Morning News Brief

She’s had chickens in her Medina backyard for a decade, but now Debbie Varley is being told by the village to ditch the chickens. Varley lives on Highland Avenue with about 20 chickens her grandchildren show for 4-H. The chickens are popular in the neighborhood; however, her home is in an area zoned as residential, where chickens are not allowed. One resident complained and village officials were obligated to insist the birds be removed. Varley is hopeful she can find someone who lives nearby to take the chickens so her grandchildren can continue to show them.

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The executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council wants to expand arts and culture programming across Western New York. According to our news partner, The Batavian, Gregory Hallock plans to apply for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to develop the programming plan for nine counties in the region. He’s seeking help from the counties to cover some of the cost of creating the plan, which some have agreed to,I with others agreeing if all the counties chip in. Hallock says he’s not sure right now how much the total cost would be, but is asking for a total of $150,000 ­to start — $90,000 from the NEA grant, $60,000 from the rest of the counties. Hallock made his pitch to the Genesee County Legislature’s Human Services Committee for its support. The grant application to the NEA is due this week.

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The City of Batavia will be hiring a full-time grant administrator who will handle the city’s grant writing and management. According to The Batavian, City Council overwhelmingly approved the position by an 8-1 vote. City Manager Rachel Tabelski said the position is needed with the city’s recent success in securing grants for infrastructure projects. Right now, the city is managing more than $11 million in grants and another $8.5 million in grants are pending. Tabelski and other department heads have been managing the grants, but the new position will report to the assistant city manager.

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If you have paint, chemicals, or tires to get rid of, then make your appointment for the next Household Waste Collection Event on Sat., Sept. 17. You can make your appointment online at GlowSolidWaste.org, or by calling 585-815-7906. Here is the list of materials you can dispose of:

With the exception of tires, materials accepted at NO CHARGE:

• LATEX and Oil base paint, varnishes and shellac
• Household chemicals and cleaning products
• Household pesticides and insecticides
• Aerosol cans (partial or full)
• Vehicle fluids, oil filters, vehicle batteries EXCEPT MOTOR OIL
• 20 lb. propane tanks and 1 lb. canisters
• Pool chemicals
• Driveway sealer
• Tires ($5.00 each)

Unacceptable materials include:

• Empty containers, latex paint, farm pesticides, asbestos and radioactive waste and explosives

There will be a separate electronics collection one week later, on Sat. Sept. 24. Again, you’ll need to make an appointment for that event at the same website and phone number.

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Brand new data shows that the number of confirmed monkeypox cases in Monroe County has increased to seven. New York has the most infections of any state in the country but most of those cases are in New York City. Monkeypox is commonly spread through exposure to an infected person’s lesions or respiratory droplets. Anyone who develops a sudden rash on any part of their body should call their doctor and avoid being around other people until they can be tested.

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The Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center is holding a no-cost Mental Health First Aid course that can help you identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults. You’ll also learn how to help connect those facing a crisis to appropriate support. Businesses and organizations are encouraged to send key staff to learn the skills.

The full-day training is on Tue. Aug. 30 at the Wyoming County Ag & Business Center. Click here to register.The cost of the training is covered by a grant from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation.