Local News

Genesee County held its first asymptomatic COVID testing today for people exhibiting no COVID symptoms.  The tests are rapid self administered tests that take only 15 minutes to get results.  In the first hour of today’s testing, three positive cases were detected.  Public Health Director Paul Petit explains the significance:

The ground shook near Buffalo a few weeks ago, now the air is shaking as well near Syracuse.  A large boom that shook homes just after noon turned out to be a meteor that exploded above central New York between Syracuse and Lake Ontario…so says Robert Lunsford, who tracks meteor activity for the American Meteor Society, which was founded in Geneseo.  On Wednesday evening, NASA’s Meteor Watch group confirmed the incident on Facebook, saying at 12:08 p.m., “A large meteoroid entered Earth’s atmosphere over upper New York, between Rochester and Syracuse.” The site said the meteor was clocked traveling westward at 56,000 miles per hour and broke into pieces at an altitude of about 22 miles, “producing a bright flash seen by the public and cameras in the area.”  A video shot from the top of CN Tower in Toronto shows a bright flash that momentarily blanks out the sky.  Central New Yorkers as far away as Oswego hear it but didn’t see it because of the overcast conditions.

The Genesee Choral is putting on a virtual concert on December 19^th called On earth Peace.  This 30 minute online choral performance will be broadcast at 7 pm on Saturday the 19^th and tickets are 5 dollars.  Selections will feature the entire Genesee Chorale as well as select ensembles of its members, culminating in a full choir performance of “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”  If you can’t watch the night of, you can still buy tickets and watch later using the same link.

Genesee county park and forest’s Create-A-Critter is CANCELLED due to COVID-19 for this Saturday December 5th. Both the morning and the afternoon sessions are cancelled.

Bills linebacker AJ Klein has been named AFC defensive Player of the week for week 12.  He got 14 tackles on Sunday against the chargers, 1 and a half sacks which makes him the team leader with 5 sacks total.  He is one of only 2 players with over 50 tackles and 5 sacks in the entire NFL so far this season.

The WNY National Cemetery in Pembroke, which was dedicated in a ceremony earlier this week is now accepting reservations for interments for deceased qualified veterans, according to a spokesman for Veterans Affairs. The chief of public affairs and outreach for the VA’s National Cemetery Administration said families and funeral directors who wish to schedule interments can do so by calling the National Cemetery Scheduling Office. Interment dates and times are determined on a first-come, first-served basis in accordance with the family’s wishes and available time slots at the cemetery.

News of Pfizer…and Moderna…moving forward with their FDA requests for vaccine Emergency Use Authorizations….giving millions of Americans hope…that life can return to normal. The same, of course, true for lawmakers, who hope to see their states’ economies recover. Governor Cuomo Wednesday saying…it’s been assured there will be enough vaccines for every New Yorker.

COVID-19 has claimed another life in Genesee County. Health officials say the latest victim was under the age of 65. Meanwhile, another 44 cases have been confirmed. The new infections include people who live in Alexander, Batavia, Byron, Le Roy, Oakfield and Pembroke. Thirteen people remain hospitalized. Orleans County reports nine new cases and Wyoming County confirms 18 new cases.

M&T Bank expressed their appreciation to the Elba community by providing it with two new pieces of play apparatus, mulch and two trees for the Village Park in addition to a Little Free Library in front of the Village Office. Installation of the play apparatus and mulch was a project completed as part of the 2019 United Way Day of Caring. The recognition ceremony and plaque presentation were delayed this year due to COVID-19. Village officials thanked Bank representatives through the presentation of a plaque, which will be hung in the ATM vestibule located at the former M&T Bank on Route 98. The former bank is being retrofitted by the Town of Elba for the relocation of their offices.

The City of Batavia and the Batavia Police Department are asking city residents to participate in an online survey…the results of which will be used in formulating the department’s response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order, which requires police departments across New York State to submit reform plans to the state by April 1. The online survey can be accessed on the city’s website – just click on the police tab. The survey is just one component of the various outreach and engagement efforts being conducted by the Batavia Police Advisory Collaboration Stakeholder Group. The Stakeholder Group has met several times with the next meeting scheduled for Dec. 10th.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos has announced that DEC gift cards and electronic gift certificates for stays and services at all DEC campgrounds are now available for purchase online. DEC camping gift cards are physical cards mailed to the designated recipient. Electronic gift certificates will be emailed to the purchaser for printing and/or emailing to the recipient. DEC operates 52 campgrounds and five day-use areas in the Adirondack and Catskill forest preserves.

Police departments received reports Wednesday afternoon of a large boom that shook homes and led to a loud blast. Turns out it was likely a meteor that exploded and disintegrated in midair above Syracuse around noontime…so says Robert Lunsford, who tracks meteor activity for the American Meteor Society, which was founded in Geneseo, Livingston County. On Wednesday evening, NASA’s Meteor Watch group confirmed the incident on Facebook, saying at 12:08 p.m., “A large meteoroid entered Earth’s atmosphere over upper New York, between Rochester and Syracuse.” The site said the meteor was clocked traveling westward at 56,000 miles per hour and broke into pieces at an altitude of about 22 miles, “producing a bright flash seen by the public and cameras in the area.”

The City of Batavia and the Batavia Police Department are asking city residents to participate in an on-line survey the results of which will be used in formulating the department’s response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 which requires police departments across New York State to submit reform plans to the state by April 1, 2021.

The on-line survey can be accessed at https://s.surveyplanet.com/N50gQHVin.  It is anticipated that filling out the survey will take approximately 5 minutes.

The survey is just one component of the various outreach and engagement efforts being conducted by the Batavia Police Advisory Collaboration Stakeholder Group.  The Stakeholder Group has met several times with the next meeting scheduled for December 10^th at a venue still to be determined because of concerns about the increasing COVID infection rates.

“Community feedback and input is a critical component of our efforts in developing our plan,” said City of Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch.  “We realize that not every resident has reliable on-line access so various members of the stakeholder group are going to assist residents to fill out the survey.”

The survey asks residents to answer various questions, including the nature of their last interaction with the police department and how they would rate that experience; a series of questions based on a 1-5 rating as to whether they strongly agree or strongly disagree with various statements about the police department; a list of options as far as what the police department should be prioritizing; whether or not assigning non-law enforcement professionals should respond to certain 911 calls; and, various demographic information among others.

“Public input is crucial to understanding the community’s feelings about our police force. We look forward to utilizing the survey results to further the planning process we have undertaken with the Batavia Police Collaboration Stakeholder Group,” said Rachael Tabelski, Interim City Manager.

The City will be working with strategic partners in the community, including the City of Batavia School District, faith-based organizations, the Batavia Housing Authority, the Batavia Business Improvement District and others to push the survey out.

The survey will be on-line from Wednesday, December 2^nd – Wednesday, December 9^th. Preliminary results will be shared with the Stakeholder Group at its December 10^th meeting and then a final report will be made public after the results have been tabulated.

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Today Governor Cuomo Announced that 170 thousand doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to New York State by December 15^th.  Cuomo also said the state expects additional allocations of Pfizer’s vaccine and initial allocations of Moderna’s vaccine this month.  The vaccine will be distributed first to healthcare workers and nursing home residents.  Officials said by the end of December there is expected to be 40 million vaccine doses available nationwide, enough for 20 million people to receive two doses. This is about 6 percent of America.  Cuomo said that we could be back to normal by between June and September when 75 to 85 percent of the population will be able to be vaccinated.

Genesee county is offering free drive through testing for COVID 19 to asymptomatic individuals starting Thursday.  Self-administrated rapid tests can be had at the Genesee county emergency management office and fire training facility at 7690 State Street in Batavia.  If you think you have been exposed but don’t have any symptoms you can request a test online at the NYS health department website.

COVID Update: Genesee county has 8 new cases and 126 people have recovered.  12 people are hospitalized.  Orleans county has 9 new cases and 11 people have recovered.  6 people are hospitalized.  There are 207 active cases in Genesee county and 37 in Orleans.

The newly dedicated national cemetery in Pembroke is now accepting reservations for interments.  The plots are only available for deceased qualified veterans and dates and times are on a first come first serve basis.  This cemetery was dedicated on Monday and is the only national cemetery in wester Ny.

News Release

Editors Note: This release was prepared by Earl Wells e3communications, a private Public Relations firm paid by Genesee County.

Genesee County will offer residents, who are asymptomatic (no symptoms, not feeling sick, etc.), with free drive-thru COVID-19 self-administered rapid testing on Thursday, December 3, 2020 at the Genesee County Emergency Management Office & Fire Training Facility, at 7690 State Street Road in the Town of Batavia.  The free testing will be offered from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For anyone with a recent potential exposure to COVID-19, it is not recommended to be tested until at least 5 days have passed since the exposure. Anyone with any cold or flu-like symptoms, even if mild, will not be eligible for this test, and neither will any others arriving in their car.

Those interested in scheduling a test must register on-line at https://on.ny.gov/3qihbhF.

Anyone needing additional help for online registration may contact the Genesee County Health Department at 585-344-2580 ext. 5555.
“It is very important to note that this testing is not for residents who are experiencing symptoms. Those individuals should be contacting their physician to discuss treatment and testing options,” said Paul A. Pettit, MSL, CPH, Genesee and Orleans County Public Health Director.  “Given the surge of infections in the county, it’s important that we identify those who are infected that may not be demonstrating any symptoms and in fact are feeling fine.”

At the drive-thru site, a staff member for the testing center will offer guidance for residents to administer their own self-test by using a cotton swab.  Each person in a vehicle will self-administer their own test; if there is a minor in the car an adult in the vehicle will be asked to administer the test.  People will then drive off and will be contacted via phone with the results, with option for these results to be emailed as well.

“If a person who is asymptomatic tests positive for the virus, he or she will need to be in isolation for a minimum of 10 days,” Pettit continued.  “While this might discourage people from getting tested, we need to work together as a community to reduce the surge, plus someone who is asymptomatic can still infect a loved one who is not.”

The Problem Solvers Caucus and a bipartisan group of Senators have announced a four-month bipartisan, emergency relief framework that will help American students, families, small businesses, workers, and health care providers during this COVID crisis. The Problem Solvers Caucus, 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans, helped develop the bicameral package. The framework allocates $908 billion in total aid, including both new funding and the reallocation of previously appropriated CARES Act funding.

The Batavia City Council is looking to fill a part-time City Court Judge position. The job is appointed by City Council to serve a six (6) year term and will be effective Jan. 1. Minimum qualifications require candidates to be an attorney in the State of New York for at least five years as of the date he or she commences the duties of the office and must be a resident of the City of Batavia.

Some drivers on the New York State Thruway can expect to pay a little more in the new year. A proposal for new toll rates was approved by the Thruway Advisory Board, and is scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1. Under the plan, those paying tolls via mail will be charged 30% more than the E-ZPass toll rate. There will also be a $2 administrative surcharge on each billing statement. Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew Driscoll said they haven’t imposed a toll adjustment in 10 years.

Rochester Regional Health is looking to extend its reach in Genesee County through the construction of a four-story, 140,000-square foot office building at 8103 Oak Orchard Road (Route 98) in the Town of Batavia. Dan Ireland is chief executive officer of United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia…He said “This campus is the latest step in Rochester Regional Health’s plan to expand access to care.”

Eight new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Genesee County. That brings the total number of cases since March in Genesee to 1,041. A dozen people remain hospitalized. 126 people have recovered and removed from the isolation list. In Orleans County, nine new cases were confirmed. Thirty new cases have been confirmed since Monday in Wyoming County.

Due to the local surge of COVID case numbers, UR Medicine is curtailing some non-essential surgeries. In an email to employees, the head of the hospital system says it believes it is at a point where this is necessary. Decisions will be made case by case and day by day. UR Medicine says a team of surgeons and people in leadership roles will meet daily to review the next day’s plan and discuss the best approach.

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has a new Bishop, Michael W Fisher.  He is the 15^th bishop of Buffalo and was appointed to the position by Pope Francis.  Fisher comes into a tough situation as many lawsuits over sexual abuse by clergy over several decades have caused the Diocese to declare bankruptcy.  The Movement to Restore Trust, a catholic organization that is working to rebuild the Catholic Church in Buffalo says that Fisher must work to bring healing and reconciliation to the church and community.

COVID update: Genesee county had 127 new cases spread out over 6 days and Orleans county had 36.  15 of the new cases in Genesee county are residents at the Grand rehab and nursing center.  37 people in Orleans county have recovered.  1 person in Genesee county over the age of 65 passed away form the virus.  More number are expected later today as the Health departments process the information from the long holiday weekend.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation on Monday that makes it so the descendants of people who have passed away have the right to control the publicity of their deceased relatives.  This means that the images and video of the deceased cannot be used in public ads or media unless they get the say so from their descendants.  It also creates penalties for explicit images and false media using images of the dead.

The Batavia city council is looking for a new part time judge for a 6 year term starting January 1^st.  If you are an attorney who can practice in New York state and have been for at least 5 years you can submit a letter of interest to City Council President Eugene Jankowski by December 9^th.

Ready for some Monday night football?  The Buffalo Bills will be playing against the San Francisco 49ers, a team without a home at the moment, in Arizona at the State Farm Field on Monday at 8:15pm.  There is a ban on Santa Clara County, where the 49ers hail from, on all professional and collegiate sports where there is physical contact.

The City Council is seeking to fill a part-time City Court Judge position.  This position is appointed by City Council to serve a six (6) year term and will be effective January 1, 2021. The appontment will fill the post last held by David Saleh, who passed away on Oct 29, 2020.

Minimum qualifications require candidates to be an attorney admitted to practice law in the State of New York for at least five (5) years as of the date he or she commences the duties of the office and must be a resident of the City of Batavia.

All interested candidates please submit a letter of interest and resume to:

City Court Judge

Attn: City Council President Eugene Jankowski, Jr.

