By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2021 at 9:17 pm
Cheyenne Farewell, 20, was shot during a Halloween party in Lockport on Oct. 17
LOCKPORT – Three people were arraigned in Niagara County Court today in the death of a Medina woman and for five others who were wounded at a Halloween party on Oct. 17.
Two adolescents were charged with second-degree murder of Cheyenne Farewell, 20, who was shot at the Halloween party in Lockport. The five other people who were wounded by gun shots include two current Medina High School students.
Two adolescents were arraigned for second-murder, District Attorney Brian Seaman said. The two adolescents also face multiple counts of assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Jonathan Frey, an adult, was charged with one count of hindering prosecution in the first degree for his participation in the offenses, Seaman said.
The two adolescents are being held on $500,000 bail. All three defendants remain in custody, Seaman said.
First Assistant District Attorney Doreen Hoffmann and ADA Mary-Jean Bowman are prosecuting the case. The next court date is Feb. 16 for a discovery compliance conference.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2021 at 6:58 pm
GCC will host vaccine clinics in Genesee County, beginning this week
Vaccine clinics will begin this week in Genesee County at GCC in Batavia and next week in Orleans County at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.
That doesn’t mean there is an abundance of vaccine locally. Paul Pettit, the public health director for Genesee and Orleans, said supply still is far short of demand.
He said doing the clinics at a lower volume in the beginning will have the two counties prepared when the vaccine supply increases.
GCC in Batavia will host the vaccine clinics on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while Ridgeway hosts the events in Orleans on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Some of the details are still being worked out and Pettit said the local health Departments will release more information soon.
The Orleans County Health Department this week is expecting 200 doses of the vaccine, with another 100 at Orleans Community health, and additional supply at some pharmacies. Pettit said the registrations to sign up for the vaccines quickly fill up.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to get more vaccines from the federal government, to then release to the regions of the state to distribute. He knows many people are frustrated by the process so far, with many people declared eligible for the vaccine, but not nearly enough is available to fill the need right now.
“We are doing the best we can with what we have been given,” Pettit told elected officials in Orleans County in a conference call this evening.
The public clinics at GCC and Ridgeway will be “vaccine pending,” Pettit said.
“If more vaccine becomes available we’ll be able to scale up,” he said.
The two counties combined this week expect to have 1,600 doses, which includes the pharmacy providers in both counties, the hospitals in both counties and both Health Departments. Some of the people vaccinated with the first dose also will soon need the second dose of the vaccine.
At this time all appointments are full, the Health Department said, but encouraged people to check in case people have canceled. People are encouraged to cancel their appointment if they are experiencing symptoms of Covid-19, the flu or a cold, and if they have been placed on mandatory quarantine because they are identified as a close contact to someone who has tested positive.
To check for vaccination clinics in Genesee and Orleans counties, click here.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) and his colleagues in the Assembly Minority have written a letter to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and the chairs of the Assembly committees on Mental Health and Veterans’ Affairs demanding funds for the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer-to-Peer Support Program be released immediately.
More than $4.5 million was allocated for the program in the 2020-2021 Enacted Budget for the program, which connects veterans struggling with mental health conditions with other veterans to help them adapt to civilian life one-on-one.
“As a veteran and somebody who has served on the Assembly’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee for 15 years, I can’t overstate how crucial this program is and the impact it has on the lives of our service members returning home from duty,” Hawley said. “The unprecedented times we’re living in have impacted us all, including our veterans, and it is critical we maintain this funding during a period when our mental health is more strained than ever.
“After working with them to fight back the Governor’s attempts to cut the program entirely last year, I am hopeful we will be able to work with the Majority again to insure this program continues helping our veterans.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2021 at 4:37 pm
Active cases in 2 counties drops from 495 to 357 in past 7 days
Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 224 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the first update since Friday afternoon. The two counties combined now have had 5,371 confirmed cases since last March.
In Orleans County, there are 56 new positive cases of Covid-19 from Friday afternoon through Tuesday morning for a total of 1,918 positive cases, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments reported today.
The 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, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
Of the new cases, three of the people were on quarantine prior to testing positive.
