By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2021 at 9:04 pm
Orleans County has the lowest vaccination rate in Upstate New York, according to the state’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker.
In Orleans, 5,697 out of 40,612 residents or 14.0 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine. (2,778 or 6.8 percent in the county are completed with the vaccine series.)
The 14.0 percent is well behind the state average of 19.4 percent of residents receiving at least one vaccine dose and behind the 20.7 percent in the Finger Lakes, a nine-county region that includes Orleans. To be at the region’s average, Orleans would need to have 8,406 people with at least the first dose of the vaccine or another 2,709 people from the current 5,697.
Orleans County public health officials are pushing for more mass vaccination clinics to help get the county caught up with the state average for vaccination rates.
The county is also well behind nearby rural counties. Genesee is at 19.4 percent and Wyoming is at 16.2 percent with at least one dose. Livingston is at 18.8 percent.
Wyoming and Orleans have nearly the same population – 40,085 in Wyoming and 40,612 in Orleans. But Wyoming has about 800 more people with at least one vaccine dose than in Orleans – 6,478 in Wyoming and 5,697 in Orleans.
“The numbers show Orleans County hasn’t had the access to get vaccinated compared to the region and the state,” said Paul Pettit, public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties.
“We’re going to keep pushing. We want more vaccines locally.”
The public health departments in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties collaborated on a mass vaccination clinic at GCC in Batavia over five days from Friday through today. That clinic was intended to restricted to the three counties but was opened to everyone who registered, with the 3,500 doses claimed in the first 90 minutes the state website was open.
About half of the shots or 1,666 went to Erie County residents. Orleans County residents only were able to get 169 or 4.8 percent. Genesee County residents received 17.0 percent, Niagara County residents signed up for 12.7 percent, Monroe County got 9.3 percent and Wyoming was only at 2.4 percent. There were residents from 17 other counties who were able to register for the vaccine at the GCC clinic.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the number of folks we would have liked to for Orleans, Genesee or Wyoming counties,” Pettit said on a conference call this evening with elected officials in Orleans County.
‘The numbers show Orleans County hasn’t had the access to get vaccinated compared to the region and the state. We’re going to keep pushing. We want more vaccines locally.’ – Paul Pettit, public health director
GCC proved an ideal setup for the clinic and Pettit said the three health departments are applying to do another clinic at GCC. They would like there to be residency restrictions so the vaccine could be limited to the three counties.
Pettit also is pushing the state for an additional vaccine allotments for Orleans County to help the county get caught up with the state and region averages.
“We’re trying to get a special allocation, especially for Orleans County because we are behind,” Pettit said. “Hopefully the state will come through with additional allocations.”
The state’s Vaccine Tracker shows few counties are under 15.0 percent with at least one dose. In Western New York, Orleans has the lowest vaccination rate with Allegany the next lowest at 15.3 percent.
In WNY the county rates of residents with at least one vaccine dose, as of 11 a.m. today, include: Orleans, 14.0 percent; Niagara, 17.7 percent; Erie, 20.1 percent; Genesee, 19.4 percent; Wyoming, 16.2 percent; Monroe, 21.4 percent; Livingston, 18.8 percent; Chautauqua, 19.6 percent; Cattaraugus, 16.5 percent; and Allegany, 15.3 percent.
The counties in the state with vaccine rates below 15 percent include: Orleans, 14.0 percent; Steuben, 14.3 percent; Orange, 14.4 percent; and Sullivan at 14.6 percent. In New York City, two boroughs are lower than the vaccination rate in Orleans, with Bronx County (the Bronx) is at 13.6 percent and Kings County (Brooklyn) also at 13.6 percent.
That compares with counties in northern New York where the rates are about double the percent in Orleans. Clinton is at 30.1 percent, with Franklin at 27.2 percent and St. Lawrence at 27.6 percent.
Orleans this week will receive another 600 doses of the vaccine, Pettit said. That includes 200 to be administered by the Health Department, 200 by Rosenkrans Pharmacy in Medina, 100 by Oak Orchard Health and 100 by the Medicine Shoppe in Medina.
“It’s still slow slogging,” Pettit said. “Hopefully we can get a special allocation to give a bump to our numbers.”
ORCHARD PARK – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) introduced legislation that would make the dairy industry eligible for H-2A temporary agricultural visas.
“As I have traveled throughout NY-27 and met with farmers, one thing that has become clear is the need for dairy producers to have access to a steady and legal workforce. Currently, dairy workers are not eligible for H-2A status because of the way current law is interpreted by federal agencies,” Jacobs said. “This simple legislation would fix an urgent need while Congress works on broader reforms to the H-2A program.”
The Dairy H-2A Eligibility Act would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to include “dairy worker” as an eligible candidate for H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa status. Employers are currently only eligible for H-2A non-immigrant classification if they offer a temporary or seasonal position. Though H-2A workers are themselves temporary, dairy production has been interpreted to not qualify for these visas because it occurs year-round.
“Dairy’s workforce crisis is especially severe because dairy farms, which operate year-round, can’t use the H-2A program, which is seasonal. NMPF has fought for decades for H-2A access for dairy. We thank Congressman Jacobs for stepping up and making ag labor reform a priority issue, and we look forward to continuing to work with Rep. Jacobs to address the workforce needs of dairy farmers in New York and across the country,” Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of National Milk Producers Federation said.
“Agricultural labor reform has long been a New York Farm Bureau priority. We must address the seasonal and long-term needs of agriculture, including for the state’s dairy farms that currently do not have access to a year-round federal guest worker program. We thank Rep. Jacobs for his efforts to fix a broken system and moving the conversation forward for the betterment of our farms and food system,” David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau President said.
“The bottom line is that we need a migrant worker program that respects and enforces our immigration laws while providing farmers with the workforce that they need,” Jacobs said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2021 at 5:07 pm
Genesee, Orleans pass 200 Covid-related deaths during pandemic
Orleans and Genesee counties combined are reporting 16 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, but only 2 are in Orleans.
In Orleans County, the 2 new cases today give the county 2,450 positive cases since last March. The positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby). Both individuals are in their 20s and both were under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported.
Orleans is reporting 5 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. There is one resident from Orleans currently hospitalized due to Covid.
Orleans has 29 active Covid cases today, which is the fewest since there were 25 on Nov. 9. The county hit a peak with 279 active cases on Jan. 7. A month ago on Feb. 9 there were 73 actives cases.
In Genesee County there are 14 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 4,370 cases during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford).
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Genesee is reporting 10 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
Genesee currently has 4 residents hospitalized due to Covid.
The Health Departments is reporting the Covid-related death of a Genesee resident over the age of 65. Genesee has now had 120 residents die from Covid, while Orleans has had 82 residents pass away due to Covid.
More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:
Vaccine Eligibility Expanded: Beginning March 10th, all New Yorkers 60 years and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit organizations will be eligible beginning March 17th. This expansion includes public-facing essential building services workers.
Providers will be able to vaccinate any eligible New Yorkers, with the exception of pharmacies who will focus on individuals over the age of 60 and teachers, in line with federal policy beginning March 10th. This is all subject to the availability of the vaccine to the providers.
This new addition of new eligible residents still far exceeds the supply of vaccine received in our counties. Individuals who are eligible must have an appointment in order to get a vaccine.
To check for vaccination clinics in Genesee and Orleans counties, click here.
For more information about the vaccine and access for those who are 60 and older who do not have internet access, please contact your respective Office for the Aging (OFA). For Genesee OFA please call 585-813-2457 for Covid-19 Vaccine assistance between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call.
For Orleans OFA please call 585-589-3191 between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call. The OFA offices can only assist with the clinic links as they are available. The system may experience slowdowns and crashing due to high volume. Please be patient and try again later.
Press Release, Department of Environmental Conservation
Photo by Tom Rivers: Firefighters put out a big brush fire that spread to a hedgerow in Carlton on Aug. 29, 2015.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the annual statewide ban prohibiting residential brush burning will begin March 16, and run through May 14.
