By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2020 at 4:14 pm
Both counties report 2 more recoveries from virus
Orleans and Genesee counties are both reporting no new confirmed cases of Covid-19, and both counties had two more people recover from the coronavirus since Tuesday.
The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments releases a daily report usually at about 4 p.m. Today was a rarity since mid-March with both counties not having a new confirmed Covid-19 case. Orleans remains at 142 confirmed cases and Genesee is at 165.
With the two new recoveries in each county, Orleans is now up to 44 recoveries in the community outside nursing homes, while Genesee is up to 95 recoveries, not counting the federal detention center.
In Orleans County, 10 people are still hospitalized with Covid-19, while four people are in Genesee.
Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the State Department of Health will host a statewide webinar tomorrow for all healthcare providers to discuss the symptoms, testing and care of reported inflammatory disease in children related to Covid-19.
The State is currently investigating approximately 102 reported cases in New York where children – predominantly school-aged – are experiencing these symptoms possibly due to Covid-19. The illness has taken the lives of three young New Yorkers, including a 5-year old in New York City, a 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County.
Of these cases, 60 percent of the children displaying these symptoms tested positive for Covid-19 and 40 percent tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies. Additionally, 71 percent of the cases have resulted in ICU admission, 19 percent of cases have resulted in intubation and 43 percent of the cases remain hospitalized.
“We must stay alert with this virus because we’re still learning, and what we thought we knew doesn’t always turn out to be true,” Governor Cuomo said. “When we first started with this virus, we were told children are not affected, which was a great sigh of relief. But now we’re finding out that may not be 100 percent accurate because we’re seeing cases where children who may have been infected with the Covid virus show symptoms of an inflammatory disease like the Kawasaki disease or toxic shock-like syndrome. New York State has been aggressively investigating these new cases and is leading the efforts on this nationwide, and the more we know the more we know, the more we’ll communicate.”
New Yorkers should seek immediate care if a child has:
Predominant Symptoms:
Prolonged fever (more than five days)
Severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting
Bloodshot eyes
Skin rash
Other Symptoms:
Change in skin color – becoming pale, patchy and/or blue
Difficulty feeding (infants) or is too sick to drink fluids
Trouble breathing or is breathing very quickly
Racing heart or chest pain
Lethargy, irritability or confusion
New York State is leading the national effort to find out more about this illness related to Covid-19 in children. Governor Cuomo yesterday directed hospitals statewide to prioritize Covid-19 testing for children displaying symptoms similar to an atypical Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome.
At the request of the CDC, the state is helping to develop the national criteria for identifying and responding to Covid-related illness. New York State has notified 49 other states across the country of emerging cases of Covid-related illness in children, and now 14 other states and five European countries have reported cases as well.
The State Department of Health is also partnering with the NY Genome Center and Rockefeller University to conduct a genome and RNA sequencing study to better understand Covid-related illnesses in children and the possible genetic basis of this syndrome.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2020 at 3:11 pm
ALBION – Oak Orchard Health has been awarded $449,314 in emergency funding from the federal government to do Covid-19 testing.
It is part of $16,790,380 in federal funding to help health centers in Upstate New York respond to and contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, U.S. Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced.
The funding will help health centers purchase, administer, and expand the use of Covid-19 testing. The funding was allocated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Expanding Capacity for Coronavirus Testing (ECT) program.
Oak Orchard Health has centers in Albion, Lyndonville, Brockport, Warsaw and Hornell. Orleans Hub has reached out to Oak Orchard Health to see which sites the testing will be offered and when it be available.
“Testing is essential to our Covid-19 response and to the successful reopening of the Upstate economy without triggering a second wave of infections,” said Senator Schumer. “This funding provides the essential expansion of testing needed to beat back the virus and for life to go back to normal. I am proud to have secured this vital funding for New York and will continue to fight tooth and nail for a fully-funded testing strategy that keeps New Yorkers safe.”
“To contain the spread of this disease and safely reopen schools and businesses, we must make COVID-19 testing widely available for all Americans,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Our state has faced more cases of COVID-19 than any other state and this critical funding will make testing and treatment more accessible in Upstate New York. As we fight to flatten the curve, I will continue to advocate for the resources needed during this pandemic.”
Students, staff adjust to remote learning due to Covid-19
Press Release, Genesee Community College
ALBION/MEDINA – Genesee Community College’s Albion and Medina Campus Centers have announced the Spring 2020 Instructors and Students of the Semester.
Each semester, one instructor and one student from each campus center are recognized for their outstanding instructional and/or academic performances. Despite the Covid-19 campus center closures, officials at each center collected nominations from fellow teachers, colleagues and students, and a small committee led by James Simon, associate dean at Medina and Albion Campus Centers, determined the winners.
