Morning News Briefing

Loss of key contract leads Alpina Foods to close in Batavia.
The loss of Alpina Foods in Batavia marks the second yogurt manufacturing operation to close in Genesee County in the past eight years.
The Genesee County Economic Development Center released a statement Friday evening saying that due to the loss of a co-packaging contract, Alpina Foods has decided to close its operations at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.
Approximately 35 workers were put out of a job.
The Economic Development Center is remaining hopeful, comparing the loss of Alpina to the 2015 departure of Muller Quaker Dairy.
Ultimately HP Hood took over the old Muller Quaker site with help from the GCEDC, resulting in hundreds of jobs for the community.  HP Hood has recently begun production at the plant and are nearing completion of a 100,000 sq. ft. refrigerated warehouse on the site.
Alpina Foods has operated in Genesee County since 2011.

Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect until this evening.
Following this weekend’s winter storm that coated the entire Western New York region in approximately a foot or more of snow, the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Warning for severely cold temperatures.
Forecasters are calling for extremely cold wind chills as low as 25 below zero.
The warning is in effect for the entire region including Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties and is expected to expire by 7 o’clock this evening.
For those who need to be outside for an extended period of time make sure to cover up well because the cold wind chills can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.

Bedroom fire reported in Basom.
Call came in around 10:30 last night for a bedroom fire at 402 Bloomingdale Road in Basom.
Pembroke, Indian Falls and Alabama Fire were initially dispatched for the call with an engine from Akron called in shortly after.
There was a single occupant who was instructed to evacuate and no injuries were reported.
The Alabama fire chief reported the fire was out around quarter to 11 and the power was out to the house.
Fire investigators have not yet said what sparked the blaze.

The City of Batavia Fire Department is calling on fire hydrant adopters to help clear their nearest hydrant.
With the recent heavy snowfall it is important to keep the fire hydrants in your area clear and accessible in case of emergencies.
For others clearing their own property of snow please keep in mind to keep access to a hydrant in your area clear.

Because of the holiday today our usual list of closures and cancellations has not been needed, however patients of Dr. Suwarna Niak are being advised that the doctor’s office is closed due to the weather conditions.
Dr. Niak’s Office on West Main Street Road in Batavia is closed today due to the weather.

The ARC of Genesee Orleans curbside collection services are running this morning.
Administrators from the ARC say they have employed additional trucks this morning in an attempt to pick up trash and recyclables earlier than usual so workers can finish work earlier and stay out of the cold.

Several luxury transportation companies in New York are pushing back against Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to ban stretch limos.
The governor shared his idea this past week, largely in response to the deadly limo crash in Scoharie that claimed 20 lives last October.
Now, several business owners are calling for better enforcement of existing laws, such as Fred Visconti who owns a limo company in Newburgh.
He says the industry would be devastated if all stretch limos were banned, despite the fact that some call the vehicles unsafe.