Weekend News Brief

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon has accepted the Farm Laborer’s Wage Board’s recommendation to lower the overtime threshold in New York state to 40 hours a week.  This would mean that farmers have to pay overtime to anyone who works more than 40 hours a week.  This is something that Farmers and workers both opposed for the last 2 years, sending videos and letters and social media posts to the board saying it was a bad idea and would destroy farming in New York and cause workers to leave to seek more hours outside the state.  Reardon said that the Department of Labor had to do this to enforce equity.  The Board’s report recommended that the reduction in overtime hours take place by reducing the overtime work limit by 4 hours every other year beginning in 2024 until reaching 40 hours in 2032, giving agriculture businesses proper time to adjust.

Police responded to shots fired near Evans Street in Batavia Friday night.  Sergeant Coffey approached a suspect who took off running.  Coffey gave chase and followed the man from Evans to Court street where he tackled him and placed him under arrest.  Batavia Police and Firefighters then searched the area until they found a gun under a bush between KeyBank’s ATM and M&T Bank.  The report is still under investigation and detectives are working on linking the man and gun and whatever charges should be filed. 

A football player from Geneseo High School is now out of the hospital after being seriously injured during a game last week.  Julian Huffman was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital last Friday for emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.  Huffman’s mother said her son came home from the hospital Thursday night.  She said he’s walking around and eating, and doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

The City of Batavia will be flushing and testing fire hydrants Monday and Tuesday in the area north of main street and east of bank street.  These tests will monitor the health of the city’s water system and get rid of material that settles in the pipes.   Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about 5 minutes or until clear.

The Salvation Army has responded to Hurricane Ian with people on the ground and providing water, food, clean up supplies and mental and spiritual support.  If you would like to support the efforts to help people in Florida through the Salvation Army you can send money to their church on East Main Street.  They say that it is too early to send goods such as blankets and clothes as the infrastructure has not been set up yet.  The best way to help is monetarily and all donations will go directly to the relief efforts.  This is a part of the Salvation Army’s motto, “Doing The Most Good.”