One Batavia City Centre

Batavia, New York 14020

Resumes and letters of interest are due by 4:30 PM on December 9, 2020.  Please provide 10 hard copies of your materials directly to the City Manager’s office as well as an electronic copy.

If there are any questions, please contact:

Office of the City Manager

One Batavia City Centre

Batavia, New York 14020

Phone: (585) 345-6330

Fax: (585) 343-8182

E-mail: rtabelski@batavianewyork.com

There are no weather alerts for Genesee County right now, but you’ll still want to pay attention for some potential slick spots on the roads later today. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Wyoming County, where 4-8 inches of snow could pile up. A Winter Storm Warning is also in effect for southern Erie, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia and Sen. Robert Ortt of North Tonawanda are celebrating passage of their legislation which designates a portion of New York State Route 31 in the town of Albion as the “Charles W. Howard Memorial Highway.” Howard was a lifelong resident of Albion, nationally recognized as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa Claus for 18 years and founder of the world’s first Santa Claus school. Hawley and Ortt say they were thrilled to honor Howard (Santa Claus) for his achievements and dedication to the community.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that $6.7 million in federal funding is available from the Marine Fisheries Relief Program established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act to assist New York’s marine fishing industry following extensive economic losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible seafood, commercial marine fishing, and marine recreational for-hire fishing businesses will be able to apply for the funding today, to help provide financial relief for this hard-hit and crucially important industry.

Since last Wednesday, Genesee County has recorded 127 new coronavirus cases. Fifteen of the new positive individuals are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia and seven of the new positive individuals are from the Batavia VA Medical Center. The county is also reporting one additional COVID death. In Orleans County, 36 new COVID cases have been confirmed. Wyoming County health officials are reporting 26 new cases since Friday.

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.13, up 2 cents from one week ago. One year ago, the price was $2.59. AAA of Western and Central New York reports Batavia prices are at $2.19, up 1 cent since last week.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is urging people to remain vigilant and smart during the holiday season – as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations climb. Cuomo, speaking to reporters Monday, introduced a series of directives to hospitals that will help them gather the staff, PPE, equipment and space needed if hospitalization rates get worse. Elective surgeries will be canceled starting Friday in Erie County. Governor Cuomo says elective surgeries in other parts of the state might have to be canceled if more hospitals get overwhelmed.

Thousands of people were without power Monday afternoon amid a power outage in areas west of Rochester. National Grid customers in Genesee, Monroe, and Livingston Counties reported more than 10,000 customers without power Monday afternoon. That included more than 5,000 customers in Genesee County. The cause of the outage has not been disclosed.

Governor Cuomo is worried that the covid cases will continue to climb as we go into flu season and the winter months and is outlining new strategies to fight the spread of the virus.  One new idea is that all hospitals in the state must, effective immediately, identify retired nurses and doctors and be ready to press them into service if there is a shortage.  Also hospitals are ordered to increase their capacity by at least 50 percent.  Cuomo stressed that testing materials need to be handed out in a racially equitable manner although he didn’t specify what this means.  Schools k-8 will be kept open as long as possible as the science doesn’t seem to show covid spreading in schools or between children.  The state is putting out a public information campaign to address people gathering in homes and in small groups.  Bars, restaurants and hair salons are not showing as vectors for viral spread so the focus switches to homes and parties.  The information campaign will encourage people not to gather and to put others first.  Cuomo announced that Erie county hospitals will stop elective surgeries on Friday.

It wasn’t just the wind.  The Batavia First Presbyterian Church sign that reads “God Loves Everyone, No Exceptions” in rainbow letters keeps getting knocked down by vandals and the church would like your help finding the culprit.  It happens at night and police and members have yet to catch the person or persons in the act.  Batavia city police are stepping up nighttime drive-by’s to try and protect the sign.

Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY)

It has taken almost a decade but the National Cemetery in Pembroke was dedicated today and ready to provide a final resting place for Western New York veterans.

The dedication was held this morning at the site of the cemetery on Indian Falls Road in Pembroke.

Schumer was joined by Veteran’s Administration officials and Western New York veterans.  The establishment of the nation’s newest Veterans’ Cemetery had been long-sought to honor the more than 77,000 veterans and family members in this region who will now have a proper military burial at a site close to their homes.

This Veterans’ Cemetery will be the first and only of its kind in the Buffalo-Rochester area and will save military families from having to travel more than 100 miles in some cases to what was previously the closest Veterans’ Cemetery in Bath, NY.

From Schumer News Release:

“Today at long last, veterans across Western New York will have a fitting resting place and eternal place of honor right here in the very community they dedicated their lives to defend and serve. Dedicating this hallowed ground today answers the call of veterans who organized over a decade ago for a local National Cemetery. I was proud to take up their call and work alongside them to now realize this day. Now a grieving family will not be left to travel over 200 miles from their home to bury or visit their loved ones. Now the veterans of Western New York who have done so much for us and our nation will have a proper burial, at a National Cemetery close to their home, family and thankful community. The Western New York National Cemetery is a testament to the thousands of veterans across this region, who through their service and sacrifice in defense of our nation, have earned a place in our nation’s newest national shrine. “ 

 Schumer has long fought to make the Western New York National Veterans Cemetery a reality.  Beginning in the 2000s and culminating in 2009 Schumer, together with various veterans groups, led the charge to bring a much-needed veterans’ cemetery to Western New York arguing that a lack of a national veterans’ cemetery within a 75-mile radius of Buffalo and Rochester meant that it was long past time for the underserved veterans and family members living in Western New York to have a fitting burial option closer to home.  A group of veterans started the process to get a cemetery dedicated for veterans in Western New York in the mid-2000s.  The group, organized by Erie County Veteran and Advocate Dr. Patrick Welch gathered over 10,000 signatures that he and other veterans provided to Senator Schumer that called for the establishment of a veteran’s cemetery in Western New York.  For several years, Schumer worked hard alongside the veteran’s community of Western New York to push the U.S. Veterans Affairs Administration to establish a National Veterans Cemetery in WNY. In 2010, the VA responded and announced it would establish a new veteran’s cemetery in Western New York as there where at least 80,000 veterans that resided at least 75-miles from the National Veterans Cemetery in Bath, NY which is the closest existing cemetery but still more than 100 miles away from Western New York.   

 In 2019 Schumer secured an additional $10 million that they VA said it would require to complete the cemetery’s Phase 1 construction.  In January of 2018, Schumer called on the VA to complete the final acquisitions of two land parcels of 60-acres and 77-acres respectively in Pembroke, New York, needed to create the cemetery and one month later announced the VA had done so. In 2016, Schumer announced that following his push $36 million in federal funding for the construction phase of the cemetery in Western New York had been secured and included in the final continuing resolution (CR) package.

Like so many parts of our lives, Special Santa has moved online due to COVID-19. And the Hillside Family of Agencies is calling on the communities they serve to help make this program successful once again. Hillside has an office in Batavia, which serves children and families in Genesee County. For more than 35 years, the Special Santa program has brought together countless thousands of generous individuals, businesses and volunteers in a shared act of community spirit. COVID-19 prompted the 2020 program to shift to an all-online model that asks the community to use Amazon Smile Charity Lists that have been created by Hillside staff this season. Each of the 19 lists features specific gift requests made by youth in the programs. Supporters can also make monetary donations to help defray program costs.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos has announced the release of a draft Deer Management Plan for New York State for public review and comment. He says the plan builds upon the progress made by DEC’s first deer management plan, released in 2011, and will guide DEC’s deer management actions to balance natural resource protection, public safety, and recreational and economic interests for the next 10 years. The draft plan is available on DEC’s website and public comments will be accepted through Dec. 28.

Court action is pending for a Batavia man following his arrest on a warrant. State Troopers say they took 24-year-old Jacob Russell into custody. He was charged with bail jumping. After processing, he was released on his own recognizance.

A group of state lawmakers representing the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and Western New York are welcoming Governor Andrew Cuomo’s veto of legislation that they had recently warned would jeopardize the ability of local governments to accomplish critical stream and infrastructure protection projects if enacted. The governor vetoed the legislation late Friday. They and other opponents argued that the measure would force the reclassification of tens of thousands of miles of New York State streams and result in a more time-consuming, costly, overregulated, redundant, and impractical state-level permitting process for stream-related projects involving flood repair and mitigation, bridge and culvert maintenance, farmland protection, and other public works priorities.

The Buffalo Bills on Sunday defeated the Chargers 27-17. Buffalo improves to 8-3 on the season.

The National Weather Service says brace for the rain today. A storm system will bring a soaking rain with a general three quarters of an inch to an inch expected, and may result in ponding of water in poor drainage areas.

The Monroe County Department of Public Health reported a record number of COVID-19 cases Saturday. 515 positive coronavirus tests were confirmed since Friday, according to the county. Eight percent of people tested positive, according to the county dashboard. That’s the highest total since May 1 when 10.8 percent of people tested positive.

Congressman Chris Jacobs is calling for Congress to remain in Washington, D.C., until a new COVID-19 relief bill is passed. This comes as the Democratic leadership in the House released an amended legislative schedule with fewer voting days prior to the holidays. In a statement, Jacobs said “The idea that Congress should go home for the holidays and wait until the new year when a new presidential administration takes office is reprehensible.”  He added that…he has spoken with restaurants, small businesses, families, and local elected officials – and he can say with full authority there isn’t time left.

NY State COVID Update: Positivity rates in micro cluster zones have increased from 4.9 percent to 5.69 percent and the NY state average has increased from 3.18 percent to 3.72 percent.  39 people passed away from COVID on Friday.  Genesee Orleans county health departments will report cases from Thursday through Monday on November 30^th.

Wyoming County Community Health system has released new restrictions to hospital visitation to better deal with COVID.  Only one person and a doula will be allowed in labor and delivery, Pediatric patients can have one support person at a time, Endo of life and medically necessary patients can only have one visitor at a time.  Surgery patients cannot have visitors but must be dropped off at the entrance of the hospital and picked up afterwards at the entrance.  They want to assure all patients that the emergency rooms and hospitals are safe and there is no reason to delay if you have a medical need or emergency.

The new cashless tolling system is up and running on the thruway and this has left many asking what happened to the toll workers?  The State Thruway Authority set up career development and training opportunities for those who would be losing their jobs.  There was tuition assistance, CDL training, and civil service exams given.  Workers were given 3 years notice.  Even with all that the thruway employee union has 346 part-time employees, 64 full-time employees and 15 managers all filing for unemployment as there are no other state jobs they could take or were qualified for.  There are so far no other moves from the state to help thee workers find alternate employment.

Even though black Friday has passed many businesses keep the sales going through the end of the month or even longer.  There has never been a more important time to shop local!  Our news partner the Batavian has a list of all the local restaurants and food related businesses and their hours and services.  Also be sure to check out local business and see what great things they have to offer.

With holiday shopping moving mostly online there are a lot of scams to watch out for.  Here are some tips to avoid getting bilked of your money: Try to avoid third-party websites.  Shop where you’ve shopped before.  If you have to make an account to purchase from a website, use a unique password.  Pay with a credit card or paypal if possible.  Follow your gut! If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.  And of course, you can shop local from people you can trust and buying items you can hold in your hand at time of purchase.

Governor Cuomo is under fire for not obeying the hiring freeze in his own administration during the state budget crisis.  The governor hired 4 former democratic presidential campaign staffers for 567 thousand dollars, 2 of them are speech writers.  Also, Governor Cuomo and several staffers received raises that had been approved before the pandemic even while denying raises to state workers regardless of whether they had been preapproved or not.  EJ McMahon, research director for Empire Center for Public Policy, says that “This is a case of the governor just doing what he wants.  The message is, ‘Do as we say, not as we do.'”

There will be no COVID updates until Monday November 30^th when the Genesee Orleans county health departments will come back from holiday break.  Roughly 7000 new cases were reported in New York State on Thanksgiving.  The highest number of one day cases reported was back in April at about 12 thousand.  69 people passed away from COVID-19 on thanksgiving in the empire state.  Numbers are expected to increase after the large number of gatherings over the holiday and into Christmas and winter holiday celebrations.

Cuomo has a plan for the winter season and COVID during the snowy months.  He says that the micro cluster plan will continue and hospitalizations and ICU capacities will be added as factors to determine whether an area should be classified as yellow orange or red.  Cuomo says that “Criticality has to weigh hospital capacity, and infection rate in a place that has a shortage of hospital beds is more serious than an infection rate in a place that has fewer hospital beds.”  The second part of Cuomo’s plan is to keep schools open as much as possible saying that schools are safer than the surrounding community.  The final part is a vaccine distribution plan. As of now, New York has a five phase approach. The plan has some healthcare and nursing home workers in the first phase, various essential workers and at risk groups in the middle phases, and healthy adults and children in the final phase.

The Department of Environmental Conservation of New York State has released a draft for a new statewide deer management plan and opened it up to public comments until December 28^th.  There are many points to the new plan including dealing with deer diseases and population, encouraging nonleaded ammunition, added hunting opportunities and trainings and citizen science monitoring of deer environmental impact.  You can read it on the state DEC website and comments can be sent to wildlife@dec.ny.gov with “deer plan” the subject line.

Buffalo Bills Offensive Lineman Cody Ford will be out the rest of the season after a torn meniscus.  Surgery and rehab are expected to take 3 to 4 months.

It’s Black Friday…although honestly this year, I’m not sure what that means. We have Black Friday, Black Friday week and even Black Friday Month. Whatever you choose to do today, we just ask that you be safe and responsible…something our parents told us years ago!

The Village of LeRoy has selected Greg Kellogg to replace outgoing chief Chris Hayward. Kellogg is expected to grab the reins of the 18-member agency on January 9th. Hayward proudly has more than three decades of service.

Police across New York told us, drink and drive during the holiday…and you’ll have a bad day. That was the case for an Albion man who was pulled over in the Village of Albion. State Police arrested 54-year-old Joseph Koneski of Albion. He was charged with felony DWI, felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation and a lesser count of circumventing an ignition interlock device. He’ll appear in court at a later date to explain.

