Morning News Briefing
Written by Michael Baldwin on May 7, 2021
Udderly Better Acres, a dairy farm on Vallance Road in Le Roy, has been selected by the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District as the 2021 Conservation Farm of the Year. Since 1959, the Conservation District has honored a farm that has displayed a long-term commitment to sustainable conservation. Udderly Better Acres has met and surpassed the criteria and continues to demonstrate outstanding stewardship of the land. Don Krenzer and his family operate the dairy farm on 1,200 acres in the Town of Le Roy within one-half mile from Oatka Creek
Genesee County is reporting 11 new positive cases of COVID-19. Five of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. Seven more cases have been confirmed in Orleans County and a dozen more in Wyoming County.
The Town of Batavia Clerk’s Office drive-up service window is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Clerk’s Office inside the Town Hall will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on WEDNESDAYS ONLY OR by appointment Monday through Friday. The Town of Batavia Court facility has also resumed in-person court proceedings.
The New York State COVID-19 positivity rate dropped to 1.27 percent, the lowest since October 22, 2020. The Southern Tier’s seven-day average is still below one percent, which is the lowest in the state. All NYS regions dropped below 3 percent for seven-day average —The first time since Nov. 5.
A Batavia man faces new charges in Monroe County. After a standoff in Hamlin, deputies arrested 33-year-old Kevin Waleski Jr. He was charged with felony criminal mischief and criminal possession of a weapon. He was sent to jail without bail. He has additional charges pending in Genesee County.
New York is having a somewhat successful recovery from new unemployment claims, with last week’s claims lower than at the start of 2020, according to WalletHub’s updated rankings for the States Whose Unemployment Claims Are Recovering the Quickest. Weekly unemployment claims in New York decreased by 35% compared to the start of 2020. This was the 4th biggest decrease in the U.S.
Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is being returned to federal prison after federal authorities denied him home confinement. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press. Silver was released Tuesday from a federal prison on furlough while he awaited potential placement to home confinement. The 77-year-old Silver had been in prison since August, where he was serving more than six-year sentence at a prison in Otisville.
New York State Police and other law enforcement agencies issued 444 tickets during last week’s Operation Hardhat, an initiative between law enforcement entities, the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Thruway Authority, to crack down on work zone violations and highlight the importance of safe driving when encountering construction, maintenance and emergency operations along state highways. Operation Hardhat details were held in almost every region of New York State in support of National Work Zone Awareness Week, which took place from April 26 to April 30. During Operation Hardhat, members of law enforcement patrol Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority work zones to enforce zone speed limits and ensure that motorists are obeying flagging personnel.
