Provided photo – Floreen and Edward Hale married in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion on May 12, 1953. Mrs. Hale, an Albion native, died on Feb. 7. Her husband died a day later.

The story about Ed and Floreen Hale’s 60-year marriage and their death a day apart is by far the most popular story ever posted on the Orleans Hub.

We posted the article – “A love story to the very end” – at about 8 p.m. on Sunday. The story has been viewed at least 7,562 times. The second most popular story ever on the Hub, about a Medina drug bust, has 3,586 page views.

Since we launched the site on April 2, we’ve posted about 2,500 articles. Our most viewed stories, unfortunately, tend to be crimes, accidents and tragedies.

Many of the people who have read the article about the Hales have commented on Facebook that it is a positive story about a life-long commitment. The media should report more of these stories, people have wrote on our Facebook page.

Orleans Hub obliterated its traffic records on Monday, mostly due to people reading the story about Ed and Floreen Hale. We had 19,947 page views and 9,143 unique visitors, by far our best numbers.

WGRZ in Buffalo also featured the couple on Monday.

Small cities get far more in aid per capita

State Sen. George Maziarz calls the disparity in state aid to villages and small cities “unbelievably unfair.” Maziarz has seen the Jan. 27 article in the Orleans Hub that details the vast difference in funding from the state for small cities versus villages that provide similar services. (Click here to see the original article.)

For example, Salamanca in Cattaraugus County gets $928,131 in state aid for a city of 5,815 people. That’s $159.61 per person.

But the village of Albion, population 6,056, gets only $38,811 or $6.41 a person. Medina and its 6,065 residents receive $45,523 in state aid or $7.51 per person.

Maziarz and staff from the State Senate are researching how the state came up with a formula for distributing the funding to cities, towns and villages. The formula for Aid and Incentives to Muncipalities or AIM goes back before Maziarz joined the Senate in 1995.

“We’re certainly going to take a look at it,” he said.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley also has Assembly staff looking at the formula, trying to determine the state’s rationale for distributing the aid, said Eileen Banker, Hawley’s chief of staff.

Village of Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos said villages should be receiving significantly more in state funding. Many villages like Albion operate much like cities with police departments, water and sewer plants, and many other services. The villages also are challenged with aging infrastructure that is costly to maintain.

Theodorakos has reached out to the New York Conference of Mayors, an association of villages and cities. He wants the group to advocate for a change in the state aid distribution so villages receive more dollars.

The tiny state aid dollars is a prime factor for the villages’ high tax rates. Albion’s village rate is $16.86 per $1,000 of assessed property while Medina property owners pay a $16.45 rate. If those villages received $160 per person like they do in Salamanca, Albion and Medina would each receive nearly $1 million in state aid. That would be enough to cut the village taxes by about 40 percent.

The City of Batavia in Genesee County receives $1,750,975 in state aid for its 15,465 residents or $113.22 per person. City taxpayers pay a $9.29 rate per $1,000, far less than in the Orleans villages.

Village taxpayers have the added pain of paying town taxes. City residents don’t pay taxes to towns as well. That additional $3 or $4 rate means village residents in Albion and Medina are paying about $20 combined in village and town taxes, about twice the rate in the city of Batavia.

Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the high rates in the villages are driving out residents, businesses and investment. Medina officials are looking at dissolving the village to reduce taxes and the disparity in tax burden between village and the surrounding area outside the village boundaries.

ALBION – Orleans County officials are continuing the groundwork needed to bring high-speed Internet to pockets of the county without the service.

After a study of the vertical assets in three western Orleans towns – Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates – the study will be expanded to central and eastern towns. That inventory of water towers, silos and other tall structures will be shared with Internet service providers interested in bringing the service to the county.

County officials want to first discuss the vertical asset survey with the seven towns in central and eastern Orleans before committing to that study, said Legislature Chairman David Callard.

“We want to make sure there is enthusiasm coming from the other seven towns,” Callard said.

Once the county and towns have the inventory of vertical assets, they can work on a formal Request For Proposals from the service providers. Callard didn’t want to issue a timetable for when the service could be in place.

Several wireless Internet providers have already expressed interest in serving the county’s pockets without high-speed Internet.

