Morning News Briefing
Written by Michael Baldwin on January 11, 2021
The number of state legislators that are demanding the resignation of Congressman Chris Jacob continues to grow. As of Sunday afternoon, the list grew to seven. The calls for the resignation have been prompted by Jacobs objecting to the certification of the 2020 Presidential election. Jacobs Press Secretary issued a statement saying…“These officials have abandoned their jobs for months while the Governor’s mismanagement has led to countless nursing home deaths, the shuttering of businesses, and a rise in violent crime rates. Instead of doing their jobs, they have chosen to engage in opportunistic outrage when it politically suits them.”
A weekend fire damaged a Le Roy home. Smoke and flames were reported at 61 Mill Street. Le Roy, Bergen, and City of Batavia fire departments responded. No injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze has not been released.
Court action is pending for a Batavia man who faces multiple felony counts. Sheriff’s deputies arrested 43-year-old Walter Hale Jr. during a traffic stop on Ellicott Street Road in Pavilion. He was charged with felony DWI, felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation as well as using a vehicle without an ignition interlock device, refusal to take a breath test and drinking booze in a vehicle on a public highway. Hale was taken to the County Jail and arraigned. He was ordered held without bail and is due to return to court February 8th.
The Village of Elba is looking for a Village Trustee candidate to run in the March 16 election. This is a four-year year term, and the candidate must be a Village of Elba resident, who is at least 18 years of age. Contact the mayor or the Village Office (585) 757-6889 for information.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is announcing a proposal to expand access to telehealth as part of his 2021 State of the State Address. The governor’s proposal seeks to modernize regulations and facilitate access to quality health care, including mental health and substance use disorder services in underserved and rural communities. The reforms will address adjusting reimbursement incentives to encourage telehealth, eliminating outdated regulatory prohibitions on the delivery of telehealth, removing outdated location requirements, addressing technical unease among both patients and providers through training programs, and establishing other programs to incentivize innovative uses of telehealth.
The Batavia Police Collaboration Advisory Stakeholders Group, formed in response to an executive order from the governor, is nearing the completion of its official task but that won’t mean the end of an effort to improve relations between police officers and local residents. A draft resolution and draft report expected to go to the City Council in a few weeks for approval says the city meets all of the state’s requirements on a variety of areas the group needed to review, but it also says there will be efforts to increase communication between the Police Department and residents both broadly and individually.
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced that she is campaigning for reelection. Warren’s announcement comes after she was charged for allegedly breaking campaign finance rules and committing fraud during her reelection campaign three years ago.
Some members of Congress plan to introduce at least one resolution in the House today to impeach President Donald Trump following a riot — what has been called an insurrection or attempt to overthrow the government — by hundreds of his supporters at the Capitol Building last week. Rep. Chris Jacobs said he does not support impeachment. In a prepared statement, the congressman said…“To carry out an unprecedented, politicized, and rushed impeachment proceeding with less than two weeks left in the President’s term would have catastrophic effects on the civil fabric of our nation.” He added that “President Trump has committed to a smooth and orderly transition of power and that should be our focus for the next 10 days.”