Albion Campus Center
Jennifer D’Alessandro
Jennifer D’Alessandro is the Spring 2020 Instructor of the Semester at the Albion Campus Center. After graduating from Lyndonville High School, D’Alessandro earned degrees from Niagara Community College and Medaille College.
With undergraduate work in business administration and an MA in Organizational Leadership, she is a valuable asset to GCC’s business program. In addition to teaching business and marketing courses for the Albion Campus Center, D’Alessandro also teaches full time for Villa Maria College in Buffalo, and through the years she has taught classes throughout Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties.
In the nomination, a student remarked: “As the pandemic has caused a lot of changes [Ms. D’Alessandro was] present on Zoom every Tuesday with a smile, a lesson and care for all her students and their personal lives.”
When asked about working at the Albion Campus Center, D’Alessandro remarked, “Genesee Community College is an innovative and supportive environment. The Albion Campus Center feels like family.”
Her advice to a new instructor is “try to ‘see’ the student who doesn’t want to be seen. You might be the only person who ever shows them how important they are.”
Besides teaching, she has worked in marketing, fundraising and sales, and when asked about her most rewarding experience she said, “Teaching is a privilege. I have the opportunity to impact students’ lives, which I take this very seriously. I’ve seen so many of them grow and succeed. I’m thankful for my path and I am thankful for the past ten years of teaching. I love my job.”
D’Alessandro resides in Lockport and is married with five children, three grandchildren, and has two “very ridiculous” cats. Apart from teaching, she enjoys traveling as an avid “cruiser,” reading and studying the Bible and a variety of online marketing magazines.
John Bradley
John Bradley is the Spring 2020 GCC Student of the Semester for the Albion Campus Center. As a Communication and Media Arts major, Bradley expects to graduate from GCC in 2021. He enjoys many aspects of college life, but especially enjoys being able to explore and discuss both new and old ideas with others in a guided setting. He has a strong willingness to listen, but also enjoys participating in discussion and expressing his own ideas while considering the ideas of others.
Bradley has discovered a passion for the creative arts as well, and his charcoal drawing won first place in the Student Art Show exhibit at GCC last December. His interests outside of college include computer programming and networking. He is currently working in a grocery store and finds it satisfying to be a part of the workforce during Covid-19 providing essential services to his community. He resides in Albion.
The instructor who nominated John Bradley noted: “John has really brought depth to our class discussions and offered fascinating insights to topics. After the transition to remote learning, John continued to offer great critiques on our discussion board. He is a fantastic student who deserves to be recognized as Albion’s Student of the Semester.”
Medina Campus Center
Ralph Torcello
is the Spring 2020 Instructor of the Semester at the Medina Campus Center. Torcello has been teaching business courses at GCC for 20 years, and he is one of only a handful of instructors who has taught at all seven GCC campus locations. This semester, one of his courses was Accounting 102, taught at the Medina Campus Center.
After graduating from Pavilion High School, Torcello was a GCC student himself and transferred to SUNY Geneseo where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and then SUNY UB for his MBA.
Torcello believes that is important for all students to have an understanding of business and business language, no matter what they do in life. The student who nominated Torcello noted that he has gone above and beyond this semester offering additional help whenever needed.
Once classes went to remote, online delivery, Torcello stepped up to learn all the nuances of effectively teaching his course in a different way providing a stellar example to his students. One student observed, “He has taught me that no matter how educated a person is, there is always something new to learn, and he role modeled what that looks like, as well as the value of stepping outside of our comfort zone.”
Torcello’s fondest memories of GCC are not only the last 20 years of teaching, but also the days of attending classes in the 90s from various instructors including Bruce Lindsey, Sid Bender, Bernie Marcus and Marirose Ethington.
Torcello lives on a small dairy farm in Pavilion, his childhood homestead, with his wife, Diane. They have two sons and three grandchildren. When asked what he enjoys at GCC he stated, “I can honestly say that after all these years, I have never met a staff worker, secretary, professor or student that I didn’t care for at GCC. For me, it will always be a great place to be, and at present I miss it terribly.”
Emalee Houseman
Emalee Houseman is the Spring 2020 Student of the Semester at the Medina Campus Center. In her second semester, Houseman is pursuing her Associate of Science degree in Teacher Education, with plans to graduate in spring 2021. Thereafter, she plans to transfer to SUNY Brockport to earn her New York State Teaching Certification and degree in English with a concentration in Adolescent Education. Her end goal is to become a high school English teacher.
The instructors who nominated Houseman stated that she is hard working and always prepared for class and she maintains a positive attitude that is contagious. This attribute was tremendously helpful during the transition from on-site to remote learning during Covid-19.
