Morning News Briefing
Written by Michael Baldwin on September 23, 2020
Former Genesee County Emergency Dispatcher James Tripp has been sentenced to 90 days behind bars for possessing more than 70 sexually explicit images of girls under the age of 16. Tripp reported to the County Jail on Tuesday afternoon after he was allowed to drive his wife home from his sentencing earlier in the day. The county’s probation department recommended a sentencing of probation with no jail time. The prosecutor demanded three-months, which Judge Charles Zambito ultimately handed down. Tripp was arrested by State Police in December 2017 after investigators traced one of images back to his home computer.
New York State Police will be hosting a child passenger safety seat event by appointment only at Troop A Headquarters in Batavia on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Highway safety and motorcycle detail will be at this event to answer questions. Child safety seat technicians will be on hand to assist with the installation of your child’s safety seat and answer any questions. To make an appointment for this event, contact the State Police Traffic Division at 344-6228 or Atraffic@troopers.ny.gov.
A group of citizens gathered on the steps of the Old County Courthouse in Batavia to honor the memory and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Among the speakers last night was the Executive-Director of the Genesee County YWCA – Millie Tomidy-Pepper. Justice Ginsberg passed away Friday evening. She was 87 years old.
The United States Department of Agriculture USDA is investing $268 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across 28 states, and the funds include local projects. The expenditure includes $13.5 million in loans and grants to three Genesee County towns: Byron, Pavilion and Stafford. In Byron, the project will extend public water service to 608 people in the town who currently do not have safe potable water; In Pavilion, the loan will be used to build a new 300,000-gallon water storage tank and over one mile of water supply pipeline. The new water storage tank and pipeline will serve 2,495 people. And in Stafford, the mix of loan and grant funds will be used to create Water District #12 in the Town of Stafford. This project will extend public water service to 185 residents in the town who currently do not have safe potable water. Water quality testing indicates a significant portion of residents’ individual wells have coliform and E. coli contamination, which the health department indicates do not meet standards and are a threat to the health of the residents.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that five states—Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Wyoming—have been added to New York State’s COVID-19 travel advisory. No areas have been removed. The advisory requires individuals who have traveled to New York from areas with significant community spread to quarantine for 14 days. The governor also announced that New York State has now conducted 10 million COVID-19 diagnostic tests. The new infection rate currently stands at 0.89%.
Genesee County reports one new COVID-19 case. The person infected in in their 50’s and lives in Bethany. Meanwhile, two new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
