process to maximize compensation for essential workers and their families.

Multiple NY State democrat politicians are calling on Governor Cuomo to resign.  Republicans including Tom Reed also echo the call but Reed says he doesn’t expect Cuomo to step down.  In fact, he expects to see Cuomo run for governor again.  Reed says, “the only way Andrew Cuomo is not the candidate is if he is impeached.”  Cuomo has been under fire from republicans over the deaths due to COVID in nursing homes after the march 2020 order that nursing homes and long term care facilities had to accept COVID-19 positive patients into their vulnerable populations.  The calls for his resignation from democrats didn’t come until late last month when Attorney General Letitia James released a report showing that the numbers that the Sate Health Department had released were off by more than 50 percent and then an aide in a call to democrat politicians said that they had covered up the real number out of fear.  Next came a renewal of an allegation of sexual harassment from 6 months ago and 2 more women coming forward to accuse Cuomo.

Darien Lake will be holding their first ever virtual hiring event this and next Saturday.  The Amusement park is looking for over 1500 seasonal workers for positions in the park, water park, hotel and campground.  Interviews are done in Microsoft Teams once candidates have applied at sixflags.com/darienlake/jobs.  Pay starts at 12.50 an hour for employees 14 and up.

North Darien Bible Church is debuting its free clothes closet this Saturday with free clothes, coats, and shoes for all ages and sizes.  Starting at 9am and running to noon the closet will be running the first Saturday of each month.  The church is located at 9762 Simonds Road in Corfu.

State lawmakers have reached a deal to strip Governor Cuomo of the emergency powers he was granted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since last year, the governor has had the authority to do things like issuing a mandatory mask-wearing requirement and choosing which businesses should be opened or closed. At any time, the Legislature could have voted to override those decisions but decided not to. The Times Union in Albany reports a vote on this latest measure is expected to take place Friday.

The Governor is facing increased calls for his resignation after three women have come forward accusing him of sexual harassment. Pressure to step down has even been coming from some of his fellow Democrats and at least one member of Congress.

Batavia P D’s newest K-9 has taken tracked down his first suspect.
Police say 21 year old Dejon Smith of Rochester was collared after a short foot chase last Thursday..
K-9 “Batu” located Smith behind a home on Ellicott Street.
Smith was charged possession of drugs with intent to sell, resisting arrest and burglary.

State Troopers file a felony charge against an Elba man.
State Police say they arrested 38-year-old Robert Douglas. He was charged with grand larceny involving property valued at more than $1,000. Police said the charge stems from a theft from a building in the Town of Batavia.

The losing streak of the Buffalo Sabres has now reached four games following a disappointing defeat on the road. The Sabres fell to the New York Rangers by a final score of three-to-two last night.
Their next game is set for tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center board of directors will consider approving incentives for a $9.2 million project at its board meeting on Thursday. LandPro Equipment LLC is proposing to acquire and develop a 14-acre parcel to build a 50,000 square-foot facility for a full-service John Deere Agriculture and Turf Dealership. The facility would primarily be used for operations and training, with a portion of the facility used for retail.  The project proposes to create 5 new jobs and retain approximately 60 jobs in Genesee County. The Development board also will consider initial applications for three community solar projects. Forefront Power LLC (Elba Solar) is proposing to invest $9.7 million in a community solar project on Norton Road in the town of Elba.  Solar Liberty is proposing to invest $7.7 million in two community solar projects on Tesnow Road in the town of Pembroke.

State Police have leveled a felony charge against an Elba man. Troopers say they arrested 38-year-old Robert S. Douglas. He was charged with grand larceny involving property valued at more than $1,000. Police said the charge stems from a larceny from a building in the Town of Batavia. Douglas was initially detained.

Batavia Police filed multiple counts against two Rochester men following a traffic stop on Otis Street in which one man fled the scene on foot. Police charged 21-year-old Dejon Smith with felony counts of burglary, criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, tampering with physical evidence and resisting arrest. Police also arrested 27-year-old Germayne Session, charging him with driving with a suspended registration and unlicensed operation. Suspected crack cocaine and marijuana was recovered at the scene of the traffic stop and additional crack cocaine was located inside of a storage shed on Ellicott Street.