Time Warner says 95 percent of the county has the service, but Callard and county officials dispute that figure. Callard said it could be as low as 50 percent. The four villages and the areas immediately by those population centers all have good coverage, Callard said.

“But there are a lot of rural expanses and the fringes without service,” he said.

The county and some of the towns have been trying for about four years to expand high-speed Internet in rural pockets without the service.

Time Warner has balked at running the cable in some rural areas, saying the potential for few customers at a $10,000-a-mile cost doesn’t make business sense. Going wireless may be the most cost-effective way to expand service.

The push for county-wide high-speed Internet access is seen as a top priority – for economic development and to keep and attract residents. Students can’t complete some of their homework and research without the Internet, officials said.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The moon looms over a tree at Mount Albion Cemetery on Tuesday night, when temperatures plunged below zero.

National Grid customers are paying about 10 to 12 percent more for electricity this winter, the company said. The prolonged cold spells have customers using more power for furnaces, which are clicking on more often and running longer than in a normal winter.

“Customers are seeing higher delivery bills caused not by a change in rate, but by substantially higher usage,” said Steve Brady, National Grid spokesman. “And, the energy they are using is more expensive than prior months and this time last year because of commodity market conditions.”

The National Grid bill includes delivery and supply of the electricity. National Grid delivers the power and maintains the network. The company purchases the energy from several sources, some in long-term contracts and others in spot market purchases.

The supply costs have jumped. The village of Holley, which operates a municipal electric department, has warned residents they will be facing a huge increase in bills, about 2.5 times the average bill in a typical winter. That’s because the supply of electricity has jumped due to the demands of a brutally cold winter, village officials said.

National Grid anticipated a big spike in costs this month, and sought to defer collecting that increase until later in the year. The Public Service Commission approved that proposal from National Grid, which will spare customers a bigger jolt in their bills.

The cost of energy in recent years had been trending below average for costs, Brady said.

“In New York, like much of the Northeast, the price of electricity is affected by the price of natural gas because so much of the generation is fueled by gas,” he said. “Demand for gas is running very high and, when demand is high, prices tend to be higher.”

With the commodity prices expected to spike dramatically in February, National Grid sought to prevent “sticker shock” for its customers with the delay in collecting the increase in costs, Brady said. The company expects to collect that increase in late spring and summer when prices and demand are expected to stabilize.

The company is deferring about $30 to $32 million for its 1.6 million electric customers in upstate New York, Brady said.

Customers can help reduce their energy usage by lowering their thermostats by a few degrees and wearing a sweater inside, he said.

“Investing in more efficient appliances and lighting potentially has the next biggest impact,” Brady said. “The old saying is that the least expensive kilowatt is the one that doesn’t get used, so any means to simply reduce usage will help the bill.”

DiNapoli says all NY villages should be on alert

A new report by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli doesn’t list any village from Orleans County or Western New York as in a level of fiscal stress.

However, DiNapoli said many upstate villages are suffering from shrinking tax bases, above average child poverty rates and shrinking employment bases.

He urged villages to use “sensible budgeting and careful long-term planning” to avoid fiscal stress.

His office issued a report of 535 villages and identified 15 with a level of fiscal stress. The report covered the fiscal year that ended May 31, 2013.  Albion, Holley and Lyndonville all were well below the fiscal stress threshold. (Medina was one of 48 villages that didn’t file the paperwork for the report.)

“Although the number of villages designated as fiscally stressed is small, village officials across the state must be on alert,” DiNapoli said. “Moving forward, the drivers of fiscal stress will continue to hamper villages in many of the same ways it does our larger municipalities.”

Using financial indicators that include year-end fund balance, cash position and patterns of operating deficits, the comptroller’s system creates an overall fiscal stress score which classifies whether a municipality is in significant fiscal stress, in moderate fiscal stress, susceptible to fiscal stress, or no designation.

The three villages from Orleans that were evaluated all received no designation.

The comptroller’s report establishes 29 overall points. If a village had at least 13 points, or 45 percent of the total, they were listed as susceptible to financial stress. Moderate fiscal stress started with 16 points and significant fiscal stress started at 19.

