Local News

Nasty winter weather is all around us, but for now at least, Genesee County is doing OK.
We are one of the few counties in New York State without an active weather alert.
Monroe and Livingston Counties have winter weather advisories until tomorrow morning.
The farther east you travel, look out.
Governor Cuomo today declared a state of emergency in New York City and 9 other counties throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island.

Western New York drivers are still seeing an increase in prices at the gas pumps. According to Triple A, the average cost for a gallon of regular in Batavia is $2.39 – up two cents from last week.
That price is still nearly 25-cents a gallon less than a year ago.

The Batavia City Council begins its Budget Review tonight.
Council meets at 6 tonight – open to the public – and will go over budgets for General Administrative Services and the Police Department.
On Wednesday night, council will review the DPW and Fire Department budgets.
Adoption of the final budget is set for March 8th.
In its present form, the city budget would result in a tax increase of 1.4-percent, a substantial increase in water rates.
The budget calls for layoff of a DPW ordinance enforcement officer, and leaves vacant two police officer positions and three firefighter positions.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer isn’t a fan of what he’s seeing lately on Wall Street. With retail investors on Reddit driving up the stock price of GameStop, Schumer described recent market action as “really messed up.” He said many questions must be addressed right away. The New York Democrat added he wants Senate committees to look at the issue as well. Schumer insisted players in the stock market can’t referee as well.

New York’s State’s 7-day average COVID-19 positivity rate has declined for 23 straight days.Gov. Cuomo calls it a “significant trend.” In the Finger Lakes Region, there were 542 patients hospitalized with COVID. There were also 397 ICU beds occupied with virus-related complications. The positive rate in the region has dropped from 4.27% to 3.92%.

Despite the devastating toll of COVID-19, heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in the U.S and worldwide, and the leading cause of death among women. 1 in 3 women die of heart disease. One is too many. National Wear Red Day is this Friday and the American Heart Association is urging everyone to wear red to raise awareness about the devastating effects of heart disease in women. Heart disease and stroke can affect a woman at any age. In fact, nearly 45% of women age 20 and older are living with some form of heart disease, however, new data suggests Gen Z and Millennial women are less likely to be aware that heart disease is their greatest health threat. Wear Red Day takes place during American Heart Month, which is all of February.

The country’s last undecided congressional could be concluded today. New York Supreme Court Justice Scott DelConte could issue a ruling on the winner later today. Republican challenger Claudia Tenney has had a narrow lead over Democratic incumber Anthony Brindisi. The district runs from Binghamton to north of Utica.

Multiple corporate donors to Rep. Chris Jacobs have suspended contributions to the Western New York congressman following his objection to the 2020 Electoral College results. Jacobs received a total of $63,800 in donations from nine corporate PACs in the 2020 campaign cycle, campaign finance documents show.  Jacobs was one of 147 Republican lawmakers who raised objections to the certification of electoral votes; he was one of four lawmakers from New York to do so.

Governor Cuomo has responded to the allegations against him and State Health department Director Howard Zucker that they deliberately underreported the deaths of people in nursing homes after the controversial March 25^th order for nursing homes to take COVID positive patients in from hospitals to avoid hospitals getting overwhelmed.  Zucker said that the reason the death counts were lower than the actual number is that they were being cautious in order not to put out inaccurate information.  Cuomo said that he understands peoples pain but it didn’t matter where people died or why.

The Robert Morris School building may have kids in the halls once again is a proposal by Superintendent Anibal Solare gets picked up by the board.  Solare pointed out that the district is losing money and value by having the school sit unused except for a few programs because without students the state would not fund any repairs or maintenance or upgrades to the building.  A report from SEI Design Group found several areas that need to be addressed in the building and across the district to the tune of roughly 40 million dollars though they stressed that Batavia had been doing a very good job maintaining the schools compared to other districts.  Solare said that the reopening of Morris would take longer than just a few months and that more community input is needed.

High School seniors who are graduating can apply for the New York Farm Bureau’s Agricultural Youth Scholarship for up to 1500 toward furthering their education.  Applicants must live or work on a farm, they or their family must be members of the farm bureau, and they must live in New York state.  For more info and to apply, go to the NY Farm Bureau’s Website.  Applications are due by March 1^st.

The Holland Land Office Museum will be returning to normal operating hours on Tuesday February 2^nd.  The hours will once again be 10 to 4 Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is demanding that the legislature holds a hearing on the information brought forward by the state AG Letitia James about Coronavirus deaths in nursing homes being underreported by roughly 50 percent.  He is also calling on the governor to have his emergency powers revoked.  Hawley said in a press release “What was revealed in today’s report from the Attorney General is nothing short of tragic, and, at this point, I consider it a moral obligation to hold hearings into this matter so we can get to the bottom of what caused this unfathomable tragedy.”

Friday afternoon Covid Update: Genesee county has 46 new cases and 39 people have recovered.  1 of the new cases is at the VA medical center and 1 is at premiere Genesee.  We are saddened to report the deaths of 2 people at Leroy Village Green and 1 person in Orleans county.  Orleans county has 8 new cases and 20 people have recovered.  1 of the new cases is at Orchard Rehab and Nursing.  There are 165 active cases in Genesee county and 127 in Orleans.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced updated guidance for wedding receptions in the state.  The governor called the updated guidance “Safe Marriage Receptions,” and said it follows the success of the program that allowed fans to return to the stadium for Buffalo Bills games. Fans were required to receive a negative COVID-19 test to be allowed to attend.  The updated guidance for wedding receptions will go into place March 15 and will require the following: Testing for all that attend the event, 50% capacity – up to 150 attendees, Must be approved by local health department.

A Genesee County jail inmate hanged himself in his cell earlier this month.
The death of inmate Kyle Adam Scheuerlein was just announced by the Sheriff’s Office last night.
Back on January 4th, a guard found Scheuerlein hanging from a shower curtain rod at 12:30 in the afternoon. CPR was performed and the inmate was taken to ECMC in Buffalo where he died ten days later.
There was no explanation given for the delay in announcing the inmate’s death.
Scheuerlein was arrested by Batavia Police and jailed New Year’s Day on charges of burglary and criminal contempt.
As investigation is being conducted by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the state Commission of Corrections.

The state Attorney General’s office claims the number of nursing home residents who died due to COVID-19 has been underreported by health officials. Investigators spent months looking into how long-term care facilities treated patients as the number of coronavirus infections grew. Attorney General Letitia James says it’s important to know why these people suffered and to make sure nothing like this happens again. State Health Commissioner Doctor Howard Zucker criticized the AG’s report, saying the implication deaths were undercounted is wrong.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is urging one of the biggest companies in the world to set up shop in Western New York. Senator Schumer says he has talked with Samsung about building a new 17 billion dollar semiconductor facility in Genesee County. It would be located in the Town of Alabama and could create roughly 19-hundred new jobs. The Wall Street Journal reports Samsung is considering several sites for the facility but hasn’t made a final decision.

The two-game winning streak of the Buffalo Sabres has come to an end following an overtime loss. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart each scored for Buffalo, but it wasn’t enough as they fell three-to-two to the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center last night

The death of a Genesee County jail inmate is ongoing. Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron, Jr. reports that an inmate died after attempting suicide at the Genesee County Jail on January 4. A Correction Officer found the 28-year-old inmate hanging from a shower curtain rod while making routine rounds.  The Correction Officer immediately summoned assistance and began performing life-saving measures.  The inmate was transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo where he died on Thursday, January 14. The inmate is identified as Kyle Adam Scheuerlein of Batavia.   He had been incarcerated on bail in the Genesee County Jail since January 1, following his arrest by the City of Batavia Police Department on the charges of felony burglary and Criminal Contempt. An investigation into this incident is being conducted by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the NYS Commission of Corrections.

An arrest has been made stemming from a sex crime in the Village of Medina nearly four years ago. State Police say they took 67-year-old Edward S. Robison of Medina into custody. He was charged with three felony counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child, class E felonies. The alleged crimes were first reported March 8, 2017. Under bail reform, the charges weren’t eligible for arraignment or detention. Robison was processed and released on appearance tickets for court.

The Genesee County airport has been awarded $13,000 as part of supplemental funding from the December COVID relief package passed by Congress. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said that as the COVID crisis is extending beyond its estimated timeline, the air travel industry is being impacted “for months on end.” Overall, 53 New York Airports received funding.

Three dozen new COVID cases have been confirmed in Genesee County. The infections involved 13 communities, including Batavia and Le Roy. Twenty of the positive individuals are hospitalized. Officials have also confirmed the death of a resident at the Leroy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility. 33 new cases were reported in Orleans County. Eleven of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Twelve of the new positive individuals are residents at the Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Twenty-nine new cases were reported in Wyoming County.

After working last year to secure a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to boost American-based semiconductor manufacturing, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer this week followed up on his efforts and reached directly out to Samsung Senior Vice President of Samsung Device Solutions, Joe Herr, and other top brass about Samsung’s interest in locating their new plant on the Genesee STAMP campus and expressed his strong support for the project coming to Western New York.  Samsung is currently considering the Genesee County campus, as well as several other locations in other states, for its semiconductor fabrication (“fab”) plant – with 1900 jobs – that the company plans to open late next year. Schumer said “This Samsung project is an exciting and a potential game changer for the region. He said he made it clear to Samsung that he strongly supports locating their planned 1900 worker state-of-the-art semiconductor chip fab at the shovel-ready STAMP site in Genesee County.

NY Attorney General Letitia James has released a report on her office’s ongoing investigations into nursing homes’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those findings were that a larger number of nursing home residents died from COVID-19 than the New York State Department of Health’s (DOH) published nursing home data reflected and may have been undercounted by as much as 50 percent. Based on these findings and subsequent investigation, Attorney General James is conducting ongoing investigations into more than 20 nursing homes whose reported conduct during the first wave of the pandemic presented particular concern. Local lawmakers, who previously scorned James…now support her bash on Cuomo.

Chris Collins, the former Congressman for Genesee County who admitted in Federal Court to illegal insider stock trading and lying to the FBI, has re-emerged publicly after being pardoned last month by former President Donald Trump. Collins has started a new Twitter account…you can find it on your own. In his first tweet Collins posted a video explaining that as a businessman, politician, and former convict, he is ready to share what he’s learned with the social media world. Collins represented Genesee County in Congress from 2013 to 2019. He was the first member of Congress in 2015 to endorse Trump for president.

BCSD Superintendent Anibal Soler

Batavia City Schools reporting improved graduation rates.
The rate of students who graduated in four years from 2011 to 215 was 85 percent.
In the latest period measured, the class of graduates who attended BHS from 2016 to 2020 was 93 percent. School Superintendent Anibal Soler credits students and staff:

Soler congratulated the staff for their role in the student’s success.

Twenty-eight new positive COVID cases have been confirmed in Genesee County. The new infections impact a dozen communities. Twenty-three of the positive individuals are hospitalized. The Health Department also confirms a community member over the age of 65 has died from virus-related complications. Orleans County also reports 28 new cases while 13 additional cases were confirmed in Wyoming County.

Batavia Police have added a new officer to their ranks.
K-9 Batu (bah-too) has completed his training in Monroe County and is ready to take a. ..”bite outta crime.”
K-9 Batu and handler, Officer Stephen Quider are trained in tracking, narcotics detection and general patrol operations.
Batu and his training were paid for by private donations and funds from the Department of Homeland Security.

PHOTO: BPD Officer Stephen Quider and Batu

A Winter Weather Advisory has been posted for Orleans County.
The National Weather Service warns of Lake Effect and Blowing snow accumulated 3 to 5 inches.
The advisory for Orleans County goes into effect at 6 tonight until 7 tomorrow morning.

The Buffalo Sabres will be back on home ice tonight as they look to win their third game in a row. They’re hosting the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. When these same teams played on Tuesday night, Buffalo was able to earn a three-to-two victory, thanks in part to Jack Eichel’s first goal of the season. Face-off for tonight’s contest is scheduled for seven p-m.

Orleans county is under a winter weather advisory for Lake effect snow from tonight at 6 through Friday at 7am.  Snow Accumulations of up to 5 inches are expected and winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour may cover roads with drifts and reduce visibility.   Snow is expected to fall in bands so be ready for rapidly changing road conditions.

The federal government has responded to NY’s calls for more doses of the vaccine by sending money.  The government is sending almost 467 million dollars to New York state to aid in vaccine distribution and administration announced Senators Schumer and Gillibrand yesterday.  This allocation comes from FEMA and will be used for the storing, handling, distributing, transporting and administering of COVID 19 vaccines in the Empire State.  Lt Governor Kathy Hochul has stated that the number of weekly doses allocated to NY State has gone down from 300 thousand to 250 thousand.

After months of requests, several lawsuits, a claim that the information had been lost and a stalled investigation by the Trump administration New York has finally released the numbers of nursing home deaths due to covid and it was found that nursing homes and the state had underreported death counts by at least 50 percent.  Republicans across the state are calling for the resignation of Governor Cuomo and State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.  Representative Elise Stefanik says “Governor Cuomo’s only response has been to ruthlessly attack anyone who questioned the state’s disastrous policies, including those from his party, deny any wrongdoing, and hide nursing home fatalities data that would implicate his administration.”  Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt sent out a statement “By underreporting COVID deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50 percent, the Department of Health has betrayed the public trust.”

Senator Ed Rath is asking hunters to take a survey about some legislative changes that effect hunters.  The poll focuses on two long-debated proposals that will affect hunters in New York State.  These proposals were recommended by the Department of Environmental Conservation and included in the Governor’s budget.  Find a link to the survey at wbtai.com.

https://www.nysenate.gov/questionnaires/edward-rath-iii/senator-raths-2021-hunting-poll

The Buffalo Sabres will be back on home ice tonight as they look to win their third game in a row. They’re hosting the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. When these same teams played on Tuesday night, Buffalo was able to earn a three-to-two victory, thanks in part to Jack Eichel’s first goal of the season. Face-off for tonight’s contest is scheduled for seven p-m.

Batavia High School’s graduation rate, for students who graduate within four years, increased from 85% in the 2011-2015 cohort to 93% (for June graduates) and 94% (for those who graduated by August of their senior year) in the 2016-2020 cohort. The number is even higher – 97% for the 2016-2020 cohort – when only those students who attend school in BHS are counted (as opposed to those who, for various reasons, had been completing their studies at alternate locations.)

In other words, 85% of all freshmen entering BHS in the fall of 2011 (as the Class of 2015) earned their diploma by June of 2015. The graduation rate continued to improve over the course of the next several graduating classes, with the last group for which we have data being the Class of 2020. For that graduating class, 93% of all freshmen entering BHS in the fall of 2016 (as the Class of 2020) earned their diploma by June 2020 and 94% completed the graduation requirements by August 2020. Again, that number was higher (97%) for students who attend school at BHS.

Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Soler, in presenting the data to the school district’s Board of Education, congratulated the staff on their role in student success. He also noted that BHS principal, Mr. Kesler, and his staff will continue to work on raising the overall graduation rate and will dig deeper into the subgroups of the student population to look for patterns and to identify better ways to serve the full student population.

The Genesee County Legislature has approved some upcoming bridge work. A construction contract with Union Concrete and Construction Corp in West Seneca was given the green light in the amount of $1.7 million. The work involved the replacement of bridges on Meadville Road over Canal Feeder in the Town of Alabama, Sharrick Road over Murder Creek in the Town of Darien and Tower Hill Road over Spring Creek in the Town of Byron. Ninety-five percent of the capital project will be paid by federal aid, with a 5 percent local match taken from the 1 percent sales tax fund. The Legislature also approved a consultant agreement with C&S Companies of Rochester, for an amount not to exceed $109,000 in connection with the replacement of the Upton Road over Bowen Creek bridge in the Town of Batavia. Work, which will be covered by federal aid at the 95 percent level, is expected to start immediately.

Twenty-eight new positive COVID cases have been confirmed in Genesee County. The new infections impact a dozen communities. Twenty-three of the positive individuals are hospitalized. The Health Department also confirms a community member over the age of 65 has died from virus-related complications. Orleans County also reports 28 new cases while 13 additional cases were confirmed in Wyoming County.

It’s not a surprise but the unemployment rate ticked up across the region. According to the state Labor Department, there were 1,500 fewer workers in Genesee County last month when compared to December 2019. Year-over-year, the unemployment rate jumped 1%, landing at 5.4% last month. Orleans County had very similar results. The figures, from the state Labor Department, were released this week.

All Orange and Yellow zone COVID restrictions in upstate New York have been lifted. Governor Andrew Cuomo made the announcement during his briefing on Wednesday, citing the drops in COVID positivity rates across Upstate New York. State officials stressed certain statewide restrictions, such as a 10 p.m. curfew for on-site service at bars and restaurants, continue.

The Genesee County Legislature will begin a phased-in process of resuming in-person meetings beginning Monday. Legislators and administration will meet in-person with all others participating via Zoom videoconference. Starting March 1st, department heads and persons scheduled to present to a standing committee or the full legislature will meet in-person along with legislators and administration. In April, the public may be added to in-person meetings which will be held in the third floor Legislative Chambers at the Old Courthouse in Batavia. A face mask covering the nose and mouth is required and everyone entering the building will sign in and out. Legislature Chairperson Rochelle Stein said the County Legislature is taking steps forward in a cautious and calculated manner while closely monitoring every health metric.

After extended internal consultation and discussion among Finger Lakes and Western Region County Health Officials, it has been determined that higher-risk and moderate risk sports may proceed in Genesee and Orleans counties in accordance with New York State guidelines…that in a press release Wednesday from Paul Pettit, director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. Per current State guidance, indoor facilities must limit their capacity to no more than 50 percent occupancy and a maximum of two spectators per player. In addition, protocols to ensure social distancing, use of face coverings, and enhanced disinfection protocols must be implemented.

NY State Senator Tom O’Mara who is the newly appointed Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, this week highlighted the need for a stronger state commitment to local roads and bridges throughout Upstate New York. Over the next several weeks, the Legislature’s fiscal committees will hold 13 virtual hearings examining Gov. Cuomo’s proposals in key issue areas. O’Mara has been a leader in the Local Roads Matter campaign.

The yellow and orange zones in upstate New York are now canceled according to Governor Cuomo in a press release today.  That means that restrictions that were specific to the zones are now lifted.  Cuomo cites a decrease in covid transmission as the reason for the lift.  New York only has 4 yellow zones now, all of them downstate with Long Island having the highest positivity rate.

The Genesee Orleans Counties Health department has announced that high and moderate risk sports may proceed in Genesee county and Orleans county.  This allows non-professional and non-collegiate sports, such as wrestling, ice hockey, basketball, contact lacrosse, and volleyball, to proceed with individual and group training, competitions, and tournaments, effective February 1.  There are restrictions, go to the NY Forward site to read all the details.

The USDA has suspended all past due debt collections and foreclosures for borrowers under the farm storage facility loan and direct farm loan programs.  The Farm Service Agency asks farmers who have these loans out to contact them for more information about the temporary suspension.

Rochester Regional health has put out a statement that it is vaccinating as many people as possible against COVID 19.  So far RGH has vaccinated over 15000 staff and 3500 community members.

Nationwide Insurance is teaming up with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, KC Supply and others to award emergency first responders with grain rescue tubes and hands-on rescue training to help save lives.  Grain bins can be very dangerous for farmers as grain tends to suck a person who falls into it down and trap them.  Special equipment and training is required for the rural firefighters who are often the only help the farmers have.  Fire Departments can enter a contest to get a free grain rescue tube and training.  To see how to enter check out our news partner the Batavian.

Till close today Applebees is helping St Paul’s Lutheran School with a carryout for a Cause fundraiser.  Use code “doingood” all one word when you order online till 10pm tonight and the school will get 10 percent of your total bill as a donation.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments are providing the following information for schools, businesses, coaching staff, athletes, parents of student-athletes, and youth and adult amateur sports leagues in both counties.  “After extended internal consultation and discussion among Finger Lakes and Western Region County Health Officials, it has been determined that higher-risk and moderate risk sports may proceed in Genesee and Orleans Counties in accordance with New York State guidelines,” stated Paul Pettit, Director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

New York State Interim Guidelines for Sports and Recreation were announced by Governor Cuomo late Friday, January 22.  These revisions allow local health departments to authorize non-professional and non-collegiate sports, such as wrestling, ice hockey, basketball, contact lacrosse, and volleyball, to proceed with individual and group training, competitions, and tournaments, effective February 1.  Updates were also made to low- and moderate-risk sports and recreation activities.

All responsible parties (schools, businesses, leagues, organizations) must follow the New York State Department of Health’s INTERIM GUIDANCE FOR SPORTS AND RECREATION DURING THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY and applicable Executive Orders for the conduct of their sports and recreation activities.  Per current State guidance, indoor facilities must limit their capacity to no more than 50 percent occupancy and a maximum of two spectators per player.  In addition, protocols to ensure social distancing, use of face coverings, and enhanced disinfection protocols must be implemented.  For moderate and higher risk sports, if an athlete, coach or referee receives a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, all in-person team or group activities for that sport (e.g. practices, scrimmages, games, meetings) may result in a 10 day suspension to lessen the spread of infection and allow for

the case investigation and contact tracing to occur.  Situations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Participating in higher-risk sports presents significant risks.  The level of risk presented by a return to sports is driven by the sport and setting, local disease activity, and individual circumstances including underlying health conditions that may place the athlete or household contacts at increased risk of severe disease should they contract COVID-19.  Individual schools and businesses, student and adult athletes, and parents/guardians must carefully consider a variety of factors before making an individual decision to participate.

To allow continuation of higher risk sport and recreational activities, local health authorities will continue to consider many factors, including but not limited to the following:

• Whether there is a more transmissible variant of COVID-19 identified in the area
• Local rates of COVID-19 transmission or rate of positivity, and
• Local ability to monitor and enforce compliance.

Contact sports bring people close together and increase the risk of transmission.  If persons choose to return to high-risk sports, they must follow guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  Athletes should be mindful of their activity outside of sports to minimize risk and reduce community spread.  We must work together during these stressful times to ensure that our youth and adults have the opportunity to participate in athletics safely.

The New York State summary guidelines are posted on the NYForward website.  All responsible parties (schools, businesses, leagues, organizations) must read and affirm the State’s detailed guidelines and develop a safety plan.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/SportsAndRecreationMasterGuidance.pdf

https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/SportsAndRecreationSummaryGuidance.pdf

https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/NYS_BusinessReopeningSafetyPlanTemplate.pdf

Stop the spread of COVID-19:  Wear a mask; maintain a social distance of 6 feet; wash your hands often.

Photo from left to right: Undersheriff Bradley D. Mazur; Correction Officers Tyler J. Stewart, Marissa R. Jacques (Class President), Trevor J. Sherwood; Jail Superintendent William A. Zipfel

Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr. announces the graduation of Correction Officers Tyler J. Stewart, Trevor J. Sherwood, and Marissa R. Jacques
(Class President).

These Correction Officers recently graduated in a class of 12 from the Niagara County Basic Corrections Academy. The six-week training included instruction in the care and custody of inmates, inmate supervision, defensive tactics, firearms training, and other topics pertaining to corrections.

“Congratulations to Correction Officers Stewart, Sherwood, and Jacques. We look forward to your future in Corrections at the Genesee County Jail,” stated Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr.

Section Five athletics, the governing body of high school sports, says basketball, Hockey and wrestling can begin on Monday.
Their season must end by March 6th.
As for football, an actual start date has yet to be announced.
All of this is subject approval of the Genesee County Health Department.
The complete statement issued by Section Five late last night is can be seen HERE.

COVID-19 has claimed two more lives in Genesee County. Both were over age 65. The health department says one person resided at Genesee Senior Living and one the other resided at the Batavia VA Medical Center. In Orleans County, 23 new cases have been confirmed. Ten of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Officials in Wyoming County report a slight spike, with 41 news cases confirmed.

Batavia Assemblyman Steve Hawley and his colleagues in the Assembly Minority have written a letter to Gov. Cuomo demanding they do not use the budget process to legalize marijuana.
Hawley believes substantial matters of public policy such as the legalization of marijuana should not be advanced through the budgetary process, and should instead be debated and discussed as any other legislation would be.

The State Gaming Commission has approved a new app that’ll make it easier for people to play some of their favorite lottery games. A company named “Jackpocket” developed a program allowing folks to buy scratch-off tickets and have them delivered right to their homes. Once the scratch-off version of the app goes live, players can buy bundles of tickets at a time. Money for those purchases will come from a deposit system set up by the company.

The Buffalo Sabres have won their second game in a row, thanks to a big contribution from their captain. Jack Eichel scored his first goal of the season as the Sabres beat the New York Rangers three-to-two at KeyBank Center last night. The Sabres will be back in action tomorrow night when they once again host the Rangers.

News Release

On Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 4:00pm members of the Athletic Council, the governing body of Section V Athletics, voted on many items related to the authorization of high-risk sports to begin on February 1, 2021 pending approval from local departments of health.  Any section of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has the authority to determine a later start date than what is provided by NYSPHSAA.

 All high-risk sports will need approval from their local departments of health before they can proceed.  Section V Athletics reaches twelve different local departments of health and the request for approval has been made to each of them as of Monday, January 25, 2021.

Winter high-risk sports are Basketball, Ice Hockey, and Wrestling.  The Winter high-risk sports season will begin on Monday, February 1, 2021 pending department of health approval.  Regular season must end by Saturday, March 6, 2021 and sectionals will conclude by Sunday, March 14, 2021.  Our leagues are now responsible to determine the regular season schedule within the dates mentioned above.

For the Winter High-Risk sports season, the sectional tournaments will be a closed sectional format to be determined and all events will be hosted at the higher seed.  The Fall II sports are Competitive Cheerleading, Football, and Volleyball.  We will finalize start and end dates for the Fall II sports season in coming weeks.

Spring sports are Baseball, Boys Golf, Boys Tennis, Lacrosse, Softball, and Track & Field.  The NYSPHSAA Spring sports season start date is Monday, April 19, 2021.  We will continue to be sensitive to Spring sports that have already missed a complete season and sectional/state championship last year due to the pandemic.