The mother of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has died after acquiring COVID-19 while being hospitalized for a heart condition. In a statement, Warren said her mother died from complications from congestive heart failure and COVID-19. She said her mother contracted the virus in the hospital. The elder Warren, a native of South Carolina, was 71.

The Genesee County Chamber’s Annual Awards Committee is accepting nominations for the 2020 Annual Awards Ceremony. The Awards Ceremony is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service and volunteerism. Nominations are now being accepted for Business of the Year-Entrepreneurial Business of the Year-Agricultural Business of the Year-Innovative Enterprise of the Year-Special Service Recognition & Geneseeans of the Year. Business Nominees must be a Chamber Member. Nomination forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office on Park Road in Batavia and can also be downloaded from the Chamber website. Nominations MUST BE RECEIVED BY Dec. 30 to be eligible for consideration.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, both Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments were closed yesterday and are closed again today. They will not be updating the COVID websites or the maps today and over the weekend. The next update will be Monday afternoon. As of late Wednesday, 34 new positive cases were recorded in Genesee County and 11 in Orleans County.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo was expected to expand the yellow and orange zones and possibly make Erie county into a red zone today at press briefings in Rochester and Buffalo.  Also anticipated was Genesee county being designated a yellow zone.  He did not add to any of the micro cluster areas or designate any new ones.  He defended the orange zone restrictions in Rochester when officials said that spread of COVID-19 was coming from private gatherings and not from businesses because, Cuomo says, closing businesses is easier to enforce, even if spread is not happening there.  “I would say to the health commissioner, you have a 257% increase,” said Cuomo. “Obviously, you haven’t figured out what’s causing it, and if you have, you haven’t stopped it.”

COVID Update:  Genesee county has 64 new cases and 30 people have recovered.  13 people are hospitalized and 1 person under the age of 65 has died.  Orleans county has 5 new cases and 6 people have recovered.  2 people are hospitalized.  Genesee county reached the milestone of over 200 active cases for the first time with 201, and Orleans County has 34 active cases.

New York State legislature is pushing a permanent expansion of mail in voting.  A proposed constitutional amendment would do away with the rule limiting absentee voting to people who are ill, have a physical disability or will be out-of-town on Election Day.  The proposal could be up for a referendum by next fall.

The unemployment rate for Genesee County rose to 5.1% last month, which is up 1.7% from last October.  Rates in Orleans and Wyoming were also higher than one year ago. Overall in New York, the State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.6% in October.  By comparison, the state rate was 3.7% in October 2019.

Tompkins Bank is donating thousands of dollars to for what they are calling “Banksgiving”.  Tompkins Bank of Castile, Tompkins Insurance Agencies and Tompkins Financial advisors are donating a total of $7,500 to several food pantries, churches and school districts throughout Western New York.  In Genesee County the organizations getting the money are City Church and Hope Center.

Veterinarians say pet owners should double-check before sharing any holiday leftovers with their furry friends this Thanksgiving.  The SPCA released a list this week of common Thanksgiving foods that are generally safe to share with pets.  According to the list, turkey is acceptable as long as it’s boneless and well-cooked, but raw bread dough can be fatal, and pets should be kept away from desserts containing chocolate or raw eggs.

The Genesee County Chamber Chamber of Commerce’s  Annual Awards Committee is accepting nominations for the “2020” Annual Awards Ceremony.  Unfortunately, our original date for the event of February 27, 2021 will have to be adjusted due to the Covid Pandemic that does not allow gathering of more than 50 people.

The Chamber does plan on hosting this event however, the date is to be determined and the look will most likely be very different this year.  It is very important to the Chamber to continue to honor Businesses & Geneseeans especially during this most trying time.

The Awards Ceremony is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service and volunteerism.

Please note that a brief write up will qualify your nominee for consideration.  Nominations are now being accepted for Business of the Year, Entrepreneurial Business of the Year, Agricultural Business of the Year, Innovative Enterprise of the Year, Special Service Recognition & Geneseeans of the Year.  Business Nominees must be a Chamber Member (If unsure of your nominee, call the Chamber to verify).

Nomination forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office, 8276 Park Road, Batavia and can also be down loaded from the Chamber Website at www.geneseeny.com.

Nominations MUST BE RECEIVED BY December 30, 2020 to be eligible for consideration.

 If you would like more information, feel free to call or email Kelly J. Bermingham, Director of Member Relations & Special Events at the Chamber office, 343-7440, ext. 1026, kbermingham@geneseeny.com.

If you drink, then drive…expect a sad and expensive holiday. The Genesee County STOP-DWI Coordinator says the County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Batavia Police Department are participating in the statewide enforcement effort to crackdown on impaired driving. The statewide efforts begin now and will end on Sunday. Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. Sobriety checkpoints play a key part in raising awareness about the problem. New York State Police, County Sheriff and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force. Don’t say you were warned…again.

Genesee County health officials report 64 new COVID-19 cases. Those newly infected live in Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, Le Roy, Oakfield, Pavilion, Pembroke and Stafford. Thirteen of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Genesee County also reports another death. Officials said the victim was under the age of 65. Orleans County reports five new cases and Wyoming County reports 12 new cases.

Following the designation of Monroe County’s new orange zone, Strong Memorial and Highland Hospital are enacting zero-visitation policies. UR Medicine says both hospitals fall in the orange zone, and the decision is being made to help flatten the local COVID-19 curve. Highland Hospital has already suspended visitation, while Strong Memorial’s restrictions will go into effect today at 8 p.m. There are some exceptions to the zero-visitor policies. These include cases involving pediatric patients, patients in labor or postpartum, end of life circumstances and instances involving patients living with cognitive issues.

The Genesee County Health Department is alerting the public to possible COVID-19 exposures at the Le Roy Moose Lodge and the Flying J Travel Center in Pembroke. Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases. For the Le Roy Moose Lodge, possible infections occurred on Monday, Nov. 16th between the hours of 8 and 10 p.m., Friday, Nov. 20th between the hour of 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 21st between the hours of 4 and 7 p.m. At the Flying J Travel Center – Tuesday, Nov 17th between the hours of 3 and 10 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18th between the hours of 3 and 11 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 19th between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Health officials say if you were at the Le Roy Moose Lodge or the Flying J Travel Center on those dates and times, you should monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

A group of state lawmakers representing the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and Western New York are calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to veto legislation that, if enacted, would significantly expand New York’s regulatory process governing stream-related projects. The bill was approved by both houses of the Legislature earlier this year. It was delivered to the governor for final action late last week. If enacted, opponents said the legislation would force the reclassification of thousands of New York State streams and result in a more time-consuming, costly, overregulated, and impractical state-level permitting process for stream-related projects involving flood repair and mitigation, bridge and culvert maintenance, farmland protection, and other public works priorities.

Deal with the pandemic. That’s what New Yorkers told a Siena Poll they want the governor and the state Legislature to focus on in the new year. Nearly half of respondents pointed to the pandemic as their top priority, and 60 percent included it in their top two. A strong majority — regardless of party, region, race, age, religion, gender, or even who they supported in the presidential election — said if the FDA approves a COVID-19 vaccine, they will definitely, or at least probably, get it. According to the poll, Gov. Cuomo’s favorability rating has slipped slightly, but still remains highly positive — as does his handling of the pandemic.

Genesee County is the worst performing county in the Finger Lakes Region as far as COVID-19 case positivity is concerned.  Genesee Orleans county health director Paul Petit says that he is concerned of Genesee county being designated a yellow zone but that a Vaccine could be coming within 3 weeks and that the health departments have a plan.  Petit asks residents to take care and be vigilant during the holidays.

The New York State Sheriffs Association responded today to Governor Cuomo limiting gatherings in private homes to ten people or less.  The sheriffs said that there is no way to determine if people are following the governor’s mandate without violating citizens rights to privacy and unlawful search.  The sheriffs urged people to follow health official’s guidance and help slow the spread but also said that policing them is impossible saying that they lacked the authority and resources.  Governor Cuomo said that by not enforcing his mandates the police were being dictators and unveiled a new mask being sold by New York state that says, “don’t be a turkey, wear a mask”.

If you drink, have a plan, don’t drive.  Genesee County Sheriff’s department and Batavia police will be participating in the STOP DWI program from November 25^th through 29^th.  The program puts police out on the streets in higher visibility locations to combat drinking and driving during the thanksgiving season when more people drink at gatherings and then go out.  In previous years this has led to a decrease of up to 20 percent in drunk driving fatalities.

The rotary club of LeRoy is running a holiday house decorating contest.  Entries must be submitted by December 5^th and judging will start on December 6^th.  Winners will be announced on the 20^th.  The grand prize will be a 100-dollar gift card for a local business.  The link to sign up for the contest is on our website, wbtai.com.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmltD17xOioJA4GGN-jdxh-Nf8-MqHttnKtPHs90Cf-neeGg/viewform

Genesee County’s lead officer in the fight against coronavirus says one of the COVID-19 vaccines
in final testing could arrive in Batavia within the next three to four weeks.

Public Health Director Paul Pettit, appearing on WBTA’s Main and Center
Program this morning, said he expects one of the three promising vaccines could reach Batavia before the end of the year

Paul Pettit, Genesee County Public Health Director

Genesee County Manager Matt Landers observed that local residents are abiding with safety protocols in public places. On the same broadcast, Landers said the problem lies with private gatherings

The county health department today issued an alert for patrons of the LeRoy Moose Club and the Flying J. Travel Center in Pembroke.
See the alert HERE

The Genesee County Health Department is alerting the public to possible COVID-19 exposures at The Le Roy Moose Lodge and the Flying J Travel Center in Pembroke.Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.

Le Roy Moose Lodge:

 Monday, November 16th between the hours of 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

 Friday, November 20th between the hour of 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

 Saturday, November 21st between the hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Flying J Travel Center:

 Tuesday, November 17th between the hours of 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

 Wednesday, November 18th between the hours of 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

 Thursday, November 19th between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We advise all individuals who were at the LeRoy Moose Lodge or the Flying J Travel Center on the stated dates and times to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results. Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

For more information please visit: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home.

It seems as though Batavia city leaders and the Youth Board have settled their differences. The City Council President said during a meeting last night he didn’t want to see any cuts in services and did not want services relocated. With that, city management and the Youth Board, which serves at the direction of City Council in an advisory role, will explore ways to continue to effectively and efficiently provide afterschool and summer programming for Batavia’s young people. The future of City of Batavia youth services became a somewhat heated topic earlier this month when a resolution to dissolve, a year early, a longstanding joint agreement between the city and county to share a youth bureau executive director came before two Genesee County Legislature committees.

Genesee County is the worst performing county in the Finger Lakes Region as far as COVID-19 cases are concerned…that comment last night from County Manager Matt Landers during a county legislature meeting. He said – quote- “Our numbers for the county are abysmal.” Landers added that Genesee’s numbers are significantly higher than the other counties in the Finger Lakes Region, including Monroe County. The 7-day rolling average jumped up to just under 6 percent. The Manager he is very fearful that this will lead up to a Yellow zone designation or worse. Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein said this is going to have an impact on local businesses.

A diverse group of agricultural organizations in the state are calling on the 60-hour overtime threshold for farm laborers to remain in place as a New York State Department of Labor wage board determines its fate. The groups sent a joint letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo outlining why a further reduction in the overtime hourly threshold will be detrimental to the livelihoods of farmers and farmworkers across the state and will expedite automation upon the rural landscape. New York farms already face extreme competitive pressure in the marketplace from farms in other states and countries that can easily undercut New York prices needed to sustain a profitable business. Higher labor costs in New York will only exacerbate that problem.

Even a year as tumultuous as 2020, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Senate Democratic Leader, today completed his 22nd consecutive tour of all 62 New York State counties — an accomplishment that continues his track record as the first New York State public official to visit every single county in New York each year he has been in office. Over the course of the year, Schumer made visited the Rochester-Finger Lakes are 12 times.

The Rotary Club of Le Roy is sponsoring a Holiday House Decorating Contest for residents of the Town and Village of Le Roy. There is no cost to enter.  Entries must be submitted by Dec. 5. Judging will go live on Sunday, Dec. 6. A map of participating houses will be posted online and with a link to vote for your favorite decorated residence. Winners will be announced Sunday, Dec. 20 through the Rotary Club of Le Roy website and the club’s Facebook page. The Grand prize will be a $100 gift certificate followed by four additional gift certificates of $50 each. All gift certificates will be from local businesses.

An Oakfield man is fortunate that he was not seriously injured or worse after getting stuck inside a massive silo filled with corn silage on Lockport Road in Oakfield Monday. Here’s Oakfield Assistant Fire Chief (grain). Quick thinking and fast action by the property owner’s wife and farmworkers helped to stabilize the man until rescuers and their equipment arrived. Seven people went inside the bin and put their training for this kind of scenario to the test.

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.11, down 2 cents from one week ago. One year ago, the price was $2.59. The New York State average is $2.22 – down 1 cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.69. Prices in Batavia — $2.18 (down 1 cent since last week).

Erie county is an orange zone right now and, Governor Cuomo says, it is heading towards being classified as red.  By Wednesday says Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz, the decision will be mad as to whether Erie county will be back with the most restrictions since March.  Among the restrictions are Mass gatherings prohibited, only essential business can be open, restaurants can only provide takeout, schools go to 100 percent online education and houses of worship are restricted to 25 percent capacity or 10 people whichever is more.  Lancaster NY has the highest positivity rating at 9 percent and Erie county is at 7.25 percent.

Areas of Monroe County are now orange zones.  Parts of Gates, Brighton, Irondequoit and Rochester are now at a high enough positivity rate to be elevated from yellow to orange meaning lower capacity at houses of worship and mass gatherings. High-risk, non-essential businesses will have to close, and restaurants will be allowed to have outdoor dining only.  Schools will go full remote pending testing that will allow kids to go back to school if they test negative.

Over the weekend there were at least 2 charitable events in Batavia.  The first, stuff the cruiser, involved local law enforcement officers collecting toys for children who might not otherwise find many presents under their trees.  The Leroy police, Batavia police, Genesee county sheriffs, the state police, the DEC, the Genesee county probation department and the Corfu police all participated.  Also at the VA hospital in Batavia the veterans of Wyoming county raised 2100 dollars for the American legion post 637 to bring hot red osier meals to residents and staff feeding 175 people.

The Buffalo Bills are at the top of the AFC east because they won this weekend, even though they didn’t play.  Because the Dolphins, Patriots and Jets all lost their games the Bills were brought up to 1^st place.  The Bills will play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in LA.

The DEC of New York State announced a contest today for hunters to submit essays and photos about why they hunt or trap.  The winners of the contest will be showcased in the 2021-2022 New York hunting and trapping regulations guide.  Submissions must be sent in by January 31^st.  Guidelines can be found on dec.ny.gov.

With the holiday travel season kicking off this week, Western New York drivers will be spending less to fill up their vehicles.  According to Triple A, the average cost for a gallon of regular gas in Batavia is two-18…the same as last week but well below the 2-dollars 67 cents a year ago.

Despite the C-D-C’s new guidance advising Americans against traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, daily figures show the T-S-A processed more than 1 million passengers on Friday. That’s the second highest number since March 17th. During a briefing Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo again urging New Yorkers to avoid large gatherings.

The Batavia City Council Conference meeting will be held tonight at 7 p.m. in the Council Board Room on the second floor of the Batavia City Centre. This meeting is open to the public. Face masks and social distancing will be required. The agenda is posted on the City website. One of the resolutions to be considered is for the City to enter into an agreement for fiber internet service for the city.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos has announced two holiday gift ideas for those who love the environment and outdoors. Each year, DEC’s lifetime sporting licenses make a great gift for outdoors enthusiasts. In addition, for a limited time DEC is offering a one-year subscription to its award-winning Conservationist magazine at half price.

The latest report from health officials shows 17 new cases of coronavirus in Genesee County. The latest infections involve residents of Alabama, Batavia, Darien, Elba and Le Roy. Eight of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Meanwhile, Orleans County reports just a single new case.

Watkins Glen International will be hosting one of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races next summer. The race will be held at the Glen on Saturday, August 7. It will be a doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. On Sunday, August 8, the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen will be held as well. This marks the first time since June 2000 that a Truck Series race will be held at the Glen.

Western New York currently has the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the state. As of Sunday, the rate was 6 percent. Western New York also has the highest seven-day rolling average of tests at 5.06%. Lancaster has the highest infection rate across the state.

Multiple fires were reported on Friday with at least 2 being investigated as deliberately set.  Fires popped up in towns of Alabama, Elba, Pavilion and Darien.  One burned a corn field and another came near a home.  2 in the city of Batavia are being scrutinized more closely.  One was in a dumpster at School and Cedar Street and is thought to be linked to a brush fire at 29 Liberty Street that burned in multiple along one lot near an abandoned trailer.  Fire Chief Napolitano says that “With fires at multiple locations, it warrants an extremely closer look.”  All the fires were put out quickly.

From Friday afternoon Genesee county had 17 new cases for a total of 652 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.  19 people have recovered since Thursday.  Orleans county had 1 new case for a total of 542 cases since the beginning of the Pandemic and 29 people had recovered since Thursday.  There are 8 people hospitalized in Genesee county and 3 in Orleans county.  There are a total of 128 active cases in Genesee county and 44 in Orleans.  Governor Cuomo announced Friday that New York State is at a 2.91 percent 7 day rolling average of positive cases.  He partially blames the high numbers on the increased testing in the state and said that the micro cluster strategy will continue.  Genesee county is in danger of turning yellow and possibly orange as the rate of positive testing is above what is needed for micro cluster designation at least in the city of Batavia.

At a press conference in Medina on Thursday Senator Chuck Schumer said that he is working with major and minor league baseball to try to save the Muckdogs in Batavia.  He did announce that The Washington Nationals would be moving their aaa affiliation to Rochester with the Red Wings instead of Fresno California.

The Batavia City Council meeting on Monday will be in person and open to the public with the meeting being viewable online at YouTube or On the City’s Facebook page.  Spectrum will also carry the meeting on channel 1301 on Wednesday at 9am and Friday at 8pm.

Due to COVID Cases linked to a funeral at St Josephs in person mass at Resurrection Parish are canceled until November 28^th.  5 members of a family that attended a funeral on the 12^th have tested positive for the coronavirus.  The Parish announced that they are closing for extra cleaning and continue to disinfect everyday even when no one has been in the church.  They want the public to know they have been wearing masks and social distancing and disinfecting the entire building after every mass.

TF Browns restaurant will be closed from the 22^nd through the 28^th for safety and for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Mancuso bowling center will remain open just for league play.

The second driver in the head on collision yesterday afternoon on rt 19 in Bergen has died.  Late in the afternoon 74 year old Caroline Bianchi of Bergen was driving south on rt 19 when investigators say her Rav 4 crossed into the opposite lane and struck a 2007 Chrysler town and country driven by 82 year old Gary Beehler of Hamlin.  The vehicles struck head on Bianchi was pronounced dead at the scene and Beehler was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy flight.  Beehler did pass away this morning according to the Sheriff’s office.  The crash remains under investigation.

The Genesee county health department says that 7 COVID-19 cases came from funeral services held at Gilmartin Funeral Home on the 11^th, Resurrection Roman Catholic Church on the 12^th, Saint Joseph’s Mausoleum on the 12^th, and the Polish Falcons of America on the 12^th.  If you attended one of these services, please monitor yourself for 14 days for COVID-19 symptoms.

Governor Cuomo appeared to argue with Mayor of New York City Bill De’Blasio about the safety of schools.  In a joint statement made with the governors of New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, and Massachusetts Cuomo stated that “Medical research as well as the data from Northeastern states, from across the country, and from around the world make clear that in-person learning is safe when the appropriate protections are in place, even in communities with high transmission rates.  In-person learning is the best possible scenario for children, especially those with special needs and from low-income families. There is also growing evidence that the more time children spend outside of school increases the risk of mental health harm and affects their ability to truly learn.”  This statement came 1 day after De’Blasio announced that New York City Schools would close for in person learning and many schools across the state including in Batavia where schools will be closed through thanksgiving.

Doctors warn western NYers not to put off needed medical attention because of COVID.  Dr. Gerry Gacioch with Rochester Regional Health says that people should not hesitate when there are emergencies because of worries over COVID.  Seconds count in cases of heart attacks or strokes or other medical situations that require immediate attention.  He says that it was a problem in the first wave of COVID that people were not going to the hospital when they had thee types of emergencies.  He also said that hospitals are taking every safety precautions and patients would not catch COVID from healthcare workers.

Opening day is going to be big this year for hunters.  How big?  At least 50,000 people went through the online hunter education course this year compared to less than 25 thousand in previous years.  There is a problem though, with COVID-19 shutdowns causing issues for retailers, supply chains and manufacturers many hunters are having trouble getting the materials they need to get out for opening day.  Ammo, coats and boots and other items are in short supply.  Hope you get to enjoy watching the sun rise out there on the first day.

The Genesee County Health Department has received 7 positive COVID-19 tests from individuals who attended funeral service arrangements on the following dates and locations:

 November 11th Gilmartin Funeral Home (333 W. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.

 November 12th Resurrection Roman Catholic Church (303 E. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

 November 12th Saint Joseph’s Mausoleum (Ellicott Street, Batavia) between the hour of 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

 November 12th Polish Falcons of America (123 S. Swan Street, Batavia) between the hours of 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.We advise all individuals who were at the locations listed to monitor their symptoms for 14 days.

If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

For more information please visit: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home

The investigation continues after a 74-year-old woman from Bergen died Thursday afternoon following a two-car collision on Route 19 near Creamery Road. Another person was seriously injured. Authorities identified the victim as Caroline Bianchi. Deputies say Bianchi was southbound on Route 19 when she traveled over the centerline and struck a minivan driven by 82-year-old Gary C. Beehler of Hamlin. The vehicles collided head-on. Beehler was transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital with serious physical injuries. Bianchi was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators have yet to determine why her vehicle failed to maintain its lane of travel.

Electric and gas delivery rates for NYSEG and RG&E customers will rise but at a cost drastically reduced from the double-digit percentage increases in the original utility proposal. The state Public Service Commission staff and utility representatives agreed to keep rate increases for both electric and natural gas delivery rates to below 2% annually over the three-year term which will extend to April 2023.

Batavia City School officials now say that on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, they’ll be going to full remote learning.  The Superintendent said that a large percentage of teachers and staff come from orange zones which makes getting substitutes difficult, that several staff and students are already in quarantine, and that there are growing case numbers…all of which factored into the decision.  The determination was made to have no students in any of the district buildings on the two days prior to Thanksgiving.  This does not affect those who attend in person classes at BOCES.

New York Farm Bureau’s 2020 Market Basket Survey shows the price of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner saw a modest uptick from last year’s meal. The average total price, which includes a 16-pound turkey and other common items found on a holiday dinner table, is $49.23 or a $2.86 increase over last year.

Twenty new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Genesee County. Those newly infected come from Alexander, Batavia, Elba, Le Roy, Pembroke and Stafford. Four of the new positive individuals are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia. The county also reports another death. In Orleans County, three new COVID cases were confirmed and in Wyoming County, five new cases were reported.

A community survey conducted by the Le Roy Police Department came back with some pretty high marks in terms of “overall satisfaction.” The village police force received an average grade of 8.5 out of 10 in response to the question, “How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the Le Roy Police Department? (1 star being poor and 10 stars being exceptional).” The survey was conducted in conjunction with the department’s 15-member committee formed in compliance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order on policing policy and procedure improvements. It was available for village residents and nonresidents over a three-week period, ending last Friday.

St. Ann’s Community is one of several skilled nursing facilities in the Greater Rochester area, including one in Le Roy, to receive rapid testing devices from the Centers for Medicaid Services with the goal of rapid detection of COVID-19 in nursing home staff. Under state regs, nursing home staff must be tested a minimum of once per week in order to minimize virus exposure and spread to residents and other staff members. The devices provided to St. Ann’s Community can read a sample in approximately three seconds and give a COVID-19 positive or negative result. This rapid testing has made for a much easier and more efficient way of testing the nearly 1,200 staff members at St. Ann’s Community.

In an announcement today Batavia City School Superintendent Anibal Solar Jr said that for the Monday and Tuesday of thanksgiving week Batavia city schools will go to full remote learning.  Solar said that a large percentage of teachers and staff come from orange zones which makes getting substitutes difficult, that several staff and students are already in quarantine, and that there are growing case numbers all factored into the decision.  The determination was made to have no students in any of the district buildings on the two days prior to Thanksgiving.  This does not affect those who attend in person classes at BOCES.

More charges against Michael Tomaszewski of Tomaszewski funeral home.  This time he is being charged for not burying a US Army veteran who he said he had buried in 2018.  Peter Vandetta a 20 year veteran of the Army passed away in April of 2018.  Tomaszewski took payment for handling the burial for Vandetta and instead put him in a garage for 264 days.  He also filed a death certificate showing that the body had been buried which were fraudulent.  Batavia sheriffs did note that the body of Vendetta was buried properly after that time.  Tomaszewski is currently charged with over 100 felonies including mishandling remains and taking money for services he did not perform.

Neither Chief Heubusch or Sheriff Sheron will enforce the Governor’s executive order to limit private gatherings to 10 people or less.  They both said that they will not task officers to go to peoples homes and check if they are having less than 10 people there citing the United States Constitutions prohibition of unlawful searches.  Both the chief and the Sheriff warned the public against having large gatherings and asked everyone to be safe and use good judgement especially over Thanksgiving.

Senator Chuck Schumer was in Medina today calling on the federal government to release money to put a free rapid testing standalone location in Orleans County.  Schumer said that there are 9 billion dollars in unreleased monies that could be helping fight the COVID Pandemic.  Currently Medina Memorial Hospital and the Albion Clinic are offering COVID testing for Orleans County residents but Schumer says a standalone site that offers free testing would dramatically increase access to testing.

COVID Update:  Genesee county has 17 new cases and 21 people have recovered.  Orleans county has 9 new cases and 6 people have recovered.  There are 141 active cases in Genesee county and 74 in Orleans.

The Holland Land office is showcasing their annual wonderland of trees starting Friday.  There is no kickoff event and the trees will be on display till December 31^st.  Go see them Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 to 4.  There will be a basket raffle until December 18^th and on December 4^th, 11^th and 18^th the Genesee County Symphony orchestra will play at the museum with a limited audience of 12 per performance.  Preregistration is required.  There will be a live broadcast during the concerts.

Zoombuffalo.com is selling a window sticker that they call the 11^th guest.  For about 12 bucks you can invite the Governor of New York State, Andrew Cuomo, or at least the top half of his head, to your thanksgiving celebrations as he peeks in your window to see if you have more than 10 people in your home.  You can also get 3 for 20.20.

Editors Note: Batavia City School Superintendent Anibal Soler issued this letter to the community on Thursday:

Anibal Soler

Dear Batavia Families,

I am writing to inform you of some important instructional changes for classes next week.

After careful consideration, I have decided to change Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24 to 100% Virtual Remote Learning days for ALL students except for our Batavia High School BOCES students. (Batavia BOCES students will still be able to attend their Career and Technical Education Courses at the Genesee Valley BOCES Campus in Batavia)

NO STUDENTS will report to any of our Batavia City Schools on Monday, November 23^rd and Tuesday, November 24^th.

I know this decision may impact families negatively, but this decision is the result of a growing number of challenges the district is navigating while also doing our part to limit the spread of COVID-19 prior to the holidays.

