Morning News Brief

Genesee County Legislature’s Ways & Means Committee has voted to support a four-year contract with the Genesee County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. The deal is retroactive to January 1, 2020. Terms of the pact include salary increases of 2 percent for both 2020 and 2021, 2.25 percent for 2022 and 2.5 percent for 2023. Additionally, County Manager Matt Landers says deputies will pay slightly more toward the employee share of health insurance premiums but will receive slightly more for the uniform allowance. Landers said that it was his understanding that the contract passed overwhelmingly in a vote by the union membership, which consists of road patrol deputies, investigators and school resource officers.

Tops Friendly Market announced it has awarded $10,000 in Food and Fuel stimulus as part of its Tops Monopoly Rip it and Win It Game to MaryAnne D. of Batavia. MaryAnne was lucky winner number fifteen of a potential 50! Tops kicked off its 12th season of Monopoly® Rip It & Win It Game on March 7.

Seven dogs that once belonged to a dog breeder in Pembroke are in the process of being adopted into new homes but the resolution of the criminal case against Lori Ann Adolf won’t be settled until next month at the earliest. The 47-year-old is charged with 26 counts of torturing or injuring animals and failure to provide proper sustenance along with one count of endangering a child. There is a pending plea offer but her attorney said in Pembroke Town Court Wednesday he had not yet gone over it with his client yet. He asked for an adjournment and the Justice granted one until June 9.  Assistant District Attorney Kaitlynn Schmidt said didn’t oppose the adjournment but said if Adolf isn’t ready to accept the plea offer at the June 9 appearance the offer will be withdrawn. The terms of the offer were not discussed in open court.

The New York state Gaming Commission has made only limited progress fixing problems with its monitoring of casinos, especially with its failure to collect millions in oversight fees from casinos…that’s according to a follow-up report just released by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The problems were first identified in an audit DiNapoli released in 2020 that found the commission had not collected $13 million owed by casinos. Commission officials are positioned at each of the state’s 19 casinos to oversee operations and ensure that gaming regulations are followed.

One of the changes Wegmans made early on in the pandemic was to close down their hot and cold food bars. This week a company spokesperson said that they have no plans to bring them back. This information comes amid state health guidance that does not allow self-serve buffets. Staffed buffets are permitted, since there is no customer contact with common objects.

Southern Tier New York State Senator George Borrello is strongly urging immediate action by New York State Department of Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, to release guidance that will allow county fairs to open for their 2021 season. In a letter to Commissioner Zucker, Senator Borrello questioned why guidance was issued for the New York State Fair, which will open this August, while local county fairs have been left to languish with uncertainty. Borrello calls the lack of action unconscionable and completely unfair.

One of the changes Wegmans made early on in the pandemic was to close down their hot and cold food bars. This week a company spokesperson said that they have no plans to bring them back. This information comes amid state health guidance that does not allow self-serve buffets. Staffed buffets are permitted, since there is no customer contact with common objects.