 At this time, only two spectators per athlete are permitted according to the New York State Department of Health, but local departments of health can be more restrictive.  Section V will make every attempt to livestream events as they were in the previous seasons.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley and his colleagues in the Assembly Minority have written a letter to Gov. Cuomo and other top state leaders demanding they do not use the budget process to legalize marijuana. Hawley believes substantial matters of public policy such as the legalization of marijuana should not be advanced through the budgetary process, and should instead be debated and discussed as any other legislation would be. In a press statement, Hawley said the matter is deserving of meaningful scrutiny and debate, something, he claims, we haven’t seen much of since the Governor was granted his prolonged and egregious executive powers.

COVID-19 has claimed two more lives in Genesee County. Both were over age 65. The health department says one person resided at Genesee Senior Living and one the other resided at the Batavia VA Medical Center. Additionally, on Tuesday twenty-six new cases were confirmed. The latest infections involved residents from 13 communities, to include Batavia and Le Roy. In Orleans County, 23 new cases have been confirmed. Ten of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Officials in Wyoming County report a slight spike, with 41 new cases confirmed. There are 110 residents in mandatory isolation.

Thirty-one school districts statewide were designated in fiscal stress under New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s Fiscal Stress Monitoring System for the school year ending on June 30, 2020. Western New York was the only region that had no school districts in fiscal stress for the 2019-20 school year. Locally, Pavilion and Medina Central were described to be susceptible to fiscal stress.

Officials have updated New Yorkers on the state’s vaccination program. As of midday Tuesday, New York’s health care distribution sites have received 1,3 million first doses and already administered 74 percent of first and second doses. Now for the Finger Lakes, the region has received 52,300 first and second doses and have administered 78% of both doses.

There have been plenty of reports about streetlights within the City of Batavia that are not operating properly. Officials say…if you see a light that is out or appears to not be operating correctly, please send as much information to the city as you can…information such as street, pole number, and nearest house address. The city will then determine if it is a city-owned light and make repair. If it is a National Grid light, then they will be notified. You can send your report via email to bdavis@batavianewyork.com.

Congressman Chris Jacobs is returning to the House Committee on Agriculture for the 117th Congress. He says area farms, processing facilities, and agribusinesses provide thousands of good-paying jobs and present major opportunities to set the region up for future prosperity. As of 2017, Western New York had more than 4,400 farms producing over $1.1 billion in products, representing 22 percent of all NYS agriculture sales.

New York’s State parks, historic sites, campgrounds, and trails welcomed a record-setting 78 million visits in 2020. The milestone marks nine years of steady visitor growth and represents an overall increase of 34 percent. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said “In what has been a tremendously difficult year, State parks have remained open for residents and visitors to enjoy, get out of the house and stay active.”

County Legislators across New York state are calling on Governor Cuomo to allow the counties to take charge of how they distribute the COVID vaccines.  The Genesee Orleans County Health department has said that there are more than enough sites and people to get the shots into peoples arms but the state is not allowing the counties to use systems they already had in place for this kind of rollout.  Cuomo’s spokesperson said that the slow rollout is entirely Trump’s fault and that county legislators are taking “cheap shots from cheap seats.”

Governor Cuomo announced that he is sending 542 more national guard to Washington DC for Capitol security.  The 1300 troops sent in for inauguration week are to come home and the new troops will rotate in in their place.  The governor said this is a new mission to strengthen security requested from the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

COVID Update: Since Friday Genesee county has 67 new cases and 130 people have recovered.  24 people remain hospitalized.  4 of the new cases are in the VA Medical Center.  Orleans county has 33 new cases and 66 people have recovered.  There are 167 active cases in Genesee county and 134 in Orleans.

A Winter Weather Advisory has been extended for our area until early tomorrow morning.
The National Weather Service has posted the advisory for Genesee and Orleans Counties until 1a.m. tomorrow.
The Weather Service is forecasting mixed precipitation.
One to three inches of additional snow is possible and ice accumulations of around a tenth of an inch.
Periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will result in slippery roads with limited visibility.

LeRoy Firemen and other volunteer departments quickly quelled flames that damaged a home at 75 Summit Street in the village.
The fire broke out late last night. It was brought under control in about 20 minutes. The four occupants of the home all escaped safely.
There were no injuries.

High school sports may soon get to return to the hardwood and grid iron.
S0-called high risk sports, including basketball and hockey, may be able to begin their seasons on February 1st. Football may have to wait until March 1st.
It is all up to the county health department to issue the go-ahead.
Strict health protocols will be implemented to help impede the spread of coronavirus.
The complete guidance from the New York Public High School Athletic Association for sports through the end of the school year can be download HERE.

Students in schools across the state may not have to take any assessment tests or Regents exams this year. The State Education Department is asking for a federal waiver to cancel them due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The state was granted a similar request last year after students switched to remote learning in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading.

A two-alarm fire that damaged a home in Le Roy remains under investigation. Fire crews from Le Roy and Bergen responded to 75 Summit Street around 10:30 p.m. last night after the caller reported flames in a second-floor bedroom. Initial crews encountered heavy smoke conditions. A second alarm brought in additional equipment from Pavilion and Stafford with the Town of Batavia covering the Le Roy station. Four occupants inside the home were able to safely evacuate. No word yet on what triggered the blaze.

A statewide COVID-19 vaccine shortage is impacting this area. Genesee and Orleans counties continue to work to distribute the limited supply of vaccine received in their continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Genesee County said in a Tweet that “in light of the statewide shortage in vaccines, they will be cancelling this week’s vaccination clinics at GCC. Genesee & Orleans Counties received 300 doses of the vaccine for the week, far less than the originally anticipated 2,500 doses between the two counties. The 300 doses will be used for 1B essential workers. Those over age 65 should continue to seek vaccine from their providers, pharmacies and the state sites. Appointments for vaccine are currently online ONLY.

Batavia High School’s athletic director says he’s beyond excited that high-risk sports, delayed because of COVID, might be able to start their seasons on Feb. 1. That could mean basketball, hockey and wrestling could all start next week but final approval for practices to begin must come local health departments.  Local Public Health officials said they have been on conference calls with other health officials from the Finger Lakes region, with more to come, as they work to develop a uniform approach to restarting specific high school sports.

A Batavia man who already faces a slew of criminal counts is back in jail without bail. 47-year-old Daniel Wolfe is now charged with burglary and criminal contempt. In November 2019, Wolfe is accused breaking into a house on Liberty Street and violating an order of protection. That led to a nearly 24-hour standoff with Batavia police and deputies. At one point, Wolfe allegedly shot at police with a BB gun. He eventually surrendered. Last August, a grand jury indicted him on a dozen counts, including trying to kill a police dog. Additional court action is pending.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says as New York’s COVID-19 numbers continue to decline, the state can expect to see adjustments for some safety restrictions in the coming days. During a briefing Monday at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, the governor said COVID rates have been dropping since the holiday season spike. The governor said adjustments will be announced Wednesday regarding the state’s micro-clusters – specifically for yellow and orange zones. The governor did not say what these changes will be.

Average local gas prices have dipped, ever so slightly. In Batavia, the price at the pump is down a penny to $2.38. The New York State average is $2.49 – up 2 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.70.

New York State United Teachers applauds the announcement that the state Education Department will seek a federal waiver of grades 3-8 and high school testing requirements amid the ongoing challenges students and educators statewide are facing related to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, the Union said “In a year that has been anything but standardized, it’s the right move to seek this waiver to cancel this spring’s standardized exams.”

Genesee Orleans and Wyoming Counties are on a winter weather advisory with  snow expected 8am tomorrow morning through Wednesday at 1am.  Accumulations of up to 5 inches are expected.

2 people have been arrested in connection with the abduction of the 2 Cash children from a foster home in Greece.  29 year old Dimitri Cash Sr the children’s father, is facing 3 charges, 2^nd degree robbery, 2^nd degree kidnapping, and 1^st degree burglary. The other man arrested is 32 year old Kimara Pluviose.

Have you received a random item in the mail addressed to you from Amazon or another online retailer?  You may have unwittingly participated in a brushing scam.  Brushing is where sellers on online marketplaces write fake reviews for purchases they never had by sending some small item of not much value to customers who’s info is available online.  Then they can fake a review of their product and companies like amazon will see the shipped item and think it is a legitimate review.  You are in no danger from this.

The Sabres got another shot at it and beat the Capitals in a shootout Saturday 4 to 3.  All Buffalos’ goals were scored in power play Colin Miller, Eric Staal, and Victor Olofsson scored inregular play and Jack Eichel put in the final goal after over 5 minutes of shootout action.  Ullmark made 28 saves and stopped all 3 of the Capital’s shootout attempts.

Genesee County’s highly touted but long vacant Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park has made the short list for a multi-billion dollar facility for Samsung Electronics.
The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that the 1,200 acre site in the Town of Alabama is one of five locations under consideration by Samsung for making semiconductors.
The paper reported that the project could mean an investment of 15-billion dollars by the South Korean company.
In addition to the Town of Alabama STAMP location, Samsung is also considering two sites near Austin, Texas and two near Phoenix, Arizona.
According to the Journal the Samsung project could employ upwards of 1,900 workers.
Over the past two decades the Genesee County Economic Development Center has poured millions of dollars into the STAMP site building
Infrastructure such as water and sewer systems. The preparation of “shovel ready” land is intended to hasten the time of the time of construction.

Genesee County receives only a fraction of the coronavirus vaccine is was expecting for this week.
The health department asked for 2,500 doses but is only getting 300 doses to split between Genesee and Orleans counties.
The doses are for Groups 1-B and persons over the age of 6 provided that you can get an appointment.
Right now, there are no appointments available at either state run or county run clinics anywhere near Batavia.

An Avon man is behind bars for allegedly bilking a Batavia business out of $10,000.
60-year-old Stephen Hegel of Avon is charged with several felony counts for allegedly stealing the money from Turnbull Heating and Air while he worked for the company last October.
Hegel is in the Genesee County Jail pending a court appearance later this month.

SUNY officials have announced when students, staff and faculty will be starting the upcoming spring semester.
In-person classes will begin on February 1st, with weekly COVID-19 testing being mandatory for everyone.
Most SUNY students were sent home before Thanksgiving in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Buffalo…is not headed to the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Bills 38-24 in the AFC Championship game. The final call from Kansas City (final call). Bills QB Josh Allen finished the day going 28-for-48 for 287 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Bills finish their best season in recent memory that consisted of a 13-3 regular season record and their first AFC East title since 1995-96.

The Batavia City School Board expects to make several staffing appointments when it meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. Some of the appointments include substitute teachers, a long-term Special Ed teacher and a districtwide groundskeeper.

The Batavia City Council will receive a police reform presentation when it meets tonight at 7 p.m. Two local laws will be introduced. One amends the municipal code to establish new water rates, meter fees and a capital improvement fee; the second proposes to amend the Business Improvement District Plan. Public hearings will also be scheduled. Several budget work sessions will also be scheduled.

New York reported 160 COVID deaths statewide on Saturday. Gov. Cuomo said he remains confident that NY can defeat this and rebuild stronger than ever before. Until that day comes, he encourages all New Yorkers to keep fighting the good fight together – wear a mask, social distance and avoid gatherings. The Finger Lakes region currently reports 692 patients are hospitalized. 397 people in the region are in an intensive care unit.

Governor Andrew Cuomo updated New Yorkers on the state’s vaccination program. The total week 6 federal allocation of vaccine delivery to providers was completed Sunday. Delivery of the week 7 allocation from the federal government does not begin until the middle of this week. As of 11am yesterday, New York’s health care distribution sites have received 1.3 million first doses and administered 88 percent first dose vaccinations. In the Finger Lakes Region, 80,150 first doses were received with 95% administered.

Chuck Schumer says…one of the Senate’s most pressing agenda items…is putting two thousand dollar checks into the hands of Americans. The Senate Majority Leader…speaking Sunday in New York City…said…Democrats are looking to bump up the recent six-hundred-dollar payments to an even two thousand….and he’s hopeful his colleagues from the other side of the aisle…will sign on. Senator Schumer promised…if the G-O-P won’t agree…Democrats will use tools at their disposal to push the bigger checks through.

The Muckdogs Collegiate team will be joined by another new team to the league, the Niagara Power.  The reason for the move is that the facilities in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League are better than the New York Collegiate Baseball league and they want to play with the Muckdogs.  The Muckdogs give the PGCBL five former NY-Penn League teams, along with Newark, Geneva, Elmira and Jamestown.

Covid Update From Friday afternoon: Genesee county has 76 new cases and 37 people have recovered.  5 of the new cases are at Leroy Village Green, 2 are at the Veterans Home and 2 are at the VA Medical Center.  Orleans County has 24 new cases and 26 people have recovered.  1 of the new cases is at the Orchard Rehab and Nursing center.  There are 241 Active cases in Genesee county and 167 in Orleans.  A COVID positive person was at Batavia Downs in the Main Gaming Area on January 17^th from about 2 to 5 pm.  If you were at the Downs during this time please monitor yourself for symptoms for 14 days.

The Buffalo Sabres fell to the Washington Capitals 4 to 3 Friday night in a shootout.  The game was tied with goals by Eric Staal, Dylan Cozens and Riley Sheahan for the Sabres and Ullmark making 29 saves against the Capitals.   Each of the scoring Sabres players made their first goal as a Sabre.  The team now has 1 win and 3 losses and 1 overtime loss and will play the Capitals again on Sunday.