With spring approaching, DEC is reminding residents that conditions for wildfires are heightened in springtime when most wildfires occur.
“While wildfires are more visible in the western part of the country, the start of spring brings an increased risk of wildfires right here in New York,” Seggos said. “In an effort to protect our communities and natural resources, New York prohibits residential burning for two months starting on March 16, when dry conditions are highest. Help DEC put safety first and continue to reduce the number of wildfires in New York’s communities by following the burn ban.”
Even though some areas of the state remain blanketed in snow, warming temperatures can quickly cause wildfire conditions to arise. DEC will post a Fire Danger Map rating for the 2021 fire season on DEC’s website once there is a moderate risk anywhere in the state.
Open burning of debris is the largest single cause of spring wildfires in New York State. When temperatures are warmer and the past fall’s debris and leaves dry out, wildfires can start and spread easily and be further fueled by winds and a lack of green vegetation.
In 2020, DEC Forest Rangers extinguished 192 wildfires that burned a total of more than 1,122 acres. In addition, local fire departments, many of which are volunteer, all too often have to leave their jobs and families to respond to wildfires caused by illegal debris fires.
New York first enacted strict restrictions on open burning in 2009 to help prevent wildfires and reduce air pollution. The regulations allow residential brush fires in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents during most of the year, but prohibit such burning in spring when most wildfires occur. Campfires using charcoal or untreated wood are allowed, but people should never leave these fires unattended and must extinguish them. Burning garbage or leaves is prohibited year-round.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2021 at 2:38 pm
Organizers cite limits on crowd sizes, public health concerns
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Attaboys perform in the food court on June 8, 2018 during the Albion Strawberry Festival. The food court is a busy place on Bank Street with vendors and live music.
The community festivals in Holley and Albion – annual traditions that draw thousands of people together in June – are cancelled again this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The events also were wiped out in 2020.
Holley’s June Fest would have been the first Saturday in June with Albion’s a week later on June 11-12.
Organizers cited public health concerns with bringing lots of people together in close proximity. A big crowd isn’t a possibility, anyway, with the state guidelines. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that beginning March 22 outdoor social gatherings can be increased from 100 to 200 people. What the cap size will be in June is a big unknown for people trying to plan a festival.
“It takes a long time to put these together and there are changes just coming forward,” said Debbie Schiavone, Holley’s village clerk.
She worries too if there was a limit on the crowd size who would be tasked with counting the attendees and enforcing the crowd limit.
Holley village officials are hopeful the village will be able to do its Friday night concert series this summer at the Canal Park gazebo.
Holley usually caps off the June Fest with fireworks. This photo was taken June 2, 2018 with the firworks reflected over the Erie Canal.
In Albion, the Strawberry Festival also has been cancelled for the second year. Don Bishop, one of the organizers, said he doesn’t see how the festival could go on three months from now and meet all the public health guidelines.
The parade on Saturday can bring out 10,000 people, he said.
“It’s mostly common sense to not do it this year with social distancing and having crowds of people together with no control,” Bishop said.
There have been about 80 craft vendors on the Courthouse Square, and 20-25 different food vendors on East Bank Street for the festival. Many of those vendors have five or more staff or assistants helping to prepare food.
“When you think how crowded Bank Street is you can hardly move shoulder to shoulder,” Bishop said. “It’s not that we don’t want to do it, it’s just a non-brainer.”
The Strawberry Festival is sponsored by the Albion Rotary Club. That organization will be bringing back another one of its big events that was cancelled last year. The Rotary Fishing Derby will be Aug. 7-22 with $8,800 in prizes, including a $4,000 grand prize for the heaviest fish caught.
June Persia also is one the organizers for the Strawberry Festival. With the main festival cancelled, she is helping to organize a craft fair with other activities on June 12 at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex. That event will be a fundraiser for COVA. Persia wants the crafters to keep Albion on their schedule for the second weekend in June.
