Photos courtesy of 4-H program: Adele Mathes, 9, of Barre, prepares Gluten-Free Goulash during the Produced in New York silent 4-H Cooking Competition event.
Press Release, Orleans County 4-H program
KNOWLESVILLE – With Covid-19 safety measures in place, Orleans County 4-H members gathered in November for two annual in-person events: the Produced in New York silent cooking competition and holiday workshops.
Both programs were held in person in the Trolley Building and the Education Center on the 4-H Fairgrounds.
Charlotte McGrath, 8, of Medina, adds details to her Village Tea Light Lantern during 4-H Holiday Workshops.
“We strictly followed Covid safety protocol with distancing, hand sanitizing and masks,” said Kristina Gabalski, 4-H Program Coordinator. “We had to make adjustments to the Produced in New York program, in particular. Gloves and masks had to be worn at all times; all recipes tasted by evaluators had to be prepared on-site; and we did not allow any additional sampling of the recipes.”
Both events had about a dozen youth participants.
“Participation was lower than in a typical year,” Gabalski said, “but it worked well with Covid safety measures. Participants in the holiday workshop program were able to have materials provided to them in take-away kits, if they did not feel comfortable participating in person.”
Olivia Streicher, 6, of Holley, puts the finishing touches on her Sock Snowman project.
Produced in New York celebrates New York agriculture and provides an opportunity for youth to demonstrate their food preparation skills.
“Recipes this year included Pumpkin Crunch Cobbler, Strawberry Buttermilk Cake and Gluten-free Goulash,” Gabalski said. “Participants who earn the highest combined scores are eligible to participate in Produced in New York at the New York State Fair, which we hope will be held in late summer of 2021.”
Holiday workshops are typically a lead-up to the annual Holiday Faire event the first Saturday in December.
The Sock Snowman craft was one of the most popular of the holiday workshops event.
“We were not able to hold Holiday Faire this year, but the holiday workshop event was easy to adapt with distancing and safety measures. Participants registered to complete up to four holiday-themed craft projects,” Gabalski explained. “Those projects typically are shown at the Holiday Faire event, but youth can save them in hopes of being able to show them at the 4-H Fair in July, or they can give them as gifts to friends and family now.”
Participants say they enjoyed both events. Sarah Mathes and Taylor Soule, both 15 years old and from Barre, each took part in Produced in New York and the holiday workshops.
“It was nice to be able to get out and do something,” they both said.
Taylor Soule, 15, of Barre, prepared Loaded Scalloped Potatoes, featuring grown in New York potatoes, during Produced in New York.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 December 2020 at 6:30 pm
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature officially commended the staff at the Orleans County Jail for its actions to rein in an outbreak of Covid-19 cases at the jail on Platt Street.
Last month 13 corrections officers tested positive and three inmates also has the virus. Other staff that had close contact with those who tested positive also had to isolate at home.
That left the jail, which has 45 staff members, with far fewer workers to run the site. But many of the employees worked extra shifts – 106 needed to filled due to workers being out due to testing positive for Covid and being in close contact with someone who had it.
Lynne Johnson, Legislature chairwoman, said the staff deserves to be “commended for outstanding service to the community.”
The outbreak hit the jail from Nov. 2 to Nov. 23. Inspectors from the New York State Commission of Correction visited the Orleans County last month and concluded the site has the needed protocols in place to protect against the spread of Covid-19.
Commission of Correction staff reviewed the jail’s protocols for screening of employees, incarcerated individuals and anyone entering the facility. They also said signage throughout the facility, disinfecting procedures and the utilization of face coverings are consistent with the guidance provided by the Commission, the New York State Department of Health, and the Center for Disease Control.
“The jail staff worked above and beyond,” Johnson said on Wednesday during the County Legislature meeting. “The outbreak created a major challenge to the operation of the facility.”
She said the employees who worked extra shifts despite a higher risk of being exposed to the virus.