Did you laugh at all the Bernie Sanders in Mittens memes going around since the Inauguration? A western NY woman is seeing a bump in business because of the viral joke.  Barbara Carr who owns BCycles, a business that takes recycled clothing and turns them into mittens which look very much like the ones Bernie wore to the capital on Tuesday.  She says that after the inauguration she has received a huge jump in orders as more people want her warm mittens.

Buffalo City Mayor Byron Brown and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas have placed a bet on the AFC Championship Game.  Whichever team losses their city must send food to the other cities frontline workers.  Mayor Brown is wagering ‘Mango Bam Bam Wings’ from Manna Northland on Northland Avenue and ‘Smitty Wings’ and ‘Beef on Weck Wings’ from Doc Sullivan’s on Abbott Road.  Mayor Lucas is wagering Kansas City Monarch memorabilia from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Made in KC snacks and Chiefs gear, 100 heart KC masks, and 100 neck gaiters from Charlie Hustle, Food from Gate’s BBQ and wings from Taps on Main.

Governor Cuomo in a press conference today announced that the supply of COVID 19 vaccine that has been given to the state by the federal government will run out by tonight.  Erie County has already canceled appointments for the vaccine, and the public vaccination clinic at GCC won’t let people make appointments until they have the new shipment of vaccines in hand to distribute.  Cuomo says that 250 thousand more doses are expected next week.  Of those, Genesee county is expected to receive 100 and Orleans county is expected to receive 200.

Cuomo also gave an update on the states positivity and hospitalization rates which are falling slowly.  He said that there are 3 new known cases of the UK strain of the coronavirus in New York, all downstate.  Cuomo also stated that although he wants to have all 1A and 1B groups and everyone 65 and up vaccinated that the priority is still healthcare workers, of which only 2/3 of hospital workers so far have been vaccinated.

COVID Update: Genesee county has 38 new cases and 28 people have recovered.  Orleans county has 37 new cases and 20 people have recovered.  8 of the new cases are at Orchard Rehab and Nursing.  There are 208 active cases in Genesee county and 171 in Orleans.

The border between the US and Canada may be getting opened up again and President Biden’s executive order could help.  Biden has issued an executive order to study how to reopen the border safely and following CDC recommendations.  Congressman Chris Jacobs hailed the move and urged the Biden Administration to work with Canada to get it done.

The Buffalo Zoo is holding a wager with the Kansas City Zoo over the Bills Game on Sunday with white furry bears in the middle.  If the Bills win then the Kansas City Zoo will have to donate to the Polar Bears International.  If the chiefs win then Buffalo has to bear the burden.

The first public COVID vaccination clinic in Genesee County will be held this Monday at GCC.
But, you cannot make an appointment.
Why? Because the website to allow you to make an appointment will not be activated until the number of doses of the vaccine are actually received.
Health Department officials tell WBTA today that the delivery of vaccine could take place anytime over the weekend.
Keep trying this website link:

Thirty-eight new COVID cases have been confirmed in Genesee County. Seventeen of the positive individuals are hospitalized. Thirty-seven new cases have been confirmed in Orleans County, where 12 people remain hospitalized. Health officials in Wyoming County, today report 23 new cases.

LeRoy Central Schools will make a second attempt to get a capital projects budget passed. Voters rejected the first proposed capital budget last October by a wide margin. The budget has now been reduced and split into two propositions. The second proposition would fund extensive renovations to the soccer field. Voting will be held on Wednesday, February 10th at Trigon Gymnasium.

The Buffalo Bills will be taking the field this weekend for the franchise’s biggest game in over two decades. The AFC East champions will be taking on the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs with the winner moving on to Super Bowl 55 on February 7th. The last time the Bills were in the NFL’s championship contest was all the way back in January 1994. Kickoff for the AFC Championship game is set for six-40 p-m on Sunday.

For over four months, no one has won the Mega Millions jackpot but there’s a chance that could change tonight. There will be 970 million dollars up for grabs during tonight’s drawing, the second-largest prize in the history of the game. The record of one-point-five billion dollars was set back in October 2018. Tickets cost two dollars apiece and the live drawing starts at 11 p-m at megamillions.com.

Ontario-Livingston-Wyoming-Orleans-Wayne-Genesee-Monroe-

1018 AM EST Fri Jan 22 2021

…AN AREA OF HEAVY SNOW WILL AFFECT WAYNE…NORTHEASTERN WYOMING…

NORTHERN LIVINGSTON…EASTERN ORLEANS…EASTERN GENESEE…MONROE AND ONTARIO COUNTIES…

At 1016 AM EST, a line of snow showers dropping southeast from Lake Ontario this morning will produce a burst of snow which will reduce visibility to below a half mile at times. Although this will only produce around an inch or two of snow, it will result in slick travel conditions this morning.

Locations impacted include…

Rochester, Greece, Irondequoit, Chili, Geneva, Canandaigua, Brockport, Geneseo, East Rochester, Hilton, Webster, Fairport, Brighton, Gates-North Gates, Hamlin Beach State Park, Fair Haven Beach State Park, Ontario, Henrietta, Penfield and Newark.

This includes the following highways…

Interstate 390 between exits 8 and 12.

Interstate 90 between exits 47 and 42.

Conditions can deteriorate rapidly in winter weather situations. Be prepared for snow or ice covered roads. Slow down and allow extra time when traveling.

U.S. Army Aviation investigators are scheduled to arrive in Monroe County today to investigate a helicopter crash that killed three National Guard servicemembers Wednesday. The U.S. Army has jurisdiction of the investigation. According to the New York Army National Guard, the medical evacuation helicopter was on a routine training mission Wednesday evening when it crashed. Monroe County Sheriff Chief Deputy Michael Fowler said the Guard-members’ remains were escorted by police and fire trucks as a tribute to their community service.

As part of New York’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that the Open Enrollment Period for uninsured New Yorkers will be extended through March 31, 2021. New Yorkers can apply for coverage through NY State of Health, New York’s Official Health Plan Marketplace, or directly through insurers.

Thirty-eight new COVID cases have been confirmed in Genesee County. New infections were reported in 13 communities. Seventeen of the positive individuals are hospitalized. Thirty-seven new cases have been confirmed in Orleans County, where 12 people remain hospitalized. Health officials in Wyoming County, today report 23 new cases.

Registration is now available for kindergarten and prekindergarten students in the Byron-Bergen Central School District. The District plans to once again offer a half-day universal Pre-K program at the Elementary School. The program is focused on socialization, learning through play, and self-exploration. Students must turn 4 years of age by Dec. 1 to be eligible for the program.

While clinics in Erie County are being canceled because of a statewide COVID-19 vaccine shortage, Genesee County will receive its anticipated 100 doses for three scheduled clinics next week. However, state officials informed local officials not to expect an increase in available doses anytime soon.

At Western Regional Off Track Betting’s Board of Directors Meeting, Richard Bianchi was unanimously re-elected as Chairman for 2021.  Bianchi represents Monroe County on the Board of Directors for OTB.  Ed Morgan, the Orleans County representative on the board, was also re-elected as Vice Chairman for 2021.

Genesee Co. Manager Matt Landers

Genesee County has announced its first public COVID vaccination clinic will open on Monday at Genesee Community College. Right now, the clinic is limited to persons in Groups 1-A and 1-B and all persons over 65.
Here is the but…you must make an appointment, and as of this afternoon, no appointments are available.

County Manager Matt Landers says staff is ready- the problem is vaccine supply:

So, what’s a person to do? Keep trying the websites. There is the county clinic at GCC Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Rite Aid and Tops Pharmacies in Batavia have registration websites, but no available appoints.
Your primary Care doctor may be contacting you under a program administered by Rochester Regional Health. They are randomly selecting persons over the 65 from a pool of patient’s whose doctors belong to the RRH system.
Please see the county’s latest announcement on COVID Vaccine Clinics HERE.

Three members of the National Guard are dead after their helicopter crashes in Monroe County. Deputies say the soldiers were on a training mission last night when the aircraft went down in the area of West Bloomfield Road in Mendon, located about 20 miles from Rochester.
The names of the soldiers have not yet been released
Both the NTSB and National Guard will be looking into what caused the tragedy.

The search for two children abducted from a home in Greece earlier this week has come to a happy end.
Police say three-year-old Shakeria Cash and five-year-old Dimitri Cash Junior have been found safe in the state of Alabama. The children were taken from their foster home Monday night by two men, triggering an AMBER Alert.
One woman has been taken into custody, but police haven’t said what charges she may face.

Governor Cuomo’s Administration predicts New York State employment levels will not recover from the pandemic until year 2025. Cuomo’s budget division released an economic revenue and outlook report which shows job growth slowed to a crawl in November. It forecasts job growth slowing even further until vaccines become widely available.

Genesee County today announced that COVID-19 vaccinations will be administered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Genesee Community College (1 College Road, Batavia, NY) starting Monday, January 25, 2021.

Orleans County today announced that its COVID-19 vaccinations will be administered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. starting Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at the Ridgeway Fire Hall (11392 Ridge Road, Medina, NY).

Vaccinations at both sites will be conducted inside and are based on the availability of the vaccine.

Vaccinations for the GCC vaccine clinics are through online appointment only at: https://on.ny.gov/39CBzSZ..

Vaccinations for the Orleans County vaccine clinic are through online appointment only at: https://on.ny.gov/3qxwnHb.

People should not be calling the health departments, vaccination sites such as pharmacies or their provider to schedule a test.

The registration links will direct people to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) website specific to available appointments for that provider.  If a person visits the Genesee County Department of Health Vaccine Webpage () clicks the Clinic Schedule button and clicks one of the listed provider links to schedule an appointment, he/she will be directed to the appointment page on NYSDOH data management system for that provider’s vaccine clinic.

Those making appointments should be aware that the state appointment system has experienced technical issues due to the volume of people trying to access it for appointments.

If a person tries to schedule an appointment at a local pharmacy e.g. Tops Markets, Rite-Aid, etc. by visiting their website, whatever link you click on will direct you to the NYSDOH website for that location.  Providers’ clinic schedules are subject to change based on vaccine availability.

“As we have stressed since the vaccine became available and the number of people eligible to receive the vaccine has increased significantly, we are urging people to be patient,” said Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments Director Paul Pettit.  “Everything regarding scheduling a vaccine appointment no matter if you are trying through the county health department, through a local pharmacy or for the state-run clinics is being funneled to the state’s data management page.”

Pettit noted that at this time, there are approximately 50,000 residents in Genesee and Orleans County eligible to get the COVID19 vaccine and approximately 1,600 doses available this week, although all appointments are full. Vaccine allocation is on a week-by-week schedule, with the possibility of no vaccine to each of the providers requesting it.

“This is resulting in people receiving the message of ‘no appointments available’ when clicking on the link and we are being told anecdotally that some people keep clicking on the link for hours at a time and getting this same message,” Pettit said.  “We don’t want to deter people for going on-line and trying to schedule an appointment, but we want to make them aware of what to expect because it can get frustrating very easily.”

Please continue to monitor and the state site (https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/) for a list of additional clinics to receive the vaccine.

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Police say two children who were abducted in Monroe County this week have been recovered in Alabama and are safe. Police in the town of Greece say two men took 3-year-old Shekeria Cash and her 5-year-old brother Dimitri from their foster home Monday night. Greece Police Chief Drew Forsythe said information from a rental car led to an address in Montgomery, Alabama. Forsythe said the two children were found under blankets in the back seat of the woman’s car.

Genesee County reports 55 new cases of COVID-19. The latest infections involve residents from Batavia, LeRoy and 11 other communities. The county also recorded another virus-related death. The victim was a resident at Genesee Senior Living. In Orleans County, 28 new cases were confirmed along with one additional death. 18 new cases were confirmed in Wyoming County.

There have been 56 confirmed COVID-related deaths at nursing homes in Genesee County, according to data from the State Health Department. Before Tuesday, The Batavian reports that not all of those deaths were included in Genesee County’s Health Department regular COVID-19 briefing. Nursing homes are not required to report deaths to local officials, only to the state.

Three New York National Guard members were killed when a Blackhawk helicopter crashed south of Rochester Wednesday evening. The medical evacuation helicopter went down in a rural section of Mendon. 9-1-1 calls before the crash reported a low-flying aircraft in the area – and a fiery crash. Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The helicopter was on a routine training mission when it crashed. It is not yet clear what caused the crash. The three soldiers on board were assigned to1st Battalion’s C Company in the 171st General Support Aviation Battalion. The helicopter was based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at the Greater Rochester International Airport. In a statement, Congressman Tom Reed said the men and women of the New York Army National Guard are true heroes dedicated to keeping this great nation safe and secure. Our hearts break as we mourn the loss of three service members who perished during a training mission crash.

