Local News

Resolutions to keep a security guard at the DMV and forge a secure arrangement with Friends of the Batavia Peace Garden are on their way to the full Genesee County Legislature. The board’s Ways & Means Committee has voted in favor of amending a contract to continue funding a security guard position. Cost of the added expense of $28,800 is expected to be covered by funding connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee also voted in favor of a memorandum of understanding between the county and the Friends of the Batavia Peace Garden — the volunteer group that services and supports the approximately 11,000 square feet of county property on West Main Street, adjacent to the Holland Land Office Museum.

Genesee County reports ten additional COVID cases. Nine of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Two of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Genesee County Jail. Orleans County also reports ten new cases. Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Meanwhile in Wyoming County, officials report 17 new cases of COVID.

New York will continue to apply state income tax to 2020 unemployment benefits in full despite the federal government exempting the first $10,200. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration confirmed the decision Wednesday during a news conference on the new $212 billion state budget. The decision came almost a month after the federal government, in the most recent stimulus package, opted against taxing the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits received by individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $150,000 in 2020. Cuomo’s budget director said those benefits have been subject to state tax for decades and that has not changed.

The Genesee County Planning Board meets tonight and will consider a plan for a Chipotle Grill at Towne Center on Veterans Memorial Drive. The owners are seeking a special use permit to add a drive-thru to the building. So far, few concerns have been expressed.

Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, announced plans to run for governor of New York in 2022. Giuliani told the Washington Examiner he plans to run and says he believes he can win the race. Giuliani previously worked as part of Donald Trump’s presidential administration. Current Governor Andrew Cuomo has faced backlash for his administration’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, as well as at least ten women accusing the him of sexual misconduct.

Congressman Chris Jacobs is in Texas for a three-day trip to the Southern border to tour immigration facilities and receive briefings from Border Patrol and local law enforcement. Jacobs is traveling with seven other members of the House of Representatives. Jacobs says “We are seeing a growing humanitarian crisis and a surge in criminal activity at our Southern border that is a direct result of President Biden’s reckless policies.”

New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Robert Schneider says he is pleased with the newly proposed state budget. He said a $1.4 billion increase in foundation aid will strengthen support for individual districts by at least 2% this year and put all districts on track for full funding of foundation aid within three years. This is a goal that has been elusive for far too long in New York and that NYSSBA has called for consistently. The Association also says it appreciates the Legislature’s rejection of proposals that would have consolidated or eliminated several important expense-based aids, including reimbursement for programs and services provided to students through BOCES.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced a new opportunity for young hunters. The new state budget includes legislation that now allows youths ages 12 and 13 to hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow under the supervision of an experienced adult hunter in upstate counties that opt-in to participate. Until now, New York was the only state that didn’t allow 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt big game with a firearm. The legislation requires each county to “opt-in” to the program by adopting a local law allowing for 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt deer in accordance with the Environmental Conservation law.

NY Congressman Tom Reed will no longer serve as the co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus. According to a tweet on Wednesday afternoon, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Bucks County, Pennsylvania has been elected to replace the Southern Tier Republican as co-chair of the bipartisan caucus. Reed announced in March that he will not seek re-election in 2022 after a former lobbyist accused him of sexual misconduct.

The COVID vaccine is now available for every New Yorker 16 and up but the only vaccine 16 and 17 year old’s can get is the Pfizer vaccine.  There are no Pfizer vaccines available in Genesee county so 16 and 17 year old’s must travel to Rochester or Buffalo to get the shot.  Although teens arenot as impacted nearly as heavily by COVID medical experts are still urging them to get vaccinated to protect other’s who may be more susceptible than them.

Friday is the deadline for the Genesee County Youth Bureau’s 18^th Annual Family Game Night which takes place on April 29^th from 5:30 t 7:30 pm at County Building 2.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Family Game Night will be a “Grab ‘n’ Go” style event. Families will drive up to the main entrance of County Building 2 and staff will greet them with a family tote that will consist of information about the services provided by the Genesee County Departments as well as prizes and activities.  Each bag will also have snacks, beverages and of course a brand new board game for families to start their own “Family Game Night” at home.  To register call 344 3960, only the first 30 families will be able to sign up.

Six flags Darien Lake is holding a drive through hiring event this and next Saturday to fill their over 1500 positions for the 2021 season.  They ask prospective employees to apply inline at sixflags.com/darienlake/jobs.

Batavia Downs is holding a job fair today.
The gaming facility and harness track is looking for servers, dining hosts, cooks, bussers, bartenders and gaming hosts.
No experience is necessary for some positions. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older. Batavia Downs has full- and part-time positions available with benefits.
The in person job fair is taking place from 2 until 6 p.m. today in the Park Place room at the Downs.

Six flags Darien Lake is looking to fill 1,500 jobs for this summer. Darien Lake is holding a drive-thru hiring event this Saturday, April 10th and again next Saturday, April 17th. Applicants should apply online prior to attending the drive-thru event. You will then be given an interview time.
A variety of positions are available including lifeguards, ride operators, cashiers, front gate ticket takers and sellers as well as positions in Medical Services, Security, Guest Relations, Accommodations, Retail and Food Service. Positions start at $12.50 an hour.

SUNY has announced a plan to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to all students before they leave campus for Summer vacation. Right now, officials are working on distributing over 18,000 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine to 34 SUNY campuses in the state. Since the Johnson and Johnson vaccine only requires one dose instead of two, it’ll speed up the vaccination process significantly.

After weeks of negotiations, Governor Cuomo and the state Legislature have finally reached an agreement on the new state budget. The fiscal plan calls for $212-billion dollars in spending, which is roughly 18 billion dollars more than last year. The deal includes a plan to raise taxes on high-income residents, legalization of mobile sports betting and sets aside funds for schools. There will also be comprehensive reforms put in place at nursing homes. Once the Senate and Assembly pass the budget, it’ll head to Governor Cuomo so he can sign it.

For the first time in quite a while, the Buffalo Sabres have won two games in a row. The Sabres beat the New Jersey Devils five-to-three at Prudential Center last night. The same two teams will meet again tomorrow in New Jersey.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders have announced an agreement on the New York State Budget. The final budget accomplishes major legislative priorities, including a record $29.5 billion in aid to schools; $29 billion in public and private green economy investments; Legalizing mobile sports betting; and Implementing comprehensive nursing home reforms. In combination with more than $12 billion in federal budget relief, New Yorkers will get green infrastructure spending. Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt said provisions like unemployment for undocumented workers are “out of whack.” The minority leader also said the budget will only contribute to people further leaving the state.

State lawmakers have renewed their call for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to allow all schools to return to full-time, in-person classroom instruction. The move has also been supported by area school superintendents.  The lawmakers said that the only thing still standing in the way of the return to in-person learning for all students is a Cuomo executive order requiring a minimum distance of 6 feet between students in classrooms. In a joint statement, the area legislators said, “It is time for students to go back to school. The Cuomo administration should immediately issue revised guidance to allow all schools to return to full-time, in-person classroom instruction. It is a critical action that needs to move forward for the health and well-being of all of our students.”

Genesee County reports 27 more COVID-19 cases. Nine of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Two of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Genesee County Jail. Officials in Orleans County report 11 new cases while Wyoming County reports just two new cases.

The final three candidates for the Byron-Bergen superintendents job will interview today. The finalists are Patrick McGee who is Byron-Bergen’s Junior-Senior High School principal; Dr. Jennifer Sinsebox, executive director of curriculum and data management at Wheatland-Chili Central School; and Tracy Marchionda. assistant superintendent for the Geneva City School District. Additional final interviews are scheduled for next week as well. The job begins July 1^st.

State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras has announced a program specifically designed to begin vaccinating SUNY residential students prior the end of the spring semester. SUNY has secured its first reserved shipment of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate SUNY residential students prior to their departure for summer break. Because the J&J vaccine requires just one dose, tens of thousands of on-campus students scheduled to finish the semester in early May can get their one shot without having to wait weeks for a second dose before going home.

NY Congressman Tom Reed continues to lay low. The Corning Republican had often appeared on cable TV shows and his staff routinely sent out press releases. Reed also had stopped, at least for now, his regular town hall sessions with his constituents. Reed hasn’t posted anything on Facebook since March 22 when he announced his public meetings would be rescheduled. On March 21, the congressman issued a press releases saying he wouldn’t be running for any public office in the future and apologized after being accused of sexual harassment involving a female lobbyist. Reed said he entered treatment in 2017, saying he was powerless over alcohol.

RG&E is marking the completion of a major effort to help upgrade its systems. For a decade, the company has been working through its Rochester Area Reliability Project. The $389 million effort aims to boost local electric transmission services. The new substation was one element of the project, which also included upgrades to existing substations and the installation of more than 27 miles of new or rebuilt transmission lines.

Smoking marijuana recreationally may be legal now but other laws, specifically the use of firearms and marijuana, have not changed.  The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits anyone who owns marijuana a from also owning a firearm.  So if you own a firearm and also are found in possession of marijuana the police can still arrest you for unlawful possession of a firearm, though the weed would be legal.  This is currently in effect and will also pertain to those who work in the marijuana industry.

The Better Business Bureau of Upstate New York is warning people against taking pictures of their vaccination card and posting it to Social Media.  That card has a lot of information. A lot of information that could be used inappropriately in the wrong hands.  For instance someone could fake having had the vaccine by copying the card with their own information.  Or use your name and date of birth in nefarious ways.

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee Counties Head Start Program is doing a fundraiser to put books in the homes of all head start families.  Build a library, create a reader is looking to send books home with kids once a month and is asking the public to jump onboard the reading train with a 60 dollar donation which will buy 12 months worth of books for a single family.

Two robberies in Orleans County lead to a police pursuit with shots fired.
It all started yesterday morning with an armed robbery at Crosby’s in Albion. A lone suspect brandished a weapon and demanded cash then fled in a vehicle.
Then just after 10:30 yesterday morning, another armed robbery at the Family Dollar in Medina. Again, a weapon was shown – this time a handgun – the suspect fled with cash in a small black car with out of state plates.
That vehicle was later spotted by Albion police and the chase was on. Road blocks were established. The suspect vehicle then drove toward a deputy causing the lawman to have to jump out of the way to save his life.
At this point shots were fired into the suspect’s car. It then traveled several more miles before losing a wheel and coming to a stop. Two suspects, a man and a woman, were taken into custody. There were no injuries to either the suspects or police. It is believed the suspects are linked to multiple robberies in Monroe and Orleans Counties.

An important chunk of state aid for Batavia makes its way into the final budget bill.
It means $800,000 dollars for the city of Batavia in the form of Video Lottery Terminal (VLT)  aid. Basically, this is extra cash for the city to have Batavia Downs within its border.
That budget bill has yet to be approved and signed by the governor.

As of today, any New Yorker over the age of 16 will become eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccination.
But, there are some things these people should know before signing up for their shots.
Only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for people ages 16 and 17.
In order to get a Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccine you must be at least 18.

The Buffalo Sabres will be on the road tonight as they search for a second straight win. They’ll be taking on the New Jersey Devils in Newark.
The Sabres are coming off of a three-to-two shootout victory over the New York Rangers Saturday night and have earned a point in each of their last four games.

Orleans County Law Enforcement agencies have been working two robbery cases in the Villages of Albion and Medina along with a pursuit of the suspect vehicle through several Towns in Orleans County. The armed robberies happened at the Crosby’s Store on North Main Street in Albion and later at the Family Dollar in Medina. The suspect vehicle was spotted by police in the Town of Ridgeway. The vehicle sped away refusing to stop and travelled through several towns including Ridgway, Gaines and Carlton. Police said the vehicle was travelling at high rates of speed at times, driving through lawns and ditches and avoiding police road blocks. At one point the suspect vehicle intentionally drove at a deputy blocking the roadway with a marked patrol vehicle causing the deputy to jump out of the way to avoid being struck and killed. As the suspect was attempting to strike the deputy, shots were fired into the suspect vehicle in an attempt to stop the suspect from using the vehicle as a deadly weapon. The suspects, a male and female, were eventually taken into custody. There were no injuries to any police officers or the suspects. The cases remain under investigation.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have vaccination and testing clinics with appointments available for Genesee and Orleans County residents. Starting today vaccine is now available for people age 16 and older.  Pfizer is a 2-series dose, 21 days apart, and is recommended for people aged 16 and older.  Moderna is a 2-series dose, 28 days apart, and is recommended for people aged 18 and older.  Johnson & Johnson is a one-series dose and is recommended for people age 18 and older. In Genesee County, the clinics are held at the Athletic Center at GCC in Batavia and in Orleans County, the clinics are held at the Ridgeway Fire Hall in Medina.