Genesee County reports 15 new positive cases of COVID-19. Twenty-six of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Three of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Three of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center. Orleans County reports just four new cases with no hospitalizations. In Wyoming County, health officials report seven new cases.

A Grand Jury has indicted Jennifer D. Abrams and Tarus O. Fluitt for third-degree burglary, a Class D felony. It is alleged that on Sept. 16 in the Town of Le Roy, the pair unlawfully entered the Kwik Fill on West Main Street Road intending to commit a crime. They are also accused of felony third-degree criminal mischief for allegedly damaging the front glass door of the Kwik Fill. In count three, Abrams and Fluitt are accused of fifth-degree conspiracy.

Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and his legislative colleagues in the Senate and Assembly will hold a news conference in Albany this morning to call for increased state funding for local roads, bridges, and culverts in the final New York State budget. The news conference coincides with the “Local Roads Are Essential” advocacy campaign getting underway this week and sponsored by the New York State Association of County Highway Superintendents and the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc. Numerous studies over the past decade have highlighted the decline of New York’s locally maintained transportation infrastructure and its impact on economic development, local property taxes, and motorist safety.

Roy A. Newton has been indicted for felony driving while intoxicated and having a blood alcohol content above .08%, also as a felony. It is alleged that on Oct. 30 in the Village of Le Roy Newton drove on Main Street while intoxicated.

More COVID-19 vaccines are available in Genesee County.
Public health officials say the county has received 885 does of the vaccine, that’s more than three times the number of does the county has received over the past several weeks.
Health Director Paul Petit says several community partners have also received more vaccine including Tops Markets in Batavia and LeRoy, UMMC, Oakfield Family Pharmacy.
GCC will hold two clinics this week: Wednesday from 11 until 3 for first does and Friday from 9 until 11 for second doses.

A third woman has now come forward claiming Governor Cuomo made unwanted advances towards her. Anna Ruch says the governor put his hand on her bare back during a 2019 wedding reception and later put his hands on her face asking if he could kiss her. The state Attorney General’s office is investigating those cases and says a report will be issued to the public.

Genesee County reports 30 new positive cases of COVID-19.
Forty-three of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Nine of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.
Orleans County received 8 new positive cases of COVID-19. Wyoming County reports 20 new cases.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center Board will consider accepting an initial application for incentives for Plug Power’s proposed $232.7 million green energy project at the STAMP site.
The GCEDC Board meets this Thursday. The project is expected to be under construction this summer creating 68 well-paying jobs.

The Buffalo Sabres are in the midst of a three-game losing streak and they’ll be hoping to snap it tonight. The Sabres will be at Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers. Buffalo’s offense struggled over the weekend during a pair of home shutout losses to the Philadelphia Flyers. Face-off for this evening’s contest in the Big Apple is scheduled for seven p-m.

Additional doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine have been coming into Genesee County this week — a welcome sign of better days ahead, according to the Genesee/Orleans public health director. Paul Pettit said after the allocation had been flat for four weeks, the county Department of Health has received 885 doses of the vaccine – 300 of the Moderna and 585 of the Pfizer. Pettit also mentioned that several “community partners” have received vaccine, with United Memorial Medical Center getting 200 doses and Tops Market in Batavia, Tops Market in Le Roy and Oakfield Family Pharmacy receiving 100 doses each. He reported that Genesee Community College will be the site of two local vaccination clinics this week – from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday for first dose only and from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday for second dose only. This is not the mass vaccination clinic at GCC that leaders in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties have been vigorously asking for, but Pettit said good news may be around the corner. More details on that are expected today.

Another woman has come forward to accuse Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual impropriety – prompting calls for the Governor to resign. Unlike his prior two accusers, Anna Ruch told the New York Times she did not work for Gov. Cuomo but instead met him at a 2019 wedding. Cuomo has long positioned himself as the champion of women in the workforce, but Ruch is the third to come forward with a similar story. Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James has received a referral letter to investigate allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo. Her office released a statement saying it’s not a responsibility taken lightly as allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously.

Genesee County reports 30 new positive cases of COVID-19. Thirteen communities are impacted, including Batavia and LeRoy. Forty-three of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Nine of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Orleans County received 8 new positive cases of COVID-19. Wyoming County reports 20 new cases.