She praised the correction officers, command staff, kitchen staff, nursing staff, Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson and Sheriff Chris Bourke for seeing the jail through the outbreak.
There were 61 Covid tests administered to staff and inmates with 13 COs and three inmates testing positive.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 December 2020 at 5:27 pm
In an effort to keep our roadways safer during the this holiday season, Orleans County law enforcement agencies are joining forces in a zealous effort to stop drinking and driving during the a holiday season crackdown from today through Jan. 1, 2021, Sheriff Chris Bourke said.
During this national initiative, law enforcement presence will be at its peak to remind drivers to have a plan for a sober driver while traveling.
Although STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol related fatalities, there are still too many lives lost due to DWI crashes, Bourke said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo also announced the start of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign for the next two weeks. There were more than 159,000 vehicle and traffic law violation tickets issued during last year’s enforcement campaign in the state, including 5,677 arrests for DWI.
“New York has zero tolerance for impaired driving,” Cuomo said. “Motorists who drive under the influence not only put themselves at risk, but endanger the lives of everyone else. Be safe and smart this holiday season, whether you’re on the road or not. If you must travel, drive sober or have a plan in place to get where you’re going safely.”
Wage will go up locally from $11.80 to $12.50 per hour
Locally the wage increase from $11.80 to $12.50 an hour on Dec. 31, the state Department of labor announced on Wednesday.
That will be the new minimum wage in the state, outside of New York City and Long Island and Westchester County. It will go from $13 to $14 on Long Island and Westchester County. New York City’s minimum wage will remain at $15 an hour.
The wage is going up despite opposition from Rob Ortt, the leader of the Republican conference in the State Senate.
“The Department of Labor’s decision to move forward with a minimum wage increase is extremely short-sighted at a time when small and mid-sized businesses face state ordered shutdowns and the looming threat of a statewide lockdown by the Governor,” Ortt said in a statement on Wednesday. “These smaller employers struggle each and every day to keep their doors open, and invested heavily in safety measures to keep their employees and customers safe from Covid-19. The state has done nothing to help them.”
The Department of Labor said an analysis from the Division of the Budget found the Upstate, Long Island and Westchester labor markets – where the minimum wage is scheduled to rise – are leading New York’s economic recovery from the downturn caused by the global pandemic, the DOL said.
The report found that, just prior to the pandemic, the state had achieved record low unemployment following four years of increases to the minimum wage. In addition, the report showed that minimum wage workers need support today, as they were disproportionally impacted by the pandemic’s economic toll, with those earning the minimum wage representing a large portion of the hardest-hit industries, including retail trade and leisure and hospitality.
Ortt said the wage hike comes at a time of crisis for many small businesses.
“The last thing they need is additional costs at this time, and the last thing they want is to pink slip dedicated employees for Christmas,” Ortt said. “But instead of pausing this increase as the Senate Republican Conference urged until the end of the pandemic, the state will now force these small employers to make difficult choices. The state wrongly based their decision on pre-pandemic economic success.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 December 2020 at 1:02 pm
‘The Governor failed the people of our state in 2020 with mismanagement of this pandemic which left businesses in countless industries closed and without income for far too long.’ – Assemblyman Steve Hawley
Local State Assembly members – Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) and Mike Norris (R-Lockport) – are among 42 Republicans in the Assembly calling on the State Legislature’s leaders to end Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers.
The Republicans signed a letter on Dec. 15 that was sent to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Senate Minority Leader Robert Ott. The Assembly members are asking the Legislature pass legislation to curb Gov. Cuomo’s emergency powers, which have persisted since March.
The governor has used his emergency powers to implement several directives unilaterally, and Hawley believes his emergency authority has been too expansive and lasted too long.
“New Yorkers deserve a return to representative government,” Hawley said . “The problems that have emerged during this pandemic are too complex for one man to handle, and our constituents deserve to have their concerns voiced by the representatives they elected to speak on behalf of their unique districts.”