Genesee County is reporting 47 new positive cases of COVID-19, including data from over the weekend. Seventeen of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Nine of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Twelve of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Genesee County Jail.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that New York restaurants are now eligible for their own direct federal pandemic relief. This was all part of the American Rescue Plan that recently went into effect. Schumer announced that more help is on the way for the Southern Tier economy, but that local restaurants need to apply through the Small Business Administration.

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.87, up 1 cent from last week. One year ago, the price was $1.94. The New York State average is $2.90 – down a penny from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.30. AAA Western and Central New York reports Batavia gas prices are $2.85 (up 1 cent since last week).

It’s been two weeks since the state was asked about new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that states students’ desks can be separated by three feet rather than six feet. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his team addressed the guidance Monday during his press briefing. New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said the state will need to work with local school districts on the guidance because each district is different. The Governor said the new recommendations should be coming out within a week, but he said it’s not easy coming up with the guidance.

The Batavia Center Culinary Team out of BOCES ranked in the top 10 in national rankings for the NASA culinary challenge this week with their Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie.  According to the judges’ feedback, Isaiah Merrell, Alexa Wolcott, and Sara Logsdon had one of the best creations in taste, texture aroma and appearance.  Isaiah is a senior from Byron-Bergen High School, and Alexa and Sara are both juniors from Pavilion High School.  Some other entries were Roasted Butternut Squash risotto from New Jersey, Granola Bars from Connecticut, and Grilled Steak with Asparagus from Alabama to name a few.  If their recipe is chosen number 1 it could be sent to the ISS for astronauts to enjoy in space.

2 Batavia Men have been arrested for Rape.  The first, 35 year old Kyle Gugel is charged with violating an order of protection, illegally entering a residence and forcibly raping a victim on March 18^th at 9:30am on West Main street.  He was arrested on the 31^st.  The second man is 19 year old Hezekiah Burch is charged with first degree rape, first degree sex abuse, and attempted sex abuse all with forcible compulsion.  The charges come from aleggedly forcibly raping a 15 year old over a month long period earlier this year.  He was arrested on the 29^th.

Gas prices are up a cent in Batavia but overall fairly steady.  This week a gallon of regular will run you 2.85 in Batavia but the New York State average is down a penny to 2.90.  Nationally it is up a penny to 2.87.  Oil Prices are down but the amount of travel is up causing a wavering effect but no firm up or down movement in the price of gas.

The Buffalo Sabres won in a shootout against the New York Rangers Saturday Night.  Their 3-2 victory is thanks to Tage Thompson who scored the winning goal and Victor Olofsson and Casey Mittelstadt put a puck in a piece.  Buffalo’s next match up will be against the New Jersey Devils in New Jersey at 7 Tuesday night.

New data shows Western New York has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the state.
During the past week, over four-percent of residents have tested positive, which is above the state average of three-point-six-percent.
Genesee County is showing a 7-day average infection rate of an even 3-percent.

Starting tomorrow, all New Yorkers over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Since such a large number of people will be able to get vaccinated, appointments could fill up fast and officials are urging everyone to be patient.
So far, one-in-three New York residents have received at least one vaccination while one-in-five are fully vaccinated.

It’s a very big day for businesses such as casinos, movie theaters, gyms and bowling alleys statewide.
That’s because they no longer have to follow an 11 p.m. curfew the state put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
But, catered events like weddings and parties must end by midnight. Restaurants and bars still have to follow rules they’ve been dealing with for months, but a decision on when those establishments could be allowed to remain open longer is expected in a few weeks.

A Rochester man faces multiple felony counts after he was pulled over on Clinton Street Road in Stafford.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested 33-year-old Kerwin Vega early yesterday. He was charged with DWI with an 11-year-old passenger, driving without a license, DWI with a previous conviction in the past ten years and endangering the welfare of a child,
Vega will answer the charges in Town of Bergen court next week.

New York begins the new week without benefit of a state budget. The spending plan was due last Thursday and negotiations reportedly are ongoing. Thursday is a key day for many. Without a budget adopted today, 39,000 state employees who work in health care and correctional facilities and other state institutions might not get their paychecks on time.

A Batavia teen has been accused of raping a child under the age of 15. City police say they arrested 19-year-old Hezekiah Burch stemming from a January 18^th incident on Hutchins Place. Burch has been charged with two counts of first-degree rape with forcible compulsion, first-degree sex abuse with forcible compulsion, and attempted sex abuse in the 1st degree with forcible compulsion, all stemming from separate incidents over a one-month time frame. He was initially remanded to Genesee County Jail pending court action.

According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, Genesee and Orleans counties are now under a Drought Watch. There are no statewide mandatory water use restrictions in place under a drought watch, but residents are strongly encouraged to voluntarily conserve water. The drought watch is triggered by the State Drought Index, which reflects precipitation levels, groundwater levels, and stream flow in nine designated regions throughout New York.

An Ontario man lost his appeal stemming from his arrest nearly four years ago in Genesee County. 49-year-old Ronald Barber was convicted in 2018 on a felony criminal mischief charge. A jury found that Barber damaged limousines belonging to S & S Limousines of Le Roy where he was employed as a driver. Barber maintained he was denied effective assistance of counsel.  The Appellate Court ruled in a two-page decision that although “an acquittal would not have been unreasonable,” the verdict was not against the weight of the evidence. Finally, the Court ruled that the sentence was not unduly harsh or severe.

New York begins the new week without benefit of a state budget. The spending plan was due last Thursday and negotiations reportedly are ongoing. Thursday is a key day for many. Without a budget adopted today, 39,000 state employees who work in health care and correctional facilities and other state institutions might not get their paychecks on time. Another 146,000 state employees at administrative and executive state agencies are expecting their pay day April 14.