Houseman resides with her parents, sister and dogs in Lyndonville. Her family has been her biggest influence and she believes their support and encouragement has helped her be the student she is today with a “never quit” attitude. Aside from being a full-time student, Houseman volunteers as a LOYAL soccer coach in her community in the summer.
At GCC, Houseman most appreciates the variety of courses offered, as well as the support she has received from her advisor and instructors. “They are always there for you, and they never let you feel as if you are a burden to their time.”
Her advice to new college students is this: “Whatever you do, try your best. Even if you don’t get the desired outcome, let that push you to try even harder.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2020 at 11:30 am
(Editor’s Note: This article was updated. An original post said Holley had granted the waiver, allowing the 21 extra days before there is a late fee. However, the village needs permission from the state before the waiver can go into effect.)
HOLLEY – The Village Board voted on Tuesday to ask for state permission to give taxpayers 21 extra days to pay their village taxes without getting hit with a 5 percent penalty.
Village tax bills are due June 30. The board wants to waive the late fee until July 21. Any payments the rest of July will be assessed a 5 percent late charge. In August, the late fee goes up to 6 percent.
“In these times I don’t have problem giving them those 21 days,” said Deputy Mayor Kevin Lynch. “Some of the residents will just be getting back to work.”
The governor needs to allow villages the waiver on the late fees. Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty has sent an email to the governor’s office, requesting the waiver.
The Village Board has approved a budget that would reducing the tax rate from $16.41 to $16.20 per $1,000 of assessed property.
Although the tax rate will be going down, the village will be collecting more in property taxes. The tax levy will go up 2.3 percent or by $20,483 from $887,999 to $908,482.
The tax rate will go down because the village’s tax base grew by about $2 million. The village assessed value is up 3.6 percent or $1,967,513, from $54,098,660 to $56,066,173.
The village fiscal year runs from June 1 to May 31.
In other action at Tuesday’s Village Board meeting:
• The board approved the purchase from Admar of a Kubota Wheeled Skid Steer at a cost of $26,855.29 to be split between the Water, Electric and DPW Departments. The current Skid Steer is 20 years old with more than 3,000 hours.
It is used by to plow sidewalks and also for conduit trenching by the electric department, among its many uses for the village staff.
• Mayor Brian Sorochty updated the board on the village elections. The election was scheduled for June 16 but has been moved by the state to Sept. 15. The state has provided other information on the petition process and the time frames for getting signatures, the mayor said.
• The village and Town of Murray are holding off on deciding about the summer youth program. “We’re taking a wait and see approach,” Sorochty said.
• The federal Environmental Protection Agency, which delayed the start of construction on a $20 million soil cleanup at the former Diaz Chemical site due to Covid-19, expects to start mobilizing construction equipment and work crews later this month.
The EPA is planning to have about 20 personnel on site for phase 2 of the cleanup on Jackson Street.
The EPA has already spent $12.5 million on the cleanup, using money from the Superfund. The EPA has removed buildings, pipes, drums and tanks. Only two warehouses remain from Diaz, which declared bankruptcy and abandoned the site in 2002. The company operated for about 30 years in Holley.
The next phase involves thermal treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater at the site. Besides EPA staff, the phase 2 includes personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractors.
The EPA has been working on cleaning up the site for nearly 20 years. With phase 2, the EPA will tackle the contaminated soil on the 5-acre site. The soil poses a threat to the groundwater, EPA officials said.
The EPA and a contractor will drill 600 wells, spaced about 13 to 15 feet apart, and install an underground system where the soil will be heated up. That will remove below-ground contaminates from soil.
Water vapors also will be collected and treated, and then filtered and discharged into the sewer.
Once the contaminant level drops in the soil, about 100 truckloads are expected to be hauled away to a landfill.
The project will be substantially complete in the winter of 2023, according to the EPA timeline. A final layer of topsoil and grass will be added to complete the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2020 at 11:02 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Ron Vendetti (left), Holley’s code enforcement officer and grants manager, last month tours the Holley Gardens project with George DeRue, Home Leasing’s vice president of historical preservation and construction manager for the project. Home Leasing turned the former Holley High School into senior apartments and the village offices. This is the last project Vendetti inspected for the village. He has now officially retired as code officer and grants manager.
HOLLEY – Ron Vendetti has officially retired as a municipal official. Vendetti retired last year from Albion and Holley code enforcement officer. He also served in the role for the Town of Murray.
He also was serving as the grants manager for the Village of Holley. But he has resigned from the position to finally be fully retired.