The new cases include three residents of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina, and two inmates at the Albion Correctional Facility, and one inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility.
The county also is reporting that 147 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation. The number of active cases in the county has declined from 243 on Jan. 12 to 158 today.
There are 18 residents currently hospitalized with Covid.
In Genesee County, there are 168 new confirmed cases since Friday for 3,453 positive cases since last March
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). Two of the new cases are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
There are 220 more people who have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. The active cases in the county has dropped from 252 a week ago to 199 today.
There are 11 Genesee residents currently hospitalized with Covid.
Correction from the G-O Health Departments: 3 cases previously reported are residents at Leroy Village Green.
Correction from the G-O Health Departments: The following cases were double counted and have been retracted from the today’s total number of positive cases: A case in his/her 20s from Batavia, a case in his/her 50s from Leroy, and a case in his/her 80s from Batavia.
Correction from the G-O Health Departments: 14 recoveries have been retracted from today’s number as these individuals are nursing home residents. Persons reported recovered are community members only.
Covid-19 related fatality data: The G-O Health Departments said they are only able to report the number of Covid-related deaths that are provided to them by the hospitals, nursing homes and family members.
The hospitals and nursing homes are not required to report these deaths to the local health departments, but have been as they are able. Due to the number of cases over the last 10 months. data hasn’t been provided locally on a regular basis, the G-O Health Departments said.
“We do not have real-time fatality data provided by the NYS Department of Health which receives the data from death certificates, hospital and nursing home reporting. NYSDOH recently updated their Covid-19 related fatalities which has resulted in a significant increase for Genesee County as we previously reported,” the Health Departments stated in a news briefing today. The State updates the data as they receive it and can be seen by clicking here.
“Genesee and Orleans counties will continue to report the Covid-related fatalities as we receive them locally in the narrative and update the total number of deaths on a weekly basis only,” the Health Departments stated. “Today’s data reflects that reconciliation with the State data.”
(The state shows Genesee as having 99 Covid-related deaths and Orleans with 69 Covid deaths.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2021 at 12:13 pm
Organization donates $5,000 for walking/running trail at Bullard Park
Photos by Tom Rivers: Brian Krieger, executive director of the Albion Running Club, addresses about 120 participants during the Run for Wayne on March 23, 2019. That race and the Strawberry Festival 5K and 8K will now be managed by Wolfpack Multisport.
ALBION – A club that helped motivate people to take up running and also managed local races has dissolved after about a decade.
The Albion Running Club has handed off management of two local races – the Run for Wayne in March and Strawberry Festival 5K and 8K – to Wolfpack Multisport, led by Bert Gallmon. He is planning for the races to continue in-person this year. If that isn’t possible due to Covid, Gallmon said they could be held virtually, with people running the distances on their own and not in a group race.
“We felt it was a good time for new blood to take over the events and grow them,” said Brian Krieger, the Running Club president and chief executive officer.
Before the Running Club closed out its financial books, it wrote a check for $5,000 to the Village of Albion towards a walking/running trail along the perimeter of the park near Sandy Creek.
Brian Krieger and Lindon Morici (center), members of the Albion Running Club, last week presented the $5,000 check to Albion Mayor Eileen Banker for the running and walking trail at Bullard.
Krieger said the Running Club donated about $52,000 the past decade with donations to the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans, Community Kitchen, Albion Free Methodist Church Missions trip, Hospice, Holley Youth Center, Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, Re-Build Bullard Park, Wayne Burlison Scholarship and several fundraisers for community members.
He thanked many local businesses and sponsors for supporting the events, and the many volunteers who stepped up to on race days or in other ways.
File photos – Sheila Lemcke of Albion was The Strawberry in the 2014 race.
The Running Club also secured grants to buy sneakers for about 100 people and run a “Fit in 50” program with weekly gatherings to exercise and promote healthy living.
The club organized Run for God, a 12-week program that was like a Couch to 5K training plan, taking people who haven’t been running to completing a 5K. About 400 people did the Run for God in seven years. The program includes a spiritual aspect with lessons from the Bible.
“We sparked a bit of a running revolution in Albion from people of all walks of life,” Krieger said. “It’s been an incredible experience.”