Bert Gallmon, the director of the Strawberry Festival 5K/8K, also expects that race will be able to happen on June 12.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a new expansion of Covid-19 vaccine eligibility in New York.
Beginning March 10, all New Yorkers 60 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine, while public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit entities will be eligible beginning March 17. This expansion also includes public-facing essential building services workers.
Additionally, the Governor announced that with increased supply of the vaccine, restrictions concerning which segments of the eligible population specific providers can vaccinate will be relaxed to align with the expanded eligibility on March 17.
Previously, certain types of providers were directed to focus their vaccination efforts on specific populations to ensure equitable vaccine distribution. For example, hospitals vaccinated health care workers, local health departments vaccinated essential workers and pharmacies vaccinated New Yorkers 65 years of age and older.
Now, providers will be able to vaccinate any eligible New Yorker, with the exception of pharmacies, which will focus on individuals over the age of 60 and teachers, in line with federal policy. Pharmacies may begin vaccinating individuals over the age of 60 and teachers on March 10. As part of this effort, providers are being encouraged to vaccinate those New Yorkers most at risk, such as individuals 60 years of age and older and people with comorbidities and underlying health conditions.
“New York is marching forward expanding access to the Covid-19 vaccine, addressing underserved communities and getting shots in arms as we turn the tide in the fight against this virus,” Cuomo said. “Supply is steadily increasing and we’re opening new vaccination sites and expanding eligibility to match it.”
Under this new expansion of eligibility, the following essential workers will now be eligible to begin receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on March 17:
Public-facing government and public employees
Not-for-profit workers who provide public-facing services to New Yorkers in need
Essential in-person public-facing building service workers
This includes workers such as public works employees, social service and child service caseworkers, government inspectors, sanitation workers, DMV workers, County Clerks, building service workers and election workers – the everyday heroes who have been showing up day in and day out throughout this pandemic.
New York’s vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to this limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.
Eligible New Yorkers will be able to schedule appointments at state vaccination sites by utilizing New York’s ‘Am I Eligible’ website or by calling the state’s Covid-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829).
Press Release, National Weather Service in Buffalo
The National Weather Service office in Buffalo, NY is looking for a volunteer weather observer to take over the observing station in or near Lakeside/Kuckville NY in northern Orleans County (including Lyndonville, Waterport and Carlton).
This observing station would be a part of the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Network (Coop Network). The Coop Network comprises nearly 10,000 volunteer weather observers nationwide that report rainfall, snowfall and snow depth to the National Weather Service on a daily basis. Data from Coop Network helps scientists to define the long term climate of the United States.
Observers take measurements of precipitation, snowfall and snow depth daily around 7 am. These measurements would be relayed daily to the National Weather Service either via the Internet or a toll-free phone number. These weather observations will be archived and used by future climate and research studies.
You will be provided with a rain gauge and snow measuring stick. Your observations will assist the National Weather Service in its forecast and warning efforts, climatologists defining the climate of the United States and also help to predict drought conditions, agricultural planning and assessment, and more.
If you are interested in helping us out or have any questions about the duties of a Coop Observer, please contact us at the address below. You can also contact us by calling 716-565-0204, or by sending an email to Dan.Kelly@noaa.gov.
HOLLEY – A box of documents and letters in the Orleans County Department of History collection has yielded several treasures. The contents pertain to the Storms and Stierer families from Holley.
The envelope shown above, postmarked January 2, 1907 from the National-American Woman Suffrage Association in Rochester, caught our attention:
And inside – a treasure indeed! A letter, signed by Lucy E. Anthony, explaining that her “Aunt Mary” had been unwell when Mrs. Storms came to discuss a “personal matter”. Of course we were intrigued! The search was on.
“Aunt Mary” was Mary Stafford Anthony, younger sister of Susan B. Anthony. Mary S. was actively involved in suffrage in her own right. She worked as a teacher and principal at Rochester area schools. She supported Susan B. Anthony’s campaigns financially, lived with Susan B. at 17 Madison St., managed the household and cared for several family members as well.