Beginning today, New York State will lift the 11 p.m. curfew for casinos, movie theaters, bowling alleys, pool halls, and gym and fitness centers. However, bars and restaurants will still be saddled with the 11 p.m. curfew.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s Fiscal Stress Monitoring System has identified eight villages and three cities in New York that were in some level of fiscal stress in 2020, based on scores that largely reflect the time period before the COVID-19 pandemic. DiNapoli evaluated all non-calendar year local governments and designated three cities and three villages in “significant fiscal stress,” one village in “moderate fiscal stress” and four villages as “susceptible to fiscal stress.” The good news…no communities in Genesee County made the list.

United Memorial Medical Center announces renewed visitation beginning today. Hospital officials say visitors will be capped at two per patient for up to four hours. However, only one person can visit at a time. Visiting hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. Visitors are still banned in the Emergency Department.

Batavia Police arrested 24-year-old Alexandro Rodriguez after a domestic incident on Dellinger Ave. where he allegedly punched another person in the face and stole property from her. Police leveled charged of robbery and assault. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of cash bail. Rodriguez is scheduled to reappear in Batavia City Court May 6^th.

Ellicott street has been run down for a long time in the area where Santy’s Tire Sales used to be and Savarino Company of buffalo says it may be only a short time before something is done with that parcel.  Savarino’s says they are trying to get a grant from the New York State Homes and community Renewal to turn it into a retail, housing and entertainment development complex and may close as early as May.  The $22.5 million project calls for construction of a five-story apartment building with 55 new, modern workforce housing units, as well as a brewery, restaurant/beer garden and potential further development on 3.31 acres. It is expected to create 20 jobs in the city’s downtown area.

The CDC has updated its guidance for travel to say that those who have been fully vaccinated and waited the 2 weeks for the vaccine to take effect can travel freely within the US without being tested for COVID or quarantining when they arrive in different states or when they return home.  They still caution that mask wearing and social distancing will be important.  The CDC still recommends that international travelers get tested and quarantine citing variants that exist in other countries which may be resistant to the vaccine.

COVID Update from Friday at 4pm: Genesee county has 13 new cases and 10 people have recovered.  8 people are hospitalized/  Orleans county has 10 new cases and 4 people have recovered.  3 people are hospitalized.  There are 68 active cases in Genesee county and 53 in Orleans.  Nearly 10 thousand people in Genesee County have been fully vaccinated which is roughly 1/6^th of the population.  In Orleans county almost 6 thousand people or 1/7^th of the population have been fully vaccinated.  New York State surged ahead in the percentage of the population who had been fully dosed this week with 19.1 percent.  New York now ranks 13^th in the US by percent.  New Mexico is still in the lead with 25 percent.

Be careful when you step out your front door.  A family in Holley learned that lesson when they stepped out on their concrete front porch only for it to collapse under them into a 10 foot deep hole.  The porch was only a 2 foot by 6 foot stoop between the door and front yard and is only about 6 inches off the ground but collapsed into the space between the foundation and basement.  Structural engineers say the metal holding the concrete slab up deteriorated leading to the father and son falling in as it gave way beneath them.  The concrete folded over on the father and pinned him, he was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.  His son had an ankle injury.

Thursday the 8^th at 7pm is the next trivia night at the Holland Land office Museum and the topic will be the life and works of the Bard, William Shakespeare.  The next event on the schedule is April 4^th with a presentation by James Black on the edged weapons of the Civil War.  You can attend either event in person or Via zoom or facebook live.  Seating is limited to 12 people in person at each event.

Bring your best friend and join us for a guided dog walk through the Genesee County Park & Forest on Saturday April 3rd, Saturday May 1st, Saturday June 12th and Saturday July 10th from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.

This guided walk is great for socialization and healthy exercise! Meet at the Interpretive Nature Center.Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Current license or proof of up-to-date rabies vaccination is required. Aggressive dogs will not be allowed to participate. Cost is $5/dog and all proceeds go to the Genesee County Animal Shelter.Masks must be worn whenever unable to maintain 6 feet of social distance. Participants are encouraged to wash their hands often or use hand sanitizer. Pre-registration is required!

Call (585) 344-1122 to register!Call(585) 344-1122 to register. For more information visit our website HERE 

New York State Troopers will soon be wearing body cameras.
The directive is expected to begin in Western New York by the end of the summer.

Batavia is headquarters for Troop A which covers all of Western New York.

State Police Field Commander Steven Nigrelli talks about how the cameras will work:

The requirement for Troopers to wear body-worn cameras is the result of legislation that was signed into law last June.

Genesee County reports ten new positive cases of COVID-19.
Twenty-one of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
Seven of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

The State has released unemployment data for February.
Last February,, just before the COVID lockdown, Genesee County’s unemployment rate was 5-percent.
This year, the jobless rate for February was 6.6-percent.

Let your dog take you for a walk.
Beginning tomorrow, the Genesee County Park and Forest welcomes you and your best four-legged friend for the first in a series of walks in the park.
The guided walk is great for socialization and exercise for both dog and human.
The one hour walk begins at 10 tomorrow morning and ill continue on select Saturday mornings through July. There is $5 per dog registration fee with proceeds benefiting the Genesee County Animal Shelter. Call: 344-1122 to register.
Remember to bring a mask…for yourself.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the New York State Police has deployed its first body-worn cameras as the agency’s new program begins its statewide rollout. The requirement for Troopers to wear body-worn cameras is the result of legislation that was signed into law last June. The body-worn cameras will be worn by uniform members at the rank of Trooper while they are on patrol. The first cameras will be deployed in the Capital Region. The expansion will reach this area throughout the summer and fall. State Police Field Commander Colonel Steven A. Nigrelli said under the law, the cameras will automatically start recording whenever a patrol vehicle’s emergency lighting is activated, and anytime a member unholsters his or her firearm or taser.

Court action continues in the case of a Bergen man who was killed after his vehicle was struck by a garbage truck February 3^rd in the town of Gates. 63-year-old Paul Laudico sustained a fatal injury. In Gates court this week, 31-year-old Jerry Moore entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of criminally negligent homicide. Police allege Moore was watching a cellphone video while driving when the crash occurred.