Genesee County is gearing up to undertake a host of bridge and culvert projects this spring and summer, including some projects that were put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens gave an update to the Public Service Committee this week. The better news might be that contractors are eager for work, meaning potentially lower bids on projects. The committee agreed to recommend to the full legislature a $1.8 million contract for three culvert projects to Union Concrete Construction Corp. of West Seneca. That bid is about $400,000 less than the engineer estimated

 3 people have been charged in the shooting that left 5 people injured and 1 dead in Lockport in October.  2 minor teenagers have been charged with murder in the second degree, assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.  After one of them fired through a closed door into the garage of a home while a Halloween party was taking place inside.  One adult, Jonathan Frey has been charged with hindering prosecution.  All three remain in custody, the teens are held on 500 thousand dollar bail.

The New York State police are warning of a new scam targeting those looking to buy a puppy.  People are reporting contacting a puppy breeder online via craigslist or a classified ad and being told they need to provide a deposit.  Communication would only be by text or email, and then the address they seller gives to get the dog will be false.  Police say never trust someone who won’t talk to you on the phone.  Never pay in advance and don’t trust too good to be true prices.

The Buffalo Sabres got shut out in last nights contest with the Philadelphia Flyers 3 to zip.  Despite 40 shots on goal the Sabres could not get the puck in keeping the Flyers from having 2 straight losses.  The Sabres will be playing the Washington Capitals at 7 on Friday.

Coronavirus vaccinations are being given today on the Batavia Campus of GCC.
The group being vaccinated today is Group 1-A, high risk medical professionals.
On Friday, the first community vaccination clinic will be held at GCC for any person in Group 1-B and any person over 65.
Here’s the problem: all available appointments are filled.
Genesee County has received 16-hundred doses of vaccine to be distributed this week – and again, they are all spoken for.

Governor Cuomo says it’ll be up to the federal government to help New York fix its budget crunch. The Empire State is currently billions of dollars in the red, in part due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The governor released two budget proposals yesterday, with one calling for education spending to be cut and taxes to increase while the other would lower taxes on the middle class and help businesses. He says the fiscal plan that ends up being put in place will depend on how much money the state gets from the federal government.

The search continues for two young children taken from their foster home in Greece Monday night. Three-year-old Shekeria Cash and five-year-old Dimitri Cash Jr. were taken under circumstances that led police to believe they are in imminent danger of serious harm. The abduction happened at 805 English Road around 8:40 p.m. Monday at a foster home where the children were staying. A total of seven children under the age of 10 were living in the foster home; Shekeria and Dimitri have been living in the home for the last two years

Since its last update, Genesee County has confirmed 168 new positive cases of COVID-19. Health officials say eleven people are hospitalized with virus-related complications. Two of the new cases are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center. In Orleans County, 56 new positive cases were reported since Friday and Wyoming County has logged 23 new cases.

The search continues for two young children taken from their foster home in Greece Monday night. Three-year-old Shekeria Cash and five-year-old Dimitri Cash Jr. were taken under circumstances that led police to believe they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death, according to an Amber Alert. The abduction happened at 805 English Road around 8:40 p.m. Monday at a foster home where the children were staying. A total of seven children under the age of 10 were living in the foster home; Shekeria and Dimitri have been living in the home for the last two years. Greece Police Chief Drew Forsythe called it a planned and targeted abduction.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a proposal to boost partial Unemployment Insurance benefits to New Yorkers who return to work part time. The plan will ensure unemployed New Yorkers who accept part-time work are not penalized by basing their partial unemployment benefits on the hours they actually work, rather than the number of days they work in a given week. This change will inject more money into New York’s economy while helping businesses fill part-time positions.

Congressmen Chris Jacobs, Tom Reed and several of their colleagues are calling upon Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) to apologize for his comments denigrating members of the National Guard. In a statement, Jacobs said “Representative Cohen’s reckless comments attacking members of the National Guard are disrespectful and divisive. These men and women proudly serve our nation and have been working non-stop for the past week to ensure our safety and that of the incoming administration.”

U.S. Senator’s Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have announced an additional $1.4 billion in federal funding for New York state’s private, public, and proprietary institutions of higher education. The funds are allocated to the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funding is in addition to federal funding already allocated from the CARES Act in March. Genesee Community College will get $5.2 million.

New legislation is being advanced in New York State to further support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York State Senate Majority announced on Tuesday that they plan to advance major legislation to help support small businesses in the state. The action will build upon legislation passed in July 2020. According to the Senate Majority, the new legislative package will include protecting small businesses from eviction and foreclosure, protecting restaurants from third-party delivery fees and establishing a partial-unemployment system.

New York State United Teachers have called on the state Education Department to request a federal waiver of grade 3-8 and high school testing requirements — just as New York was granted last year — amid the ongoing challenges students and educators statewide are facing related to the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter, the union noted that the pandemic has continued to disrupt the normal education process, as schools have vacillated between hybrid, in-person and remote offerings.

This morning Governor Cuomo gave his State budget address and outlines 2 plans for how 2021 will go.  One plan is that the federal government gives New York the whole 15 billion dollars that the state is down because of the pandemic shutdowns.  The other is that the federal government only gives 6 billion to the empire state.  The former option, Cuomo said, would restore across-the-board 5% reductions that have impacted the state, and it would pave the way for other programs including middle-class tax cuts, affordable broadband for low-income homes, addressing food insecurity and the state’s Pandemic Recovery and Restart Program – providing credit for restaurants, arts centers and other businesses impacted during the pandemic.  The second option would mean tax increases, cuts to schools and social services and more burden placed on local governments.

Wyoming County is under a lake effect snow warning until 10 am Wednesday.  Officials are expecting an additional 5 to 10 inches and winds as high as 35 miles per hour.  Snow is expected to fall in narrow bands so be prepared for wildly different conditions on the road.

Genesee county health department is offering free drive through covid testing for asymptomatic people every day till January 26^th from 1 to 4 pm at 7690 state st rd.  You must register online prior to going to get tested by calling the Genesee County health department.

Genesee County announced a new schedule for free drive-thru COVID-19 self-administered rapid testing for residents who are asymptomatic (no symptoms, not feeling sick, etc.).

Free testing will be available on Tuesday, January 19^th and Tuesday, January 26^th from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.  The testing will continue at Genesee County Emergency Management Office & Fire Training Facility, at 7690 State Street Road in the Town of Batavia.

To schedule a test, you must register on-line at https://on.ny.gov/3beJV5T. Anyone needing additional help for online registration may contact the Genesee County Health Department at 585-344-2580 ext. 5555.

As a reminder, anyone who had a recent potential exposure to COVID-19 should not recommended to be tested until at least 5 days have passed since the exposure.

In addition to registering for the test, please keep in mind the following guidelines:

• Make sure you have a pen in your vehicle.
• Everyone in the vehicle is to have their mask on when they pull up at the testing site.
• A parent or guardian must be present for any individual under 18 who is going to be tested.
• Those who are tested could get a call fairly quickly from an unknown number; please answer the phone as staff cannot leave messages and can only give results to the individuals tested or the guardian of those under 18 years of age.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has announced it’s the winners in its 49th annual awards.
Business of the Year is Pellegrino Auto Sales; Agricultural Business of the Year is L&M Specialty Fabrication and Special Service Regnition of the Year goes to Rochester Regional Health / UMMC.
The Geneseean of the Year is Tammy Hathaway, the Executive Director of the United Way of Genesee County.

The spread of COVID-19 is finally slowing statewide, but officials say the worst of the health crisis may not be over yet. Cases surged as expected after the holidays as families gathered to celebrate, but the number of new infections is starting to level off. However, experts say the threat of new variants of the virus from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil means people need to remain alert and take the proper precautions. There have already been several cases of the UK variant discovered in New York.

New York is billions of dollars in the red, and today Governor Cuomo will reveal how he plans to fix the state’s financial problems.
He’ll be giving his annual budget address this morning at the State Capitol building in Albany. New York was already in tough fiscal shape before the COVID-19 pandemic started, but things have gotten much worse over the last few months.
The governor is expected to ask the federal government for money but says if that request isn’t granted, programs could be cut and taxes may be raised.

The fortress of security that surrounds Trump Tower along Fifth Avenue will loosen up a bit once President Trump leaves the White House this week. The NYPD says streets around the high-rise that have been blocked since he became president will likely be reopened. The communications center inside the tower will be dismantled.

The Buffalo Sabres finally have their first win of the season at the expense of an East Division rival.
The Sabres beat the Philadelphia Flyers six-to-one on the road last night. Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton stopped all but one of the 22 shots he faced. These two teams will meet again in Philadelphia tonight starting at 7.

Gas prices are sneaking up…today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.39, up seven cents from last week. The New York State average is $2.47 – up eight cents from last week. Crude prices have been fluctuating and remain over $50 per barrel. Prices rose over market optimism that coronavirus vaccines will help crude demand recover this year.

Court action is pending for an Illinois man accused of strangling a Batavia resident. Police say they arrested 32-year-old Nathan Rich. He was charged with second-degree strangulation. He was arrested after a domestic incident that occurred on South Swan Street in Batavia. It is alleged that Rich put his hands around the victim’s throat and applied pressure. He was taken to Genesee County Jail and processed, then virtually arraigned in Batavia City Court. He was put in jail in lieu of bail.

As the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden is just a day away, lawmakers are looking forward to some much-needed federal support. Biden has announced a $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan, and now the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) says it’s time for the state to release millions of dollars in withheld funds. The organization says the state’s current policy, announced last summer, is having a negative impact on the ability for localities to provide essential services and maintain budgets without tax increases. Now, NYCOM is calling for the withheld funding to be released and for the full amounts to be included in the next budget.

When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in Washington Wednesday…there’s at least one prominent Democratic lawmaker who won’t be there. Governor Andrew Cuomo has said…he’s called off the plan…because, he wants to be in Albany….close to his own state capitol…in case there’s trouble.

The Genesee County Department of Planning is seeking community input for the Genesee2050 Comprehensive Plan and Recreation Plan at public hearings via Zoom. The workshops are set for this afternoon at 1 p.m. and again tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Information about both plans…available online at www.Genesee2050.com.

44-year-old Charles J. Rodriguez of West Main Street in Batavia has been charged with third-degree bail jumping. Batavia Police arrested Rodriguez after the man allegedly missed several appearances in Batavia City Court. After his arraignment, Rodriguez was released under supervision of Genesee Justice. He is due back in court Feb. 25.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO
7 PM EST TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Lake effect snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 5
  to 10 inches in the most persistent lake snows.

* WHERE...Genesee county. The most snow will occur over far
  southwest portions of the county, to the south of Corfu.

* WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 7 PM EST Tuesday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Areas of blowing snow
  could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions
  could impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Lake effect snow will fall in relatively narrow bands. If
traveling, be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions and
visibilities.

Genesee county and a large part of Western New York is under a Winter Weather Advisory starting at 7pm tonight as between 5 and 10 inches of lake effect snow is expected overnight till about 7pm on Tuesday.  Be careful driving as whites outs and drifts may occur.

Cuomo is calling on Pfizer to see if New York can directly purchase vaccine doses, bypassing the federal government.  Demand of the vaccine massively outpaces supply, at this point the state is only receiving 300 thousand doses of the vaccine a week and it would take over 23 weeks or almost 6 months to vaccinate the 7 million New Yorkers eligible to receive it right now.  Cuomo says that Pfizer is not bound by the same contracts as Moderna is as part of Operation Warp Speed.

Congressman Steve Hawley and the minority assembly asked in a letter to Governor Cuomo and Health Commissioner Dr. Zucker for more local input on how the vaccine is distributed in order to make the rollout more effective and efficient.  The letter was drafted in response to reports that vaccine distribution has been slow and ineffective in New York State, with some vaccine doses reportedly being wastefully disposed of due to improper storage.  Christine Schuyler, Director of Health and Human Services in Chautauqua County, says  county health departments have plans for mass vaccination, but she says, the state isn’t putting those plans into action.  Health director Paul Petit in Genesee county said much the same thing on Friday.

The Batavia City School District is asking parents to lock in their choice for which model their kids will be using for schooling by January 22^nd.  The choices are In Person Hybrid or 100 Percent Remote.  This deadline will afford the district enough time to make adjustments to academic programming and transportation services before the semester begins Feb. 1.  Parents who want to change can follow the link on WBTAi.com to the change form.  If they don’t want to change anything then parents don’t need to take any action.  As of Jan. 15, BCSD reported that 92 individuals, on or off campus, among its students, teachers and staff members are currently testing positive for COVID-19. The district’s statement noted that it may need to transition to 100-percent virtual instruction for all students if an issue related to COVID-19 arises during the second semester.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjrp0DKjR3uGqhDYxijFAexZ8mGxHd549pWEq-ovD1nhieRw/viewform

Sonja Gonyea, UMMC

There is now another way to get your COVID vaccination if you are over 65 and in Group 1-B.
UMMC and Rochester Regional Health have a random lottery system to select patients to receive the vaccine. These come from a pool of patients whose Primary Care Doctors are part of the Rochester Regional System.
Sonja Gonyea administers the program for UMMC and explains the process

The program is limited to the number of doses of vaccine the hospital has. Last week it was only 100. As more doses become available, more people will be randomly selected

This random program applies to patients of Primary Care providers who are part of UMMC/Rochester Regional Health.

Genesee County is expected to open a community vaccination site later this week at on the Batavia Campus of Genesee Community College.
These clinics will also be for Group 1-B individuals and also for anyone over the age of 65.
You will need an appointment for the GCC clinic.
How to make an appointment has not yet been announced.