Hawley was critical of the governor for a shutdown in the spring and restrictions on many businesses and organizations, which Cuomo said were needed to slow the spread of Covid-19.
“The Governor failed the people of our state in 2020 with mismanagement of this pandemic which left businesses in countless industries closed and without income for far too long, and we owe it to them to do better and take local factors more strongly into consideration before shutting down local businesses that people rely on to feed their families,” Hawley said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 December 2020 at 12:46 pm
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R -Batavia) and Assemblyman Mike Norris (R-Lockport) are among 26 Republicans in the Assembly who signed on to a letter to President Trump.
They are the president to assist them in obtaining data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the total number of Covid-19 deaths in the state, including those in nursing homes.
The Governor’s office today reported 120 state residents died from Covid on Wednesday, bringing the death total to 28,222 from Covid during the pandemic. Other sources have the state’s total higher, at over 35,000.
“When thousands of people die, families deserve answers,” Hawley said in a news release. “Giving the families that suffered irreplaceable losses closure on this matter is the least we could do for them, and we need to know as much about this tragedy as we can to assure we never endure loss like this again. For these reasons, I ask the president to direct the CDC to release this information and give New Yorkers the answers they deserve regarding this unthinkable loss of life.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 December 2020 at 10:54 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jonesie and the Cruisers is one of the musical groups performing this Sunday in a benefit concert. Lead singer Gary Jones, left, and Gary Withey, who plays the keyboards and sings, are shown during a concert by the canal in Albion in June 2018.
ALBION – There will be an online concert this Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. to raise money for three families that lost their homes in a Dec. 5 fire in Albion.
The Masonic Lodge and Lions Club in Albion are working together on the concert with John Wragg, owner of Torquil Studios in Middleport. Torquil will broadcast the concert live on its Facebook page.
The musicians are all donating their time for the concert. The Lions Club will be accepting donations for the families. Those donations can be sent by PayPal to albionlionsclub@yahoo.com.
The schedule of performers for the benefit concert includes:
Bob Beccue, 1 to 1:30 p.m.
Linda Logan, 1:30 to 2 p.m.
The Who Dats, 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Mike Hartman, 3 to 3:30 p.m.
Highway 31 Unplugged, 3:30 to 4 p.m.
The Legendary Jonesie & the Cruisers with guest Susan Kay, 4 to 5 p.m.
MC Rick Walters from 97 Rock will also make an appearance
The Masonic Lodge also having a ham dinner with proceeds to assist the three families. That dinner will be Jan. 17 from noon to 4 p.m. at the 4-H Fairgrounds with tickets $8 presale or $10 at the door.
Photos courtesy of Celeste Morien: This Mallard is pictured at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
Press Release, Oak Orchard Christmas Bird Count Compiler Celeste Morien
SHELBY – It’s time again for the Oak Orchard Swamp Christmas Bird Count! The count began in December 1968. The National Audubon Society has been sponsoring Christmas Bird Counts for 120 years and the Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge provide support for this local count.
Count compiler Celeste Morien of Medina would like the public to be alert for counters with spotting scopes and binoculars who will be out and about December 28th on local roads, searching for birds in fields and at bird feeders.
Brown Creeper
Filling bird feeders now and keeping them stocked ahead of the count helps fulfill the count objective of counting all wild birds seen and heard within the circle! Our Oak Orchard Swamp count is centered at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge on the Orleans and Genesee County line at Route 63.
Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile diameter circle, which includes more than the refuge and state wildlife areas, counting every bird they see or hear all day. It’s not just a species tally—all birds are counted all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day.
According to the Audubon website, “Prior to the turn of the 20th century, hunters engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt.” They would choose sides and go afield with their guns—whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won.
Conservation was in its beginning stages in that era, and many observers and scientists were becoming concerned about declining bird populations. Beginning on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, an early officer in the then-nascent Audubon Society, proposed a new holiday tradition—a “Christmas Bird Census” that would count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them.