National restaurant chain Chipotle has its eye on Towne Center at Batavia for a new location according to a special use permit application filed on its behalf by COR Development Company, owners of the plaza. The building is the former location of Metro Mattress in the same structure as Game Stop and Five Guys. If approved, the location would be modified to include a drive-thru and outdoor seating. The application for a special use permit and site plan review will be heard this month by the County Planning Board before being sent to the Town of Batavia Planning Board.

Legislation has been signed into law in Albany, reforming the practice of solitary confinement in New York State correctional facilities. This legislation limits the amount of time an incarcerated person can spend in segregated confinement to 15 days, clearly defines and reduces the number of disciplinary infractions eligible for segregated confinement, and exempts certain vulnerable populations, including the young, elderly, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and individuals with a serious mental illness.

Senate Republican Leader Robert Ortt, along with members of the Senate Republican Conference, called for an end to dangerous and extreme pro-criminal, anti-police policies and rhetoric being driven as a result of One-Party rule in Albany. Ortt said a convicted cop killer, has been appointed to sit on one of Governor Cuomo’s “police reform” boards in Ithaca. The senator says allowing a cop killer to have the authority to provide public safety policy advice and to “reimagine” police departments is unimaginable.

Genesee County reports ten new positive cases of COVID-19. Twenty-one of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Seven of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. From Orleans County…eight new positive cases were confirmed Thursday. Five of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. In Wyoming County, just five new cases were reported. Officials also reported one additional virus-related death. Thirty-seven residents remain in mandatory isolation. Overall, the region has experienced a slow decline in COVID cases.

As New York enters its second day of the new state fiscal year, it does so without benefit of a new budget. The spending plan way due Thursday, but the day came and went with little action. A budget spokesperson said negotiations are continuing. GOP leaders say they have been shut out from the negotiations. Several sticking points remain and talks will most likely continue into next week.

New Allegations that Governor Cuomo used his Governor’s office staff to type and edit his book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” have surfaced in a New York Times article.  According to the article Cuomo made more than 4 million dollars off the book deal.  Production has been paused since the allegations against Governor Cuomo started coming last month.

New Yorkers who travel out of state no longer have to quarantine when they return home as long as they didn’t leave the States.  International travelers still have to quarantine.

An Allegany county man has been charged with sexual assault and rape of minors stretching back to the mid eighties in Livingston county.  75 year old Frank Wright was charged with 5 counts of first degree rape stemming from the rape in 1987 and 88 of a child who was 12 at the time, 5 counts of first degree sodomy against a victim who was 5 years old in 1992.  2 counts of sexual abuse of a 4 year old in Avon in 1998.  More victims are coming forward and allege a history of abuse spanning over 60 years.  Wright is held in Livingston County Jail and any other victims are encouraged to come forward by calling 585 243 7100.

The family that lost their home to the fire on Maple street earlier this week is getting some help form an unlikely source.  The Easter Bunny is raising money in an event on Saturday in Leroy by having people make a donation to the family to get a picture with the furry holiday mascot from 9 to 11:30 at the gazebo on Wolcott Street.  The fundraiser is being organized by Jenna Read and Ally Scofield and all proceeds go to helping the family.  The Store in Batavia, Junk Drawer is also accepting donations of clothes and personal items such as shampoo and soap.  See Our News Partner The Batavian for details.

Chipotle may be coming to Batavia.  The national chain has submitted a special use permit application for the building that used to house Metro Mattress next to GameStop in the Batavia Towne Center Plaza.  If approved the location would be altered to include a drive through and outdoor dining.

Governor Cuomo has signed a law legalizing recreational use of marijuana for people over the age of 21. It could still be up to 18 months until you can buy it at a local dispensary.

The big push for legal pot was fueled by the potential for tax revenue at the state level.

 Rachael Tabelski

But City Manager Rachel Tabelski tells us there is a payoff at the local level as well:

Municipal governments do not have any authority on adult use, but can decide whether the city allows for a dispensary.
At that point Tabelski says, the city can regulate the times and location n through local zoning.

The April 1st deadline has arrived, but members of the Legislature are still trying to finalize a new state budget. Each chamber did pass one of the several bills required for the budget to be completed. The Legislature is expected to be back at the Capitol later today, but there’s no word yet how much longer the budget process could take.

An online fundraiser has been established to help a Batavia family of six after a fire this week destroyed the home they were renting at 37 Maple Street. Several pets perished and the family lost all their belongings.
A GoFundMe page has already raised more than $5,800. So far, more than 80 residents have donated.

Genesee County reports 17 new cases of COVID-19.
Five of the current positive individuals are hospitalized and three new cases involve inmates at the Genesee County Jail.
A dozen new COVID cases have been confirmed in Orleans County while, officials in Wyoming County reported six new virus cases.

For the first time since February 23rd, the Buffalo Sabres have won a game and avoided setting a new NHL record in the process.
Buffalo came into the game having lost 18 in a row, tying the mark set by the 2003-2004 Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres will look to make it back-to-back victories tonight when they host the New York Rangers.

Batavia Police have cleared a man who stopped by a house on Maple Street before it erupted into flames. Police have been assisting the Batavia City Fire Department in the investigation of the fire at 37 Maple St. that occurred Tuesday morning. The investigation has currently shown that an individual who had stopped at the home to pick up refrigerators did not have anything to do with the fire’s origin. The fire is still under investigation this morning.

Genesee County reports 17 new cases of COVID-19. Five of the current positive individuals are hospitalized and three new cases involve inmates at the Genesee County Jail. A dozen new COVID cases have been confirmed in Orleans County with three of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Meanwhile, health officials in Wyoming County reported six new virus cases.

The New York State Sheriffs’ Institute will begin its annual Honorary Membership drive in Genesee County within the next 10 days according to Sheriff William Sheron, Jr. The Institute was established in 1979.  The flagship program of the Sheriffs’ Institute is the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp for economically challenged children.  The Camp, in its 45th year of operation, is located on Keuka Lake and 840 children from across New York State attend each summer.  The Sheriffs’ Institute pays the entire cost of the camp stay and transportation.  Most children attending would not otherwise have an opportunity for vacation travel or a summer camp experience.

