Morning News Briefing

Batavia police continue to investigate a three-vehicle crash that shut down parts of E. Main Street. Police said one of the vehicles was on its side. During the investigation, it was discovered that the operator of a minivan was traveling northbound on Harvester Ave. while a small SUV was traveling westbound on E. Main St. The minivan failed to stop for the red light, and “T-Boned” the SUV, pushing the SUV to the NW corner of the intersection, and causing the SUV to tip on to its side. After striking the SUV, the minivan rolled back striking a third vehicle. No serious injuries were reported. Police said the operator of the minivan was issued tickets.

Genesee County deputies report the arrest of 25-year-old Brock Doberstein of Cattaraugus. He was charged with criminal mischief and petit larceny. Deputies said the charges stem from an incident last month at Darien Lake when Doberstein is accused of damaging a vehicle and stealing the license plates. He was arraigned in court and released. He’ll return to court Thursday.

National Grid customers and local law enforcement are reporting utility billing and payment scams across upstate New York. The company is asking its customers to beware and know the signs of a scam. Imposters claiming to be from National Grid may tell customers that they have past due balances on their utility bills, even promising a savings on their next bill. Customers who reported the scams, say they were contacted by telephone and email, and in some cases automated recordings.

This past weekend marked the start of big game hunting in New York, and with that, some major changes have been put into effect as hunters make their way into the woods. Look for hunters to start earlier and finish later, and everyone wearing orange or pink. Historically, hunters had to wait to start until sunrise and had to end their day at sunset.  Now, sunrise and sunset don’t exactly correspond to the period when daylight is, and so now, officials have changed the rules to allow hunters to begin deer and bear hunting 30 minutes before sunrise and extend 30 minutes until after sunset.”

By tomorrow, New York State will release its first draft of its redistricting map, which is updated every 10 years after the Census to show potential new district lines for State Senate, Assembly and Congress. The Census results were delayed because of the pandemic, giving the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission less time to create the maps. Whatever the end result of the maps may be, New York State is set to lose one Congressional seat. According to local leaders, the seat may be lost in the Southern Tier.

The governor’s office Monday updated New Yorkers on the state’s progress combating COVID-19. The Southern Tier has the second-lowest positivity rate, behind only New York City. The statewide positivity rate is 3.38% with 24 new hospitalizations and 25 people admitted to Intensive Care. Another 29 deaths were also reported.

The decision to invest approximately $10 million to build a 50,000-square foot headquarters at the intersection of West Saile Drive and Call Parkway in the Town of Batavia not only serves to showcase the growth of John Deere-authorized dealer LandPro Equipment but also will provide numerous career opportunities for students in the Genesee Region. That message was communicated clearly as representatives of LandPro, which has 20 locations, gathered with local government and economic development officials, for an on-location groundbreaking ceremony.