Drivers across Western New York are having to shell out more of fill-up their vehicles. According to Triple A, the average cost for a gallon of regular gas in Batavia is $2.38 a gallon, up 7-cents from a week ago.

The Buffalo Bills are a win away from the big game, but they’ll have to overcome a formidable foe to get there. The AFC East champions beat the Baltimore Ravens 17 to three at Bills Stadium Saturday night, setting up a showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The two teams played in Orchard Park earlier this season, with Kansas City winning 26 to 17. Their next showdown will be in the AFC Championship game, scheduled for 6:40p.m. in Kansas City this Sunday night.

The Buffalo Sabres will be on the road tonight as they try and pick up their first win of the season. They’ll be taking on the undefeated Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center. Buffalo lost its first two games of the season.

It’s off to Kansas City! After defeating the Ravens Saturday night, the Buffalo Bills will now travel to Kansas City to square off against the Chiefs Sunday night for the AFC championship game.

New York State tax receipts through the first nine months of the state fiscal year were $2.5 billion lower than last year, but…were $1.8 billion higher than anticipated by the state Division of the Budget, according to the monthly State Cash Report released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Tax receipts in the month of December totaled $8.4 billion.

Genesee County is hiring for several open positions, including Assistant District Attorney. New York State Bar admission is required and preference will be given to candidates with significant criminal litigation experience. More information is available on the county website and its Facebook page.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a proposal to require companies to prominently disclose information about devices that can record and retain and transmit recordings, such as smartphones, smart speakers and smart TVs. The Governor will propose legislation requiring the disclosure so that New Yorkers can make informed decisions when they choose to buy an internet-connected device that is capable of recording, and so that written warnings about recording are not hidden or written in small print. Over 80 percent of Americans own a smartphone or other digital assistant device, the vast majority of which are equipped with internal microphones or other audio recording capabilities. 54 percent of smart speaker owners express worry about how much of their personal audio information is collected and 66 percent reject better personalization of smart speaker recommendations if it means more of their personal data is collected.

The National Weather Service has issued a Lake Effect Snow Warning for Wyoming County. 10-18 inches of snow could pile up in the most persistent bands. The Warning is in effect until Tuesday morning.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley has joined his colleagues in the Assembly Minority in writing a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, calling on them to include local home rule authorities in the process of developing coronavirus vaccine distribution plans in order to make them more effective. The letter was drafted in response to reports that vaccine distribution has been slow and ineffective in New York State, with some vaccine doses reportedly being wastefully disposed of due to improper storage. The state rep. says…”getting these vaccines out effectively and promptly will save lives, and we cannot afford to let even a single dose of the vaccine go to waste during this unprecedented public health crisis.”

The Batavia police advisory collaboration stakeholder group has their report ready to send to the Governor but they want to keep meeting.  Although they did not have any proposed changes to the police department they wanted to focus more on better mental health services, and police opening up more communication with city residents, especially those of color, to foster greater goodwill between groups.  Chief Shawn Heubush said there is no plan for the conversation to stop and that there are plans on how to invite the community in to more of the polices activities.  Community leader Victor Thomas of the Just Kings Social Club said that the chief and assistant chief went above and beyond to actually hear the communities voice.  The written plan produced by the committee will be presented to the City Council on Jan. 25 and become available for public review at that time. There will be a public comment period and the council will be asked to approve it and send it to the governor’s office, to comply with the executive order, on March 8.Assemblyman

Steve Hawley has announced a plan for helping the economy of New York recover called the Jump Start New York plan.  The plan would release funds that have not been allocated from the stimulus bills and several capital programs and make small businesses eligible for the Film tax credit.  Small businesses would be given another 180 days to file sales taxes, and a 180 day grace period to fixe regulatory violations without being fined.  There is also help in the legislation package for renters, farmer and landlords.  It would also reign in Governor Cuomo’s powers and let the legislature resume their duties which Cuomo has been doing mostly by executive order.

COVID Update: As of Friday evening Genesee county has 55 new cases and 72 people have recovered.  9 people are hospitalized.  Orleans county has 29 new cases and 38 people have recovered.  18 people are hospitalized.  2 residents at Orchard Rehab and nursing and 1 community member have passed away.  There are 197 active cases in Genesee county and 255 in Orleans.

The Genesee Orleans Wyoming Opioid Task Force will be hosting its’ second Quarterly meeting virtually on Thursday the 21^st at 9:30am.  The meeting will look back at 2020 and look forward to the plans for 2021.  This meeting is open to the public and the community is invited to join and share any questions they may have.  Follow the link to their website on wbtai.com to register. http://www.gowopioidtaskforce.org/

Senator Chuck Schumer says that he has talked to incoming President Joe Biden and New York will be getting 2 billion dollars from the federal government through FEMA.  Schumer says that most of these funds will be used to close the state budget gap.  Some will be used for COVID relief for counties.

Health director Paul Petit says that the county is ready to administer far more doses than we are getting right now, up to 600 doses a day, 3 days a week.  Right now the county is getting only 300 doses a week.  This week the state government opened vaccination up to about a third of the 19 million people in New York State but 90 percent of counties are not done vaccinating the first group of people who were authorized to receive it.  There are about 13 thousand people locally who are eligible to receive the vaccine.  Petit hopes that the state will fix the distribution slowdowns so the counties can speed up the administering of the vaccine.

COVID Update:  Genesee county has 49 new cases and 66 people have recovered.  10 people are hospitalized.  We are saddened to report 2 people at Premier Genesee nursing home have passed away.  Orleans county has 50 new cases and 34 people have recovered.  17 people are hospitalized.  2 of the new cases are at Orchard Rehab and Nursing.  There are 204 active cases in Genesee county, down from 227 yesterday and 268 In Orleans county up from 254.

Governor Cuomo has announced a proposal to make it illegal for persons with active warrants to purchase a gun.  This would close a federal loophole that made the law only apply to those who went across state lines while they were wanted for a federal crime.  The proposed legislation would immediately flag a person with an active warrant so they could not be sold a gun.

The Buffalo Bills are playing in primetime tomorrow night but you can’t watch the game to the end at a restaurant in New York.  Restauranteurs have been petitioning Governor Cuomo to lift the 10 pm curfew so they could let people watch the playoff game while they enjoyed their meals.   This lift has not been granted so fans should be ready to high tail it home at half time to finish out the game.

The Genesee County Health Department plans to open a vaccination clinic for persons in groups 1-A and 1-B by next Friday. (Jan 22)
The clinic will be held at Genesee Community College, Batavia campus.
Again this would be for Groups 1-A and 1-B only – basically those groups include front line health care workers, nursing home staff and residents, virtually anyone involved in healthcare delivery.
Group B includes persons over 65, first responders such as police and firemen.
The County Health Department is expected to announce a website later today that you can use to make an appointment at the GCC clinic.
Health Department officials describe the situation as “fluid” and are asking the public for patience.
We have posted a complete list of those people who are eligible for vaccinations in groups 1-A and 1-B – you can find it on our website at WBTAi-dot-com

COVID-19 has claimed two more lives in Genesee County. Both victims resided at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation. They were both over age 65.
Health officials say 49 new positive cases have been recorded in Genesee County.

The Buffalo Bills will look to take another big step towards Super Bowl 55 this weekend as they take on one of the toughest teams in the NFL. The AFC East champions are set to host reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park. Just like last week, there will be fans in the stands so long as they’ve tested negative for coronavirus. Kickoff for tomorrow night’s contest is set for eight-15 p-m.

The Mega Millions jackpot just keeps growing and is expected to end up being among the top lotto prizes in American history. There will be at least 750 million dollars up for grabs tonight because no one has bought a winning ticket since last September. Lottery officials are warning people about scammers, saying there are no random monetary awards handed out over social media, text or email.

Eligible New Yorkers in Phase 1A and 1B are:

• High-risk hospital workers (emergency room workers, ICU staff and Pulmonary Department staff)
• Residents and staff at nursing homes and other congregate care facilities
• Federally Qualified Health Center employees
• EMS workers
• Coroners, medical examiners and certain funeral workers
• Staff and residents at OPWDD, OMH and OASAS facilities
• Urgent Care providers
• Individuals administering COVID-19 vaccines, including local health department staff
• All Outpatient/Ambulatory front-line, high-risk health care workers of any age who provide direct in-person patient care
• All staff who are in direct contact with patients (i.e., intake staff)
• All front-line, high-risk public health workers who have direct contact with patients, including those conducting COVID-19 tests, handling COVID-19 specimens and COVID-19 vaccinations
• This includes, but is not limited to,
  • Doctors who work in private medical practices and their staff
  • Doctors who work in hospital-affiliated medical practices and their staff
  • Doctors who work in public health clinics and their staff
  • Registered Nurses
  • Specialty medical practices of all types
  • Dentists and Orthodontists and their staff
  • Psychiatrists and Psychologists and their staff
  • Physical Therapists and their staff
  • Optometrists and their staff
  • Pharmacists and Pharmacy Aides
  • Home care workers
  • Hospice workers
• Staff of nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities who did not receive COVID vaccination through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program

Beginning January 11, 2021:

• Individuals Age 65 and older
• First Responder and Support Staff for First Responder Agencies
  • Fire Service
    • State Fire Service, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)
    • Local Fire Services, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)
  • Police and Investigators
    • State Police, including Troopers
    • State Park Police, DEC Police, Forest Rangers
    • SUNY Police
    • Sheriffs’ Offices
    • County Police Departments and Police Districts
    • City, Town, and Village Police Departments
    • Transit of other Public Authority Police Departments
    • State Field Investigators, including Department of Motor Vehicles, State Commission of Correction, Justice Center, Department of Financial Services, Inspector General, Department of Tax and Finance, Office of Children and Family Services, and State Liquor Authority
  • Public Safety Communications
    • Emergency Communication and Public Safety Answering Point Personnel, including dispatchers and technicians
  • Other Sworn and Civilian Personnel
    • Court Officers
    • Other Police or Peace Officers
    • Support or Civilian Staff for Any of the above services, agencies, or facilities
• Corrections
  • State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Personnel, including correction and parole officers
  • Local Correctional Facilities, including correction officers
  • Local Probation Departments, including probation officers
  • State Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities
  • Local Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities
• In-person college instructors
• P-12 Schools
  • P-12 school or school district faculty or staff (includes all teachers, substitute teachers, student teachers, school administrators, paraprofessional staff and support staff including bus drivers)
  • Contractors working in a P-12 school or school district (including contracted bus drivers)
  • Licensed, registered, approved or legally exempt group Childcare Providers
  • Exempt Childcare setting
• Grocery store workers
• Employees or Support Staff of Licensed or Registered Childcare Setting
• Licensed, Registered, Approved or Legally Exempt Childcare Providers
• Public Transit
  • Airline and airport employees
  • Passenger railroad employees
  • Subway and mass transit employees (i.e., MTA, LIRR, Metro North, NYC Transit, Upstate transit)
  • Ferry employees
  • Port Authority employees
  • Public bus employees
• Individuals living in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared with individuals and families who are not part of the same household
• Individual working (paid or unpaid) in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared by individuals and families who are not part of the same household, in a position where there is potential for interaction with shelter residents

COVID-19 has claimed two more lives in Genesee County. Both victims resided at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation. They were both over age 65. Health officials say 49 new positive cases have been confirmed in 13 communities. Ten of the positive individuals are hospitalized. In Orleans County, 50 new cases were confirmed on Thursday with 17 people hospitalized. The upward trend also continues in Wyoming County, where 39 more positive cases were reported. The county reports 35 deaths.

New York State continues to administer the COVID-19 vaccination. However, the state is only receiving 300,000 doses a week, with a statewide population of more than 19 million. Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul says she believes the distribution will ramp up soon. Local Public Health Director Paul Pettit calls the current distribution method frustrating.

34-year-old Chad Michael Johnston of Washington Avenue in Batavia has been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree — a stimulant. At 1:07 a.m. Thursday Johnston was arrested. He was observed by Genesee County Emergency dispatchers in the vestibule of the Sheriff’s Office on Park Road in Batavia. While there, he was allegedly observed on video footage using a lighter in the corner. Upon further investigation, deputies said he was allegedly found in possession of seven baggies of crack cocaine. It was also found that Johnston allegedly used the lighter to light a glass pipe to smoke the crack cocaine while inside the vestibule.

Several high school sports deemed high-risk are still on hold. However, a renewed push looks to change that. On Thursday, several state lawmakers joined together, backing legislation to reinstate all high school sports. The lawmakers said “Governor Cuomo focused his State of the State message this week on the need for reopening our local economies and to start getting the lives of New Yorkers as back to normal as possible now.  For New York State’s high school student-athletes and their families, coaches, and entire school communities, that means to let sports seasons get started. The letter, which notes that New York is one of only seven states prohibiting high school sports, says that…Given the fact that a number of sections and leagues moved and delayed the start of their sports seasons to January 2021, they highly encourage Cuomo and others to adopt a realistic, comprehensive and evidence-based model which would allow all student-athletes to safely resume their sport NOW.