Holley had 7 points or 29.2 percent, while Lyndonville had 5 points or 20.8 percent. Albion had the best score: 4 points or 16.3 percent. All three were well under the comptroller’s threshold for fiscal stress.

“We are in very good shape,” said Jane Murray, Holley’s village clerk. “I’m very pleased.”

The average village score was 40 percent while Finger Lakes villages were about 42 percent, according to the comptroller’s report. (Click here to see the report.)

Other highlights of the report include:

Downstate villages overall are slightly gaining population, while upstate villages continue to experience declining population.

Median property values in downstate villages is nearly $170,000, while the median value in upstate villages barely tops $40,000.

Unemployment rates vary between upstate (8.6 percent) and downstate (7.1 percent) villages.

MURRAY – The Orleans County Conservative Party Committee on Tuesday passed a resolution, demanding the state Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo repeal the SAFE Act. The local group may have made history.

The party’s committee members met at Christos Restaurant on Route 104 and approved the resolution for the controversial gun control legislation approved in January 2013.

“We hadn’t seen any other political parties come forth and do it,” said Allen Lofthouse, Conservative Party chairman in Orleans County. “We hope it will set a precedent.”

The resolution will be forwarded to Cuomo, U.S. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and other state and federal officials.

Lofthouse and the Conservatives were praised for their public stance by County Legislator Don Allport during today’s Legislature meeting. The Legislature has passed several resolutions against the SAFE Act.

Every elected town and village board in the county have also formally opposed the SAFE Act. Lofthouse said it infringes on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.

Provided photo

Agnes Recco is joined at her recent retirement party by Sgt. Michael Christopher, a Corrections Officer in the county jail and president of the union, Local 2966 that represents jail and office employees.

Recco worked 22 years for the Orleans County Sheriff Department front office. Recco, better known to her co-workers as “Aggie,” started on Nov. 9, 1992 and worked until Jan. 3. She served as a civil clerk dealing mostly with billing and civil process.

Her retirement was celebrated in the Sheriff Department’s front office on Jan. 3 with lunch and cake put on by her fellow workers. Also, OCSEA Local 2966 presented Recco with a gift card of $220, which is calculated for $10 for each year of service to Orleans County. Family, friends and co-workers gathered on Jan. 25 at White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville for her retirement party.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Adam Foley conducts the elementary all-county chorus today during a concert at Holley. The group is singing “Do, Re, Mi.”

HOLLEY – About 650 people packed the Holley High School Auditorium this afternoon for the 2014 Orleans All-County Music Festival.

Today’s concert included the top elementary student singers, the best in the middle school band programs, and the leading singers in the high school choruses for the five school districts – Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina.

This is the 60^th anniversary of the Orleans County Music Educators Association. Carrie Kozody, a middle school chorus teacher at Albion, is the group’s current president.

Retired Albion band teacher Dale Smalley leads the all-county junior high band during today’s performance in Holley. The band is playing a selection from “Les Miserables.”

Stuart McLean conducts the all-county high school chorus. They are singing “Zion’s Walls.”

Provided photo – The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center has this sign along Route 31 in Albion.

Press release
Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation

ALBION – The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation announced on Thursday that The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center has been acquired for $7.8 million.

Principals of Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC, who recently purchased three Catholic Health facilities in Buffalo, will eventually operate The Villages under Comprehensive at Orleans LLC.

Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation board members Richard DeCarlo Sr., Russell Martino and Richard Moy stated, “The sale of The Villages to Comprehensive will not only allow for continued excellent care of our residents but will also provide additional annual tax revenues for the county, town and school district.”

The Villages operating debt is expected to be reduced to $7.1 million by the end of 2014. This purchase agreement will more than satisfy the outstanding debt and “exceeds the market value of $6.5 million suggested by the senior housing specialists we consulted at Marcus & Millichap,” added Martino, chairman of the HFC, which is a local development corporation.

He also emphasized, “Comprehensive showed considerable flexibility in negotiations with regard to our county’s unique needs. This is a win-win for our community.”

The principals for Comprehensive – Joshua Farkovits, Bernard Fuchs and Mordy Lahasky – will now face a rigorous New York State Department of Health licensure process to operate the 120-bed nursing home in Albion.

