Morning News Brief
Written by Michael Baldwin on May 18, 2021
New York will change its masking mandates this week. Governor Andrew Cuomo making the announcement, and says tomorrow, vaccinated people won’t need to wear a mask in most settings, as per the new CDC masking guidance. Cuomo also said there will be vaccinated and unvaccinated sections of upcoming basketball playoff games. It will be up to individual venues on how they will enforce it, and says people could be asked to present CDC vaccination cards, or New York’s vaccine passport app.
Voters across New York State head to the polls today to give a thumbs up or down to local school budgets. Residents will also decide the fate of new bus purchases and other propositions as well as selecting school board members.
The president of the Genesee County Agricultural Society said she is cautiously optimistic following an announcement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo that county fairs across New York State will be able to take place under six-foot social distancing guidelines. The Fair is scheduled for July 24-31 at the county fairgrounds on East Main Street Road. It was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of Batavia Police Department is investigating multiple incidents of vandalism in which various City parks were defaced with graffiti. City Parks crews cleaned up the parks prior to the weekend, but they were again discovered to be vandalized by City crews on Monday with new graffiti. Anyone with information about these incidents are asked to contact the City Police Department
Meadville Road between Lewiston Road and Owen Road in the Town of Alabama will be closed beginning Monday through approximately Aug. 30th, for a bridge replacement project. The road will not be passable to regular traffic or emergency vehicles.
Senator Ed Rath is calling on the Department of Budget to release critical funding grants for emergency services. Senator Rath was joined by Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Genesee County Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein and others. Rath said the delay in the release of this funding is extremely damaging. He added…for the State to be delaying the release of this funding, with no end in sight, is completely unacceptable.
Starting Monday, there is no longer a state-mandated midnight curfew for outdoor dining restaurants. Curfews were set by New York State to limit the spread of COVID-19. The curfew for indoor dining lifts May 31.