The Genesee County Emergency Management Services has received a $3,800 fire prevention grant from FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers. FM Global representatives presented the award to the Genesee County Office of Emergency Management in Batavia.  The award will be used to assist with fire investigations to help fire investigators more efficiently investigate and determine the cause of a fire. Because fire continues to be the leading cause of property damage worldwide, during the past 40 years FM Global has contributed millions of dollars in fire prevention grants to fire service organizations around the globe. Locally, the company has awarded grants to a number of New York-based organizations.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center Board of Directors will consider accepting an initial application for incentives for Plug Power’s proposed $232.7 million green energy technology facility at the STAMP facility at its March 4 board meeting. The facility would produce green hydrogen through an electrolysis process of water utilizing clean hydropower. The production facility would produce approximately 45 metric tons of liquid hydrogen on a daily basis and sold to customers to replace fossil fuels in the transportation sector. Construction is anticipated to begin this summer. Plug Power would initially create approximately 68 new jobs at an average starting salary of approximately $70,000 plus benefits.

Gas prices continue an upward trend. The New York State average is $2.78 – up 8 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.60. Batavia prices are up, around 9 cents from a week ago, now at $2.72 a gallon.

The back and forth over whether restaurants in the Buffalo are can stay open after 11pm continues as a judge ruled that the restaurants involved in a lawsuit against the state can stay open till their normal closing time.  Judge Walker issued a temporary restraining order on the 5^th of February allowing restaurants in the suit to stay open but 5 days later that order was overruled by an appellate court judge.  This decision overrules that ruling.  This only effects the 90 restaurants in the suit but they hope it will open up the rest of the state.

The Johnson and Johnson Vaccine that only requires 1 dose has been authorized for emergency use by the CDC and University of Rochester infectious disease experts are weighing in to say get whatever vaccine you can.  Dr Anne Falsey, professor of Medicine at U of R says “Don’t wait a month for something you perceive is better. It may or may not be better” Falsey and Dr Branche, an infectious disease researcher at U of R both agree that any of the vaccines are worth getting.

On Saturday The Genesee county Sno Packers held a rally to fight breast cancer that involved snowmobiling in slightly less clothes than usual.  The Bikini rally in Oakfield raised nearly 30 thousand dollars for the Pink Fund with bikini bottom and t shirt clad ladies riding for the cause across the countryside.

The number of Western New York residents testing positive for coronavirus is continuing to trend downward. The latest data shows the seven-day average positivity rate in the region is one-point-eight percent. That’s far below the state’s average rate of three-point-one percent.
Genesee County’s positivity rate stands at 2.9%.

The state Attorney General’s office will be overseeing the investigation of recent sexual harassment allegations made against Governor Cuomo. Over the weekend, the New York Times published a story where a former staff member named Charlotte Bennett claimed Cuomo asked her personal questions about her

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

relationships and if she’d ever been intimate with older men. Last week, another ex-staff member published an essay saying the governor asked her to play strip poker and that he kissed her without consent.

Following this second sexual harassment claim made against him, Governor Cuomo has released a statement involving his conduct in the workplace. The governor apologized for making jokes that some people may have interpreted as insensitive or too personal. He also said that he hasn’t inappropriately touched or propositioned anyone and never intended to make colleagues feel uncomfortable.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties. The advisory continues until just after midnight.
Look for Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

A Batavia man faces felony charges after police responded to a domestic incident on South Main Street.
Police tell WBTA  57-year-old Terry Marvin Conrad was charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree menacing with a weapon.
Police say that Conrad menaced his son with a knife after becoming involved in a physical confrontation.
He was released from custody after a court arraignment and will return to city court next month.

Western New York drivers are continuing to see higher prices when filling up their vehicles. According to Triple A, the average cost for a gallon of regular gas in Batavia is $2.72.That’s up 8-cents since last week and up 32-cents from a month ago.

The offense of the Buffalo Sabres is struggling again following back-to-back shutout losses at home. Yesterday, goalie Carter Hart stopped all 28 shots he faced as his Philadelphia Flyers beat the Sabres three-to-nothing at KeyBank Center. Buffalo currently sits in last place in the East Division, 13 points behind the first place Washington Capitals. Up next for the Sabres is a road game against the New York Rangers tomorrow night.