These challenges include:

• The growing number of positive COVID-19 cases in Genesee County.
• The growing number of students and staff who have to quarantine due to being identified by the Health Department as a “close contact.”
• The growing number of staff and students who have tested positive for COVID-19.
  • As of 11/17/2020 the district is at 11 total reported positive COVID-19 cases.
  • NYS COVID-19 Report Card: https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/home.
• The growing number of staff who are exhibiting COVID-19 like symptoms and are awaiting test results.
• The Orange Zone designation in Erie County – many of our employees are now impacted as schools in that region have moved to 100% remote thus impacting childcare for staff.
• A shortage of quality Substitute Teachers.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school directly.  Our Principals and staff are there to support you.

Please continue to be vigilant in your efforts and help us prevent the spread of COVID-19. For additional reliable information on preventing the spread of COVID-19, please go to www.cdc.gov or www.health.ny.gov.

It is our goal to maximize in-person learning opportunities for our students but we will always be guided by health and safety.  I will continue to monitor the infection rate in our region, and I will let you know of any future changes.

WE are Better Together…WE are Batavia!!!

Anibal Soler, Jr.

Superintendent of Schools

A county grand jury has handed down a six-count indictment against a man accused attempting to ram a state trooper vehicle. Carlton Burrows faces a top count of felony first-degree reckless endangerment. According to a press statement, prosecutors allege that on July 14 on Veterans Memorial Drive in the Town of Batavia, Burrows recklessly engaged in conduct that created a grave risk of death to another person by driving a motor vehicle at a NYS Trooper. He also allegedly attempted to ram a Batavia City police vehicle.

Some late changes to the 2021 Genesee County budget require using a bit more of the fund balance, but that won’t affect the property tax levy or tax rate…that word from County Manager Matt Landers. The county legislature’s Ways & Means Committee forwarded resolutions to both amend and adopt the $143 million spending plan and to finalize the tax levy at its next full meeting on Monday. The proposed plan calls for a tax rate of $9.80 per thousand of assessed value.

Nine Genesee County residents remain hospitalized with COVID-19. Health officials reported Wednesday that 17 new cases were confirmed. The latest infections involve people from Alexander, Batavia, Darien, Elba, Le Roy and Pembroke. In Orleans County, health officials reported nine new COVID cases.

Justin T. Gladney has been indicted for first-degree rape, a class B violent felony. It is alleged that in June in the City of Batavia, he engaged in sexual intercourse with a person by forcible compulsion. Gladney is also accused of second-degree rape, a Class D violent felony. He allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 15.

The National Rifle Association will pay a $2.5 million penalty and be banned from selling insurance products in New York after state regulators found the organization violated the law for most of the last two decades. The state Department of Financial Services and the NRA entered into an agreement last week to end the state’s three-year investigation into the gunowners-rights organization’s insurance offerings, including Carry Guard, a controversial product that covered legal costs for policy holders who claim they acted in self defense.The state’s investigation found the NRA earned commission on more than 28,000 sales on insurance products to its New York members, which the organization marketed in the state despite not having a proper insurance license.

More than two thirds of New Yorkers polled say the holiday season will look different this year — but it won’t be ruined by the ongoing pandemic. That’s the word in a new Siena College Research Institute poll just released.  It says 68 percent of responders say the holiday spirit will prevail.

Governor Cuomo has made it clear that local governments and their police departments need to come up with a new police reform plan by April or risk losing out on state funding. Under the governor’s executive order, they must develop a plan that “reinvents and modernizes police strategies and programs based on community input.” However, this directive is specific to just local municipalities, which means it doesn’t apply to the New York State Police. In June, the governor signed legislation requiring state troopers to wear a body camera while on patrol in order to improve transparency. However, it’s still waiting to be implemented.

A grand jury has indicted Judd A. Farewell Jr. for third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony. It is alleged that on May 31 on Coe Avenue in the Village of Oakfield, that Farewell stole a four-wheeler.

Till November 29^th Batavia police will be participating in Buckle Up New York and Click it or ticket annual traffic safety initiatives.  They will be on the lookout for anyone not wearing a seatbelt as on November 1^st all persons in a moving vehicle are required by law to wear seatbelts or face a 50 dollar fine.  This change comes after a law in August made it illegal for anyone over the age of 16 to not wear a seatbelt.

Winter high school sports that have been labeled ‘high risk’ have been pushed back to January 4th of 2021. This comes as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to increase throughout New York State.  Those sports affected include basketball, hockey and wrestling.  Low and moderate risk sports are still on schedule to begin November 30.

On Thursday from 4:30-6:30 the Batavia middle and John Kennedy Intermediate schools are hosting a COVID-friendly event for all Batavia City School District families at the Middle School on Ross Street.  Families are invited to come and pick out gently-used and new winter clothing (including coats, hats, gloves, scarves and boots) for members of their family.

Announcement from the Batavia police Advisory Collaboration Stakeholder Group:  Because of the high COVID case count in Genesee county the group meeting on Thursday has been moved to a Zoom meeting.

Nine people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Genesee County, the highest number locally since the start of the pandemic. County health officials say 20 new positive cases have been confirmed. Those newly infected reside in Alexander, Batavia, Darien, Elba, Le Roy, Oakfield and Pembroke. The ages range from teens to the 80’s. In Orleans County, ten new cases have been reported and in Wyoming County, 14 new cases were confirmed.

37-year-old Joseph Allan Dean of Stringham Drive in Batavia faces numerous charges after he was arrested by the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force and members of the Batavia Police Department. He is charged with two felony counts of criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance. His arrest concluded an investigation into the transportation, sale and possession of cocaine in and around the City of Batavia. At the time of his arrest, Dean was allegedly found in possession of cocaine and other controlled substances. Police then leveled several other counts against him. Dean was arraigned in Genesee County Court and Batavia City Court and then released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on Dec. 7. The Genesee County District Attorney’s assisted in the investigation.

Genesee County has launched its official Facebook page and Twitter account. The digital social media tools will be used to regularly communicate with the citizens of the County. As COVID-19 continues to impact the community, the County plans to utilize the pages to communicate important health and safety measures along with general news about the county.

The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive COVID-19 test from an individual who was at The Harvester tavern in Batavia last week Nov. 8th through the 14th. Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case. Health officials advise all individuals who were at The Harvester anytime last week to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

The New York State Office for the Aging on Tuesday celebrated Older New Yorkers’ Day virtually, recognizing 87 volunteers from across the state who demonstrate their extraordinary value every day to their family, friends, and community. The celebration traditionally takes place each year in May in Albany; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year it was premiered as a virtual event.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation strongly encourages hunters to visit deer and bear check stations during the upcoming opening weekend of the regular big game season. Participation is voluntary and helps DEC gather valuable data to assess the status of the big game population in the area. The check station located at the DEC Headquarters on East Avon-Lima Road (State Route 20) in Avon, Livingston County, will operate Saturday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hunters are encouraged to bring their deer to either check station where DEC staff will determine age and collect biological and harvest information. With black bear season opening the same day as deer season, wildlife staff will also check harvested bear to collect biological information and pull a premolar tooth to determine the bear’s age.

NY Congressman Anthony Brindisi, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has helped pass the Wounded Veterans Recreation Act. The Brindisi-backed legislation makes all Veterans with service-connected disabilities eligible for a free, lifetime entry to United States national parks and other federal lands. The congressman said in a statement that “Recreation and time outdoors are important parts of our mental and physical health, and that is especially true for our Veterans and servicemembers with service-connected injuries.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the launch of a new online training platform which will enable unemployed and underemployed New Yorkers weathering the COVID-19 pandemic to learn new skills, earn certificates, and advance their careers at no cost. The new tool will provide access to nearly 4,000 online programs taught by leading professors and industry professionals with a focus on high-growth and in-demand sectors like advanced manufacturing, technology, and health care, among others. The new course offerings are provided through a partnership between the New York State Department of Labor and Coursera, the world’s leading online learning platform. The partnership will save New York millions of dollars over the next couple of years while providing free job skills training to New Yorkers. Residents can request a free account on the New York State Department of Labor website.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has announced the availability of a new Ellicott Trail Brochure Map. The Chamber says it has received several requests for a printed map of the new trail, so the office worked with Town of Batavia officials to make it available. The 10-foot wide crushed stone multiuse recreational trail officially opened in July and has been created on 4.9 miles of old railroad beds, city streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and bridges. The trail was a joint project involving the City of Batavia, the Town of Batavia and the New York State Department of Transportation and connects recreational, historical and residential areas and crosses the Tonawanda Creek.

Batavia’s Original, Bourbon and Burger, and The Harvester Tavern have all had warnings put out about someone who was infected with COVID 19 being there for a period of time.  For the Harvester, the most recent case, the person was there from the 8^th all the way though the 14^th, at Bourbon and Burger a person who tested positive was there Thursday 10-4, Friday 2-9, Saturday 10 to 4 and Monday 4-8 although the owner says that he person was not there for 2 days before testing positive and is not thought to have been at the restaurant while infectious. Batavia’s original had several employees test positive and will be closed down till Friday at least.  If you have been at any of these restaurants during these times or at Batavia’s Original before the weekend please monitor yourself for COVID symptoms for the next 2 weeks.

COVID Update: there have been 78 new Cases reported Friday through Monday afternoon in Genesee county 31 people have recovered.  2 of the active cases are residents at The Grand and 1 is a resident at the VA Medical Center.  25 new cases are reported in Orleans county and 18 have recovered.  2 of the new cases are residents at the Villages of Orleans.  One staff member at Medina Central School has tested positive and gone on quarantine.  There are 142 active cases in Genesee county, 99 more cases than at the highest point in April, and 70 in Orleans.

During the month of October US Customs and Border Protection Officers seized almost 2 million dollars worth of fake and illegal goods being shipped in through the Rochester greater international airport.  These include fake clothing and watches or other copyright infringing goods and drug paraphernalia.

The recovery station at 5256 Clinton St Rd in Batavia is hosting an alcohol and drug-free social event on Nov. 25 designed for inviting adults who are interested in social interactions and events featuring movies, ping-pong, darts, karaoke, arcade games and much more to gather and discover recovery.  Open to community members 18 years of age and older, the activity will kick off a monthly activity known as Lighthouse Lounge at the center, a program of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.  Social distancing, mask wearing and occupancy guidelines will all be observed.  The event is for 5-8pm.

The Oakfield Betterment Committee is holding a Christmas decorating contest for Oakfield and Alabama Residents.   Registration is by the betterment committees website or Facebook page and closes on December 7^th.  The winner gets 100 dollars and the 3 runner ups get a 50 dollar gift card with a choice between local stores and restaurants.

There is a new way to learn new job skills and its free!  Governor Cuomo announced an online program that can teach job skills and allow people to earn certifications with over 4000 free courses and certification programs on Coursera.  If you are unemployed or underemployed you can learn in areas like healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and technologies.  You can get a free account at the New York State department of labor website.

Move over green bean casserole, according to google search research the most popular thanksgiving side dish in the Empire State is mashed sweet potatoes.  Along with Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland and Rhode Island mashed sweet potatoes come in second most popular compared to regular mashed potatoes which 14 states said was their favorite.  Other top sides such as Jell-O, gravy, and sweet potato casserole came in much lower.  The survey was based off of how many google searches were done for recipes for the sides.  Which may just mean that no one needs a recipe for stuffing but need recipes for mashed potatoes.

The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive COVID-19 test from an individual who was at The Harvester in Batavia last week November 8th through the 14th.

Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case. We advise all individuals who were at The Harvester anytime last week to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing,fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.For more information please visit:  https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home

A judge rules probation, not jail, in a Batavia drug case. A Rochester man swept up in a drug bust on Liberty Street in March that led to the arrest of himself and four other people, along with the seizure of 56 bags of crack cocaine, avoided further jail time in his sentencing in Genesee County Court. 36-year-old Marquise Lee had been charged with possessing drugs. After his guilty plea over the summer, he was placed on interim probation.  His success in that program, along with ongoing employment in his father’s construction business, and his care for his children during their in-home studies during the pandemic helped earn him a probationary sentence. Prosecutors wanted some jail time.

Genesee County is reporting 78 new positive COVID-19 cases in recent days. The new positive cases are from Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, Le Roy, Oakfield, Pavilion, Pembroke and Stafford. Five of the positive individuals are hospitalized. Meanwhile, Orleans County reports 25 new cases while in Wyoming County, officials have logged 22 new cases since Friday.

Batavia’s Original will remain closed through Thursday, opening again on Friday. The owner says closing the extra days is a matter of extra precaution. Five employees tested positive for coronavirus, with all the cases contracted away from the workplace, and multiple employees were placed on mandatory quarantine.  That created an immediate staffing problem. All employees who tested positive are recovering well and the Health Department is conducting contact tracing. Batavia’s Original will reopen on Friday.

More than 1,400 National Grid line, tree and service workers in Western New York have been making steady progress in removing downed wires, trees, tree limbs, broken poles and other hazards and restoring power after a severe windstorm swept across the region on Sunday. Crews will continue to work around the clock on the labor-intensive cleanup and restoration efforts. The storm, with wind gusts of more than 65 mph, impacted 51,000 customers. A spokesman for National Grid said in Genesee County power has now been restored to all customers.

The regular deer and bear hunting seasons in New York’s Southern Zone begin at sunrise on Saturday and continues through Sunday, Dec. 13. The Southern Zone regular season is New York’s most popular hunting season, with participation from about 85 percent of New York’s 550,000 licensed hunters. Harvest during this season accounts for nearly 60 percent of the total statewide deer harvest and 30 to 60 percent of the statewide bear harvest.

The Oakfield Betterment Committee is holding its inaugural Christmas Decorating Contest for Oakfield and Alabama residents. Register by Dec. 7 via the committee’s Facebook page. Judging begins Dec. 14 and winners will be announced on Dec. 19. The overall winner will receive $100.

The Community Crisis Fund, which has distributed $6.1 million since it was mobilized in March, is closing out 2020 with a final grant application deadline of Nov. 20. The Crisis Fund was launched by United Way of Greater Rochester and Rochester Area Community Foundation to raise money and rapidly deploy resources to nonprofits adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This helps them continue to provide critical services to our region and/or reopen once they had the necessary personal protective equipment and safety protocols in place. Grants have been awarded to nonprofits in Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties.