Once the review is complete and approval is granted by the state, which could take up to a year, The Villages of Orleans will become a privatized nursing facility owned and operated by Comprehensive at Orleans LLC. County officials indicated no transfer would take place prior to Jan. 1, 2015.

While change of ownership can create angst for residents, their families and employees, Lahasky indicated he and his partners were immediately “…very impressed by the facility and, more important, by the people at The Villages of Orleans, staff and residents alike. The Villages is a gem – it is clearly a well-run facility and we intend to keep it that way. Our aim is to provide even more support and enhance the services offered at the facility.”

“We are committed to providing high quality health care and a quality workplace for employees,” said Farkovits. He added Comprehensive’s principals have “long standing and good working relations with 1199 of the SEIU and a history of working with existing employees to achieve outstanding outcomes.”

The company looks forward to working with the workforce in Orleans County because they have demonstrated “such dedication” to caring for residents of The Villages and “so much pride” in the facility and region.

Members of the LDC requested the purchase agreement state that current employees hired by Comprehensive “will not be subject to salary cuts or reduced Paid Time Off (PTO).”

Noting that a NYS DOH study projects the county’s need for more nursing home beds will reach 360 by 2016, Legislature Chairman David Callard said, “Under the leadership of Comprehensive, we are more optimistic that the needs of our community can be met, well into the future. I am pleased with the way the LDC managed the process and look forward to a smooth transition and fiscal solvency for Orleans County.”

“First impressions are everything to me,” said Karen Wygal, director of nursing at The Villages. “Their facility that I toured was pristine. To me, that is an indicator as to how well the needs of the residents are being met. The staff was welcoming and very engaged with the residents. The high level of care demonstrated in the specialized units was extremely impressive.”

The privatization of The Villages brings back into focus mounting challenges for county-owned nursing homes all over in New York State: rising costs and the increasing costs of public employment.

“Even with reforms and the addition of programs, costs have continued to increase at an alarming rate, while Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels failed to keep pace,” Callard said.

LDC member Richard DeCarlo Sr. said, “We could not, in good conscience, allow this to go on. Comprehensive was no stranger to these concerns, having worked with other county-owned nursing homes, and they were accommodating to our needs. Comprehensive committed to maintaining ownership of The Villages for a minimum of 10 years.”

The Chicago-based firm of Marcus & Millichap was hired to market and sell The Villages. Senior housing specialist and broker Joshua Jandris said, “Comprehensive’s reputation exceeds industry standards.”

He went on to say Farkovits, Fuchs and Lahasky “…showed tremendous interest in the residents and the community and were also very attentive to the specific needs of the county.” Jandris added that the men are respected nursing home operators and are known for investing in their employees and supporting the operational needs of each facility.

Richard Moy of the LDC expressed the same sentiments about Comprehensive. Moy observed, “They all seem to be committed 100% to the success of their facilities and particularly invested in the communities. In fact, they willingly agreed to continue the nationally-recognized Community-as-School program as well as provide meals for Orleans County Hospice.”

According to Farkovits, “Our desire is to augment the existing programs at The Villages and add more specialty services to cater to the growing needs of the community. We plan to enhance the health care options for the residents in and around Orleans County.”

Martino, Moy and DeCarlo also believe Comprehensive has a proactive approach to “optimizing the facility’s potential.”

Both parties were motivated to work out the terms of Comprehensive’s offer. Lahasky made it clear throughout the process, “We will do whatever needs to be done to make sure each resident has the benefit of the all the assets and unique specialty services that Comprehensive has to offer. Simply put, we are confident that together we will all be able to continue to serve the people of Orleans County – quite well.”

Provided photo

Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos pulls the winning ticket this afternoon for a county employee who dressed in red as part of National Go Red Day. Nadine Hanlon, clerk of the County Legislature, holds the basket full of tickets.

Orleans County employees raised $865 by paying $5 each to wear red to promote awareness about heart disease.  Each employee that participated was eligible in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate for a night out.

Mayor Theodorakos pulled the winning ticket for a $50 gift certificate to Albion’s Crooked Door Tavern. Jim Noreck, assistant superintendent of the Buildings and Grounds Department, was the winner.

All proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association to help the ongoing research to eliminate cardiovascular diseases and stroke, the country’s No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death, respectively.

ALBION – A group tasked with finding a buyer for The Villages of Orleans, a 120-bed nursing home in Albion, could decide today which company will be the new owner.

The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation, a local development corporation formed last year by the County Legislature, will meet today at 1:30 in the legislative chambers of the County Clerks’ Building, 3 South Main St.

The three-man board of directors will go into executive session to discuss a purchase agreement for the county-owned nursing home.

The group is considering more than price, LDC chairman Russ Martino has said. The board wants the new owner to work with Albion Central School to continue an alternative education program at the site. At-risk students at Albion take classes at the nursing home and do an internship or job shadowing with staff.

The nursing home also currently prepares meals for residents at the hospice residence down the road. Martino wants that partnership to continue.

The LDC and county hired Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group, a Chicago firm that specializes selling nursing homes. The firm helped find purchase offers and is working with the LDC on the sales agreement. Marcus and Millichap will get a 2.5 percent commission as its fee.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a county-owned nursing home since 1960, has been acquired by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC for $7.8 million.

ALBION – It’s been a long-dreaded day that supporters of the county-owned nursing home hoped wouldn’t arrive. The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center was sold today for $7.8 million to Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC.

The new owner likely won’t take over until next year. It needs to get through the certificate of need review process by the state Department of Health. That usually takes 12 to 18 months.

“I am bitter because it’s too bad,” said Gary Kent, one of the leaders of Concerned Citizens of Orleans County, a group that fought the sale. Concerned Citizens tried to stop the sale through a court fight, public protests and the recent county election.

Kent believes the county owes it to its seniors to maintain a quality nursing home with dedicated employees. He worries the quality of care could suffer under private ownership.

Kent, a former county legislator, said the $7.8 million price was “ridiculous” given that the county spent more than $10 million on a renovation and addition in 2007. It also added a wing in the mid-1990s that Kent said is “just like new.”

That price exceeded the $6.5 million market value set by the county’s consultants, Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group in Chicago. The price also will allow the county to pay off the $7.1 million in debt left on the nursing home following renovations and an addition in 2007.

“It’s a really good deal with a really reputable company,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard.

Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services recently bought three nursing homes in Buffalo that were owned by Catholic Health Services. Comprehensive also owns a site in Albany.

County officials toured the Albany site and one of the Buffalo nursing homes. The group was impressed by the investment in the facilities.

County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt went on the tours with Karen Wygal, director of nursing at the Villages. They were joined by Russ Martino, Richard Moy and Richard DeCarlo Sr., all members of the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation.

The County Legislature last February voted to transfer the nursing home to the Health Facilities Corporation, a local development corporation formed to sell The Villages.

The group is pleased with the sale price, said Martino, the group’s chairman.

He also praised the company for agreeing to allow space at the nursing home to continue to be used for an alternative school program at Albion. Comprehensive also will keep an existing agreement to prepare meals for the Hospice of Orleans residence.

Comprehensive principal owners include Joshua Farkovits, Bernard Fuchs and Mordy Lahasky. They have ownership stakes in other nursing homes besides the ones in Buffalo and Albany.

The new owners acknowledged the change of ownership can be upsetting to some residents, their families and employees. Lahasky said he and his partners were immediately “…very impressed by the facility and, more important, by the people at The Villages of Orleans, staff and residents alike. The Villages is a gem – it is clearly a well-run facility and we intend to keep it that way. Our aim is to provide even more support and enhance the services offered at the facility.”

Comprehensive, as part of the 45-page agreement signed today, agreed to own the site for at least 10 years. It also pledged not to reduce employee wages.

Cindy Troy, president of the CSEA union, worries about the employees and the residents of the county nursing home.

Troy expects benefits will be cut to employees, leading to more turnover and diminished care for residents in the 120-bed nursing home.

“I’m really concerned, not just for the employees but for the community,” Troy said this afternoon after the county announced the sale. “I’m worried about whether we’ll have a stable workforce. You don’t have a good nursing home if you don’t have a stable workforce.”