The Holley Village Board accepted his resignation on Tuesday, and thanked him for getting the village in a position to tackle ambitious sidewalk and water projects.
“He will be missed,” said Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty. “Throughout the planning process Ron has been invaluable to me and the village.”
The mayor said Vendetti has often been viewed as a “lightning rod” in his role as code officer. But Sorochty said Vendetti is competent and able to move complicated projects forward.
The $4.5 million waterline and sidewalk project is expected to start soon and will take about a year.
The Village Board on Feb.11 accepted a $2,556,000 construction bid from a contractor on Tuesday to replace sidewalks and water lines in the village. Most of the project is along Route 237 and the northeast section of the village.
Mark Cerrone, Inc. of Niagara Falls submitted the lowest bid for the project. Grants will cover the majority of the costs. Holley is responsible for 20 percent of the sidewalk work and 40 percent of the waterlines.
The village was approved for a $1,780,000 federal TAP grant (Transportation Alternatives Program) to construct curbs and sidewalks that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The grant will allow the village to replace about one-third of the sidewalks in the village.
Holley also was awarded nearly $1.3 million from the state for upgrades to the water system through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, as well as the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program.
The waterline project includes 5,800 linear feet, just over a mile, and involves replacing 4- to 8-inch water mains with 8- to 12-inch water mains.
The village has a $318,100 contract with the Wendel firm for construction administration and observation services during the project. In addition to Wendel, village officials will be involved in the construction, especially Dave Nenni, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, and Matt Campbell, superintendent of the Water and Electric departments.
One responsibility that Vendetti handled as code officer was prosecuting the code violations. Many other towns and villages have the municipal attorney attend court and prosecute the violations.
“The village was very lucky because Ron did them all and it didn’t cost you anything,” said John Sansone, the Holley village attorney.
Sansone has been the village attorney for 19 years and he said only on three occasions did he need to be involved with a code violation case in Holley.
Tracy Van Skiver, the Albion code enforcement officer, also is working part-time for Holley. She wants the village attorney to handle more of the court responsibilities.
The rules have changed since Vendetti retired with the code officer needing to meet the state’s new laws for discovery, which means a faster turnaround for providing documents to the defendant.
Sansone said his contract calls for additional pay for time spent in court representing the village. Many of fines for code violations are $50. That is less than the village would have to pay Sansone to defend the case.
Right now, the local courts are closed until at least June. Sansone said the Village Board should weigh how to proceed in prosecuting the cases, perhaps only using him if there are cases with “huge violations.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2020 at 10:31 am
File photo: The country band, Julie Dunlap and High Maintenance, performs during a concert by the canal in Holley. Holley hosts the concerts on Fridays near the gazebo.
HOLLEY – The Village Board isn’t ready to cancel its summer concert series, even though other communities have decided against holding the events.
Holley’s concert series runs on Friday evenings from June 12 to Aug. 7.
The Village Board discussed the series during the monthly board meeting on Tuesday. The schedule remains set for now, but the June dates could first be scrapped and possibly rescheduled for the end of August.
The Board first wants to see if the bands have flexibility in their schedule. If some of the concerts earlier in the season are cancelled, Holley also wants to know how that could affect the $545 it is receiving in arts funding for the series. The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council approved that amount for the series. Would Holley still receive the full amount if some dates are cancelled? The board will check with GO Art!
“There is no reason in my opinion to cancel the whole summer,” said Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty. “Maybe we take June out of it.”
The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association has cancelled its summer concert series at the Orleans County Marine Park. Many other community festivals and events have also been scrapped this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With so many community events being cancelled, Sorochty said that is more reason to try to have the concert series in Holley.
The village will need to insist on social distancing and other precautions if the events go on. Many of the concert-goers are senior citizens.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 May 2020 at 9:26 am
‘It broke my heart to leave them,’ aide says about leaving her job
ALBION – Hope Albone, 20, of Medina loved her job as a nurse’s aide at The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion. The residents were like a second family to her.
But when so many started dying one after the other, she realized something was dreadfully wrong.
To date, 75 residents in the 120-bed facility have tested positive for the coronavirus and 19 have died, accounting for all but one of the Covid-19 deaths in Orleans County.
Realizing she had a duty to think of herself and her family at home, Albone quit her job last Sunday.
“It broke my heart to leave them,” said Albone, fearing the practices at the facility would eventually cause her to fall ill.
Albone has not only talked to the State Attorney General’s Office, but has agreed to go public with her complaints of the facility in an effort to save the lives of the remaining residents. Other former staff members have also spoken to the media, sharing complaints about a lack of personal protective equipment and concerns about the management.
Albone said when the first case of the virus broke out in one hall, staff understood extra precautions were needed to protect residents and staff. But that didn’t happen.
