Tuesday News Brief

MOBILE TECH LABS TO BRING DIGITAL TRAINING ACROSS THE GLOW REGION

A new mobile technology program is aiming to bring computer skills and digital assistance directly into communities across Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
Rural Spark-Ed is being funded through a 644-thousand-dollar state grant awarded to Literacy West. In Genesee County, one of the program’s home bases will be CORE The Learning Center in Batavia.
From there, mobile labs equipped with laptops, internet access, printers and other technology can travel to libraries, senior centers, food pantries, schools, town halls and other community locations.
Trained digital navigators will offer both classes and one-on-one help, covering everything from basic computer use and email to job applications, telehealth, online safety, Canva and artificial intelligence.
The program is designed especially for rural residents who may struggle with transportation, internet access or unfamiliar technology.
Host locations do not need their own Wi-Fi or technical staff — the mobile lab brings its own equipment and connectivity.
A rotating schedule will eventually be posted at CORE2Learn.org, and organizations can also request visits.

JON LONG TAKES OVER AS BATAVIA TOWN ENGINEER

The Town of Batavia has a new engineer, with longtime civil engineer Jon Long stepping into the role previously held by Steve Mountain.
Long, a Putnam Road resident and Oakfield-Alabama graduate, brings roughly two decades of experience in highway construction, inspection and project management. He most recently worked for the state Department of Transportation, where he advanced from construction inspector to construction supervisor.
Long began his new job October 5th and will earn 155-thousand dollars annually.
His responsibilities include reviewing development plans, advising the town planning board and helping oversee highway, water and sewer operations.
Long is already familiar with many of those duties after serving on the Batavia Town Planning Board, including the past two years as chairman.
Town Supervisor Gregory Post says Long’s engineering background and knowledge of town operations made him a strong fit for the position.
Mountain also endorsed his successor, saying Long has the judgment and leadership skills needed to guide town projects and provide reliable information to local officials.
Long says his goal is to combine technical knowledge with strong communication and community-focused decision making.

JACKSON PRIMARY EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR COLLABORATIVE TEACHING MODEL

Jackson Primary School in Batavia has been recognized by Solution Tree as a “PLC at Work Promising Practices School.”
The designation highlights the school’s use of teacher collaboration, student data and shared instructional planning to improve academic outcomes in kindergarten and first grade.
Principal Maureen Notaro says the recognition reflects the staff’s commitment to continually adjusting instruction based on student needs.
The honor is considered an early step toward becoming a Model PLC at Work School, which requires sustained improvement over multiple years.
Jackson Primary received a certificate and flag recognizing the achievement.

GO HEALTH URGES FAMILIES TO CHECK FOR LEAD EXPOSURE

This week is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and local health officials are reminding families that young children face the greatest risk.
GO Health says lead exposure can affect learning, behavior and development, often without causing obvious symptoms.
More than 70 percent of occupied homes across Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties were built before residential lead paint was banned in 1978.
New York recommends blood lead testing for children at ages one and two. Families living in older homes are also encouraged to have their property checked for possible lead hazards.
More information is available through GOHealthNY.org.

THOUSANDS OF ELECTION MONITORS EXPECTED AT POLLS NATIONWIDE

Election Day could bring an unusually large number of observers to polling places as Democratic groups, Republican organizations and the Justice Department all expand monitoring efforts.
State Democratic parties have trained about 10-thousand volunteers, while Common Cause says it has prepared roughly 16-thousand more. A broader coalition involving hundreds of organizations has trained tens of thousands of additional observers.
The Justice Department, meanwhile, plans to send about one-thousand staff members across all 50 states — its largest election-monitoring operation ever. Officials say those monitors will not interfere with voting.
The Republican National Committee says it has also enlisted nearly 22-thousand poll workers and is recruiting additional observers in competitive districts.
Some local election officials are preparing for possible confusion or disputes as the different groups converge on polling sites.

ANTHROPIC FILES FOR POTENTIALLY RECORD-BREAKING IPO

AI company Anthropic is preparing to go public in what could become the largest stock offering in history.
The maker of the Claude chatbot filed paperwork Monday for a Nasdaq listing under the ticker “ANT.” Reports suggest the offering could raise as much as 100-billion dollars and value Anthropic between one-and-a-half and two-trillion dollars, although final numbers have not been set.
The filing also gives investors their first detailed look at the company’s finances. Anthropic reported more than 16-billion dollars in revenue during the first half of this year, but remains unprofitable.
The company’s prospectus also devotes nearly 100 pages to potential risks from artificial intelligence, including cyberattacks, weapons development, job disruption and even catastrophic threats to humanity.
CEO Dario Amodei has previously called for slowing advanced AI development to give safety measures more time to catch up.