So began the Christmas Bird Count. Thanks to the inspiration of Chapman and the enthusiasm of 27 dedicated birders, 25 Christmas Bird Counts were held that day. The locations ranged from Toronto, Ontario to Pacific Grove, California with most counts in or near the population centers of northeastern North America.
Nowadays, from December 14 through January 5 each year, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas brave snow, wind, or rain, and take part in the effort. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations, and to help guide conservation action.
The data collected by observers over the past century allow Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, the “CBC” provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.
Evening Grosbeak
The long term perspective is vital for conservationists. It informs strategies to protect birds and their habitat, and helps identify environmental issues with implications for people as well.
If your home is within the circle and you are at home on count day, you can report the birds that visit your feeder. Anyone can participate, but arrangements must be made with the compiler. To do so, please contact celeste.morien@gmail.com.
Please consider donating to the Christmas Count (click here) since the Audubon Society no longer collects fees from each participant.
13,000 birds were counted at last year’s event
There were 21 volunteers at last year’s event and they counted 62 species and 13,248 individual birds, including 20 Bald Eagles and 493 Herring Gulls.
A list of species at last year’s count includes:
Canada Goose, 4,447; European Starling, 4,105; House Sparrow, 690; Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon), 499; Herring Gull, 493; Mallard, 327;
Ring-billed Gull, 307; Black-capped Chickadee; 287; American Crow, 270; Mourning Dove, 173; Red-winged Blackbird, 151; American Tree Sparrow, 142;
Dark-eyed Junco, 140; Brown-headed Cowbird, 139; American Goldfinch, 127; Northern Cardinal, 109; Blue Jay, 102; Cedar Waxwing, 85; Downy Woodpecker, 83;
White-Breasted Nuthatch, 73; House Finch, 62; Eastern Bluebird, 48; Wild Turkey, 48; Red-tailed Hawk, 47; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 46; American Black Duck, 31;
Hairy Woodpecker, 30; Northern Flicker, 29; American Robin, 22; White-throated Sparrow, 21; Bald Eagle, 20; Tufted Titmouse, 17; Horned Lark, 10; Song Sparrow, 9;
Brown Creeper, 9; Pileated Woodpecker, 8; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5; Eastern Screech Owl, 5; Cooper’s Hawk, 5; Northern Harrier, 4; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3; American Kestral, 3; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 3; Great Blue Heron, 3; Ring-necked Pheasant, 3;
Carolina Wren, 2; Common Raven, 2; Merlin, 2; Great Horned Owl, 2; Common Merganser, 2;
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 17 December 2020 at 9:00 am
Provided photo: Ric Jones of Medina conducts a rehearsal of the Genesee Chorale, which will present a virtual Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Saturday.
MEDINA – A Christmas concert has always been a tradition for the Genesee Chorale, but when the pandemic made a live concert impossible, director Ric Jones of Medina and the chorale board made a decision to have a virtual concert.
Jones, a graduate of Medina High School and Ithaca College with a major in music, also runs Imagine Music Publishing out of his Medina home. In addition to writing music for artists across the country, Jones has been director of the Middleport Community Choir for 17 years, the Genesee Chorale for the 12th year and the Brighton Symphony Orchestra for the fourth year.
Jones, the board of Genesee Chorale and chorale members talked throughout the summer about the possibility of not being able to have their annual Christmas concert.
“We met in late August and I made a presentation to the board to have a virtual concert,” Jones said. “We were confident we could pull it off.”
Their performance titled “And on Earth, Peace” is meant to evoke a sense of calm, hope and peace in this time of uncertainty and fear.
“Our music is meant to be a welcome balm to our community and to extend glad tidings and heartfelt goodwill from Batavia’s own Genesee Chorale,” Jones said.
Selections will feature the entire Genesee Chorale, with Doug Hanson as accompanist, as well as select ensembles of its members, culminating in a full choir performance of “Let There be Peace on Earth.”