“We were told we had to share gowns,” she said. “We knew that wasn’t right because we’d been told how easily the virus can spread from a sneeze or droplet. That really upset me.”
The Attorney General’s Office was alerted to questionable practices at the facility and Albone received a call from an AG representative after the first diagnosis. She doesn’t know how he happened to call her, but she sent him pictures of dirty gowns hanging on the wall, waiting to be worn the next day or shift.
“The attorney general asked me what we’re doing in regard to the coronavirus,” Albone said about the representative. “I told him what we had done at first, when all our clothes were in isolation bins. But once it started spreading, the nursing director locked the N-95 masks in her office and we were ordered to wear dirty gowns.”
In regards to being short staffed, Albone said the nursing director is also a registered nurse, but doesn’t come out on the floor to help, only when the Health Department is there conducting an inspection.
“She doesn’t think how tired we get on the floor,” Albone said.
One night, Albone came in to work the third shift and found she was the only aide with two nurses for the entire facility – one nurse in the dementia and rehabilitation unit and another for The Villages.
“I stood there and cried,” she said.
Normally, two aides are responsible for 20 rooms, the majority of which have two residents per room.
Albone also said when the health inspector comes by, dirty gowns are gone, masks are out and everything looks as it should. She said that is because it is suspected the nursing director gets tipped off about an inspection from the State Department of Health.
(The State Department of Health said it did an unannounced inspection on April 29 and found The Villages of Orleans in compliance with infection control practices and CDC-supported guidelines issued by the state.)
“The nurses and aides do the best they can to make the residents’ families and friends feel the best we can, but administration just doesn’t care,” Albone said.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia has urged a full-scale investigation of The Villages and the quality of care and its handling of the virus. He said the Attorney General’s Office, State Department of Health, District Attorney’s Office, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and the federal Department of Health and Human Services are all involved in the investigation.
“My goal here is to get all the parties involved who can assist in making this investigation more thorough and complete,” Hawley said on Friday. “By involving all of these departments on all of these levels of government and public safety, we are ensuring that no stone is left unturned, and that our residents and staff at The Villages’ lives and quality of care are safeguarded.”
The nursing home, formerly owned by the county, has struggled with staffing, long before Covid-19. Due the staffing issues, The Villages contracted to bring six aides from Louisiana.
Some of the staff tested positive for Covid-19 but didn’t have symptoms. The local Health Department said that is one factor in how the virus spread in the facility.
Albone said it is heartbreaking what has happened to those residents of The Villages and what they are faced with now. She said there used to be phones in the hall so residents could talk to their family, but those were taken out even before the outbreak of the virus. And now many of the residents have no way to communicate with their families.
Albone has two brothers who are 1 and 2 years old, and a sister who is pregnant. Her sister also worked at The Villages, but their mother made her quit at the beginning of the outbreak, telling her she had herself and a baby to think about.
“It was so hard for me to leave, but I had to think of my family at home,” Albone said.
(Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article said a dialysis patient who went to Batavia was the first person to be diagnosed with Covid-19 at The Villages. Orleans Community Health, which has dialysis centers in Batavia and Medina, said none of its patients have had Covid-19.)
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 May 2020 at 7:58 am
A second round of funding has come into Orleans County from the Covid-19 WNY Community Response Fund, according to Dean Bellack, director of United Way of Orleans County.
The fund was established by Buffalo area philanthropic organizations to help non-profit agencies and programs impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and is dispersed through United Ways in Western New York.
Phase One of the funding on April 7 provided $4.5 million to 74 organizations, which included $74,000 for Orleans County.
Phase Two provided for $1 million of additional funding for 35 organizations, of which Orleans County’s share was $25,000, according to Bellack.
Bellack put together a committee, which met in a Zoom conference and included himself, Bruce Schmidt, president of Lyndonville Lions and a board member of Community Action and Ministry of Concern; Darren Wilson, president of the Lyndonville Area Foundation; and Jodi Gaines and David Cook, both board members of United Way of Orleans County. On Monday, they met to determine recipients of this recent grant.
“We had input from all the committee,” Bellack said. “This was a good collaboration which allowed us to share what is happening in the country from a view that was broader than our own. We felt good that what we gave out was fair, based upon our shared knowledge of their budgets and what dollars they have received this year.”
Funds approved by the committee went to United Way of Orleans County, Community Action, Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Food Pantry, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Emergency Food Pantry, Kendall Food Pantry, Christ Community Church, Ministry of Concern, ARC Meals on Wheels, 211 WNY, GCASA, Praising Kids Child Care Center, YMCA, Hands for Hope, Project Stork and Oak Orchard Assembly of God.