The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive COVID-19 test from an individual who was at Bourbon & Burger restaurant in Batavia on:

• Thursday, 11/5 between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Friday, 11/6 between 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, 11/7 between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday, 11/9 between 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case.

We advise all individuals who were at Bourbon & Burger on the stated dates and times to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results. Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

For more information please visit: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home.

Tops Markets, Batavia

Tops friendly markets has released their limited item list in case of scarcity cause by a resurgence of COVID.  Disinfectant spray, wipes, sugar and peanut butter are on the list where a person can only buy 2 per customer.  Toilet paper of 16 rolls or more, paper towels and household cleaners are limited to 1 per person.  Wegmans has also released a similar list.

Governor Cuomo doubled down on saying that the COVID vaccine distribution program will lead to inequities in communities of color by threatening to sue the federal government.  The current plan has the vaccine being distributed through pharmacies, doctors offices, hospitals, and clinic which Cuomo says aren’t available in communities which are made up predominantly of people of color.  The governor wants special funding for vaccines to be distributed in churches, community centers, and other local facilities.   “If the Trump administration does not change this plan and does not provide an equitable vaccine process, we will enforce our legal rights,” Cuomo said. “We will bring legal action to protect New Yorkers.”  Cuomo says that the NAACP and National Urban League are partnering with him in the legal fight.  Trump has said that the government will withhold the vaccine from New York state if Cuomo refuses to allow it to be distributed.

The Batavia business improvement district board of directors announced today that Christmas in the city and holiday parade are canceled due to the coronavirus.  The board says that due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, the need for social distancing, and the concern for the health of the community, vendors, volunteers, and attendees they have decided to cancel this event for 2020.

Crossroads house is holding a pop-up garage sale on Black Friday November 27^th from 9-3 and that Saturday from 9 to 1.  Crossroads house has a huge trailer filled with Christmas decorations, vintage glassware, collectibles, and many other treasures along with the comfort foods cookbook which is on sale for 14 dollars.

For the first time in a long time the price of gas rose in western NY.  In Batavia the price went up by a whole penny after dropping a penny a week for about the last 7 weeks.  The national average has gone up by 2 cents over last week.  The price of crude oil jumped 18 percent on news of a vaccine for COVID.

The Bills lost to the Arizona cardinals by a whole 2 points yesterday after a last second hail Mary touchdown pass brought the score to 32-30.  The Bills had just gone into the lead 2 minutes earlier.  They are now at 7 and 3.  Next game for the Bills is against Los Angeles Chargers in LA Sunday at 1pm.

Power outages continue across the region this morning after a storm front rolled through Sunday. The number of outages in Genesee County early today had dropped to under 20 and involved primarily National Grid customers. There were under 100 remaining without power in Orleans and the number dropped to under 150 in Wyoming county. Fire crews were busy for hours dealing with downed trees and power lines. The National Weather Service clocked a peak wind gust of 58 mph at 5:20 p.m. in Batavia. Warsaw clocked a gust of 59 mph. The Buffalo airport recorded a peak gust of 69 mph while a wind gust of 56 mph was reported at Rochester Airport.

The annual closure of the stretch of Lake Ontario State Parkway, west of Route 98 in the town of Carlton in Orleans County takes effect today. The New York State Department of Transportation says the closure will last until next spring. A detour will be in place for motorists to exit at Route 98 and take Route 18 to continue west.

New technology was installed at the Greater Rochester International Airport just in time for the holidays. The TSA checkpoint at the airport is using new technology that confirms the validity of a traveler’s identification and confirms their flight information in near real time. Travelers still need to check-in with their airline in advance and bring their boarding pass to their gate agent to show the airline representative before boarding their flight.

Congressman Tom Reed has condemned Governor Cuomo’s position on a COVID vaccine. In a statement, Reed said he was appalled by Cuomo’s continued insistence on undermining a COVID-19 vaccine, the integrity of the FDA, and the hundreds of incredible scientists who have dedicated their lives to serving the American people. Reed’s district runs from Jamestown to Ithaca.

Heartbreaking…that’s the only way to describe the last two seconds of the Bills-Cardinals game Sunday. Arizona won 32-30 after an incredible Hail Mary pass was caught in the end zone. The Bills are now 7-3 on the season.

The Town of Batavia has extended its State of Emergency for another 30 days. This State of Emergency has been declared due to the existing and continuing declared States of Emergency at the Federal, State, County, and City of Batavia, related to the COVID-19 virus.

The Great American Smokeout is Thursday. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is encouraging Veterans to take the first step to improve their physical and mental health by combining cessation counseling with other VA clinical resources and support. Research shows behavioral counseling can significantly improve one’s chances of quitting and combining counseling and medication works better than medication or counseling alone. “VA is here to help Veterans quit smoking,” says Michael Swartz, Executive Director. There are many tools and support VA offers to Veterans trying to quit. He added…take the first step to improve your health.

Governor Cuomo and President Trump are arguing with new Yorkers in the middle again.  Cuomo says that he won’t authorize the distribution of the new Covid 19 vaccine until he is assured that it is completely safe and the distribution plan is altered from its’ flawed state to one that is more equitable for people of color.  Trump says that New York won’t be able to receive the vaccine until Cuomo authorizes it.  Cuomo plans a meeting with 5 other governors this weekend to work on aligning their states’ policies and making each other aware of what they are doing.  Cuomo had complained that the vaccine would not be accessible to people of color if it was distributed to Dr’s offices, pharmacies and clinics.  Twenty four people died from COVID-19 in New York Thursday. Another 1,700 patients were hospitalized, 331 were in the ICU, and 137 were intubated.  Across the Country more than 1800 people died from the coronavirus between Thursday and Friday and the number of new cases went over 170 thousand in 24 hours.  Trump says the plan is to vaccinate frontline workers, high risk persons and the elderly first and then the rollout of the vaccine to the general population is expected to start in April.

Bars, restaurants, and gyms are now closing at 10pm across new York state.  Seating at restaurants is now restricted to 4 people or less.  Curbside food pickup can continue past 10 but not alcohol service.  Also Cuomo has restricted private gatherings in homes and residences to 10 people or less.

The high wind warning continues until Monday at 1am with southwest winds of 25-40 miles per hour expected and gusts of up to 65 mph possible.  Watch out for downed trees and power lines and be careful when traveling south or north especially in a high profile vehicle.

The local 4-H teens club is collecting items for a mitten tree for local families in need.  Members of the club donated holiday stockings and gifts for deployed military  members with items such as gum, candy and puzzles.  The mittens will be displayed at cornel cooperative extension till December 14^th and then mailed to the military.  They are asking that people also donate scarves, hats, coats and mittens to be donated to needy local families.  You can donate at the Cornell cooperative extension office from 8:30-5 Monday – Friday.

Do you have an electric car?  More charging stations are coming to New York state.  Because of a lawsuit settlement with Volkswagen over their illegally cheating emissions tests and deceiving customers into believing that their vehicles had lower emissions than they actually had 14.73 billion dollars will be going to the states.  New York state received 127 million dollars and will be using 20 million of that to build more electric vehicle charging stations.  Developers are asked to apply for funds to build the fast charge stations.   The first round of funding goes to Central New York, North Country, Finger Lakes, and Western New York.

Superintendent of Schools for Batavia Anibal Solar Jr has announced that 2 staff members at Batavia Middle school have tested positive for COVID 19.   The 2 staff were asymptomatic but 1 other staffer and 50 students have been ordered to self quarantine for 2 weeks.  Instruction at the school will continue using the hybrid schedule and contact tracing is underway.  Several schools in our area have had to switch to online education or had grades that were all put on remote learning.  Please continue to make smart choices about socializing and mask wearing.

The health department has released that a person who tested positive for COVID 19 was at Batavia’s Original on Friday and Saturday between 4:30 and 10pm.  Anyone who visited Batavia’s Original should monitor themselves for symptoms till at least November 21^st.  Batavia’s Original has been shut down until at least Monday as 5 workers tested positive.  Owner Kathy Ferrara says she thinks a lot of young people think the pandemic is over and people need to be taking it seriously.  None of the five who have tested positive for COVID-19 contracted the virus at work, Ferrara said. Three had been to Halloween parties and one hosted a card game and the other contracted it from a family member.

Erie County sheriff Tim Howard says that he and his deputies will not break up Thanksgiving dinners and that thanksgiving traditions should not be stopped or interrupted by Governor Cuomo’s Mandates.  According to Governor Cuomo there are not to be gatherings of more than 10 people in private residences for any reason including thanksgiving.  This mandate is following national health figures such as Dr. Anthony Fauci saying that we don’t want to give COVID when we give thanks.  The remarks by Sheriff Howard answer the question that many had, how will this new mandate be enforced?  Governor Cuomo has not addressed this question.

There is a high wind watch for Genesee county and other parts of western NY form today until Monday.  Southwest winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour are expected with gusts of up to 60 mph possible.  Be alert for downed trees or power lines.  Report power outages to your electric company.

New York Independent living is proud to announce that the Young Leaders and advocates network is joining the family of agencies.  The young leaders and Advocates network is a 50 year old organization where young people with disabilities fight for an equal voice in issues effecting their lives.  More than 35 thousand people between ages of 14 and 30 live with disabilities in western NY.

The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive COVID-19 test from an individual who was at Batavia’s  Original on Friday November 6th and Saturday November 7th between the hours of 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case. We advise all individuals who were at Batavia’s Original on Friday or Saturday between the stated hours to monitor their symptoms for 14 days (Nov. 20th or Nov. 21st).

If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

The investigation continues after a fire caused heavy damage to a Batavia home and claimed the lives of several pets. Flames were spotted Thursday leaping from a home at 162 State Street. The fire chief said it was a two-alarm fire. No one was home when the flames broke out. A dog and three cats died in the blaze.

The Genesee County Health Department is reporting 40 new positive COVID-19 cases. Some of the new infections involve a staff member at Batavia High School and a student at Byron Bergen High School. Both individuals are in mandatory quarantine. Both schools remain open. Orleans County reports 30 new virus cases and Wyoming County reports 18 news cases since Tuesday.

A lack of staffing because of the spread of COVID-19 in the community is forcing Batavia’s Original to close for the weekend. The owner will evaluate staff availability on Monday to see if she can reopen. Five workers at the pizzeria have tested positive and because of close contact, several more are in mandatory quarantine for two weeks and can’t come to work.

Cashless tolling will go live on the New York State Thruway’s ticketed system – more than a month ahead of schedule – during the overnight hours of tonight into tomorrow. The historic conversion will take place simultaneously at 58 tolling locations across the Thruway’s 450-mile ticketed system. At the time cashless tolling goes live, cash will no longer be accepted as a form of payment at toll booths and printed toll tickets will not be handed out. The conversion to cashless tolling marks the end of phase one of the project. Phase two, which begins following the conversion, includes the removal of existing toll plazas.

Families will have the opportunity to visit a local dairy farm without ever leaving the couch. Genesee County’s Oakfield Corners Dairy is the next stop on American Dairy Association North East’s “Fun on the Farm” series, which can be seen on Facebook at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. This week, dairy farm team members Adam Dresser and Jamie Black will discuss how Oakfield Corners uses genetics when breeding their cows, leading to healthy animals who produce a lot of high-quality milk.

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York says that Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed critical legislation addressing the growing decline in volunteer firefighters across the State. The new law creates a New York State Recruitment and Retention Task Force that will study challenges to recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters. Its mission is to develop recommendations and policy changes to assist fire departments across the state in boosting their ranks.

$400,000. That’s how much Buffalo Bills fans have raised in honor of Bill’s quarterback Josh Allen’s grandmother. She passed away over the weekend. The Bills Mafia is making donations to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo in increments of $17 dollars—Allen’s number is 17.

A fire engulfed a home at 162 State street in Batavia this morning killing 3 cats and 1 dog.  No people were home when the house went up before 8 am.  Fire fighters were on the scene quickly as a n off duty firefighter was passing by and called in for help along with many residents of nearby homes.  He was informed someone was in the house and attempted to gain entry but the flames were already too hot.  After the fire department arrived and doused the flames they found no people inside.  The residents arrived at around 11 am.  The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Governor Cuomo has announced new restrictions designed to fight the rise in COVID cases in New York State.  Just in time for Thanksgiving Cuomo says that no ore than 10 people are allowed to congregate in private homes, bars, restaurants, and gyms must close by 10pm starting Friday at 10pm.  These restrictions are very close to what neighboring states are doing.  Cuomo says that the rules for private homes are needed as Halloween parties are reported to be the cause of some clusters in areas around the state.

Cashless tolls begin Friday night on the NYS thruway.  This is almost a month ahead of schedule.  Cars getting on the highway will not have to stop at the booths anymore as the cameras positioned above will shoot a pic of the front and back license plates and also scan for ezpass tags.  Those without ezpass will be charged more than those with them.  The next phase of the project involves removing existing toll booths. During this period, drivers will be asked to drive through toll lanes at reduced speeds without stopping. Citizens are asked to exercise caution when driving up to toll plazas.

Maybe you felt the earth shake.  The US Geological survey reports that a 1.5 magnitude quake has struck up near Wilson in Niagara county.  They say that the depth of the quake was 5 kilometers down into the earth and happened Tuesday morning.

The salvation army is getting going with it’s red kettle campaign with bell a ringing.  Requests for help are at an all time high as many people are suffering from the shutdowns and decreased economy that came from them.  If you don’t carry change or cash then you can give online on the salvation army’s website or via apple pay or google pay.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York is taking actions to address rises in COVID-19 cases, and the new rules impact bars, restaurants, gyms and private gatherings. During a conference call, the governor said State Liquor Authority-licensed establishments must close at 10 p.m. Curbside food pickup can continue past 10 p.m. Gyms will also be required to close at 10 p.m. These new rules take effect Friday at 10 p.m. Cuomo said private gatherings such as parties will be capped at 10 people.