A large-scale COVID-19 vaccination clinic begins later this week at Genesee Community College. The clinic begins Friday and runs for seven days. Officials say there should be 500 daily doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Once sign-ups open, residents can call the state’s vaccination line for an appointment.

The Batavia School Board of Education is expected to appoint election inspectors when it meets tonight. The Board will also be asked to make a dozen appointments. Members will also receive an update on Richmond Memorial Library. The meeting begins at 6:30 and will be live-streamed.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an apology after a second former aide came forward with accusations of sexual harassment. In a statement, Gov. Cuomo said he “never intended to offend” or “harm.” He conceded he has “teased people about their personal lives” and said he now understands his interactions “may have been insensitive or too personal.” Cuomo’s statement, the fourth of the day issued from his office, said “I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.” It follows 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett’s accusation in the New York Times that Cuomo asked repeatedly about her sex life and made her feel like he wanted to sleep with her. New York attorney general Letita James announced she plans to bring in an independent third-party to investigate these allegations against the governor.

Genesee County Human Resources has announced an open competitive examination for a firefighter in the City of Batavia. Starting salary is around $51,400. Everything you need to know is posted on the City’s home page.

The New York State COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped to the lowest rate since December 12^th.  There are around 5,200 people in hospitals with virus-related conditions. The number has dropped by nearly 200 in the past few days. Admissions to the ICU have also declines, but remain over 1,100. Eighty-five new COVID deaths have been reported statewide.

A Batavia man faces felony and other counts after city police responded to a domestic incident on South Main Street. Police said they arrested 57-year-old Terry Marvin Conrad. He was charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree menacing with a weapon. In a press release, police allege that Conrad menaced his son with a knife after becoming involved in a physical confrontation with him. He was released from custody after a court arraignment and will return to city court April 7^th.

Batavia police arrested 35-year-old Cody Bush of Walnut Street. He was charged with felony grand larceny and lesser counts of assault and criminal mischief. Those charges were filed following a physical domestic dispute. Additional court action is pending.

Hotel Workers are now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine under 1B status.  Governor Cuomo announced Friday that they were to be added to the list and that it will be up to local health departments to determine how hotel workers will be included in vaccine distributions, as well as where and when.  So far just over 4 million people have had at least 1 dose of the vaccine in New York State and about 7.4 percent of New Yorkers have had both shots.

2 sheriffs department staff said their farewells Friday afternoon.  Corrections Officer Kelly Creegan retired after 19 years and Catherine Uhly retired from a 20 year career at Genesee Justice. Uhly began her career on July 8, 2002, as a Principal Clerk at Genesee Justice, then Case Manager in 2014, and in 2016 was appointed to her current position as Program Coordinator. She has received two Meritorious Service awards for continuous excellence and the 2020 Distinguished Service Award.  Uhly was pictured with Sheriff Sheron and Undersheriff Mazur for her last day. Deputies and staff lined the walk in front of the Genesee county jail and saluted Creegan.  During his career, Creegan has been the recipient of a Commendation, Certificate of Appreciation, and Meritorious Service for continuous excellence.

COVID Update from Friday Evening: Genesee county has 18 new cases and 18 people have recovered. 4 and a half thousand people have gotten both doses of the vaccine in Genesee county and 2100 people have had both doses in Orleans.  Orleans county has 4 new cases and 4 people have recovered.  There are 95 active cases in Genesee county and 53 in Orleans.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is sponsoring a blood drive on Monday the 1^st at Batavia Downs from 2 to 7 pm.  Paula’s Donuts will be providing free donut coupons to those who give blood.  The drive is being done by Connect Life and you can register if you are over 18 years old at their website connectlifegiveblood.org

The 3 National Guard killed in the helicopter crash in Mendon were remembered in a service on Friday.  Christian Koch, Daniel Prial, and Steven Skoda – all chief warrant officers – died when their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter went down in a field.  Friends and family members spoke about them.  A permanent Memorial is planned near the crash site.  An Army Safety Investigation team with the National Guard and Federal Aviation Administration are both conducting investigations into the cause of the crash. Both of those are expected to take several months to complete, though no definitive timeline has been set.  Senator Schumer is calling on a mass investigation of all National Guard Helicopters and vertical lift vehicles after a this and another crash on February 3^rd in Idaho both claimed 3 lives each.