Bellack said it is possible there may be a third round of funding in the near future.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) today announced a proposal to provide direct relief to state, county, and local governments to help them recover from lost revenue and unexpected costs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure is part of major coronavirus relief legislation, H.R. 6800, the Heroes Act, which Chairwoman Lowey introduced today to support the continued coronavirus response and recovery. If enacted, the Democrats’ spending package would provide an estimated $34.4 billion in relief funds for New York State, $17.2 billion for New York City, and $15.1 billion for other municipalities and counties in New York.
“Our state, county and local governments have ratcheted up their spending to confront the Covid challenge, even while the virus has ripped a hole in their budgets due to collapsing revenue,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “Providing urgent relief to state, county and local governments is not an abstract concept – it is keeping cops, firefighters, bus drivers and more on the job; it is preserving vital services during a pandemic; and it is staving off tax hikes at the worst possible time for the economy.”
In addition to $67 billion in new funding for governments in New York State, the relief package would allow the use of new and prior Coronavirus Relief funds to replace lost revenue, a high priority for New York. Combined with $5.2 billion in relief funds for New York in the CARES Act, this bill would provide the state nearly $40 billion to help cover lost revenues and expenses due to coronavirus.
“I am proud to work with Representative Lowey and the New York delegation to create this package and this funding formula,” Schumer said. “Now we need support from all corners to pressure and persuade Mr. McConnell, President Trump and the Senate Republicans to join our push to preserve jobs and services in our state, county and local governments.”
The representatives further noted that, according to the most recent jobs report, the nation has already shed 1 million public sector jobs. The representatives noted that the failure to respond now to the crisis faced by state, county and local governments will certainly worsen the job loss and hurtle us toward a full-blown depression. Failure to take the corrective action now, when we have the resources to and time to do so, would be catastrophically damaging and profoundly irresponsible, said the representatives.
The legislation follows the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act enacted on April 24; The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted on March 27; the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, enacted on March 18; and the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act enacted on March 6.
Editor’s Note: John F. Marren, president of the New York State Association of Counties, released this statement after Schumer’s announcement today about the $67 billion.
“The federal stimulus proposal introduced today includes funding allocations that have been championed by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and the entire NY Congressional delegation. This essential funding is necessary for essential public employees to provide essential services to stamp out COVID-19 and begin the process of reopening communities.
“County leaders commend House Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey and Speaker Pelosi for beginning the negotiating process by introducing this important legislation. We thank New York’s bipartisan congressional delegation for fighting to help New Yorkers survive and thrive during the pandemic.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2020 at 7:23 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Gordmans employees and local officials celebrate a grand-opening of the Gordmans store on Feb. 18 at the Route 31 plaza in Albion. The store opened following a change-over from Peebles. That day Gordmans presented a check for $1,000 to Albion High School as a show of goodwill to the community.
ALBION – Less than three months ago a new Gordmans store opened in Albion. The store was one of 13 former Peebles stores to be changed over.
But less than a month after opening, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the store to cut back hours. By the end of March, the store closed, temporarily.
But now the parent company has declared bankruptcy, and the store will permanently close unless a new buyer is found.
Gordmans and Peebles, both discount department stores, are owned by Stage Stores, with Stage buying Gordmans in April 2017. Peebles opened in the Albion plaza in 2007.
“The increasingly challenging market environment was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which required us to temporarily close all of our stores and furlough the vast majority of our associates,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Glazer said in a statement. “Given the conditions, we have been unable to obtain necessary financing and have no choice but to take these actions.”
Houston, Texas-based Stage Stores listed both assets and liabilities between $500 million and $1 billion, according to a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
The company shut all its 738 stores and three distribution centers in March.
The company is seeking bids for the business or any of its assets, Stage Stores said in a statement.
If there isn’t a viable buyer, Stage will have to liquidate and close the stores.
NY investigating about 100 reported cases of Covid-related illness in children
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed hospitals statewide to prioritize Covid-19 testing for children displaying symptoms similar to an atypical Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome.
The State is currently investigating approximately 100 reported cases in New York where children – predominantly school-aged – are experiencing these symptoms possibly due to Covid-19. The illness has taken the lives of three young New Yorkers, including a 5-year old in New York City, a 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County.
“We have been behind this virus every step of the way and even as we are now beginning to see the numbers on the decline, the virus is still surprising us,” Governor Cuomo said. “Initially we thought Covid-19 didn’t affect children, and now we’re dealing with a disturbing issue where we have about 100 cases of an inflammatory disease in children that seems to be created by the virus. New York is leading the investigation of this situation and we are advising all hospitals and medical providers to prioritize diagnostic testing for any children that are displaying symptoms of this illness.”