The Club formed initially to manage the Strawberry Festival race after Judy Christopher stepped down after leading that event for 19 years. He pushed to make the race a fun event. Krieger would find someone each year to wear a Strawberry costume. Runners get a special prize if they beat “The Strawberry.”
That 5K/8K was one of the biggest road races in the rural GLOW counties, attracting 200 to 300 runners.
Krieger urged people to take the first step in getting active and healthy. He is hopeful some of the Run for God participants will help keep that program going, or set up weekly times for people to run together.
Krieger led the initial Run for God groups with his friend, Wayne Burlison, an Albion elementary music teacher. They organized the Run for God with it usually starting in early March and culminating with people completing the 5K course at the Strawberry Fest the second Saturday in June.
Burlison was also friends with Gallmon, the new race organizer, through their participation together with The Patriots, a drum corps band.
Burlison was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2013 and he passed away at age 36 on was 36 on March 26, 2014.
The “Run for Wayne” honors his memory. The race has been modified to be the Wayne Burlison Colon Cancer Awareness 5K. This year race is planned for March 27. Gallmon would like to do the in-person race as a group. It had 120 participants in March 2019. Last year’s race was cancelled due to Covid.
These Run for God participants pose for a group picture before the 2013 Strawberry Festival race.
The race could also be virtual only or perhaps be limited to 50 people with others going virtual. Gallmon also said race organizers this year may be looking to have runners go in waves on race day, to spread them out.
“It is a little stressful not knowing,” he said. “I still want to do a live event.”
The Burlison race starts on Clarendon Road near the elementary school and goes to Mount Albion Cemetery and back.
Gallmon runs other events through Wolfpack Multisport, including a triathlon at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. He would like to bring a triathlon to Orleans County in the future.
He praised Krieger and the Running Club for putting on two popular races with the Wayne Burlison Colon Cancer Awareness 5K and the Strawberry Festival 5K/8K.
“With the Wayne race we are honoring his memory and highlighting colon cancer, which is a real problem,” Gallmon said.
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
Gallmon will be looking to have race committees help with the events in Albion and Orleans County.
For more information on Wolfpack Multisports, click here.
Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers was a member of the Running Club’s board of directors.
ALBANY – New York State United Teachers today called on the state Education Department to request a federal waiver of grade 3-8 and high school testing requirements — just as New York was granted last year — amid the ongoing challenges students and educators statewide are facing related to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter to Interim State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, Regents Chancellor Lester Young Jr. and the Board of Regents, the union noted that the pandemic has continued to disrupt the normal education process, as schools have vacillated between hybrid, in-person and remote offerings.
Even as educators have doubled their work to help students keep up with state education standards, it is clear that, “Throughout this school year there has not been a standardized mode of instruction across the state,” the letter states.
“Without standardized instructional modes there should not be a standardized test at the end of the year,” the union wrote. “On top of this, teachers are trying to address the social emotional needs of students caused by the pandemic and racial unrest caused by the death of George Floyd. Given the recent surge, it is unlikely that will change much for the rest of the school year, we urge you to request a federal waiver of the grade 3-8 and high school testing requirements to relieve the current pressure on the school system.”
The union also is calling on the state to delay implementation of the Next Generation Learning Standards until the 2023-24 school year and new tests based on those standards until spring 2024. This would give districts and educators additional time to properly prepare and for students to demonstrate their mastery of the standards.
“While we believe in measuring student success, students should again be afforded opportunities to showcase their hard work without being subjected to the stress of either the 3-8 or Regents exams in the midst of crises on multiple fronts,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. “Educators know their students’ needs and how to maximize their potential. Giving them the flexibility to help their students achieve their best without administering these tests is the right thing to do this year.”
“Our students’ social and emotional wellbeing must come first,” NYSUT Executive Vice President Jolene T. DiBrango said. “It’s likely that many students will need more time to master new learning standards because of the disruption of the pandemic. We cannot punish them with new standards and tests that most in the education community are not ready to fully implement.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2021 at 8:46 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Mount Albion Cemetery had a light cover of snow on Monday evening.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for Genesee County today until 7 p.m., with 4 to 8 inches of snow expected.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has also issued a lake effect snow warning until 7 p.m. for northern Erie County with 5 to 9 inches of snow expected.
