Morning News Brief
Written by Michael Baldwin on June 15, 2021
Gas prices in Batavia leaped 6-cents per gallon in the past week. The New York State average is $3.11 – up 2 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.22. The new report is fanning market concerns that inflation is driving prices higher. Weeks ago, analysts predicted that gas prices would drop by Father’s Day, but if domestic crude prices remain high, American drivers will likely continue to see pump prices fluctuate through the end of the month.
The New York State first dose vaccination rate is now 69.9 percent, which is just shy of dropping all remaining COVID-19 restrictions. The statewide 7-day average positivity rate has reached a record low for 17 consecutive days and has declined for 70 straight days. The number of people in the hospital with virus-related complications has dropped to 617.
The Batavia City Council may be ready to pull the trigger on construction of a new $10.8 million police headquarters on the parking lot at Alva Place and Bank Street. Lawmakers listened to a presentation of a City of Batavia Police Station Feasibility Study. The City is considering a $10 million improvement serial bond with a 30-year term, with annual payments around $500,000. Other debts will retire soon, making the new debt more manageable.
The 2021 New York State Fair, an end-of-summer celebration at the New York State Fairgrounds from August 20 to September 6 in Syracuse, will increase capacity to 100 percent and reopen many popular buildings with additional vendors, given the significant progress New Yorkers have made against COVID-19. In accordance with the State’s evolving health guidelines, indoor spaces will be subject to capacity limits to allow attendees to be socially distanced within each building.
It appears the border between the United States and Canada is going to remain closed for the foreseeable future. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters over that he spoke with President Biden about a reopening plan during the G-7 summit but they weren’t able to reach a deal.
Catholic Health made the decision to eliminate unionized positions at its Western New York facilities and to contract the work out to a non-union Catholic Health subsidiary. The work in question is patient registration and the employees affected are those in Patient Access and Radiology Clerk job titles. According to the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, this illegal outsourcing is taking place while Catholic Health has rejected union bargaining proposals for safe staffing as members fight for a new contract.
