Morning News Brief
Written by Michael Baldwin on April 13, 2021
Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced new updated guidance for graduation and commencement ceremonies organized by schools, colleges and universities. Effective May 1, indoor and outdoor graduation and commencement ceremonies will be allowed with limited attendee capacity, depending on the event size and the location. All event organizers and venues hosting ceremonies must follow the State’s strict health and safety protocols, including requiring face masks, social distancing, health screenings and collection of contact tracing information. For events that exceed the social gathering limits of 100 people indoors or 200 people outdoors, event organizers and venues must notify the local health department and require attendees to show proof of a recent negative test result or proof of completed immunization prior to entry.
Tom Redband, head coach of Elba’s Lady Lancers has announced that he and his assistant, Marci Redband, also his wife, are stepping down from their coaching positions. They called it a difficult decision. The team is coming off its fifth straight championship season. A new head coach has not yet been named.
The City of Batavia has implemented a “Carry-in — Carry-out” trash policy in all city parks. All park users are requested to remove any trash generated and take it with them. The city Bureau of Maintenance asks everyone to help keep the parks clean for everyone’s enjoyment.
911 Dispatchers are in the spotlight this week, and properly so. National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week is a time to thank these men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving the public. The Genesee County Legislature will be issuing a proclamation at its Wednesday night meeting recognizing April 11 – 17 as National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week. The lights on the Old County Courthouse cupola will be changed to red, white and blue to acknowledge this week. Typically, more than 80,000 events are dispatched yearly in Genesee County. The Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center (Public Safety Answering Point-PSAP) is comprised of 25 men and women who dispatch to five local police agencies/New York State Police; 19 fire departments/Emergency Management Service; three ambulance services; as well as 41 other local, county, regional, state, and federal agencies.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that New York State will provide a new, separate allocation of 35,000 vaccines to address the college student population at SUNY schools and private colleges. This initial allocation will include 21,000 vaccines to be administered to SUNY students and 14,000 vaccines to be administered at private colleges. The vaccines will be administered to residential and non-commuter students who are leaving for the summer. SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said, “Vaccinating SUNY students before they leave for summer break is the key to restoring normalcy on our campuses when students return in the fall.”
The Finger lakes region currently has 203 COVID patients hospitalized. Gov. Cuomo says while we have made incredible progress, COVID is not over and we must all continue to practice the guidelines we know stop this virus in its tracks.
Added to the list of programs offered by Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse last September, the Reentry Program continues to provide support to men and women seeking to find their place in the community after being incarcerated. The main goal of this program is to help reduce or remove some of the barriers that are associated with reentry. The Program provides case management and peer recovery services to those who have been in jail or prison by connecting them to necessities. Eligible individuals are those who have a history of substance use, who were sentenced to jail or prison for a minimum of three months and who are returning to communities in Genesee County or Orleans County.
Genesee County reports 45 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the county total to more than 4,800 cases. 31 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. Five of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Two are residents of the Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing.
The state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has announced that all New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive the maximum allowable level of food benefits for April. Additionally, those households already near or at the maximum benefit level now will receive a supplemental payment of at least $95 per month for as long as the supplemental payments continue. The additional food benefits will be distributed starting this week and continuing through the end of the month.
