Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on January 20, 2023
Wyoming County is under a winter weather advisory till Saturday morning with the national weather service expecting 3-6 inches of snow coming down. Periods of snow will result in snow covered roads and limited visibilities. Slow down and use caution while driving.
Jim Owen, known as the mayor of Redfield Parkway, passed away on Thursday. Owen was known as a positive figure in the community with an infectious positivity. In a 2015 interview over WBTA Owen talked about the history of Redfield. Parkway and the origin of the street in 1912. WBTA will devote our entire Genesee Life program with Lucine Kauffman as a tribute to Jim Owen. The program airs this Sunday morning at 8:30 and can be streamed right now on the Genesee Life page of our website, WBTAi.com
A report of a man with a handgun walking on St. Paul Street prompted a lockout at Robert Clemente School No. 8 Thursday morning, according to police. A driver called 911 and reported a man walking with a gun outside the school at 10:10 a.m. but was unable to find the man. Police said the school was on lockout until officers completed checking the area. The Rochester City School District said it went into a brief lockout due to “suspicious activity in the neighborhood.”
The City of Batavia is weighing raising the tax cap again. City Manager Rachel Tabelski cited the rising prices of diesel, health care, and wages as a reason for asking the City to override the state regulated tax cap this year. Batavia City Council members voted to override the state’s 2 percent property tax cap just two years ago, passing a 7.5 percent property tax increase as part of the City’s 2020-21 budget. Tabelski is to provide a budget presentation and Council is expected to review and discuss her recommendations during its conference session next week. The session is set for 7 p.m. Monday in the Council Board Room at City Hall.
Governor Hochul has joined with the federal Consumer Product Safety Board in the idea of taking away gas stoves. New York State expects its entire climate plan to cost around $270 billion to implement, and there are also major goals to include reducing carbon emissions by 2030 and part of that is the discussion around natural gas and gas burning kitchen appliances. Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing for a plan that would end the sale of fossil fuel-powered heating equipment starting in 2030 while putting an end to installing gas-burning appliances for new homes in 2025. This phase-out is now receiving pushback from the Erie County Legislature. The legislature unanimously passed a resolution Thursday that opposes the governor’s ban.
Gov. Hochul announced Thursday that 478,000 residential customers and 56,000 small businesses across the state will receive $672 million in assistance to pay off past-due utility bills. The debt-forgiveness program will not only provide financial relief to customers, but it will also help avoid termination of service for many New Yorkers. The one-time credits will provide relief to these customers for the period through May 1, 2022. In an initiative separate from the Thursday announcement, Hochul also announced $200 million in relief for electric bills as a discount to over 800,000 New Yorkers making under $75,000 who weren’t eligible for the State’s current utility discount program.
The Buffalo Sabres broke their 2 game losing streak with an overtime goal 12 seconds in against the New York Islanders Thursday night 3 to 2. Dylan Cozens scored the game winning goal after Islanders Goalie Ilya Sorokin made 42 saves during the game. The Islanders only shot 24 times against Ukko Pekka Luukkonen. Victor Olofsson and Alex Tuch scored for Buffalo. The Sabres will take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Keybank Center in a matinee game on Saturday at 12:30pm.