A Bethany man returns to court next month after he was charged with a violent crime. Sheriff’s deputies arrested 24-year-old Greg Solomonidis of Little Canada Road was charged with felony assault. That count stems from an incident in July at a tavern in Alexander. He allegedly struck a person in the face causing serious injury. He’s due in Town of Alexander court on December 21st.

County Coroner Jeff McIntyre has received a commendation from the Genesee County Legislature for his tireless work — more than 260 hours — along with a team of responders — to an airplane crash site in Corfu. The Oct. 2 plane crash into a swampy, wooded area near Boyce Road claimed the life of Buffalo attorney Steve Barnes and the life of his niece Elizabeth Barnes, who was a government attorney.

The Batavia Muckdogs Baseball Club will be issuing refund checks to purchasers of 2020 game tickets at the Dwyer Stadium office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. To expedite the refund process, you’re asked to bring a government-issued identification and proof of purchase.

When it comes to commitment and dedication to battling opioid addiction in rural areas, the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force shines brightly. That’s the viewpoint of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, which has awarded the local collaborative organization with a 2020 Community Star. The award is given to only one rural entity in New York State.

Catholic Charities needs volunteers for its COVID-19 phone visitation program. An adaptation of its home visitation program for seniors (age 60+) in Genesee and Orleans counties, this safe social connection is an opportunity for homebound seniors to maintain contact with the outside world they otherwise would not have due to their shrinking social circles as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Interested volunteers would call weekly, from their own homes and on their own schedules, to check in on the homebound seniors. Training and a background check are required.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed the Outdoor Rx Act requiring the New York State Division of Veteran’s Services to review issues relating to veterans’ ability to access state parks, lands and facilities. The Outdoor Rx Act is the first step in identifying how New York State can better address the needs of veterans adjusting back to civilian life through outdoor activity. This legislation takes effect immediately. Recent studies have shown that time outdoors can be a valuable asset to traditional therapy. Outdoor-based therapeutic programs hold promise for individuals suffering from PTSD and Substance Abuse Disorder.

While the wait continues for many New York State races to be called, new proposed legislation aims to speed up the process for future elections. According to current state law, absentee ballots cannot be counted until after Election Day. This year, more than 1.5 million of those were returned, meaning a hold-up on clear results. Now, Democratic state senators are bringing forth legislation that would allow absentee ballots to start being canvassed on Election Day, three hours before polls close.

COVID Update: after a lot of cases over the weekend the new case number went down significantly yesterday with just 7 new cases in Genesee county and 13 in Orleans county.  17 people recovered in Genesee county and 3 people recovered in Orleans.  The health department released that 1 student at Holley high school has tested positive for COVID 19 and contact tracing is underway.  There are now 87 active cases in Genesee county and 47 in Orleans.

Jamie A. Dutton has been indicted for attempted murder.  Aug. 25 Dutton allegedly stabbed a person while outside the city water filtration plant on Lehigh Avenue.  That person was brought to the hospital by a family member and was stabilized there. He was also indicted for first-degree assault for allegedly causing serious physical injury to a person with a knife.

A worker at the new apartment complex being built on east main street accidentally severed a 2-inch gas line while working around 2pm on Tuesday.  10 homes and businesses were evacuated as the gas leak was brought under control.  It took about a half hour to seal off the leak and then people were allowed to return.

A new option for COVID-19 testing may be available soon in Western NY.  Four in one rapid nasal tests can detect COVID, Flu A and B, and RSV in about 35 minutes.  This new test will be used primarily for children and is currently in very short supply.  Doctors are saying it tests at the DNA level to find the virus at its most basic level.

Refunds to Batavia Muckdogs season ticket holders will be available at Dwyer Stadium this Friday and Saturday.

Ben Hayes, the former president of the now defunct New York-Penn Baseball league will be in Batavia this weekend.

Hayes says he will be at Dwyer Stadium this Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm each and will make refunds on the spot to season ticket holders. You will need to bring ID and some proof of your ticket purchase.

An investigation is underway into a barn fire on East Road in Batavia. Flames Tuesday afternoon brought the building down while firefighters worked to protect a nearby home. At least one firefighter suffered from smoke inhalation. Multiple departments responded to the scene. A nearby propane tank was also monitored. Fire crews remained at the scene well into the evening.

A Batavia High School staff member has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was not in school with any symptoms and was considered asymptomatic prior to getting tested. As a result of contact tracing, one additional staff member and five students were deemed as “close contact” and will quarantine for 14 days. Any student and staff member that was identified as a “close contact” has already been contacted by the Batavia High School administration. The Genesee County Health Department will also follow up with identified students and staff. Batavia High School will remain open for in-person hybrid learning model.

The Genesee County Health Department reports seven new COVID cases. Since Friday, there have been 43 new cases. Those newly infected live in Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Darien, Elba, Le Roy, Oakfield, Pavilion, and Stafford. Two of the positive individuals are hospitalized. Orleans County reports 13 news cases and Wyoming County reports 12 additional cases.

It’s Veterans Day and ceremonies and services are scheduled across the area. There will be a 10 a.m. event at the VA Hospital in Batavia while the New York State Vets home will hold a service at 10:15. At 11:30, there will be a ceremony at the Jerome Center monument. Organizations participating include the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Genesee County, Genesee County American Legions Disabled American Veterans – Chapter #166 Marine Corps League – Hansen Brothers Detachment.

Jamie A. Dutton has been indicted for attempted murder. It is alleged that on Aug. 25 Dutton attempted to stab a person while outside the city water filtration plant at 480 Lehigh Avenue. He was also indicted for first-degree assault for allegedly causing serious physical injury to a person by means of a dangerous instrument.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is once again disputing the rumors that he’s interested in being President-Elect Joe Biden’s Attorney General. Cuomo, who previously rejected the idea after an Axios report last month, publicly rejected interest on the Howard Stern Show. Cuomo served as Attorney General in New York from 2007-10 and was the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton.

The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive COVID-19 test from an individual who attended Trivia Night at T.F. Brown’s Restaurant on Tuesday, Nov. 3, between 6 and 9 p.m. Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case. Officials say anyone who attended the Trivia Night on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd should monitor their symptoms until Nov. 17th. If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

A fire broke out Tuesday afternoon at a trailer on Telephone Road in Pavilion. A propane tank was also near the trailer. It started after a pile of leaves was ignited. Pavilion and Le Roy fire departments were first to respond. Additional firefighters were called in from Bethany, Stafford, Caledonia and York. The American Red Cross was called for the displacement of at least three residents.

News Release

Genesee County Legislature Chair Shelley Stein and Genesee County Public Health Director Paul Pettit are urging county residents and businesses to step up in taking precautions to fight the spread of COVID19.

Their call is the result of an increase of infections in Genesee County and the GLOW region and Governor Cuomo’s announcement earlier today about parts of Erie and Monroe Counties being placed in Yellow Zones.

The Governor and his health experts have created three zones to manage the spread of the virus:  yellow designates an area as being in a precautionary phase; an orange zone designation denotes a community is in a warning phase; and red means the community is in a cluster zone which imposes the strictest rules and regulations. You can learn more about the zoning designation by visiting https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-new-cluster-action-initiative.

“We don’t want restrictions that will negatively impact businesses and the local economy, but if we continue to see increases and spikes, New York State is going to come in and create the zones that were announced today in Erie and Monroe Counties,” said Stein.  “Unfortunately, that is where we are trending if we don’t take action fast and become more vigilant to fight the spread of the virus.”

Among the restrictions in a yellow zone includes that houses of worship can have no more than 50 percent capacity.  The maximum number of people at non-essential indoor or outdoor gatherings is limited to 25 people maximum. Businesses can remain open but for restaurants there is a maximum of 4 people per table for both an indoor and outdoor dining.  Schools can remain open but there must be mandatory weekly testing of students and teachers/staff for in-person settings.

Stein said that Genesee County will be reaching out to various government agencies and business partners to urge the community to step up their vigilance in wearing masks, maintaining appropriate social distancing, hand washing and other common sense things to prevent further spread of the virus.  The County is asking these partners to spread the message through email and social media channels.

“The key thing at the moment is similar to what we experience with the cold and flu season and that is people feeling compelled to go out if they are not feeling well,” said Pettit.  “If you feel ill in the slightest, then please do not go out or to work and contact your physician immediately in order to schedule a test.”

With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays right around the corner, the temptation of larger gatherings particularly of family and friends who travel from outside the region poses another way of how the infection rate can spread.

“Cold and flu season is here, and eventually bad weather will force people to gather inside which is a recipe for the spread of the virus and this becomes even more concerning with the holidays right around the corner,” Stein said.

Testing locations in Genesee County can be found https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you.

COVID Update:  Genesee county now has more active cases than any time in the pandemic as over the weekend 43 new cases were received.  2 teachers at Jackson primary school have tested positive and Jackson primary will be going to 100 percent virtual learning till Monday, November 30^th.  Orleans county has 18 new cases and 6 people have recovered.  1 student at Lyndonville high school and 1 student at Medina high school have tested positive.  Contact tracing is in progress.  1 person in Orleans county has passed away from COVID 19.  The person was over 65 years old.  There are now 54 active cases in genesee county, the highest on record before this was 43.

Due to the increase in COVID-19 in the county Genesee county facilities and meeting rooms will be closed to the public.  The city clerks office, Department of public works admin and inspection bureau, and yard waste station will remain open.  Public meetings will continue to be face to face but all attendees and guests will be subject to screening by the fire department.

The city council meeting Monday night was interrupted when 2 reporters, one Mike Pettinella from our news partner the Batavian, and one unnamed reporter noticed an unusual smell.  They informed the firefighters who were taking everyone’s temperature.  City fire was dispatched for a smell of natural gas and the meeting was halted.  It was determined that the smell was antiseptic from the dentist’s office combined with the smell of burning leaves.  Afterwards the meeting was allowed to continue.

Even though no one was able to ride it this season, those who have know it was a bumpy ride.  The Predator Wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake is getting an update for the 2021 season.  The 95 foot tall, 3400 foot long roller coaster that opened in 1990 will be getting a new steel track title the titan track by Great Coasters International which is capable of launches, corkscrews and loops although the plan for what the predator will look like once it is finished has not been released.  The new track style is designed with no welds, instead using rivets to provide a smoother ride.

Well that stinks, literally.  A 2500 dollar reward is being offered for information into an incident in North Collins involving significant damage to a car.  What was the damage? Someone filled the interior of the car with manure.  Crime stoppers of western New York are looking for any leads into the foul crime which happened in the early morning of October 15^th.

News Release

The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive COVID-19 test from an individual who attended Trivia Night at T F Brown’s on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 between 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case. We advise all individuals who attended the Trivia Night on Tuesday, November 3rd to monitor their symptoms until November 17th.

If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.For more information please visit: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home

COVID-19 cases in Genesee County continue to spiral upward. Since Friday, 43 new cases have been confirmed. The Genesee County Health Department was notified of two positive teachers at Jackson Primary School. The individuals have been placed under mandatory isolation where they will remain until they have recovered. Contact tracing is in process to identify close contacts. Out of an abundance of caution, Jackson Primary School will remain 100% remote virtual learning until Monday, November 30. In Orleans County, 18 new cases were confirmed while in Wyoming County, official report ten new cases.

A pedestrian who was struck while crossing East Main Street on Friday night has been identified by Batavia Police as 45-year-old Casey Nutting, of Batavia. Nutting, according to witnesses, was running across the street when he was struck by a minivan. The drive of the minivan, whose identity has not been released, has not been charged and police said no charges are anticipated.

With growing COVID cases in New York, state officials said Monday they are less likely to allow high risk indoor winter high school sports, such as basketball, hockey and wrestling. New York has yet to announce any official decision on winter sports, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his top aides doubted whether the teams will be able to convene later this month as the schools had hoped.

New York Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay has tested positive for COVID-19. The Republican announced the positive test in a statement on Monday night. Barclay had taken the test as a “precautionary measure.”

Buffalo and Rochester shattered their record high temperatures Monday with temperatures reaching 76 in Buffalo and 77 in Rochester. This breaks a 129-year record at Buffalo and a 21-year record at Rochester.

Alleged phony money has led to an arrest. Sheriff’s deputies say they took 60-year-old Lawrence Williams Sr. of Ross Street in Batavia into custody. He was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a Class D felony. On Oct. 6, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a counterfeit $100 bill at a store on Veterans Memorial Drive. Following an investigation, it is alleged that Williams knowingly presented the fake money He was arrested, arraigned virtually in Genesee County Court, then released on his own recognizance.

Effective immediately all City of Batavia facilities and meeting rooms will be closed to the public in light of increased in COVID-19 positive cases in Genesee County. Facilities that will remain open for public business include the City Clerk’s Office, DPW Administration/Inspection Bureau and Yard Waste Station. At this time, City Council meetings, Planning & Development Committee meetings and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings will remain as in-person meetings held in the Council Chamber with minimal City staff attending.

A grand jury is hearing evidence against the Rochester Police officers involved in the Daniel Prude case. Prude died in March, a week after being restrained by police on Jefferson Avenue. His death was not made public until months later, prompting a wave of protest and an investigation into how Rochester City Hall and RPD handled the case.

News Release

Batavia Police this afternoon identified the victim of last Friday’s fatal carf pedestrian accident on East Main at Summit St.

The pedestrian was Casey Nutting, age 45, of Batavia. The driver remained on scene after the accident and has cooperated fully with the investigation.

The Batavia Police Department is still investigating the accident, but at this time no charges are pending and none are expected in the future.

Parts of Western NY are now designated yellow zones for their increase in COVID-19 cases.  Amherst, Aurora, buffalo, Cheektowaga and many more towns are ow under increased restrictions including a 25 person maximum for mass gatherings indoors and out, 4 people max at restaurant tables, mandatory weekly testing for teachers, students and staff and houses of worship must be under 50 percent capacity.  Erie county was at a 6.3 percent positivity rate.  Also newly designated as yellow zones are Onondaga and Monroe counties.  New York still has one of the lowest positivity rates in the nation.  Across the US there were over 126,000 new cases and more than 1000 deaths on Saturday.  In New York 18 people died from COVID, 4 of them in Erie County.