Jones said he is super pleased with the sale of tickets so far. In fact, he thinks the virtual concert is creating interest from many people, such as families and friends of the Chorale, who live away and couldn’t have attended a live concert.
Tickets for the 30-minute virtual performance are $5 and are available by clicking here. Ticket purchase provides access to the private premiere virtual concert. Purchasers will receive the link to the concert via e-mail at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The concert goes live at 7 p.m.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 17 December 2020 at 8:44 am
MEDINA – Saturday in Boxwood Cemetery, veterans and members of the community are invited to gather at noon to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families and teach the next generation about the value of freedom.
According to information from Kathy Blackburn, who started the national Wreaths Across America project in Medina, this gathering takes place in local and national cemeteries in all 50 states – most recently at more than 2,000 participating locations as part of National Wreaths Across America Day.
Medina will be placing 261 wreaths at veterans’ graves, the most since it joined the program in 2013. The first year there were seven wreaths at Boxwood. The wreaths cost $15 each.
Each year, a new theme is chosen to help volunteers and supporters focus their messaging and outreach in their own communities. The theme announced for 2020 is “Be an American Worth Fighting For.”
The inspiration for this year’s theme came from a keynote address by Sgt. Daniel Strong during the 2018 escort to Arlington welcome stop at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (Monty Tech) in Fitchburg, Mass.
As an infantryman in the United States Marine Corps, Strong lost 18 Marines during his service, three of whom were his friends when he was a lance corporal, six as their squad leader and the remaining nine as their platoon sergeant. Each impacted Strong in a unique way as he witnessed first-hand what true sacrifice was and experienced the ripple effect it has on all involved.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 December 2020 at 8:59 pm
LYNDONVILLE – A new Dollar General store has been proposed for downtown Lyndonville at the former Crosby-Whipple Oil Corp. service station.
The Broadway Group, a commercial real estate developer from Huntsville, Alabama, is proposing to demolish and remove the Crosby-Whipple building at 30 North Main St. It would be replaced with a 7,200-square-foot Dollar General with 29 parking spaces.
The site is in a historic district and the building needs a “certificate of appropriateness” from the Village Planning Board.
Tara Mathias, development manager, met this evening with Planning Board members through Zoom video conferencing. She said the store can be designed in a way that fits in with the other buildings in the district.
She said the new store would revitalize the downtown and be convenient to the local residents.
“It’s just a quick trip down the street to the neighborhood store,” she said.
The building is on a 1-acre site and will need variances for setback distance. The store is the smallest building offered by Dollar General at 7,200 square feet. Most of the stores are over 9,000 square feet.
Patricia Gawne, a member of the Planning Board, asked why Dollar General wants another store only 4 miles from the one at the corner of Route 63 and Ridge Road in Ridgeway. That 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store opened in October 2014.
Mathias said Dollar General wants to cater to their customers, and there currently isn’t a Dollar General in the village.
Barbara Champlin, owner of the EZ Shop in Lyndonville, said the store will hurt the locally owned businesses in the community. She saw her grocery sales go down 30 percent when the store on Route 104 opened.
“I’ve seen the downside of these big corporate businesses coming in,” she said during the meeting this evening.
The Broadway Group will continue to work on the site plan and will apply for variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The village engineer, the MRB Group, said some of the drainage will be improved at the site by increasing a sewer line from 8 to 12 inches.
The village wants to make sure a retaining wall is adequate to protect the property from when there are rising waters at Johnson Creek.
The store plans to have eight to 10 employees, Mathias said.
The Planning Board also discussed two other projects in the village.
• Taller Communications Tower: SBA Communications wants to extend the cellular phone tower at 246 West Ave. by 25 feet to accommodate microwave dishes and additional equipment. The tower is currently 225 feet high.
Village officials believe the tower was originally 190 feet high and this would be the second extension. The MRB Group will review the project to make sure the tower would be structurally sound. There is a chance the company would need an easement from neighboring property owners if the fall line would extend into a neighbor’s property.
The project will be sent to the Orleans County Planning Board for its review and opinion.