In Orleans County, only a half inch of snow is in the forecast today. It will be mostly cloudy with a high near 33.
The forecast the next few days in Orleans County includes snow showers on Wednesday with a high near 26 and overnight low of 23.
Thursday there is a chance of snow showers before 1 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers with a high near 36. The overnight low will be about 30.
Snow showers are likely on Friday with a high near 33 and overnight low around 17.
Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 22 and an overnight low around 13.
This snow-covered road leads up the east side of the cemetery.
BATAVIA – Genesee Community College is offering “Major Exploration Days” as a way for interested individuals to learn exactly what the college’s programs are all about.
Taking it a step further, the faculty members from the various programs participate in these sessions so potential students learn what courses they would take, hear about the associated field experiences that are available and develop a clear picture of what their semester could look like.
In addition, these sessions provide opportunities for the students (and any friends or family members who are listening in) to hear about the transfer opportunities GCC has to offer specific to these areas of study. Naturally, Major Exploration Days also include discussions about the vast array of careers and jobs these programs prepare students for.
“I don’t know what I want to do, what would I major in? My recruiting team hears it all the time when we ask someone why they didn’t enroll for classes,” said Lindsay Gerhardt, assistant dean of admissions and recruitment at GCC. “Sometimes, people just need more.”
Each session has been designed to cover a group of academic programs and majors that tend to have some common interest amongst students and some potential career overlap. All of these sessions are open to anyone who is interested in attending GCC. The sessions are free and offered completely online for maximum convenience.
Anyone can attend any or all of these sessions based on the programs of interest:
Thursday, January 21, will cover Business & Commerce programs, Information Technology degrees and certificates, and a variety of Science & Technology programs! Specific programs include: Accounting, Biotechnology, Business Administration, CIS, CSN, Computerized Drafting and Design, Computer Repair, Fashion, Helpdesk Support, Medical Administrative Assistant, Tourism, Hospitality Event Management, and Web Design.
Thursday, February 4, will explore programs in Education, Human Services, Law and Criminal Justice! Specific programs include: Alcohol & Substance Abuse Studies, Childcare, Corrections, Developmental Disabilities Studies, Economic Crime Investigation, Forensics, Gerontology, Homeland Security, Paralegal Studies, Policing, Teacher Assistant, and a Teacher Education Transfer Program.
Thursday, February 25, focuses on Creative Arts, Health & Physical Education and will also include the vast opportunities available under the Liberal Arts umbrella! Specific programs include: Biology, Chemistry, Communication & Media Arts, Digital Art, English, Fine Arts, Fitness & Rec: Personal Trainer, History, Mathematics, Physical Education Studies, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Spanish, Sports Management Studies, Sociology, and Theatre Arts. If you have not yet selected a specific major, this is the session for you!
GCC recommends anyone considering an education or a career in any of these fields to register for any of these sessions by clicking here, emailing admissions@genesee.edu or calling 585-345-6800.
New rules will be based on hours worked each week, not days
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a proposal to boost partial Unemployment Insurance benefits to New Yorkers who return to work part-time as part of the 2021 State of the State.
The plan will ensure unemployed New Yorkers who accept part-time work are not penalized by basing their partial unemployment benefits on the hours they actually work, rather than the number of days they work in a given week. This change will inject more money into New York’s economy while helping businesses fill part-time positions.
Legislation to be submitted with the Executive Budget will permanently enact a Partial UI program to incentivize unemployed New Yorkers to assume a part-time job as they search for full-time work, with a revised calculation made possible by technological improvements currently underway.
Since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, New York State has distributed over $62 billion in unemployment benefits to 4 million New Yorkers – representing over 29 typical years’ worth of benefits paid in just ten months. This includes over $1 billion paid during the week of January 4, 2021 to New Yorkers through newly-extended federal unemployment programs, which New York implemented weeks ahead of most other states.
“The Covid pandemic has created dual crises, putting Americans’ physical health and financial wellbeing at risk — and in New York we are addressing both sides of this public health emergency,” Cuomo said. “I am immediately directing the Department of Labor to change outdated rules so as we build back from the pandemic, unemployed New Yorkers aren’t penalized for taking part time jobs.”
