Wednesday News Brief

Tanker Truck Fire Shuts Down I-90 in Le Roy on Tuesday

Video News Service reports, that a tanker truck fire on the I-90 in Le Roy Tuesday morning forced the thruway to close temporarily.

Around 7:30 am, the Le Roy and Bergen Fire Departments responded to milepost 378.4 heading east for reports of a tanker truck on fire. The truck which was used to haul propane, was fortunately empty at the time of the fire however, residue left from past propane is still extremely dangerous and flammable. Officials on the scene shut down the thruway in both directions for around 2 hours. Initially, fire crews chose not to fight the fire and set up a perimeter as that appeared to be the safer option. But after an hour the fire was still raging and crews put water on the fire and successfully extinguished it.

At this time, it is unclear what caused the fire but an investigation is underway.

Governor Hochul Tells New Yorkers to Prepare for a White Thanksgiving

New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged New Yorkers in a Tuesday statement to prepare for the possibility of harsh winter weather on Thanksgiving day.

A winter storm is expected to impact portions of Western New York starting this evening and carrying into Thanksgiving Day. Several inches of snow and some freezing rain are expected, and on Friday colder air is expected to bring lake-effect snow accumulations up to several feet to portions of Western New York. Hochul reassured New Yorkers that the National Guard is on standby to respond to lake effect snow if need be.

Hochul said, “As we come together this Thanksgiving, I urge all New Yorkers to stay alert, monitor local forecasts, and exercise caution as they travel to be with family and friends this holiday weekend as we experience winter weather across the State If you are traveling, please plan ahead, and prioritize your safety and the safety of others to ensure we can all spend this holiday with our loved ones — safely and warmly.”

Batavia City Council Moves Harvester Demo Project to a Vote

Monday evening the Batavia City Council met and discussed the next steps in the proposed demo project at the Harvester Center complex.

The Batavian reports, that in 2021 the Harvester complex was sold to John Wachter Jr. and John Wachter III of New Jersey who hoped to revitalize the deteriorating Harvester Center. Multiple buildings on the property have been deemed unsafe by Batavia City Code Enforcement. City Manager Rachel Tabelski has recommended that the City Council submit a grant application for up to $1 million with the Restore NY grant.

At the meeting, Batavia resident John Roach gave a speech urging city officials to be cautious. Roach cited previous instances where the city helped property owners get grants to revitalize old buildings and nothing really came of it. City Council will vote on whether they will apply for the grant at their next meeting on December 9th.