Mary S. was instrumental in establishing the concept of the Political Equality Club, a local forum for both men and women to discuss the ethical concerns of the day and promote the goal of women’s suffrage. There were active clubs throughout the state, including one in Holley.
The time frame of this letter is of interest. Dated Jan. 21, 1907, it was just a short while before Mary S. Anthony’s death on February 5, at the age of 80. On her deathbed, she composed a message for the Feb. 14, 1907 Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, “the Convention in Chicago” referred to in the letter. Mary S. was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, next to her sister, Susan B., who had died in 1906.
Lucy E. Anthony, who composed the letter, was a niece of Susan B. and Mary S. Anthony and cared for both of them. She became a secretary and companion to Anna Howard Shaw, later president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
The Anthony home at 17 Madison St. in Rochester was the headquarters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association while Susan B. Anthony was president. Sold in 1907, the home was later purchased by the Rochester Federation of Women’s Clubs and is now the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House, open for scheduled visits.
And what of the recipient of the letter, Mrs. Clark Storms of Geddes St. in Holley? From census records (http://orleans.nygenweb.net/) and directories, we learn that Ida Storms lived at 91 Geddes St. in Holley. Her husband Clark was a retired farmer, they had a daughter, Millicent who married Lyell Storer. Ida died in 1927, Clark in 1928. They are buried at Hillside Cemetery.
Ida was a member of the Holley Political Activity Club, which is most likely the clue to the reason for her visit. As for that “personal matter” referred to and the outcome? Unless the other letters in the box shed some light, we may never know.
Provided photo: Anne Downey is among the volunteers assisting with the bouquet sale fundraiser.
ALBION – The Annual Hospice Spring Bouquet Sale that benefits Supportive Care of Orleans is in full swing once again this year and is taking on tremendous support from area businesses, schools, churches and municipalities.
The 2021 sale will run for two weeks this year until March 13th. Last year this fundraiser raised over $11,500 to support Hospice services for residents of Orleans County and organizers are hoping to exceed that figure for 2021.
With a goal of selling 2,000 bouquets, and 500 planter kits, Supportive Care of Orleans has already pre-sold and delivered approximately 2,200 bouquets and planter kits to the community as of March 8th.
Volunteers and members of staff will be selling bouquets until this Friday at the Supportive Care of Orleans campus, located at 14080 RT 31 West in Albion at their Conference & Counseling Center.
Members of the community can also pick up bouquets at walk-up locations. You can view the full walk-up location list on Supportive Care of Orleans social media pages.
The area businesses, schools, churches, and municipalities participating in the 2021 bouquet sales include the following: ABCD at Holley, ACE Hardware (Albion), ACE Hardware (Medina), Albion Agencies, Albion Bus Garage, Albion District Office, Albion High School, Albion Middle School, Amy Sidari Dance Studio, Antique’s Rusty Relics, Arnold’s Auto Parts
Bank of Castile (Medina), Baxter, Case-Nic Cookies, Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home, Clifford Wise Intermediate/Middle School in Medina, Community Action, Dance Reflection, Environmental Construction Group Inc, EZ Shop, Five Star (Albion), Gardenview Bed & Breakfast, George Fancher’s Rd Service
Head’s Up Salon, Herbalty Cottage, HH Dobbins, Holley Bus Garage, Holley Elementary School, Holley High School, Holley Pharmacy, HP Hood, JLThom CPA PC, JP’s Farm Market, Kendall Elementary School, Kendall High School, Maison Albion, Key Bank (Albion), Lake Country Media, Lake Plains Medical (Albion & Medina), Lyndonville Schools, Lynn’s Salon in Albion, M&T (Lyndonville), Medina Dental, Medina High School, Oak Orchard Elementary School, Orleans County Sheriffs Dept.,
Office for the Aging, Office of the Legislature, Orleans County Dept. of Social Services, Orleans County Mental Health, Orleans/Niagara BOCES, Relco Systems, Sam’s Diner, Signature Styles, St. Mark’s Church, St. Mary’s Church, Takeform, The Downtown Browsery (Albion), The Downtown Browsery (Medina), The Villages, Town & Country Quilt Shop, Tractor Supply (Medina), Velocitii, Village House and WNY Energy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2021 at 8:48 am
The Assembly Republican Conference announced on Monday it will circulate an impeachment resolution to try to remove Andrew Cuomo from the governor’s office.