Every year, the New York State Budget is due on April 1, but this year, lawmakers missed the mark. Some members of the state Assembly told an Albany TV station that the budget is expected to be passed by the end of this week, or early next week at the latest. However, if weeks go by without a complete budget, there could be implications.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley joined other members of the Assembly and Senate Minority Conferences in calling on Gov. Cuomo to release $1.3 billion in CARES Act housing assistance funding to aid tenants and landlords. If the money were to go unused by the end of September, it is possible the federal government could take the funds back, leaving tenants and landlords without much-needed assistance. Tenants have struggled to pay rent due to the pandemic, causing many small landlords to face difficulty in paying their mortgages.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation legalizing adult-use cannabis. The move came less than twenty-four hours after the legislature approved the bill. The bill also expands New York State’s existing medical marijuana and hemp programs. Cities, towns, and villages may opt-out of allowing adult-use cannabis retail dispensaries or on-site consumption licenses by passing a local law by December 31. They cannot opt-out of adult-use legalization. Some of the tax money generated by the law will go to education and drug treatment. The legislation includes additional funding for drug recognition experts and law enforcement to ensure safe roadways. The use of cannabis by drivers will remain prohibited and will carry the same penalties as it does currently.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation today urged hikers to postpone hikes on trails above 2,500 feet until high elevation trails have dried and hardened. As snow and ice continue to melt at high elevations, steep trails can pose a danger to hikers due to thick ice and deep, rotten snow. Despite recent warm weather, high elevation trails are still covered in slowly melting ice and snow. Hikers are advised to take extreme caution on low elevation trails. Hikers will encounter variable conditions such as thick mud, flooded areas, and deep slushy snow.

Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr. announces the appointment of Deputy Sheriff Kyle J. Tower.  Deputy Tower recently completed the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office field training program and is assigned to the road patrol division. Tower brings over eight years of public safety experience to the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.  Deputy Tower currently resides in Darien.

An online fundraiser has been established to help a Batavia family of six after a fire this week destroyed the home they were renting at 37 Maple Street. Several pets perished and the family lost all their belongs. A GoFundMe page has already raised more than $5,700.

Batavia Downs will be extending its hours beginning Monday.
Effective April 5th, the Downs will be open from 8am until 1am Sunday through Thursday and until 3am Friday and Saturday.
Patrons of the Down will must still undergo a temperature check at the door and will be required to wear a mask at all times.

A bill that would make New York the 15th state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana is on its way to Governor Cuomo’s desk.
Members of the state Senate and Assembly passed the bill late last night following several hours of debate.
The legislation allows New Yorkers over the age of 21 to legally possess under three ounces of pot and clears the way for retail sales of the drug to happen in about 18 months.

This should come as no surprise to those of us who live here but New York State leads the country with the overall number one tax burden
The personal-finance website WalletHub today released its 2021 Tax Burden by State report.
New York also leads the nation with the number one individual income tax burden.
Alaska has the lowest tax burden.

The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to keep their name out of the NHL’s record books tonight. They’ll be hosting the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center. When Buffalo lost to the Flyers in overtime Monday, they tied the 2003-2004 Pittsburgh Penguins with their 18th consecutive loss. Should they lose again, they’d set a brand new record of 19 straight defeats. Face-off for tonight’s game is set for seven-30 p-m.
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After years of attempts, New York’s lawmakers have voted to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. After Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the bill into law — which he’s expected to do — New York will join more than a dozen other states that have legalized cannabis. The state Senate and Assembly hashed out final details in a Tuesday debate. It passed the Senate with a 40-23 vote and the Assembly with a 100 – 49 vote. Senator Rob Ortt called the legislation “deeply flawed” and he, along with every other senate Republican, voted against the measure. New Yorkers won’t be able to immediately purchase marijuana; it could take 18 months to two years for sales to start.

The investigation continues into a two-alarm fire that heavily damaged a home at 37 Maple Street in Batavia. Everyone made it out of the two-story home safely. Four adults and two children were living in the rental property. Heavy smoke and flames confronted firefighters when they arrived. Fire crews remained at the scene for around two hours. The tenant said the fire started outside but they don’t know how it happened. Three dogs and six cats perished in the fire.  The Red Cross assisted.

Two Genesee County residents remain hospitalized from COVID-19 and health officials say nine new positive cases have been confirmed. Another nine cases were also reported in Orleans County – one person is hospitalized. Beginning tomorrow, New York State will no longer require quarantine for domestic travelers. International travelers will still need to quarantine. All travelers will still be required to complete the Traveler Health Form.

Genesee Community College will recognize its students during its 53rd Commencement Ceremony, taking place completely online. Honoring this group of deserving achievers, will be keynote speaker, Dr. Susan Salvador, former Vice President for Student Affairs at Monroe Community College in Rochester. As Genesee Community College continues to develop its virtual commencement, details will be made available on www.genesee.edu/commencement. The event is set to take place May 22^nd.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that collegiate sports can bring fans back to the stands under strict state guidelines, beginning Friday. Intercollegiate sports at large-scale venues that hold more than 1,500 attendees indoors or 2,500 attendees outdoors can host up to 10 percent indoor or 20 percent outdoor capacity. All attendees must present proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test result or completed COVID-19 immunization prior to entry. Small-scale college venues that host intercollegiate, intramural, or club sports can host spectators at either two fans per player, or the social gathering limit of 100 attendees indoors or 200 attendees outdoors.

Tickets were issued stemming from a debris fire Monday night behind a home on Lake Street Road in Le Roy. Multiple fire departments were brought in to extinguish the flames. The DEC also responded and an environmental conservation police officer issued a ticket for unlawful open burning. It carries a minimum $500 fine. The DEC reminds residents there is a statewide ban on open burning that runs through May 14.

Court action is pending for a Pavilion man following his arrest. Genesee County deputies arrested 51-year-old Daniel Knauss of West Park Street. He was charged with menacing after he allegedly chased and threatened another person, causing fear of physical injury. He’ll answer the charge in Pavilion Town Court on April 6^th.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in New York. Beginning this morning, all New Yorkers 30 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine. Beginning April 6, universal eligibility goes into effect and all New Yorkers 16 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine. To date, nearly 369,000 residents of the Finger Lakes have had at least one vaccine dose and 203,000 have had the complete vaccine series.