Under current law, unemployed New Yorkers’ weekly benefits are reduced by 25 percent for each day an individual works, regardless of the hours worked — unfairly penalizing those who accept part-time jobs. This meant that anyone who worked four or more days – even if they only worked one hour per day – would have to forfeit their entire weekly benefit.
In order to fix this illogical system of partial unemployment, Governor Cuomo will direct the Department of Labor to immediately implement emergency measures that base partial unemployment benefits on the number of hours actually worked over the course of a week. Under this new system, unemployed New Yorkers can work up to seven days per week and still receive some unemployment benefits as long as they work fewer than 30 hours and earn no more than $504 in gross pay.
The new method of calculating partial benefits is outlined below:
New Yorkers who work between zero and four hours in a week and earn no more than $504 will receive their full unemployment benefit;
New Yorkers who work between four and ten hours in a week and earn no more than $504 will receive 75 percent of their unemployment benefit;
New Yorkers who work between ten and 20 hours in a week and earn no more than $504 will receive half of their unemployment benefit;
New Yorkers who work between 20 and 30 hours in a week and earn no more than $504 will receive 25 percent of their unemployment benefit;
New Yorkers who work over 30 hours in a week, regardless of earnings, will not receive any of their unemployment benefit.
New Yorkers will still be required to submit weekly certifications online or over the phone to receive their benefits each week. However, to allow the DOL to immediately implement this change, claimants will use a formula to convert the number of hours they work into a number of “days” to report when certifying.
When DOL’s certification system asks for the number of days worked, New Yorkers will add together the total number of hours they worked during a given week and use the following chart to determine how their weekly hours worked translates to the number of days they should report when certifying.
The changes will go into effect for work done on or after Monday, January 18, 2021, which unemployed New Yorkers certify for starting on Sunday, January 24, 2021.
When totaling hours for the week, claimants should use a maximum of 10 hours per day, even if they worked more hours during a day.
In order to implement this reform and support unemployed New Yorkers, Governor Cuomo will launch a Workforce Forward Strike Team, which will bring together experts from the DOL, the Governor’s Workforce Development Office and the Empire State Development Corporation to connect unemployed New Yorkers seeking part-time employment with small businesses that are looking for part-time workers. The strike team will also help businesses develop strategies to utilize the flexibility part-time workers provide as they build back from the pandemic.
In addition, Governor Cuomo will direct the DOL to strengthen its Shared Work Program, which enables employers to avoid layoffs by allowing workers to receive partial Unemployment Insurance benefits while working reduced hours.
This program, which has been in place since 1986, became a vital lifeline for businesses across the state as they made temporary staff reductions in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 18 January 2021 at 1:49 pm
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – This was one morning when students did not mind coming to school on a holiday as practices got underway at several Niagara-Orleans League schools for the upcoming swim season. It marks the first team activity for N-O student-athletes since early November when the fall season ended. Here members of the defending champion Roy-Hart boys teams put in some warm up laps. Roy-Hart is also the defending N-O girls champion. The league is scheduled to begin what will be a season of “virtual” swim meets on January 28 when the match ups will have Roy-Hart vs. Newfane, Barker vs. Albion and Medina vs. Akron. The “virtual” meet will have each team swimming in its own pool with a computer program to be used to determine the individual event winners and the overall team winner. Albion also began practice this morning while Medina is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Click here to view video from this morning.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 January 2021 at 11:48 am
Orleans and Genesee counties both will be hosting free rapid test Covid-19 clinics this week and there are still many slots open. Both clinics have the capacity to test about 500 people
Genesee County will have a testing clinic on Tuesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Genesee County Emergency Management Office/Fire Training Center, 7690 State Street Rd. in Batavia. Click here to register.
Orleans County will have its testing clinic on Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 Route 31 in Knowlesville. Click here to register.
Participants should print out and complete this form (click here) from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.
These are drive-thru clinics only are for people without Covid-19 symptoms.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 January 2021 at 10:20 am
Region’s Covid positivity rate remains above state average
Chart from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
The Finger Lakes Region, which includes Orleans and eight other counties, continues to see the Covid-19 positivity rate and number of hospitalizatons from Covid decline.
Local and state health officials want to see those numbers continue to fall. Although the numbers are still high, the downward trend is encouraging for the health officials.
The Finger Lakes had a positivity rate over 10 percent in early January. It fell below 7 percent on Saturday.
That is still more than a percent above the state average. The 6.96 percent positive in the Finger Lakes on Saturday compares to the statewide average of 5.61 percent.
The positivity rate state-wide fell below 6 percent on Friday and Saturday for the first time since it was 5.9 percent on Dec. 26. On Friday, the statewide positivity rate was 5.77 percent (and 7.32 percent in the Finger Lakes).
Hospitalizations
The number of people hospitalized due to Covid in the nine counties was at 752 on Saturday. It was 830 on Wednesday, 919 on Jan. 1 and a high of 964 on Dec. 28.
Statewide the hospitalizations are also going down slightly. They were at 8,771 on Saturday, which was less than the 8,888 on Jan. 15, and 8,926 on Jan. 12. The 8,926 is the most since the cases and hospitalizations started to surge in November. The state reached a pandemic high with 18,825 on April 12.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Greg Reed, director of the Orleans County YMCA, hands a box to Andrew Lafave on June 12 during a food distribution at the Calvary Tabernacle Church in Medina. The boxes at this distribution were in three groups: mixed dairy, cooked meat and produce. Each box was about 25 pounds. YMCA staff helped with several food distributions last year. Some of the food distributions in Orleans County last year were the Nourish NY program. Most of the distributions were through a federal USDA initiative – Farmers to Families Food Box Program.
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
Governor Cuomo will continue supporting the Nourish NY Initiative to ensure that no New Yorker goes hungry, continues commitment to purchase goods from New York State farmers and producers, protect the stability of our agricultural economy and help ensure that New York residents continue to access local nutritious foods.
As of December 1, 2020, Nourish NY has resulted in $26.4 million in purchases for 17 million pounds of food More than one million households have received New York State products through food distributions and more than 4,000 farms have benefitted from the initiative.
“During this painful year, far too many New York families are experiencing food instability and hunger at a time when social services and community providers are stretched thin,” Cuomo said. “New York state has long prioritized ending food insecurity and delivering healthy, fresh food to all New York families, through programs such as the Farm to Food Bank tax credit and the No Student Goes Hungry campaign, and we will continue to support the Nourish NY program to ensure the resiliency of our food system and that all families in New York retain access to healthy, locally grown food.”
Cuomo has made the mitigation of food insecurity and the resiliency of agriculture a priority. As of 2018, he established the Farm to Food Bank tax credit that compensates producers for the donation of fresh food to the emergency food system.
In 2018, the Governor also launched the No Student Goes Hungry campaign that resulted in the establishment of food pantries on every SUNY campus and increased the grant funding available for the Farm-to-School Program which facilitates the direct purchase of New York State products for school meal programs.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers experienced a drastic supply chain shift, which resulted in the loss of markets and income and in the waste of fresh surplus foods, particularly fluid milk. Simultaneously, the demand for food through emergency food providers escalated across the state.
Seeing the opportunity to feed residents and aid farmers, the Governor launched the Nourish NY Initiative. This initiative provided $35 million in funds for the purchase of foods grown, raised, or processed in New York State and has served as an important alternative revenue stream for farmers and dairy processors during the pandemic.
Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.39, up seven cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.55. The New York State average is $2.47 – up eight cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.71.
AAA Western and Central New York reports the following averages:
Batavia – $2.39 (up eight cents since last week)
Buffalo – $2.43 (up ten cents since last week)
Rochester – $2.45 (up nine cents since last week)
Watertown – $2.51 (up ten cents since last week)
Crude prices have been fluctuating and remain over $50 per barrel. The current price this morning is $52 per barrel. Prices rose over market optimism that coronavirus vaccines will help crude demand recover this year.
If crude prices continue to sustain prices above $50 per barrel alongside higher refinery utilization rates and demand, drivers could see pump prices remain at elevated levels. Current prices are up across the region, but they remain lower than one year ago.
