Morning News Brief

A new bill that is bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S. could be good news for our region. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer helped author the bipartisan CHIPS bill in an effort to alleviate supply chain issues for products with microchips. That includes new cars, which a lot of consumers have to wait months for, which is also causing the prices for used cars to skyrocket.

But all this means Genesee County and the Western New York STAMP plant could be the new home of semiconductor manufacturing, along with other locations in upstate New York. Schumer says bringing semiconductor production to upstate New York will help ensure that long wait times for cars due to microchip shortages would be a thing of the past.

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Experts are still baffled as to what has caused cracks to appear on the property at 445 Scribner Rd. in Pembroke, which forced a family from their home.

According to our news partner, the Batavian, the cracks were noticed by the homeowner, Gene Nati on Sunday, and the initial thought was that a sinkhole had formed but that’s been ruled out by geologists. Instead, they’re classifying it as a catastrophic movement of the earth, but are still monitoring the area to see if they can get an answer. Nati’s home is still standing as of last night and Scribner Road is still closed.

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The City of Batavia water department will be shutting down water mains in the area of Oak Street and Richmond Avenue today.

This means there could be possible water interruptions will be from, North of Richmond Avenue on Oak Street, Richmond Avenue from Oak Street to State Street, Verona Avenue from Richmond Avenue to Hillcrest Street, all of Buxton Avenue, Genesee Street, and New York Place.

The water department will also be installing new water main valves on Prospect Avenue and State Street. During valve installations, water will be shut down on Prospect Avenue from Richmond Ave to Oak Street and on the West side of Oak Street from Prospect Avenue to the Ellicott Avenue and Main Street intersection, along with an area on State Street from the Richmond Avenue intersection to just South of Park Avenue.

The length of time the water will be off is unknown, but residents should be aware that water may be discolored when restored, and should refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.

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The Monroe County Department of Public Health is going to be holding a monkeypox vaccination clinic today. It’s happening at the county’s immunization clinic which is on Westfall Road in Rochester. Only people who meet certain criteria and schedule an appointment online in advance will be able to get their shot since walk-ins aren’t being accepted. Other clinics are set for this Mon., Aug. 15, and Fri., Aug. 19. So far, there have been several confirmed monkeypox cases in Monroe County.

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Early voting in primary races for Congress and state Senate starts Saturday and runs through Sunday, Aug. 21. In Genesee County, the only early voting location is at the ARC Community Center at 38 Woodrow Rd. in Batavia. The hours vary each day so check the Genesee County Board of Elections page for early voting hours. Primary Day is Tue., Aug. 23.

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