The new owners didn’t specify whether workers would see a reduction in healthcare or retirement benefits. County officials have cited employee benefits as a prime driver of operational costs – and deficits at the site.

The nursing home employs about 125 workers. They currently are eligible for the state retirement system.

The sale will reduce the county’s overall workforce by about a third. Kent, the former legislator, said the seven-member county Legislature should cut its pay by least 25 percent when the sale is final.

“Their workload will be down,” he said.

Kent has disputed many of the numbers put out by the county about the deficits at the site.

County officials have said deficit have topped $2 million in recent years. It was listed as a $825,000 deficit on the 2013 county tax bill. Callard and county officials feared the nursing home could require a $4 million or more in county contributions in the future due to shrinking federal aid.

Richard DeCarlo, one of the LDC board members, said those deficits would be too much for county taxpayers.

“We could not, in good conscience, allow this to go on,” he said.

The new owner brings expertise and resources to the site, Callard said. The sale preserves the nursing home as a resource for years to come, he said.

“I have great expectations,” Callard said. “I think you’ll see capital investment and innovative ideas.”

ALBION – The county-owned nursing home has been sold for $7.8 million to a company that recently purchased three Catholic Health facilities in Buffalo.

Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC will be the new owner of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 120-bed nursing home on Route 31. The final approval for the sale will come after the state Department of Health reviews the company’s certificate of need. Those reviews often take at least a year.

The sale won’t become effective until after Jan. 1, 2015. That will honor the time frame put out by the County Legislature about two years ago when it told the public and nursing home employees the site would stay county-owned until at least 2014, Legislature Chairman David Callard said this afternoon.

He is pleased with the price, which exceeds the $6.5 million market value set by the county’s consultants with the sale, Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group in Chicago. The price also will allow the county to pay off the $7.1 million in debt left on the nursing home following renovations and an addition in 2007.

“It’s a really good deal with a really reputable company,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard.

Orleans Hub will have more on the sale.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Orleans Hub photographer Cheryl Wertman was in Medina earlier today when she took this photo through a windshield, showing the treacherous driving conditions in Orleans County.

By Tom Rivers, editor

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess is urging people to avoid driving unless it’s necessary. The sheriff has issued a travel advisory due to the rough driving conditions.

Today’s snowstorm has reduced driver visibility, and created difficult driving conditions with slippery roads.

The sheriff hasn’t issued a travel ban so people can still go to and from work.

“if you don’t have to go out, then don’t,” said a county dispatcher. “Use good judgment.”

The dispatcher said there hasn’t been any serious accidents due to the road conditions. A few vehicles did slide off the roads.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued a state of emergency for the entire state due to the storm. All five school districts in Orleans County have cancelled after-school activities.

All 5 Orleans County districts cancel after-school activities

Photo by Tom Rivers – The photo above shows Gaines Basin Road, just south of Route 104. The photo was taken at about 11:30 a.m. looking south.

It’s nasty with white-out conditions, blowing snow and slippery roads.

Albion, Medina and Lyndonville schools have cancelled all afternoon and evening activities due to the storm. Holley and Kendall will dismiss students early, and both have cancelled after-school events.

Holley will send middle and high schoolers home at 12:30 with elementary students to follow at 1:30 p.m. Kendall will send middle-high school students home at 2 p.m. When the busses return, elementary students will go home.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until 10 tonight for most of Western New York, including Orleans County. The heaviest snow will be late morning through mid-afternoon across the region, according to the Weather Service. We could get 5 to 9 inches of snow today.

Gov. Cuomo has declared a state-wide emergency due the storm. Some downstate highway crews have severely depleted road salt supplies, the governor said.

Statewide, the state has 1,700 plows, 359 loaders and 4,000 operators on the roads, Cuomo said.

“This is a significant winter storm impacting all regions of the state and we are taking all necessary steps to keep New Yorkers safe,” Cuomo said. “I have declared a state of emergency for all counties so that we can continue our effective and quick response in communities that have been hit the hardest. New Yorkers in affected regions should stay off the roads, check on their neighbors and loved ones, and stay inside their homes until the worst of the storm has passed.”