Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on November 18, 2022
Genesee county is under a Lake Effect Snow Warning till Sunday at 1pm. 2 to 4 feet of snow are expected over the next 2 days. The heaviest snow is expected through Friday night when snowfall rates could exceed 3 inches per hour. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph will produce patchy blowing snow. Travel will be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions will impact the Friday morning and evening commutes. The heavy snow could also bring down some tree limbs and cause scattered power outages. Snow could fall in scattered places on the road so be ready for changing conditions while you drive. Don’t follow too close, leave room and time to stop.
There are a few cancellations due to the snowstorm. Alexander, Attica, Batavia, Byron Bergen, Elba, LeRoy, Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama, Pavilion, Pembroke St Josephs, St Paul Lutheran, and Wyoming Schools are canceled for Friday. GCC and BOCES classes are also canceled. The City Center Mall Market is closed Saturday. The Yard Waste Station is closed Friday and Saturday. St James Basket Raffle has been moved to Saturday from 10 to 2. GCASA outpatient clinic and offices are closed today. Residential, detox and methadone programs will remain open. All staff should report. Stuff The Cruiser which was going to be in front of Target has been moved to December 3rd from 11am to 3pm. And Independent Living is closed.
Western New York Catholics have received a special dispensation from Bishop of Buffalo Michael Fisher. He urges Catholics to celebrate mass via livestream instead of traveling in the dangerous snow conditions. The dispensation releases Catholics from the obligation to attend Sunday mass. This Sunday is the celebration of the feast of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe.
A Batavia woman was arrested on one count of assault in the second degree, one count of aggravated sex abuse in the second degree, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. 25-year-old Deborah Gorton was arrested after an investigation into a series of September offenses that occurred at home in Batavia. Gorton was arraigned in the Town of Batavia Court on all charges and released on her own recognizance. She will be due back in court at a later date.
A man is dead in Rochester after being struck by a school bus. 73 year old Michael Rivoly was crossing the road in front of the Ontario Bus Company bus depot on Lexington Ave where he worked when a bus leaving the parking lot hit him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No children were on the bus that hit him. The driver of the striking bus has been identified and is cooperating with the investigation. His name is being withheld as the case will be referred to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office for a Grand Jury Presentation.
Byron Bergen has a new principal for the Elementary School. Kristin Loftus was appointed at the November 17th School Board Meeting and will start her job effective January 3rd. Loftus comes to Byron-Bergen from the Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts where she began as a Math Specialist/Coach in 2018 and worked her way up to Building Principal. Prior to the Renaissance Academy, she served as an Elementary School Classroom Teacher for more than a decade in the Warsaw Central School District. Loftus holds a master’s degree in Reading and Literacy and a Bachelor of Science in Childhood and Special Education from SUNY Geneseo. She received an Educational Leadership Certificate from the University of Rochester and the National Principals Academy Fellowship from Relay Graduate School of Education.
Another cancellation and move. The snow was just too much for the game between Buffalo and Cleveland on Sunday but instead of postponing it, the game has been moved to Detroit. Kickoff will remain at 1 p.m. but will be played at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. Buffalo will now play in Detroit twice in five days. The Bills were already scheduled to play the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. If you bought tickets for the game in Buffalo from the team or Ticketmaster you will get an automatic refund starting on December 2nd. If you bought them from somewhere else you need to contact your seller for the refund.
