Morning News Briefing
Written by Michael Baldwin on October 29, 2020
Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies are releasing new information regarding the case of Natale Huntington, as they say they continue to look for the child’s parents. Deputies say they were called to a home in Clarendon Wednesday morning for the report of a missing 15-year-old and a missing 2-month-old. Following an investigation, an AMBER Alert was issued. They say Natalie was found safe in Auburn with extended family members. She is currently in the custody of Orleans County Child and Family Services. The whereabouts of the child’s parents, 16-year-old Kevin Huntington and 15-year-old Alyssa Bel, are currently unknown. Deputies say they fled on foot after leaving the child in Auburn.
Genesee County’s proposed budget for next year will keep taxes below the state mandated cap. The 2021 recommended General Fund (operating) budget is $110 million, that’s down from the current year spending plan. The county manager says he is proposing a tax increase of 1.28%. The recommended budget will tap into the county’s ‘rainy day fund,’ technically called the unappropriated fund balance to the tune of $2.3 million. Officials say it is entirely appropriate to dig a little deeper into the account during the current pandemic.
The City of Batavia Police Department has been made aware of small denomination counterfeit bills being passed at local businesses. The Batavia Police Department is reminding everyone to check their money carefully. If you feel that you may be victim in receiving counterfeit bills, please report it to the Police Department. Information on the current counterfeit cases is not being release at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
Health officials have documented four new COVID-19 cases in Genesee County. The newly confirmed infections involve people from Batavia, Bergen, Darien and LeRoy. The ages range from under 20 to over 70 and include one elementary school student. Orleans County reports six new cases while Wyoming County confirms two additional cases.
One million New Yorkers cast ballots over the first four days of early voting, state elections officials said Wednesday. People around the state have been enduring wait times of up to several hours to cast votes since early voting started Saturday. About 8% of New York’s roughly 13 million registered voters have turned out over the four days, according to the unofficial figures from the state Board of Elections. The number of voters statewide has increased each day since Sunday.
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested data related to the number of nursing home residents in New York who died due to COVID-19, which has been shrouded in secrecy for months. The request seeks the number of residents who died from COVID-19 inside private nursing homes as well as those who died after being transferred to a hospital, other medical facilities or any other location, according to a letter first reported by the New York Post.