The Buffalo Bills have announced that Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York will be the new naming rights partner for Bills Stadium. Effective immediately, the home of the Bills will now be named Highmark Stadium. Under the agreement, the Bills and Highmark will work together towards enhancing regional health and wellness through various activation opportunities at Highmark Stadium. Fans can expect to see the signage transformation completed over the coming months and will be in place by the kickoff of the Bills 2021 season in September. The Buffalo Bills will host a ceremony today with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York to celebrate the partnership. The event will be streamed live on the Bills’ social media channels.

The Western New York National Cemetery is open and accepting donations of interment flags for their Avenue of Flags program. To donate your interment flag to be flown in memory and in honor of your loved one or for more information contact 585-344-4295 or info@bataviafuneralhomes.com. Of the 143 national cemeteries in the United States, only three are participating in the Avenue of Flags program, including the Western New York National Cemetery.

The national average price of gas is down two cents this week, while New York’s didn’t change. Batavia prices dropped a penny from last week to $2.84. The New York average is $2.91/gallon; One year ago, the national average was $2.02 and New York’s was $2.34. Triple-A says growing stock levels have helped to put downward pressure on pump prices.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have Pfizer and Moderna vaccination clinics with appointments available for Genesee and Orleans counties’ residents. Whichever COVID-19 vaccine is available is the right vaccine to get now! All approved vaccines are effective and saves lives.

Since Friday, Genesee County reports 34 new COVID cases. Twenty of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Two infected people are hospitalized. One of the new positive individuals is a resident of the New York State Veteran’s Home at Batavia. Orleans County reports 11 new cases with one hospitalization. Four of the new positive individuals are inmates of the Albion Correctional Facility. Meanwhile, 18 new cases have been reported in Wyoming County since Friday. Twenty-seven people are in mandatory isolation. Forty-nine people have died from virus-related complications.

Embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing another accuser. This one is a resident of Western New York who says the state elected official made her uncomfortable – in her own home. Sherry Vill claims Cuomo made her uncomfortable when he kissed her on the cheek in front of her husband and son during a 2017 tour of flood damage to her home near Lake Ontario. Vill says she is not pressing charges but is willing to participate in the New York Attorney General’s investigation into the governor.

St. Paul Lutheran School announces that they will be adding sixth grade, beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year. The school is currently accepting registrations for preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, as well as kindergarten through sixth-grade. The school is located at 31 Washington Ave. in the City of Batavia.

Governor Cuomo announced that starting tomorrow all New Yorkers 30 and over are eligible to receive the COVID vaccine.  Starting April 6^th all New Yorkers 16 and up will be eligible.  The governor says, to date, more than nine million vaccine dosages have been administered statewide – two million of those at mass vaccination sites run jointly by the state and FEMA. More than a million have been administered in the past week.  New York’s positivity rate currently stands at 4.13% as of Monday, with more than 4,500 people hospitalized for the virus.

Oak Orchard Health which has a branch on West Main Street has been awarded 3.7 million dollars form the American Rescue Plan Act.  These funds will be used to: expand COVID-19 vaccinations, testing, and treatment for vulnerable populations; deliver preventive and primary health care services to people at higher risk for COVID-19; and expand health centers’ operational capacity during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond, including modifying and improving physical infrastructure and adding mobile units.

St. Paul Lutheran School located on Washington Ave in Batavia is adding 6^th grade beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year.  They are currently accepting registrations for preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, as well as kindergarten through sixth-grade.

Gas prices are up just a bit in Batavia and down across the country.  In Batavia the price per gallon of regular is up 1 penny to 2.84 while the New York average is the same from last week.  The National average is down 2 cents to 2.86.  Gasbuddy predicts that gas prices will fluctuate because of the Suez canal blockage last week and over the weekend.

The Genesee County Health Departments says it has a supply of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
And, they have appointments available in both Genesee and Orleans Counties.
The vaccine is now available for people 50 and over. Both the Pfizer and Moderna is a 2-series dose.
In Genesee County, the vaccination clinic is held at the GCC Athletic Center and in Orleans County shots are available at the Ridgeway Fire Hall in Medina.
You still need an appointment.  This is the link to make an appointment: 

Village of Oakfield residents: This one is for you. A public Hearing is scheduled for the proposed Village Budget and Proposed increases in water and sewer rates. There are no increases in salaries for the mayor and village trustees. The hearing will take place on Monday, April 12 at 6:30p.m.

Our weekly gasoline price report:
Batavia: the average prices for a gallon regular is down a penny from last week…but still up 40-cents from a year ago.
The numbers are according to Triple-A.

By the end of the week, New York could become the 15th state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana. The law would allow people 21 and older to possess a small amount of the drug, however retail sales likely wouldn’t begin for up to two years. It’s projected marijuana legalization could bring in an additional $350-million in tax revenue to the state each year. The Legislature is expected to vote on the measure in the coming days and if passed it would likely be signed by Governor Cuomo shortly after.

The Buffalo Sabres will be back at home tonight following their recent road trip and they’ll be trying to avoid tying an NHL record. Buffalo is set to host their fellow East Division rivals the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center. Should the Sabres lose, they’d tie the mark set by the 2003-2004 Pittsburgh Penguins with 18 consecutive losses. The last time Buffalo won a game was February 23rd against the New Jersey Devils.

A Rochester woman will appear in court next week following what deputies say was an alcohol-fueled vehicle crash in Bergen. Sheriff’s deputies said that 22-year-old Cynthia McKnight of Avenue D allegedly failed to yield for a stop sign, causing her vehicle to go off the road and into a field. There were no injuries. McKnight was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .18% or more as well as failing to stop at a stop sign. She was directed to Town of Bergen court April 7^th.

VA Western New York Healthcare System says it has now tallied its 20,000^th COVID-19 vaccination. The milestone includes the vaccination of enrolled and eligible Veterans, Homeland Security employees and VA health care staff. Enrolled U.S. Army Veteran Kanesha Hicks, who deployed to Afghanistan with her Military Police unit, was the 20,000^th person to receive their first of two Pfizer vaccinations from the VA System. In the coming weeks, the new SAVE LIVES ACT legislation will authorize access to COVID-19 vaccinations for those not currently enrolled or eligible for VA health care.