• Solar project: Panek Farms wants to have a solar array constructed at 15 Linwood Drive. The project would generate 340 kilowatts of electricity to be used by the farm. The array would have 960 panels and run about 1,000 along the edge of the property in a spot that isn’t active farmland. Panek Farms is working with Solar Liberty on the project.
The solar panels would be set off from the road. When corn is high for several months a year the panels won’t be visible to people driving by or any neighbors, said Jim Panek of Panek Farms.
Steven Vann, the Planning Board chairman, wants the village engineer to review the project. Dan Wolfe, the village code enforcement officer, said the ground-mounted solar project is an allowable use because the electricity will be used by the farm and isn’t a utility-scale project.
The Planning Board next meets at 6 p.m. on Jan. 20.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 December 2020 at 6:26 pm
400 tested with 12 positives for Covid-19; Next county clinic on Monday
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Motorists line up outside the Trolley Building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds to give self-administered Covid-19 rapid tests.
This was the first free rapid testing clinic offered in Orleans County. There were 360 people tested, as well as 42 personnel who ran the clinic. Of those 402 tests, there were 12 people who were positive for Covid-19. (None of the personnel were positive for the virus.)
The 12 positives out of 402 tests is a positivity rate of 3 percent. That is much lower than the county’s positivity rate the previous seven days, which was 9.6 percent, the highest of the nine counties in the Finger Lakes Region. The Orleans rate on Tuesday was 12.6 percent with 19 positive tests out of 151, according to state data.
Today’s clinic was targeted for asymptomatic individuals. Genesee County had a testing clinic on Tuesday and 60 of the 550 people tested were positive.
“The goal is to identify the positives and get them into isolation to reduce the exposure and not spread it out into the community,” said Paul Pettit, public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties.
Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, carries a test to another volunteer inside the Trolley Building. The volunteer personnel all wore fitted N-95 masks and face shields.
The state paid for the test kits and the county needed to organize the clinic and find the personnel for the testing. Justin Niederhofer, deputy director of the Orleans County Emergency Management Office, took the lead in organizing the testing clinic and fitting all of the personnel for N-95 masks.
Jack Welch holds one of the nasal swabs which people would self-administer, putting it in a lower nostril for 5 seconds. The results would come back in 15 minutes, with the personnel texting or calling people with their results. They will also receive an email.
The cars are lined up just before the start of the rapid testing clinic at 1 p.m. The drivers and passengers were first screened at the start at a trailer for the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.
Roxanne Wagner, a secretary at the Holley Junior-Senior High School, was among the volunteers at today’s clinic. She puts a testing kit in a plastic bag. Bill Fine is next to her. He also volunteered today.
The county will be offering the testing clinics weekly until at least the end of January. The clinics will usually be on Wednesdays but next week will be on Monday from 1 to 4 p.m. An online registration link is available by clicking here. The clinic will be on Monday next week so it’s not so close to Christmas.
Bill Fine, left, and Paul Grout look closely at one of the test kits to see if the results are negative or positive.
This group of volunteers include Dan Doctor, Medina Central School’s director of community outreach. Many of the local school districts, towns, villages and county departments had personnel at the testing clinic.
“Everything ran smoothly,” Pettit said.
The county had a reduced capacity today for the first testing clinic with about 400 people tested. That will be expanded to 480 tests for the next one on Monday.
Oak Orchard Health also will be offering free Rapid Covid-19 tests at Oak Orchard’s Albion location on Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Click here for more information.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 December 2020 at 4:52 pm
There are 90 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported today in Genesee and Orleans counties. The two counties also have 58 recoveries from Covid, thr genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported.
In Orleans County there are 28 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 931 cases since March.
The new positive cases reside in Albion, Barre, Carlton, Kendall, Ridgeway and Shelby. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
Of the new cases, 10 of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
The county is also reporting 25 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
Orleans also is reporting 2 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.