A Cheektowaga man has been charged with two misdemeanors for his alleged actions during an incident at the U.S. Capitol last week. 47-year-old Pete Harding, was arraigned Thursday on two misdemeanor counts – knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. He is the first person from Western New York to be charged after being at the Capitol during the attack that left five people dead.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has announced that just shy of $25 million in federal funding has been secured for the Poison Control Program. Gillibrand originally called for $30.1 million to support the nationwide network of 55 Poison Control Centers (PCCs). As public health and addiction support services operate on thin margins, according to Gillibrand’s office, she says these increased federal funds will be used to provide life-saving health care services in every state.

Governor Cuomo, now in his 4^th day of the state of the state address, talked about New York Infrastructure which he says is getting 306 billion dollars of investments including finishing the 390/490 interchange this year and pulling down the buffalo skyway.  He also said that airports will be getting big overhauls and rebuilds to bring them up to modern standards.

COVID Update: Genesee county has 49 new cases and 47 people have recovered.  16 people are hospitalized.  4 of the new cases are at Premiere Genesee and 6 are at the Leroy Village Green.  Orleans county has 39 new cases and 26 people have recovered.  14 people are hospitalized.  1 of the new cases is at Orchard Rehab and Nursing.  1 more person in Orleans county has passed away.  There are 227 active cases in Genesee county and 254 in Orleans.  There was a COVID positive person at Batavia’s Original on January 9^th from noon to 1pm.  If you were at this restaurant at this time monitor yourself for COVID symptoms.

Rochester Regional Health opened a drive through covid vaccination clinic at the Jerome Center today.  This clinic is just for people 75 and over and only for patients of Rochester regional health.  They are calling patients to schedule appointments, which is the only way to take advantage of this new clinic.  Rochester Regional Health will expand this process to include patients age 65 years and older beginning next week.

Perhaps don’t commit crimes in the sheriff’s office?   34 year old Chad Johnston of Washington avenue in Batavia was arrested after he lit up a crack pipe in the entrance to the sheriffs office on Park road at about 1 am this morning.  He was seen on security cameras and a deputy caught him with 7 baggies of crack cocaine and a glass pipe.  He was arrested and charged with Criminal possession of a controlled substance.  Johnston was arraigned at 9 am this morning.

Just because you may be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Genesee County, doesn’t mean you are going to get it.

Matt Landers

Genesee County Manager Matt Landers says, be prepared to wait

Officials said that Genesee County’s supply of vaccine for this week was only 400 doses…only 200 in Orleans county, and both counties are still working on group 1-A, front line healthcare workers.

Genesee County plans to open a vaccine distribution site by mid to late next week on the campus of GCC.
It will operate on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays – but you must pre-register.
How? By calling this number: 1-833-697-4829.

Genesee County reports 49 new positive COVID cases. 16 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. No new virus-related deaths were reported on Wednesday. Health department officials say Orleans County recorded 39 new COVID cases with 14 hospitalizations, one person has died. . Twenty-two new cases were confirmed in Wyoming County.

Only one of the area’s three representatives in Congress have voted in support of President Trump being impeached for a second time. Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins says Trump needs to be held responsible for inciting last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead.
However, both Republican Congressman Chris Jacobs, who represents Genesee County, and Republican Congressman Tom Reed disagree. They say it’s time for the country to heal and focus on the peaceful transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden next week.

For the first time in months, the Buffalo Sabres will finally be back on the ice tonight. They’ll begin their new season at home against the Washington Capitals. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there won’t be any fans allowed in the seats at KeyBank Center

Genesee County reports 49 new positive COVID cases. The new infections involve residents in Batavia, LeRoy and 11 other communities. 16 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. No new virus-related deaths were reported on Wednesday. Health department officials say Orleans County recorded 39 new COVID cases with 14 hospitalizations. Twenty-two new cases were confirmed in Wyoming County.

President Donald Trump was impeached for alleged crimes while in office for a second time and area congressman Chris Collins did not join his house colleagues in accusing the president of inciting an attempted insurrection on Jan. 6. In a statement, Jacobs said “our nation is clearly divided. Healing this division and moving the country forward should be our first and foremost priority.” He added… This rushed impeachment proceeding accomplishes none of these goals, especially given that the President has agreed to an orderly and peaceful transition of power on January 20^th.

As COVID cases continue to mount, the Town of Batavia has extended its local state of emergency. Town Supervisor Gregory Post says this situation continues to threaten the public safety.

The Girl Scouts branch office on Jackson Street in Batavia closed its doors at the start of the coronavirus pandemic with services to members being provided virtually, by mail, and by other service center locations. Now that location is closing, according to Callie Johnson, VP of Marketing for Girl Scouts in WNY. Officials said the organization hopes to find another service center site in Batavia once it’s safe to reopen. The Batavia office lease expires February 1.

Some orange zone restaurants that are part of a lawsuit against the state over indoor dining restrictions secured a legal win Wednesday. A judge granted a preliminary injunction in the case, allowing some restaurants taking part in the lawsuit to assume yellow zone-level dining rules. This is not a permanent injunction. A conference has been scheduled for later this month, during which a hearing on a potential permanent injunction will be held.

Here’s a chilling story that comes from the southern tier region…in Allegany County – Five of the eight defendants charged with the brutal murder of 23-year-old Nicholas Burdge at an apartment on Main Street in Wellsville last March were in Allegany County court Wednesday, where they accepted deals and pled guilty to lesser crimes. Initially, most were charged with second-degree murder. It was called one of the most brutal crimes ever in that area. The victim was duct taped to a chair, beaten and stabbed for hours, then dumped in the Genesee River. One teenage boy will receive probation, while it is prison time for the others, up to 16 years for some. No one was convicted of murder. Trials are pending for two others, who maintain not guilty pleas. The boy’s mother said she was disappointed with the deals offered. “They should get the maximum,” she said.

Fineline Pipeline will close Perry Road, between York Road and Dillion Road in Pavilion until about 3:30 p.m. today for water main installation. The road will be accessible to local traffic and emergency vehicles only. The contractor will also close York Road between Perry Road and South Street Road in Pavilion for two to three weeks. The closures are expected Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is announcing plans are being finalized to commence needed maintenance work on the NY-237 bridge deck over the Erie Canal in the town of Murray in Orleans County. The work will be completed either this year or in 2022 depending on public safety factors and contractor resource availability. The bridge will need to be closed for six weeks as maintenance work takes place, at which point a detour will be established.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

In Governor Cuomo’s third day of delivering the State of the State Speech he focused on advancing green technology in New York State.  In addition to addressing climate change, the governor said transitioning to a green economy will also provide crucial economic benefits for the state in a post-COVID world.  Cuomo said that New York will focus on creating the green technologies instead of getting them from other countries, increase transmission capacities to connect energy to locations that need it, and train and educate and employ a workforce to meet the needs of new energy systems. Cuomo proposed the largest wind project in the country and the creation of a 20 million dollar offshore wind training institute.  He said he hopes that green technology will bring 11 million jobs to New York State.

COVID Update: Genesee county has 79 new cases and 35 people have recovered.  3 of the new cases are at Genesee Senior Living, 2 are at the Batavia VA medical center, 2 are at the veterans home.  2 residents at Genesee senior living have passed from COVID.  Orleans county has 100 new cases since Friday and 114 people have recovered.  1 new case is at Orchard Rehab and nursing.  There are 252 active cases in Genesee county and 243 in Orleans.

Section 6 officials announced that low and moderate risk sports can begin practicing and having competitions on Monday.  The list of low risk sports includes bowling, swimming, rifle and downhill skiing.  Basketball, hockey, wrestling and cheerleading are still on hold.

Testing for the next Bills playoff game starts today with fanes going through the drive through rapid COVID-19 testing in the parking lot at the Bills stadium in Orchard Park.  Out of the 6700 fans who tested to go into the stadium last week 137 tested positive.

The US-Canada border will remain closed to non essential travel till at least February 21^st announced Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  Non essential travel has been banned since march of 2020.

Do you want a free calendar?  The TSA is giving away a calendar that gives you 12 months of awwwwww as you gaze into the eyes of hard working canines that help keep “transportation systems safe across the United States.”  You can download a copy of the calendar at wbtai.com.

https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/tsa_canine_calendar_2021.pdf

Genesee County’s grim toll of coronavirus deaths increases by two.
In the latest report from the county health department issued late yesterday, shows two more people who resided at Genesee Senior Living have passed away from the virus.
Both were over 65. It brings the county’s death toll since the start of the pandemic to 37.

If you would like to receive a COVID-19 test, the county has several appointments available for tomorrow.
The drive through testing is available at the Fire Training Center on State Street Road from 1 until 4 in the afternoon.
You must first register on-line: https://on.ny.gov/3beJV5T

County officials are taking to the air to issue a COVID-19 update.
County Manager Matt Landers will appear tomorrow on WBTA’s Main and Center program to talk about local vaccine distribution.
That program begins at 9:05 tomorrow morning on WBTA AM, FM and online.
At 10:30 tomorrow morning, Landers will be joined by public health director Paul Pettit for a live COVID-19 media briefing. WBTA will broadcast that briefing from the county office building beginning at 10:30 tomorrow morning.

Chris Jacobs (R-NY)

Western New York Congressman Chris Jacobs weighs in on the effort to invoke the 25th amendment to remove president Trump from office.
The non-binding measure passed last night.
Jacobs, a solid Trump supporter, said the 25th amendment was not intended to be a means of punishment.
Jacobs remains silent of the matter of impeachment. A vote in expected on that matter later today.

A Batavia woman is facing drug and other counts after she was pulled over in the Wyoming County Town of Sheldon for traveling more than 20 mph above the posted speed limit. During the traffic stop, 30-year-old Tawnya Muscato was allegedly found in possession of five bags of suspected Fentanyl and multiple pieces of drug use and drug packaging paraphernalia.  Muscato also performed poorly on roadside field sobriety testing and was taken to the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office for processing. Muscato was subsequently charged with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, and Speed in Zone.

A Batavia man was jailed in Livingston County after he was accused of committing a felony crime. Deputies there arrested 35-year-old Norman Michael Jr. He was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class D felony. He was arraigned and jailed without bail. He’ll appear in Town of Nunda court on January 21.

Six House Republicans Tuesday introduced a censure resolution accusing President Trump of violating his oath of office by attempting to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 election and by sparking a riot at the Capitol with his continued lies about the election. The censure resolution affirms that President-elect Joe Biden won the election and says Trump “gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government.” The GOP effort — led by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Tom Reed of New York– is seen as a middle ground offer by the GOP to call out Trump’s behavior while stopping short of an impeachment trial that could further fracture the country. In a statement, Reed said “This is an important step to hold the president accountable.”

The City of Batavia Water Department is making repairs to a water main break in front of 142 Pearl Street. Work should be completed by 3:00 pm. The water will be turned off on Pearl St. from 100 Pearl to the western City line. This could result in low water pressure condition for some residents.  Other residents in the area may experience discolored water, which should return to normal once repairs are complete.  Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry, which may be impacted.

Genesee County received 79 new positive cases of COVID-19 for a total of 3,135 positive cases. 21 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Two more people have died. They were residents at Genesee Senior Living. Orleans County reports 100 news cases; Wyoming County reports 15 new cases.

A familiar name to baseball and hockey fans in Elmira, Robbie Nichols owner of CAN-USA sports, will put a collegiate baseball team on the field at Dwyer Stadium…

New Muckdogs’ Owner Robbie Nichols

On the heels of Monday’s city council approval of a five-year lease for Dwyer Stadium, Nichols has announced that the new team will bear an old name.

The Muckdogs, formerly of the NYP league will keep its name under new ownership in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball league.

Expect a home opener the end of May. The league plays a total of 30 home and 30 away games. Players will live with host families and Nichols says the goal is to have at least four players with tines to the local area.

The COVID-19 pandemic could interfere with plans for the new Muckdogs, but Nichols pledged to City Council on Monday that if the team can not play this season, they will be here next year.
Season tickets are not on sale. They will start at 99-dollars. Details on how to or email purchase can be found on our website, WBTAi-dot-com.

Season tickets can be purchased by calling: 607-734-7825 or email: mwitt.canusa@gmail.com

The new team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League will be called the Muckdogs continuing the 26 year tradition of having a team called the Muckdogs at Dwyer Stadium. They plan on having the season start Memorial Day weekend for a 60 game season, 30 home and 30 away.  Currently there is a manager, Jose Martinez and the team is looking for players and host families for them.

The governor announced this morning that Group 1B will now include people 65 and up as the CDC is expected to revise its recommendations on who should be vaccinated first.  This will make about a third of New Yorkers eligible to receive the vaccine.  The CDC and New York’s department of health are still working on what constitutes a comorbidity to open up vaccines for that group as well.

Governor Cuomo did the second part of the state of the state address which is usually a one speech deal but is being spread out over the whole week this week.  Cuomo said that New York must open up restaurants and business’s smartly and safely.  He advocated for the rapid testing that was used at the Bills game to test fans.  Cuomo said that he hopes to open up arts venues before the summer and has a new initiative targeted at New York City.  Cuomo also said that he is working to get broadband internet to all New Yorkers for 15 dollars a month or less because more people are working from home.

Take some care on the roads this evening, until at least 7pm the national weather service is warning of freezing drizzle that could make roads and sidewalks slippery.