New Yorkers should seek immediate care if a child has:
Prolonged fever (more than five days)
Difficulty feeding (infants) or is too sick to drink fluids
Severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting
Change in skin color – becoming pale, patchy and/or blue
Trouble breathing or is breathing very quickly
Racing heart or chest pain
Decreased amount of frequency in urine
Lethargy, irritability or confusion
At the request of the CDC, the state is helping to develop the national criteria for identifying and responding to Covid-related illness. The State Department of Health is also partnering with the NY Genome Center and Rockefeller University to conduct a genome and RNA sequencing study to better understand Covid-related illnesses in children and the possible genetic basis of this syndrome. New York State is also notifying 49 other states across the country of emerging cases of Covid-related illness in children.
At the direction of Governor Cuomo, the State Department of Health has issued an advisory about this serious inflammatory disease, called “Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with Covid-19,” to inform healthcare providers of the condition, as well as to provide guidance for testing and reporting. Health care providers, including hospitals, are required to report to the Department of Health all cases of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome potentially associated with Covid-19 in those under 21 years of age.
Though most children who get Covid-19 experience only mild symptoms, in the United Kingdom, a possible link has also been reported between pediatric COVID-19 and serious inflammatory disease. The inflammatory syndrome has features which overlap with Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome and may occur days to weeks after acute Covid-19 illness. It can include persistent fever, abdominal symptoms, rash, and even cardiovascular symptoms requiring intensive care.
Early recognition by pediatricians and referral to a specialist including to critical care is essential. Molecular and serological testing for Covid-19 in children exhibiting the above symptoms is recommended.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2020 at 4:50 pm
1 more death reported at The Villages of Orleans, which now has 19 due to virus
Orleans County has eight more confirmed cases of Covid-19, with five of those new cases at a state-owned group home for people with disabilities in Ridgeway. (That group home also had a positive test over the weekend and has six total cases of Covid-19.)
There has also been one more death of a resident at The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center. That nursing home in Albion has now suffered 19 deaths due to Covid-19, the Genesee and Orleans Health Departments reported. The Villages also has one more confirmed case of Covid-19, bringing that total to 75.
The Health Departments also reported the first case of Covid-19 at Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Medina.
The eight new cases reported today for the county bring the total of people to test positive to 142 in Orleans County.
Of the new positive cases, one individual is in the 20s, three people are in their 30s, one in the 50s, one in the 60s, one in the 80s and one person is in the 90s.
Two of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation. That brings the total recoveries in the community to 42, not counting the recoveries in facilities not regulated by the local Health Department (nursing homes).
Ten of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility
In Genesee County, there is one more confirmed case of Covid-19 for a total of 165 positive cases. The new positive case resides in Batavia and is a person in the 30s.
The newly positive individual was not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic. Five of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
Click here to view the map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
The facility breakdown is only showing those facilities from where the Health Departments were notified of a positive swab for Covid-19. Facilities will be added if there is a positive case of Covid-19.
If a regulated facility from either county is not listed, there are no positive cases of Covid-19. The local health departments do not have oversight with many regulated facilities, which may include nursing homes, correctional facilities, hospitals, etc.
More information from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:
• Finger Lakes Region to Re-open New York’s first phase beginning on Friday. If you have questions about New York Forward and Business Re-opening, click here.
Be advised the local health departments are not the gatekeepers in these next steps. We are not reviewing/approving plans and we don’t have the ability to make decisions on who is or isn’t a part of the first phase nor have we been provided with guidance on interpreting who is and isn’t included.
• The first phase In order to un-PAUSE safely, we need to continue to be intentional about social distancing, properly wearing face coverings, handwashing/sanitizing and limiting time in public. Please click here for a re-opening guidance and fact sheet in response to Covid-19 developed by the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.
For further information on the NYS Plans, click here.
• Business Safety Precautions:
Each business and industry must have a plan to protect employees and consumers, make the physical work space safer and implement processes that lower risk of infection in the business. In developing these plans, businesses will need to consider three main factors.
• The first factor is protections for employees and customers. These include possible adjustments to workplace hours and shift design as necessary to reduce density in the workplace; enacting social distancing protocols, and restricting non-essential travel for employees.
• The second is changes to the physical workspace, including requiring all employees and customers to wear masks if in frequent close contact with others and implementing strict cleaning and sanitation standards.
• The last factor for businesses to consider is implementing processes that meet our changing public health obligations, like screening individuals when they enter the workplace, or reporting confirmed positives to customers. While these processes will vary from business to business, almost everyone will have to adapt, in some way or another, to our new normal.