The Republicans said the governor cannot lead the state through budget deficits, a pandemic crisis and other critical issues when facing allegations of sexual harassment and that he distorted data for nursing home deaths from Covid-19.
“When you lose trust and credibility, you lose the ability to lead,” said Will Barclay, the Assembly minority leader. “Gov. Cuomo can no longer effectively govern New York.”
Assemblyman Mike Norris, R-Lockport, noted that some Democratic Party leaders also want to see the governor resign. He noted Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins called for the governor to step down on Sunday.
“Gov. Cuomo has clearly lost any trust and credibility that he had left,” Norris said. “If the governor does not resign immediately, then the Assembly must do its duty and commence the impeachment process (as I have asked now for over two weeks) to address these very serious allegations against the governor and restore faith and trust in state government.”
Cuomo has refused to resign and has urged the public and the state legislators to hold off on judgement until an investigation of the sexual harassment allegations is complete by the Attorney General’s Office.
The Republican Conference in the Assembly said the governor’s unwillingness to step down is forcing them to pursue impeachment.
“After ignoring the calls my colleagues and I have been making for him to resign, today we had no choice but to set into motion the introduction of an impeachment resolution against the governor,” Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, said on Monday. “Our state is facing dire economic, public health and fiscal challenges that demand our full attention as a Legislature.
“The last thing we need is a prolonged political battle over removing the governor when everyday New Yorkers need our help more than ever, so I am hopeful we can move through this impeachment process quickly to get back to the people’s work,” Hawley said in a statement.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2021 at 9:50 pm
County government slated for $7.8 million
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Town of Carlton will receive $310,000 from the federal government to help with Covid-19 expenses, revenue losses and infrastructure improvements.
Orleans County’s towns and villages will share $4.43 million as part of American Rescue Plan approved by the U.S. Senate on Saturday.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, released a breakdown of the funding for the towns and counties in the state. The aid to villages will be taken from the towns that have villages within their borders in an amount to be determined by the Treasury Department, Schumer said.
The allotments are based on the population for the municipalities from the 2019 Census estimates.
There and 10 towns in Orleans and four villages. Two of those villages, Albion and Medina, each include portions of two towns. With Holley and Lyndonville the four villages include portions of six towns in the county.
Here is the breakdown for the 10 towns, before the village amount is taken out:
Albion: $880,000
Barre: $210,000
Carlton: $310,000
Clarendon: $380,000
Gaines: $350,000
Kendall: $290,000
Murray: $510,000
Ridgeway: $690,000
Shelby: $550,000
Yates: $260,000
Total: $4,430,000
The America Rescue Plan also includes $7.83 million for the Orleans County government.
“The Association of Towns is extremely grateful to see the news over the weekend of the U.S. Senate passing the American Rescue Plan, which in part delivers badly needed federal funding directly to local governments of all sizes,” the NY Association of Towns tweeted today. “We extend our sincere thanks to all the federal legislators that worked to send direct funding to our towns, cities and villages, in particular US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for their work on the Direct Support for Communities Act.”
The funding can’t be used for pension costs but can go towards the following:
Costs associated with responding to the Covid-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts, including but not limited to, assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality.
To support workers performing essential work during the Covid-19 public health emergency by providing premium pay to eligible workers or by providing grants to eligible employers that have eligible workers who perform essential work.
To cover revenue losses caused by the Covid-19 public health emergency.
To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
Schumer said the $1.9 trillion relief package approved in the Senate includes $23.8 billion in state and local fiscal aid in New York, including $12.56 billion for the state government and more than $10.8 billion for counties, cities, towns, and villages.
