Morning News Briefing

Genesee County Manager Jay Gsell announced his plan to retire in August of this year while also breaking news that Assistant County Manager Matthew Landers has been appointed to succeed him later this summer.
Gsell made the announcement at the Legislature meeting on February 26th after serving twenty-seven years at the post and working forty-five years in government.
Gsell also shared details of the succession plan to promote Assistant County Manager Matthew Landers to the position.
Landers brings 16 years of municipal experience serving as deputy county treasurer beginning in 2004, with a stint as director of real property tax services before being appointed as assistant county manager in 2014.
Matt and his wife, Melissa, are lifelong Genesee County residents.

Robbery in Batavia ends in arrest for a Tracy Ave woman.
30 year old Nateeka Gibson was taken into custody on counts of Robbery and Harassment by City Police following investigation into an incident at a lower apartment of a Washington Ave address on February 15th.
After being arraigned on the charges she was released on her own recognizance and is expected back in Batavia City Court at a later date.

LeRoy traffic stop leads to drug charges for an Allegany County man.
34 year old Eric Hess of Little Genesee is facing counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana and Tampering with Physical Evidence after he was subject as a passenger to a traffic on Perry Road in LeRoy.
Hess was accused of possessing and attempting to destroy pot and powder cocaine after he was detained.

A ban on single-use plastic bags is now in effect across New York.
That means the next time you go to the store, you’ll have to bring a reusable bag or face a five-cent charge for using a paper bag.
The state DEC says the change will be better for the environment, since most of the 23-billion plastic bags used each year often end up littering the streets or posing a threat to wildlife.
Businesses won’t be fined for giving plastic bags to their customers until April 1st.

The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in New York State.
Governor Cuomo says the infected person is a woman in her 30s who recently traveled to Iran.
That country is one of several around the globe where the disease has spread. The woman is currently isolated in her home.
The governor says there is no need for people to be anxious and that the risk of getting coronavirus remains low.

New York State has been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration to use its own tests for coronavirus.
They’ll be conducted at the Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany instead of having to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Washington, D.C.
Officials say that should lower the amount of time it takes to get test results back.
Last week, Governor Cuomo called for a 40-million-dollar emergency appropriation to provide health departments with the necessary money to buy equipment, hire staff and gather any additional resources.