Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on July 6, 2022
Genesee County has issued water conservation notices for the last 2 years as water levels in the aquifer have been below normal levels for some time. But one company wants more water. 75 times more water. Seneca Power Partners on Cedar St in Batavia wants to draw more than 715 thousand gallons of water a day from the water that supplies the County, city and town. The 3 municipalities have banded together to ask the DEC to deny the permit to draw the water. They say this much water usage would burden the aquifer, affecting the water treatment plant and the Tonawanda River. They said that the company did not inform the municipalities and did not consider other sources such as O-At-Ka which is 100 yards away and discharges over 1 million gallons of water daily.
A motorcyclist is dead after an accident on Rt 63 near Bethany. A Genesee County Sheriff was in pursuit of a motorcycle which had been speeding on rt 5 and refused to stop when they tried to pull them over. The bike sped away and the deputy ended the pursuit and lost sight of them. It was only moments later that the deputy came upon the site of the accident. The cycle apparently left the road and careened off the grass and edge of Fargo Rd and became airborne, landing in a hedgerow in a field on the east side of the road. The driver was confirmed dead at the scene. The incident is being investigated.
A road construction alert…Richmond Avenue will be closed for road construction between Redfield Parkway and Park Road today and Friday, from 7:00am – 5:00pm both days. The roadway will be re-opened overnight. Motorists looking to access Park Road are asked to approach from the North at the intersection of Park and Veterans Memorial Drive.
Suicide rates are skyrocketing in New York and the state government is spending 52 million dollars to try to combat it. The money is going to expand call centers for suicide and mental health emergencies. The suicide prevention hotline is also changing numbers. The new number is 988 which is a switch from the longer 1-800 number and the switch will happen July 16th. The state has also earmarked 60 million dollars annually for funding these call centers. The Governor and state government want people who are experiencing feelings of suicide or any other mental health emergency to know that they are not alone and there is someone who wants to talk to them. Call 988 before it’s too late.
Local politicians on both sides of the border are calling on the US government and the Canadian Government to get together and lift all COVID related restrictions on the border crossing. The mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Jim Diodati said that this year only half the pre-pandemic number of people came across the border to celebrate the 4th, about 170 thousand less vehicles crossed the Peace Bridge. US representative Brian Higgins said that people are confused, the policies are inconsistent and “people have adjusted their economic behavior to avoid coming into western NY or going into Southern Ontario.” The tourism revenue between the United States and Canada is about half of what it was before COVID-19. Diodati believes the impacts could be long-term.