• Albion Central School was informed today that a staff member in the elementary school tested positive for Covid-19. The last day the staff member was in school was Friday, Dec. 11.
Contact tracing and the quarantine of students and staff members was implemented according to health department guidelines, the school district stated on its website.
• Kendall Central School is reporting its first high school student has tested positive for Covid-19. The student was last in school on Thursday, Dec. 10. Health Department contact tracers will contact people if they are deemed a close contact and need to quarantine, the district stated.
Kendall also reported later in the day a second student at the Junior-Senior High School has tested positive and the Health Department will soon start contact tracing to see if there are any close contacts.
In Genesee County there are 62 new positive cases, bringing the total to 1,572 positive cases since March.
The new positive cases reside in Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pavilion and Pembroke.
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
Of the new cases, 12 are in nursing homes, including the first six cases at LeRoy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility. There were also six new cases at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Batavia, and one new confirmed case at the VA Medical Center.
Genesee is reporting 33 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
Genesee has 24 residents hospitalized due to complications from Covid, which is the highest its had during the pandemic.
• 3-county data (active cases increase from Tuesday): Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. There are currently 446 active cases in the three counties, which is up from 417 on Tuesday. The 446 is three shy of the pandemic high of 449 on Dec. 7 and Dec. 10.
In the three counties, Genesee has 200 active cases (up from 184 active cases on Tuesday), Orleans has 137 (134 on Tuesday) and Wyoming is at 109 (99 on Tuesday).
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By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 16 December 2020 at 2:43 pm
The start of the Niagara-Orleans League swim season has once again been delayed as the result of a decision made by the Section VI Executive Committee today.
Swim practice had been scheduled to begin on January 4 but the Executive Committee voted to further delay the start of winter sports until January 18. The Section had previously made the decision to pause the season until January 4.
“We as a Section remain committed to conducting our winter sport seasons,” said Section VI President, Brett Banker. “We are hopeful that by making this difficult decision, we are giving our communities, health departments, school officials and families just a bit more time.”
Last week, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) made the decision to cancel all winter state championships and in doing so, has given Sections the opportunity to extend out the traditional winter season.
“We are encouraged by the measured and cautious reopening plan that the Department of Health and Governor’s Office have endorsed,” continued Banker. “Schools are opening up. By starting winter sports on January 18 it allows us time to examine the numbers after the holiday season and gives athletic departments time to better prepare.”
“By delaying the winter season, we are hopeful that as the Governor examines high risk sports, the data will yield something different than what has been assumed since August,” added Banker. “Our athletes, coaches and athletic departments continue to implement and follow mitigating measures that have proven to keep athletes safe during practice and competition and we are confident these same measures will have the same result in sports that have not been permitted to play, yet.”
Photo by Michael Houtz: The Spotted Lanternfly as an adult.
Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is calling on Congress to deliver $16.066 million in funding to combat the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that threatens specialty crops, including grapes, across the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley.
In a letter to appropriators, Gillibrand called for full funding of the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Specialty Crop Pest program in the final FY21 Agriculture Appropriations bill, and specifically provide $16.066 million for the spotted lanternfly, consistent with the House funding level.
“The spotted lanternfly has proven to be an invasive and destructive pest that threatens New York State’s specialty crops, especially vineyards throughout the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley,” Gillibrand said. “If not contained, this pest will have devastating economic consequences on agriculture, tourism, and residential homes, at a time when our economy needs these industries for a strong recovery. Congress must ensure the Specialty Crop Pest program is fully funded to prevent further spread.”
The spotted lanternfly is thought to have arrived in the United States in 2012. According to Cornell University, the first infestation was found in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014.
“Although quarantine measures were taken in the infested townships and efforts were taken to eradicate this pest, spotted lanternfly has proved difficult to contain,” Gillibrand wrote Dec. 11 in a letter Sen. Richard Shelby, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. “It is imperative that this pest is contained before it further invades the Eastern Seaboard and eventually makes its spread across the United States.”
