Morning News Brief

A traffic stop ended with a half-dozen felony and lesser counts for a Batavia man. State troopers arrested 59-year-old David Martin. He was charged with felony counts of DWI and first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation. He was also charged with criminal impersonation, resisting arrest, obstruction and circumventing and ignition interlock device. He’ll appear in city court at a later date.

Gov. Cuomo has announced changes to curfews for indoor and outdoor dining. Beginning May 17th, the 12 a.m. food and beverage service curfew will be lifted for outdoor dining areas. However, for indoor dining, you have another month, scheduled to be lifted on May 31st. For catered events, the 1 a.m. curfew for catered events where attendees have provided proof of vaccination status or a recent negative COVID-19 test result will be lifted beginning May 17, with the curfew for all catered events set to be lifted May 31.

Officials at Batavia Downs have announced that in preparation for the Kentucky Derby running this weekend, they will be staffing several locations throughout the gaming facility so that guests may place wagers. The Kentucky Derby is at 6:57 p.m. on Saturday. Free Derby Programs will be available at Batavia Downs, all OTB Branches and all EZ Bet locations. Face coverings are required at all OTB Branches. Visitors to Batavia Downs must have a face covering and have their temperature taken prior to entry. The Park Place Room at Batavia Downs will open on Friday from noon until 6 p.m. for guests to place advance wagers. On Saturday Park Place will open at 10 a.m. and be open until 7:30 p.m. Capacity limitations and social distancing will be enforced at all location.

The City of Batavia has contracted a water service replacement project on Swan, Hutchins and Otis streets starting on Monday. This will run until approximately July 15. During the project, these streets will open to local traffic only from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will have parking restrictions that will vary day to day. Temporary “No Parking” signs will be posted in the areas affected each day.The contractors will do their best to keep driveways open and traffic flowing.

Parole reform is the new objective for the New York State Legislature. Last week, the assembly passed a bill that gives parolees the ability to register to vote no matter their crime. That bill is currently waiting to be signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and there are two more parole-focused bills on the docket that state Democrats hope to pass this year. There’s the elder parole bill, which would allow people 55 and older who have served 15 years in prison the chance to go before a parole board. The other bill, the Fair and Timely Parole bill, focuses on changing the standards of parole, basing release on a person’s rehabilitation while incarcerated not on the original crime.

Genesee County reports 18 new cases of COVID-19. Eleven of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. In Orleans County, 21 new positive cases have been confirmed. Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. The Wyoming County Health Department has identified 14 new cases.