Midday News Brief

Genesee County residents will have the chance to get their hands on free KN95 masks today. A distribution event is being held until 6:00pm, 12/29 at the Alva Place parking lot which is located at Alva Place and Bank Street in Batavia. The county has roughly 12,000 masks to give out and any masks that remain can be picked up at the County Clerk’s office and Department of Social Services office during regular business hours. Officials say the masks will help limit the spread of COVID-19 and go a long way towards keeping businesses open.

The trustee in the Michael Tomaszewski bankruptcy case has asked the court to order Tomaszewski’s wife to turn over an anticipated income tax refund once it is received. Over the previous two years, the Tomaszewski’s have jointly claimed refunds of over $27,000; the court order asks Ms. Tomaszewski to provide about $13,000 of this to the court to help settle some of Tomaszewski’s debts.

The ban on Styrofoam containers and packing peanuts goes into effect January 1st. Instead of the cheap containers restaurants have become accustomed to using for takeout needs, more expensive biodegradable containers are needed. This is part of the state’s effort to cut down on single use containers and waste. Some restaurants are complaining that this will increase their price on containers by over 300 percent.

Governor Kathy Hochul is urging New Yorkers to celebrate the upcoming New Year’s holiday safely as the spread of COVID-19 worsens across the state. Governor Hochul says before visiting any family and friends, it’s a good idea to get yourself tested for the virus so you don’t infect anyone. The governor also suggests that anyone who hasn’t received their COVID-19 vaccination or booster shot should schedule an appointment as soon as possible. As a reminder, there’s a statewide indoor mask mandate in effect through at least January 15th.

For the first time since December 17th, the Buffalo Sabres will be taking the ice for a game tonight. The Sabres are set to host the New Jersey Devils at KeyBank Center. Buffalo had several of its recent games postponed after the NHL decided to put the league on pause due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases among players and staff. The Sabres will be without their head coach as well as multiple players while in the league’s COVID-19 protocols; meanwhile, the Sabres called up players from the Amerks, to sub. Face off for this evening’s contest is scheduled for 7:00pm.

The Holland Land Office Museum will be closed from Tuesday, January 4th through Saturday, January 8th. The museum will be resuming its regular operating hours of Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 4 pm on Tuesday, January 11th. For further information or questions please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com