• ROC COVID-19 Health Screener: This symptom tracker for the Greater Rochester region is a scientific study collected aggregate data by zip code to track hot spots of COVID-19. The data will potentially show how the virus may be spreading, identify areas that may be at risk and determine how our efforts are working to slow the spread.
You can participate by taking the daily survey whether you are having symptoms or are feeling healthy. It just takes a few seconds. Click here for more information.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2020 at 2:15 pm
The five school districts in Orleans County will have their elections on June 9, a change from the usual third Tuesday of May.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed back the date due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The election and the vote on school budgets and propositions will be done through mail-in ballots.
The candidates also didn’t need to submit petitions signed by other local residents. Instead, they only need to send a letter of their intention to be a candidate.
ALBION – Albion has three board seats available this election. The individual with the most votes will serve from the election until June 30, 2025. The person with the second highest number of votes will serve from July 1, 2020 until June 30, 2025. The person with the third highest number of votes will serve the remaining term (approximately two years) of a seat vacated by a prior member’s resignation through June 30, 2022.
The candidates include: Gregg Boose, Sr., Kevin Doherty, John Kast, Christopher Kinter, Joyce Riley, Kurt Schmitt and Marlene Seielstad. (Boose and Riley are currently on the board.)
Residents with questions about absentee ballots or the vote can email Derek Vallese, District Clerk, at Vote2020@albionk12.org.
The ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on June 9.
HOLLEY – There are two seats open, currently filled by Robin Silvis and Andrea Newman. Silvis and Newman are both seeking re-election. Nancy Manard MacPhee also is running for the board.
KENDALL –There are two openings on the BOE this year: one for a trustee position that is a five-year term and another for a three-year term. Nadine Hanlon isn’t seeking re-election to a five -year term. The three-year term was vacated by Jason ReQua, who resigned due to new work responsibilities.
There are two candidates in the election: Rachel Lynch Fisken and Bryan Hardenbrook. The candidate with the most votes gets the five-year term.
LYNDONVILLE – There is one seat up for election in Lyndonville. The spot is currently filled by Kelly Cousins.
The candidates include: Kelly Cousins, Jeanne Crane, Ralph Smith, Ace Strickland and Jerod Thurber.
MEDINA – Medina has three seats on the BOE available. They are currently filled by William Keppler, Arlene Pawlaczyk and David Sevenski.
Pawlaczyk, the current Board President, is seeking re-election. Other candidates include Annette Allis and LuAnn Tierney.
DEPEW – The Girl Scouts of Western New York will not open its day and resident camps for more than 2,000 girls this summer due to safety concerns about the COVID-19 virus, officials announced today.
In addition to campers, that means that some 160 seasonal staff cannot be hired. Families, past staff, and Girl Scout members were notified of the decision earlier today. Girl Scouts of Western New York plans to offer virtual and alternative camping and Girl Scout programming instead.
“While this is obviously a hard decision, we doubt this comes as a surprise to most people,” said Girl Scouts CEO Alison Wilcox. “We must put the safety of girls, families, volunteers and staff first, and there’s no way we can see accommodating campers in proximity to each other and staff in camp settings safely during this time.”
GSWNY operates day camps at Camp Piperwood in Fairport and Camp Windy Meadows in Lockport; and resident camps at Camp Timbercrest in Randolph and Camp Seven Hills in Holland.
Last summer, a total of more than 2,000 Girl Scouts attended those camps through various summer sessions. Piperwood served 338 girls, Seven Hills hosted 929, Timbercrest 568, and Windy Meadows more than 200 Girl Scouts.
All camp property rentals are cancelled through Aug. 31 and pre-registration fees for campers and rentals will be refunded in full within 30 days. In addition, the suspension of all in-person Girl Scouts activities is extended until at least June 30.
Camp staff last summer included 58 at Piperwood, 62 at Seven Hills and 40 at Timbercrest. Volunteers fully staff Windy Meadows. Camp directors will continue to work this summer, assisting with virtual and other programming GSWNY plans to offer. GSWNY is currently surveying families to determine what type of summer programming they seek.
“We made the decision now so seasonal camp staff have as much notice as possible to help them make alternate plans for summer jobs, and parents have notice to find alternative child care for the summer,” Wilcox said. “We also understand the disappointment our Girl Scouts and their families will feel without these opportunities. We want them to know Girl Scouting has remained strong for over 100 years and our camp programs will still be here for future summers.”
About Girl Scouts of Western New York
Girl Scouts of Western New York serves nearly 15,000 girls and over 6,000 adult volunteers across the GSWNY jurisdiction, including Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The council’s administrative service centers are located in Batavia, Buffalo, Jamestown, Lockport, Niagara Falls and Rochester.
