Midday News Brief
Written by Doug Thompson on February 2, 2022
Winter storm warnings will begin at 10 tonight across a wide swath of upstate New York, including the four-county GLOW region, as our stretch of fair weather and thaw gradually ends through this afternoon and evening. A cold front will slowly push into our region, bringing with it widespread accumulating snow. Although the storm warning is in place for 30 hours, the main round of snow is expected tomorrow afternoon and night with lingering lighter snows on Friday. As always, stay with WBTA; 13 WHAM meteorologists will keep us up to date with the latest weather information.
School districts in both Genesee and Orleans counties are seeking local control with masking and pandemic response. Thirteen superintendents across the two counties have signed and sent a letter to Governor Hochul asking her to get away from the one-size-fits-all mandates presently in place; they noted that the mandates from the state have caused unnecessary challenges for school administrators. They are asking Hochul and the Department of Health to develop guidance for ‘mitigation measures, but not mandates,’ with local control fully restored so that superintendents are able to make decisions appropriate for individual communities.
Steve Hawley
Assemblyman Steve Hawley has also sent a letter to Governor Hochul and his was cc’ed to Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. In his letter, he urged the Commission to stop the implementation of a reduction in the farm labor overtime threshold from 60 to 40 hours. Last Friday, the Farm Laborers Wage Board voted 2-1 to lower the threshold. Assemblyman Hawley’s key concern is that most farmers simply cannot afford to pay workers overtime pay and would have to reduce their labor force. Hawley said that with the consequences clearly laid out, it is hoped the Labor Commission recognizes how disastrous this decision would be for farming.
After being canceled the last two years due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Buffalo will return next month. The event is set to take place March 20th and the parade route will once again be traveling down Delaware Avenue. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Hail to St. Patrick! God Bless America & Support Our Troops. Honor Our Frontline Workers.” The parade will start at 2:00 and everyone who attends is asked to follow health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of germs.
The Buffalo Bills have wasted very little time filling their offensive coordinator vacancy. Yesterday, the team said it was promoting quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey to replace Brian Daboll who is now the head coach of the New York Giants. Dorsey became the most winning quarterback in University of Miami history. In the NFL, he played quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns and served as a quarterback coach for the Carolina Panthers and the Buffalo Bills. Dorsey has spent the past three seasons with the team and worked closely alongside quarterback Josh Allen, who reportedly advocated for Dorsey to get the job. Buffalo is now looking to fill their quarterback coach position.
The Buffalo Sabres have wrapped up their latest road trip and are heading into the All-Star break with a loss. They fell to the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 at T-Mobile Arena last night. The Sabres have dropped two straight games and are still in sixth place in the Atlantic Division. Their next contest is set for February 10th when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