“After fighting this pandemic on the frontlines, New York’s counties and municipalities were loud and clear: they needed help and they needed it now to keep frontline workers on the job and prevent brutal service cuts,” Schumer said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2021 at 5:44 pm
Thom and Tracy Jennings of Albion used downtime from Covid to develop new venture
Photos by Tom Rivers: These bagels are fresh out of the oven on Friday night. Thom and Tracy Jennings use the certified commercial kitchen at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds to make about 400-450 bagels each week.
Thom Jennings measures cinnamon while making a batch of Papa Thom’s Rockin’ Bagels on Friday night. He started the business about a year ago with his wife Tracy. It quickly outgrew their kitchen at home in Albion.
ALBION – Last April, more than a month into the Covid-19 pandemic that closed schools to in-person learning, Thom Jennings was bored with more time on his hands than usual.
Jennings works as a social studies teacher. He also was performing stand-up comedy routines and writing music reviews for the Niagara Gazette.
But last April his schedule slowed down and he was watching a lot of the Food Network. One episode showed someone trying to make bagels.
Jennings watched the show with his wife Tracy, who loves to bake and experiment in the kitchen. She suggested her husband give bagel-making a try. Never, he replied.
But soon after, when he his wife was out of the house, Jennings made a batch of plain bagels. He didn’t think it would be too difficult. He worked at a Rochester restaurant as a young adult and felt comfortable making bread and had plenty of experience with yeast. He also grew up in Brighton where there are many bagel shops.
When Jennings pulled the bagels out of the oven for the first time, they were a disaster to behold. They were comically flat.
“The first ones were just horrible,” he said. “I became obsessed with mastering the bagel instead of the bagel mastering me.”
Jennings tried again and again and by the third batch felt like he was getting a knack for it. He started giving the bagels to friends. He received good feedback.
“This was never on my radar,” said Jennings, 54. “I never envisioned myself as a bagel maker.”
Tracy Jennings sprinkles cheese on Jalapeño cheddar bagels that were made Friday night. Papa Thom’s currently offers about 12 different types of bagels.
He had a feeling the bagels, made in small batches and without preservatives, would be popular in the Albion and Orleans County community.
He secured a home processor’s license from the state that allowed him to sell the bagels. The business by July outgrew his home kitchen.
“We were baking all night because there was only so much oven space,” he said.
Jennings told people he baked the bagels while listening to some of his favorite bands and musicians. He decided to make a small business out of it, and called the bagel making enterprise, Papa Thom’s Rockin’ Bagels. He is “Papa Thom” to four grandchildren.
He guarantees not only a great-tasting bagel, but that they are “born” to music. The label on each batch notes which band or musician was on while Jennings made the bagels. On Friday, the bagels were born to music by the Grateful Dead.
Thom Jennings works on the dough for the bagels while his wife boils and bakes the bagels. Thom wore a tie-dyed shirt on Friday while playing Grateful Dead music.
Thom and Tracy have been making the bagels since last summer at the commercial kitchen at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. The couple arrive Fridays around 6 p.m. and typically are there to 1 or 2 in the morning. Then it’s an early morning Saturday to make deliveries from Rochester to Middleport. Most bagel-making nights they are joined by assistant Zoe Seniuk, 16, of Albion. She has joked she wants to start her own bagel enterprise some day called “Zoe Doughy.”
The label of this order of bagels note they were made on March 5 while being “born” to Grateful Dead music.
The Papa Thom’s business has taken off so much that they have added Thursday evenings to bake the bagels. Papa Thom’s is now making about 400-450 bagels a week and they are booked for orders about a month out. They currently offer bagels in the following varieties:
Traditional – plain, everything, sesame, onion, garlic, poppy and cinnamon raison.
Specialty – Asiago cheese and sundried tomato, everything inside and out, pumpernickel rye, Jalapeño cheddar, Rosemara (rosemary olive oil and sea salt).
The bagels sell for $7 a half dozen or $12 for a dozen. Thom and Tracy continue to experiment with flavors and recipes. They made a red-and-blue Buffalo Bills bagel for the weekend when the Bills faced the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC Championship on Jan. 24.