New York is taking a major step toward legalizing marijuana. The State Assembly and Senate will take up a bill next week that would allow for personal possession of up to 3 ounces and legalize recreational weed. Despite his ongoing scandals, state leaders say they have now reached an agreement with Governor Cuomo to legalize marijuana for people over the age of 21. Municipalities can opt out of sales.

A man remains in the Genesee County Jail today. Batavia police arrested 28-year-old Andrew Roberts, charging him in in three separate bench warrants issued by City Court. He was arraigned and remanded to jail. He’ll return to court April 28^th.

A Williamsville man accused of violating an order of protection has been arrested on multiple counts. Deputies allege that 32-year-old Peter Mancuso went to a home on Roberts Road in Alabama and caused damage to a door, which violated the protection order. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. A full stay-away order was issued.

A Batavia man is facing charges after allegedly being caught with a firearm on school grounds earlier this month. City police say 32-year-old Emery Green allegedly had a firearm on Batavia City School District property. He is charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Green was arraigned virtually in Batavia City Court by Judge Durin Rogers and was released on his own recognizance. Additional court action is set for April 13^th.

This is National Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Day. The annual observation will be conducted at the Botts Fiorito American Legion Post this afternoon at 5 p.m. The ceremony will take place outside at the Flagpole. The Auxiliary President will offer a reading in memory of three area servicemen who gave the ultimate sacrifice. They are Gary Scott, Harry Van Alst and George Fry. Following the remembrance reading, a wreath will be placed in memory of their service to this community, state and nation.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has a plan for what to do with the money from legal recreational Marijuana if and when it gets approved.  She has proposed using it to fund reparations to bridge the wealth gap between people of color and whites.  She proposes creating a universal basic income program for Black and Brown people or a home ownership program that would work in formerly redlined areas.  Warren compared the program ideas to tax breaks and incentives for large companies and real estate developers.  Evanston Illinois recently began a similar program with households being eligible to receive up to 25 thousand dollars for home repairs or paying off loans or late penalties.

The two teens who allegedly set a man on fire on his porch on Lyle Ave in Rochester have been indicted on murder and arson charges.  14 year old Adriel Riley and 16 year old Zayvion Perry are indicted on two counts of second-degree murder and one count each of fourth-degree arson and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Riley is charged as a juvenile offender.  They are accused of dousing 53 year old Steven Amenhauser with a flammable liquid and then setting him on fire, he died 4 days later in the URMC Trauma Burn Unit at Strong.

COVID Update: Genesee county has 7 new cases and 24 people have recovered.  Orleans County has 4 new cases and 2 people have recovered.  There are 54 active cases in Genesee county and 37 in Orleans.  Tracking the vaccine in Genesee county just over 8 thousand people have had both doses and in Orleans county just over 43 hundred people are fully vaccinated.  New York State has vaccinated 14.1 percent of residents which makes us 40^th in the nation in percentage of the state population fully vaccinated.  Number 1 is New Mexico with 21.5 percent.

If you missed it on Friday the Genesee Symphony Orchestra concert in tribute to Bob Knipe recording is available on our news partner the Batavian.  This hour long concert is to honor Mr. Knipe who was a member, board member and active community musician for many years.

The wind on Friday knocked out power to more than 36 thousand people across western New York with gusts recorded as high as 70 mile per hour.  Genesee, Niagara, Chautauqua and Erie Counties were the hardest hit.  National Grid deployed more than 13 hundred workers and had restored power to 97 percent of households by 9pm Friday night.

If you live in low income housing that was built before 1978 and have a child under 6 or there is an expectant mother living there and also have lead paint there is money to get rid of the lead in your home.  The Genesee Orleans county health department has received a grant of 1.3 million dollars to deal with lead based paint hazards in residential buildings in Genesee and Orleans counties.  For information call 585 344 2580 or visit the Genesee County Health Department website.

The Excelsior pass for events such as weddings and venues such as movie theaters, stadiums and arenas was just announced by Governor Cuomo.  This vaccine passport app on your phone is a free and voluntary way to prove you are vaccinated or have recently had a negative covid test via a qr code which will be read at the door.  Cuomo says that this app can be used to gain entry to events which would normally be above the gathering size limit.  You can download the app for android or iOS.

The New York State Attorney Generals office is calling for an investigation into Governor Cuomo over preferential covid testing for high ranking officials and Cuomo’s family members.  AG Letitia James wants state ethics investigators to get involved.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center has approved Plug Powers project for the STAMP facility neat Alabama NY.  They are hoping that the investments by the green energy company into the infrastructure, jobs and facility itself will bring much needed development and revenue to the area.  GCDEC also approved incentives for a new solar farm in Elba and Pembroke.

A High Wind Warning is in effect for Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties until 4 this afternoon.
The National Weather Service predicts Southwest Winds of 25 to 40 miles per hour, gusting to 60.
The weather service says potentially damaging winds will down trees and power lines. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
National Grid is making preparations for power failures. The electric utility says has increased staffing in Western New York by 13-hundred workers.

The Board of Western Region OTB, owner of Batavia Downs, has approved nearly 400-thousand dollars to fix up Park Road in front the track.
The work will include new street lighting and landscaping.
The project is expected to begin next month.

Western New York restaurateur Russ Salvatore has written a $6,000 dollar check to the Pembroke Varsity Girls basketball team.
The donation to the girls’ annual “Shooting for a Cure” campaign brings the 10 year total fundraising to $200,000 dollars
The proceeds benefit Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Genesee County COVID cases from over the past day:
24 new positive cases reported. Three more inmates at the county jail have tested positive.

Visitor restrictions at all New York nursing homes are being eased.
The State has announced that visitation is now allowed at all times and for all residents. Exceptions include unvaccinated residents in areas of high community spread and residents with confirmed COVID infections.

The Buffalo Sabres have lost 16th consecutive games– a franchise record. They lost to Pittsburgh Wednesday and Thursday nights. Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams coached the team last night. This came after interim head coach Don Granato was ordered to self-isolate as part of COVID-19 protocols.

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.