Researchers at Cornell University have created a new interactive map to track COVID 19 cases in schools in New York State.  The web based tool is called NYS School District COVID 19 tracker.  It estimates cases and spread based on geography , demographics, and socioeconomic factors, pulling in data from state and county education and health departments.

Gas prices keep on dropping.  In Batavia it is down to 2.18 a gallon which is 1 penny below last week.  The Energy Information Administration predicts that prices will keep dropping but gasbuddy.com says that in about 6 weeks there may be an increase as stimulus and relief may buoy it back up.  The dropping prices are because of lower demand and an increase in the amount of domestic oil available.

Buffalo broke records today and yesterday with the temperature going over 70 degrees before noon today and yesterday it hit a high of 73 degrees.  The record of most over 60 degree days in November is set to be broken by Wednesday.  All these records are over 8 decades old with the one broken yesterday being 129 years old.

School Business Partnership: Aaron Leone, right, practices his welding skills on the Miller LiveArc machine, as Welding Instructor Andrew Geyer, guides him.

News Release

When Graham Corporation and the Genesee County Economic Development Center approached Jon Sanfratello, Executive Principal of the GV BOCES Batavia Campus, about donating a welding simulator, Sanfratello knew that this was a huge bonus for the Metal Trades Program.

“When businesses invest in our programs, our students are the true benefactors. This welding simulator, that Graham Corporation has so generously donated, will provide our students with an additional training tool to test their skills,” Sanfratello said. “One of our top priorities here at GV BOCES is the integration of both applied and practical skills into curriculum so our students are college and career-ready. This training tool is another means of achieving our goal. We are so very appreciative of Graham’s investment in our program and students.”

At the end of the 2019-2020 school year, Graham Corporation (Graham) provided a Miller LiveArc Welding System to the Metal Trades Program at the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center at the GV BOCES Batavia Campus. This system provides a simulation scenario for a student to practice welds in a live-arc training mode. Andrew Geyer is the Welding Instructor at the Batavia CTE Center. Geyer explained how this new system will be used.

“The Miller LiveArc has cameras and infrared sensors that will read students’ welds and grade them accordingly based upon the parameters that are set,” Geyer said. “It is our hope that representatives from Graham can spend some time with us and program the machine with industry-based welds so students can get a better understanding of what is expected in industry.”

Geyer and Metal Trades students recently met with representatives from Graham Corporation and Chris Suozzi from the Genesee County Economic Development Center via Zoom. During this online meeting, students asked many questions about employment opportunities at Graham Corporation.

Graham Corporation is well known for being a major employer in the region as well as a supporter of schools especially, Genesee Valley BOCES. Graham has gifted other consumable materials to the Metal Trades Program at the GV BOCES Batavia Campus.

“The Welding Program at the Batavia CTE Center is very important to Graham Corporation and to our community. As Graham continues to grow, access to skilled welders is vital. Welders make up approximately 50 percent of Graham’s skilled workforce,” said Alan Smith, General Manager of Graham Corporation. “Graham has a long history of supporting the welding program at the Batavia CTE Center with donations of plate steel and weld wire. Graham’s latest donation of the weld simulator will enable students to learn proper welding techniques by providing immediate feedback while saving the expensive cost of weld wire.”
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Graham Corporation has a record of hiring welding students from the Batavia CTE Center and from other BOCES around New York state. Don Fonda, Superintendent at Graham Corporation, noted that this partnership goes back decades.

“We have close to 75 employees who went to a BOCES program, and add in some recent new hires, the total is over 80 employees. We have 53 employees who came to Graham from the Batavia GV BOCES program,” Fonda said. “From what I could find out the Graham/ Batavia GV BOCES connection goes back to the 1970s when GV BOCES was next to the industrial center. Bob Torrey was one of the first co-op students at Graham. He started at Graham working three days and Saturdays in January of 1974 while he was in school. He was hired full-time in June 1974, 46 years ago.”

Chris Suozzi, Vice President of Business and Workforce Development for the Genesee County Economic Center, shared how partnerships like this benefit the community.

“The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) applauds Graham Corporation for investing in equipment and experiences that will benefit every 11th and 12th grade student learning in GV BOCES’ welding lab. This partnership strengthens the skills of our students for the great careers at Graham Corporation.”

Beginning today and continuing for the next two weeks, Jackson Primary School in Batavia is shifting to 100 percent virtual learning. The District Superintendent made the announcement Sunday after two employees at Jackson tested positive for COVID-19 and were symptomatic while on campus. Jackson is the only school in the City School district moving to virtual learning for the time being. Virtual learning will be in effect until Nov. 30. Staff and students who have been identified as ‘close contact’ will be notified by both school administration and the Genesee County Health Department beginning immediately.

The cause of a house fire in Batavia remains under investigation. Crews were called out last night after flames were seen shooting from the home at 3 Walnut Street. Additional help was brought in from the Town of Batavia, Darien and Alexander. There were no injuries.  All residents evacuated before firefighters arrived. The upstairs apartment, where the fire started, was occupied by two adults and an infant. The downstairs apartment was occupied by one adult and a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old.  One family will be assisted by the Red Cross.

Solar and wind farms, and some coaches are on the agenda when the Batavia City Board of Education meets tonight. The Board will consider a resolution to opt out of the exemption under the New York State Real Property Tax Law for Solar & Wind Energy Farms or Farm Waste Energy Systems. The school board will also vote on a Memorandum of Agreement regarding stipends for some coaches. The Board meets at 6:30 p.m.

As New York State and the nation continue to grapple with the challenges posed by COVID-19, the State University of New York Chancellor has outlined a sweeping, system-wide plan that will allow campuses to safely return to in-person instruction for the spring semester, subject to any changes in federal or New York State guidance. According to the plan all students must be tested for COVID-19 upon return. The plan also pushes the start date of the spring semester for in-person instruction until February 1 and spring break 2021 will be cancelled. In addition, all returning students must complete a seven-day precautionary quarantine prior to their arrival on campus.

Some additional funding appears headed to the Batavia Police Department. When the City Council meets tonight, it will vote on a resolution to amend the 2020-2021 police department budget to reflect a new STOP-DWI grant of $5,000. The Youth Bureau is also earmarked to receive a Rotary grant. The Council will also shift to a behind closed door session to discuss real estate and employment matters. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Court action is pending for an Albion woman who now faces multiple felony counts. State Police say they arrested 42-year-old Alicia Stanton. Troopers charged her with first-degree reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and second-degree arson. The charges stem from an incident in Albion Friday afternoon.

The Buffalo Bills have improved to 7-2…that hasn’t happened since 1993. Buffalo defeated Seattle Sunday 44-34.

County Manager Matt Landers has announced that Assistant County Manager, Tammi Ferringer successfully completed the High Performance Leadership Academy, a partnership of the National Association of Counties. The Academy focuses on five essential skills; leading, organizing, collaborating, communication and delivering.

News Release

At approximately 8:02 PM on 11/06/2020, the Genesee County Dispatch center was notified of a car/pedestrian accident which occurred on East Main Street just east of Summit Street.
Officers from the Batavia Police Department, along with the City of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy Medics, responded where the male pedestrian was found with severe injuries, laying in the middle of the roadway.
The pedestrian was transported to UMMC where he was later pronounced dead.

The preliminary investigation shows the vehicle was heading east on East Main Street when the pedestrian entered the roadway just east of Summit Street. The pedestrian was on the south side of the roadway and heading north.
The vehicle struck the pedestrian as he was crossing the road. The investigation is still ongoing and no further updates should be expected until 11/09/2020. The identity of the pedestrian is being withheld at this time at the family’s request.

Anyone with information in reference to the case may contact Detective Sergeant Lutey at 585-345-6311 or the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370 or online HERE

There was a fatal collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle on east main street in Batavia around 8 pm on Friday night.  Batavia police, fire and mercy flight responded to a man lying in the middle of the road.  He was taken to UMMC where he was pronounced dead.   No information yet on the vehicle that struck him and the identity of the man is being withheld by family request.

Rochester Regional Health is suspending general visitation to hospitals starting Sunday at 7pm.  This affects Rochester General, Unity Hospital, Genesee County, UMMC, and Clifton Springs Hospital.  End of life and patients with intellectual or developmental disabilities including dementia or cognitive impairments will be allowed limited visitation.  Pediatric patients can have 1 support person on site and swap with 1 other person, obstetrics patients can have one on site person and a doula.  Visitors will be screened and temperature checked on entry and every 12 hours.

There are many options on how to celebrate veterans day this Wednesday.  GCC is hosting a virtual veterans day now through Wednesday on their website where you can view a slideshow honoring veterans connected to GCC and view a ceremony to commemorate the day.  There are ceremonies scheduled at Genesee county park at 9am, The Batavia VA memorial center at 10am, the NYS veterans home at 10:15am, at Upton Monument in Downtown Batavia at 11A, and at the Jerome Center monument at 11:30am.  Mask wearing and social distancing are required.

COVID Weekend Update: From Friday at 4 pm Genesee county has 11 new cases.  Orleans county has 7 new cases and 1 person has recovered.   The health department is not reporting travel quarantines because of the new testing option.  There are currently 54 active cases in Genesee county and 25 in Orleans.  A student at Elba elementary school has tested positive.  They were not in school for 2 days before testing positive so the health department believes there is no impact on the school.  There is also a positive case in Albion elementary but they were also not in school.

The Buffalo Bills are facing off against one of the NFL’s elite teams at the bills stadium.  The Seattle Seahawks are flying in to Orchard Park for a Sunday afternoon contest. The records are tight for both teams this season with Buffalo being six-and-two this year while Seattle is currently six-and-one. Both teams are also coming off of victories against teams in their own division.  Kickoff for Sunday’s contest is set for one p-m.

Western Ny York is a problem, says governor Cuomo as the 7 day rolling average for the region has gone up to 2.8 percent.  Cuomo also says that he is working with local leaders to develop a micro cluster strategy to bring the numbers down.  The highest density of cases are in Buffalo, Hamburg, Tonawanda and Orchard Park.  Cuomo will make an announcement Monday about a micro-cluster strategy that is tailored to the particulars of the area. Monroe County and Onondaga County will also be designated as micro-clusters.  There is a color coded zoning strategy going from yellow to red and Cuomo did not say which color thee counties would be in.  Cuomo also said that it would be irresponsible to allow fans back into Bills stadium.

COVID Update: From 4pm yesterday Genesee county had 10 new cases and 6 people have recovered.  15 new people are on travel quarantine.  There is no separating whether they are doing the 3 day quarantine or the 14 day quarantine in the numbers.  Orleans county has 6 new cases and 1 person has recovered.  15 new people are on the travel quarantine list.  The health department reports that there is a COVID positive student at Batavia high school but no impact on the student body is expected.  There is 1 new positive case in alexander middle/ high school and contact tracing is under way.  There are 43 active cases in Genesee county, which is a new high since April 10th, and 19 in Orleans.

Governor Cuomo has announced that the period where expired licenses are still valid will be extended to December 3^rd.  This is for driver’s licenses only, as the extension that had been in effect for vehicle registrations and inspections since March has ended.  Officials say don’t wait, get your license renewed as soon as possible.

The State Education Commissioner says students across New York won’t be taking any Regents exams in January. The decision to scrap the tests was made due to lingering concerns over COVID-19. The Education Department says the current learning requirements will be modified so students can still earn their diplomas. There’s no word yet if the Regents exams will be held in June or August of next year.

This could be the longest string of 60 degree plus days in November in the last 80 years for western NY.  If the weather holds for 7 total days it will break the record set in 1938.

If you want to do a sun salutation to celebrate the summerlike weather on Saturday in centennial park you can sign up to do a yoga class.  One last yoga in the park is scheduled for tomorrow at 9am.  The event is free but organizers ask you to bring a food item, perishable or non perishable, to help with a food drive for the little free pantry and fridge.  You can register for the event by following the link on wbtai.com.

Ten new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Genesee County. Those newly infected live in Batavia, Bethany, Darien, Elba and Pembroke. The ages range from under 20 to over 80. The Health Department has been notified of a positive student at the Batavia High School. The student was not in school two days prior to testing positive, therefore no school impact. The individuals are on mandatory isolation until recovered. Contact tracing is in process for those who are considered close contacts and will be placed on mandatory quarantine for 14 days from the last contact with the positive individual.

Court action is pending for 35-year-old Jennifer M. Moore, 35, of River Street in Batavia. She is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony; and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, also a Class B felony. It is alleged that Moore sold crack cocaine to an agent of the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force on two separate occasions. She was also allegedly in possession of crack cocaine at the time of her arrest. Moore was arraigned in Genesee County Court and released under supervision. The task force is comprised of law enforcement officers from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, the Batavia Police Department, and the Village of Le Roy Police Department. The task force was assisted by deputies and the District Attorney’s Office

Federal prosecutors say that 27-year-old Brandon Wilson of Buffalo was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with delay or destruction of mail. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He’s accused of failing to deliver 800 pieces of mail to include three absentee ballots.  The complaint is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General and other agencies.

New York State’s statewide COVID-19 positivity rate is 1.59 percent, according to a press release from Gov. Cuomo’s office. The positive testing rate in the state’s “focus zone” areas is 2.69 percent. The state’s positivity outside of all focus zones is 1.42 percent. There were 14 COVID-19 deaths in the state on Tuesday.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation to expand community school funding and ensure students, families, and communities have the resources needed for students to thrive. The Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2020 would help public k-12 schools serve students, families, and communities by investing more than $3 billion in public schools to be community hubs and provide integrated student supports, expanded and enriched learning opportunities, collaborative leadership, and family and community engagement – including medical, mental, and nutrition health services, mentoring and youth development programs, and continuing education courses.