Thom Jennings sets some of the bagels in the boiling water on Friday. Each side is boiled for about 90 seconds.
Jennings continues to work as a social studies teacher in Buffalo and Mrs. Jennings works at the Iroquois Job Corps in Shelby, where she is the data integrity records manager.
The couple has a good system in the kitchen. Thom experiments with the recipes and makes the dough. Tracy does the baking, boiling each side of the bagels for about 90 seconds and then baking them in the oven for about 24 minutes.
The Jennings said they have made many new friends through Papa Thom’s, including the the owner of HeBrews 5:9, a coffee shop in downtown Albion that sells about 10 dozen of the bagels each week.
“My hope is it will become a family business,” Mr. Jennings said. “We like to take our time on it. It’s not like we’re a bagel factory.”
They also take requests from customers on new flavors and bands to listen to while the bagels are being born. One customer recently requested Frank Zappa.
“Everything we’ve done has come from customer feedback,” Jennings said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2021 at 4:35 pm
In the first update since last Friday afternoon, there are 36 new cases of Covid-19 to report today in Genesee and Orleans counties, which brings the total cases to 6,804 in the two counties since last March.
In Orleans County there are 11 new positive cases for a total of 2,448 positive cases during the pandemic. The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s and 70s. One of the newly positive people was under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported.
Orleans is reporting 13 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There is currently one county resident hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there are 25 new positive cases for a total of 4,356 positive cases during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 90s.
Among the new cases 1 is a resident of the New York State Veterans’ Home at Batavia and 1 is an inmate at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.
Genesee is reporting 26 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 4 individuals from Genesee hospitalized due to Covid.
Testing Clinic: Due to Tuesday’s vaccination clinic, there will not be a testing clinic this week in the two counties. The testing clinic link will be live when clinics are scheduled. This will be determined week-to-week.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2021 at 2:57 pm
Photos by Ginny Kropf
LYNDONVILLE – Art Hill Excavating of Medina started taking down the Lyndonville Pennysaver Market building at about 8:30 this morning and by 1 p.m. the building was nearly down.
The roof of the building collapsed on Feb. 22 with heavy snow and ice on the roof. The building from 1899 also had suffered deterioration with its support beams.
The Village Board met on Feb. 22 and declared the structure unsafe after an engineer’s inspection.
Aaron Young of AGC Construction in Holley assists his father-in-law Art Hill with the building’s demolition. Young is shown preparing to hook a strap on the teeth of the excavator to pull the front section of the building at Main and Eagle into the rubble, so it wouldn’t fall on Main Street.
Art Hill Excavating owner Jennifer Hill-Young expects the company will be on site most of this week, hauling the demolition debris to a landfill.
$1,400 in stimulus checks per child and adult dependent for qualifying families
Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging New Yorkers who added a dependent or whose income dipped under $80,000 in the past year to file their 2020 taxes as soon as possible, in order to qualify for the $1400 stimulus checks allocated under the Senate-passed American Rescue Plan.
Under the American Rescue Plan, individuals that make under $80,000 and couples that make under $160,000 qualify for stimulus checks and will receive additional $1,400 checks per child and adult dependent.
In addition, filers must be under the income threshold to qualify for the dependent checks. Because the IRS determines eligibility using an individual’s most recently filed federal taxes, it is critical that individuals file their federal taxes as soon as possible, especially if a drop in income level has dropped them into the qualifying range for checks, or if they have had a child or added a dependent.
“I am urging New Yorkers who added a dependent or whose income dipped under $80,000 last year to file their federal taxes as soon as possible to ensure they receive every cent allocated to them under the American Rescue Plan,” said Senator Gillibrand. “If your income level dropped you into the qualifying range, or you had a child or added a dependent, you may qualify for stimulus checks, even if you didn’t qualify last time around. File your taxes and receive relief—it is both simple and extremely important.”
HOLLEY – A box of documents and letters in the Orleans County Department of History collection has yielded several treasures. The contents pertain to the Storms and Stierer families from Holley.