COVID Update: Over the weekend Genesee County had 170 new cases and 155 people have recovered.  21 people are hospitalized.  8 of the new cases are at Leroy Village Green, 7 are at Premier Genesee and 2 are at the VA Medical Center.  Orleans county has 100 new cases but released no more information.  There was a COVID positive person at Tully’s in Batavia on January 3^rd between 7 and 8:30pm.  If you were there at that time please monitor yourself for symptoms.

The Buffalo Bills will be playing against the Baltimore ravens on Saturday at 8:15pm.  The Ravens are 11 and 5 while the Bills are 13 and 3 this season.  The ravens are coming off a win against the Tennessee Titans.  The last time the Ravens came to Orchard Park, Baltimore came away with a 24-17 victory on December 8, 2019.

The City of Batavia Water Department is going to be repairing a water main break in front of 142 Pearl St. on Wednesday January 13, 2021. Work will begin at 8:00 am and should be completed by 3:00 pm. The water will be turned off on Pearl St. from 100 Pearl to the western City line. This could result in low water pressure condition for some residents.

Batavia City Hall has proposed a tax rate increase of 1.38-percent for the next fiscal year. It means that if your home is assed at $75,000, your city property taxes will go up by just under $10 a year.
The proposed spending plan, drafted by City Manager Rachel Tabelski, also lays off one ordinance enforcement officer and leaves unfilled two vacant police officer positions and three vacant firefighter posts. The plan will increase water rates by about $17.56 per year.
All of this is subject to final approval by city council. They can add or delete items from the budget but the final budget must be ready by April 1st.

Council did approve a five year agreement with CAN-USA sports to lease Dwyer Stadium for a Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League team.
The owner that team, Robbie Nichols of Elmira, is holding a news conference later today to announce details. Major league baseball eliminated the Class A NYPL league, and along with it, the Batavia Muckdogs.

City Council has thrown its support behind a $500,000 dollar grant application to renovate the Batavia Showtime Movie Theatres on Alva place. There is no city money involved.
Owner Ken Mister is planning to convert the twin screen movie house to one theatre and the remaining place into an event center for various forms of entertainment, meetings and trade shows.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says additional groups of people will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine including “public-facing grocery store workers,” in-person college instructors and people living and working in homeless shelters. The initial groups of Phase 1b now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine included those 75 and older, first responders, Corrections Officers, teachers and other school staff, childcare workers and public transit workers.

Millions of Americans will be spending two bucks today in hopes of winning a whole lot more money. That’s because tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot has soared to $615-million.. That’s the fourth-highest amount in the history of the game and the eighth largest prize in U.S. lottery history. The live drawing will take place at 11 p-m and be broadcast online at megamillions.com.

Governor Andrew Cuomo Monday announced that following successful implementation of the pilot plan to open Bills Stadium to fans last week, Buffalo Bills fans can attend the team’s second home playoff game on Saturday, January 16. Approximately 6,700 fans will be allowed to attend the game only after first obtaining a negative COVID-19 test result and adhering to all public health precautions. Contact tracing will also be conducted after the game and tailgating remains prohibited. This plan was developed cooperatively between the Bills, the New York State Department of Health and BioReference Laboratories.

The New York State Bar Association has launched a historic inquiry into removing Trump Attorney Rudy Giuliani from its membership. Hours before the angry mob stormed the Capitol walls, Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, addressed a crowd of thousands at the White House, reiterating claims of widespread election fraud in the presidential election and the Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs. Giuliani said, “Let’s have trial by combat.”  The decision is historic for the New York Bar, and officials say they have not made it lightly. The Association says it cannot stand idly by and allow those intent on rending the fabric of our democracy to go unchecked.

Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered a virtual State of the State address Monday in Albany. The governor outlined a seven-part plan to tackle the economic, health, and societal effects of the coronavirus pandemic. They include ramping up vaccinations, addressing health care inequalities, and combatting racism. Gov. Cuomo said one aspect of his plan is to begin re-opening the economy safely and smartly.

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants this morning from approximately 9 to 11 a.m. in the general area of north of Main Street and west of Oak Street. Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about five minutes or until clear.

NY Republican Congressman Tom Reed published an op-ed in The New York Times Monday, calling on Congress to set aside impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump in favor of other options. In the article, Reed says President Trump “must face justice” for the riot at the Capitol on January 6, but says “the manner in which President Trump and others are held accountable is a difficult question that demands more scrutiny.” The House article of impeachment introduced Monday accused the president of “Incitement of Insurrection.” In his op-ed, Reed says, “while the president’s words were unwise, intemperate and wrong, they may not qualify as incitement.” Reed goes on to write, “We cannot and should not support a rushed, divisive action simply because the emotions of the moment demand it. That is not the American way.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says additional groups of people will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine including “public-facing grocery store workers,” in-person college instructors and people living and working in homeless shelters. The initial groups of Phase 1b now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine included 75 and older, first responders, Corrections Officers, teachers and other school staff, childcare workers and public transit workers. The governor said vaccine administrations can begin at hundreds of sites and due to limited federal distribution of vaccine supply, all New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient when scheduling appointments as it could take up to 14 weeks to determine eligibility and schedule appointments with providers.

Starting today, over three million more New Yorkers will be eligible to start receiving COVID-19 vaccine.   Firefighters, teachers, public safety workers and residents over the age of 75 can use an online portal on the Department of Health website to sign up for their vaccinations.  Find a link to it on wbtai.com.

New York is receiving 300 thousand does of the vaccine a week so there will be a waitlist.  Expect more doses to become available for everyone as the other companies which created vaccines get approved and production ramps up.  Shots will be administered at places like pharmacies, medical offices and hospitals.

https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/

Laurie Taylor doctor of osteopathic medicine at UMMC has received her second dose of the COVID Vaccine.  She said that she is not immune yet but is relieved because she knows she will be soon.  She had minimal side effects including body aches and a slight fever that were knocked out by some ibuprofen and Tylenol.

Governor Cuomo delivered a different kind of state of the state address today from the state war room.  He called the fight against COVID a war and blamed the federal government for the failures of the vaccine rollout.  The state is looking to expand rapid testing sites across New York. Cuomo is also supporting the advancing of legislation to improve telehealth services for all citizens.  He outlined other steps to help foster growth in the state’s economy and close the 15 billion dollar deficit, including advancing a marijuana legalization program for adults and mobile sports betting.  Cuomo said that he will give several more state of the state addresses through the week.

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing and testing fire hydrants on Tuesday, from about 9 to 11 a.m. in the general area of north of Main Street and west of Oak Street.  Homes and businesses nearby will be affected.  These tests cause discoloration of water in the area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do have a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about five minutes.

The Buffalo Bills will be playing in primetime on Saturday against either the Steelers or the Ravens after their 27 to 24 victory over the Colts during Saturdays wildcard game.  The game will be played at 8:15pm in Orchard Park.  Bills fans will once again be allowed to attend the game, the exact plan is assumed to be the same as the game on the 9^th.

The biggest jump in a long time, gas has risen 4 cents in the last week in Batavia.  A gallon of regular is 2.31 locally, nationally the price rose 6 cents to 2.32.  Prices rose after Saudi Arabia said it would cut production by a million barrels a day during February and March.

Governor Cuomo laying out his vision for the year ahead during his State of the State address today.
The Governor is expected to focus on several key issues including recreational marijuana legalization, sports betting and how to close a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall.
A portion of the speech will also center on New York’s continuing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of the health crisis, the governor is presenting the State of the State virtually.

Chris Jacobs (R-NY)

Western New York Congressman Chris Jacobs continues his support of Donald Trump. Jacobs, while claiming he opposes the violent assault on the Capital, says he will not support any effect to impeach Trump or remove him from office. UIn a statement issued in response to WBTA News partner The Batavian  Jacobs said, “an impeachment proceeding would have, in his words, catastrophic effects on the civil fabric of the country.”

Starting today, over three million more New Yorkers will be eligible to start receiving COVID-19 vaccine.
Firefighters, teachers, public safety workers and residents over the age of 75 can use an online portal on the Department of Health website to sign up for their vaccinations.
However, it may take weeks for them to actually get vaccinated depending on how many doses the state receives.
Those shots will be administered at places like pharmacies, medical offices and hospitals.

Gasoline prices inching up in Batavia.
The triple A reports the average price of a gallon of regular at $2.31,
4-cents higher than last week, but 35-cents a gallon less than one year ago.

The Buffalo Bills are one step closer to the Super Bowl, and now they know who they’ll be playing this weekend. The AFC East champions are set to host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at Bills Stadium. Buffalo is coming off a thrilling 27 to 24 home victory over the Indianapolis Colts Saturday, which was the team’s first playoff win since 1995.
Kickoff for this Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 8:15 p-m.

The number of state legislators that are demanding the resignation of Congressman Chris Jacob continues to grow. As of Sunday afternoon, the list grew to seven. The calls for the resignation have been prompted by Jacobs objecting to the certification of the 2020 Presidential election. Jacobs Press Secretary issued a statement saying…“These officials have abandoned their jobs for months while the Governor’s mismanagement has led to countless nursing home deaths, the shuttering of businesses, and a rise in violent crime rates. Instead of doing their jobs, they have chosen to engage in opportunistic outrage when it politically suits them.”

A weekend fire damaged a Le Roy home. Smoke and flames were reported at 61 Mill Street. Le Roy, Bergen, and City of Batavia fire departments responded. No injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze has not been released.

Court action is pending for a Batavia man who faces multiple felony counts. Sheriff’s deputies arrested 43-year-old Walter Hale Jr. during a traffic stop on Ellicott Street Road in Pavilion. He was charged with felony DWI, felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation as well as using a vehicle without an ignition interlock device, refusal to take a breath test and drinking booze in a vehicle on a public highway. Hale was taken to the County Jail and arraigned. He was ordered held without bail and is due to return to court February 8^th.

The Village of Elba is looking for a Village Trustee candidate to run in the March 16 election. This is a four-year year term, and the candidate must be a Village of Elba resident, who is at least 18 years of age. Contact the mayor or the Village Office (585) 757-6889 for information.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is announcing a proposal to expand access to telehealth as part of his 2021 State of the State Address. The governor’s proposal seeks to modernize regulations and facilitate access to quality health care, including mental health and substance use disorder services in underserved and rural communities. The reforms will address adjusting reimbursement incentives to encourage telehealth, eliminating outdated regulatory prohibitions on the delivery of telehealth, removing outdated location requirements, addressing technical unease among both patients and providers through training programs, and establishing other programs to incentivize innovative uses of telehealth.

The Batavia Police Collaboration Advisory Stakeholders Group, formed in response to an executive order from the governor, is nearing the completion of its official task but that won’t mean the end of an effort to improve relations between police officers and local residents. A draft resolution and draft report expected to go to the City Council in a few weeks for approval says the city meets all of the state’s requirements on a variety of areas the group needed to review, but it also says there will be efforts to increase communication between the Police Department and residents both broadly and individually.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced that she is campaigning for reelection. Warren’s announcement comes after she was charged for allegedly breaking campaign finance rules and committing fraud during her reelection campaign three years ago.

Some members of Congress plan to introduce at least one resolution in the House today to impeach President Donald Trump following a riot — what has been called an insurrection or attempt to overthrow the government — by hundreds of his supporters at the Capitol Building last week. Rep. Chris Jacobs said he does not support impeachment. In a prepared statement, the congressman said…“To carry out an unprecedented, politicized, and rushed impeachment proceeding with less than two weeks left in the President’s term would have catastrophic effects on the civil fabric of our nation.” He added that “President Trump has committed to a smooth and orderly transition of power and that should be our focus for the next 10 days.”

Between Monday and Friday vaccination rates went up from roughly 10 thousand a day to over 50 thousand a day in New York.  This came after Governor Cuomo threatened hospital systems with fines and loss of access to the vaccine if they did not use up all their weekly allotment of vaccines.  New York receives 300000 doses of vaccine a week.  Governor Cuomo says that the rate of vaccination is still far too low so the state will be opening more distribution centers using pharmacies, private doctors, county health departments and ambulatory centers.  This follows the federal vaccination plan.

Those who are in group 1A and 1B can begin making reservations to get the vaccine for COVID 19 on Monday.  1A is healthcare workers which are about 2.1 million people.  1B is the larger group made up people over 75, teachers, first responders, public safety workers and public transit workers.

COVID-19 Update: Genesee county has 68 new cases and 66 people recovered. 26 people are hospitalized.  3 of the new cases are at Premier Genesee, 3 are at the Batavia VA medical center and 1 is at the New York State Veterans Home.  Orleans county has 32 new cases and 48 people have recovered.  14 people are hospitalized.  There are 222 active cases in Genesee county and 263 in Orleans.

The New York Penn League has made it official, professional baseball is out of Batavia.  Major league baseball has announced some changes to how players are developed.  One of them is the elimination of Rookies.  Another is no more Class A Short Season baseball.  This gets rid of most club affiliations in the New York Penn League.  For Major League Baseball this will mean thousands of players no longer being able to play and for Batavia, no more professional baseball.

The Genesee county master gardeners series will start on January 21^st at noon with do it yourself teacup garden art by bonnie B.  At this time the talks will be via zoom.  The talks are free but registration is required.  Check out the events page on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County website for details.