Photos by Tom Rivers: A car heads west on Presbyterian Road in Albion this afternoon while it was raining and there was light fog.

Snow showers are in the forecast for Orleans County on Tuesday and Wednesday, when the high temperatures are forecast for 38 on Tuesday and 37 on Wednesday.

The light snowfall is a contrast to other counties in Western New York that could get more than a foot of snow.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter storm warning from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 1 p.m. Wednesday for southern Erie, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, which could get 8 to 15 inches of snow. In Wyoming County, 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected, the National Weather Service said.

In Orleans, it will be mostly sunny with a high of 40 on Thursday, followed by a chance of rain and a high of 40 on Friday.

Saturday there is a chance of showers with a high near 43.

These trees by the Oak Orchard Elementary School playground are pictured at dusk on Saturday in Medina.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced New York’s plan for combating Covid-19 this winter. Over the past week, Governor Cuomo and the state’s Covid Task Force has worked in consultation with global public health experts, local governments and other stakeholders to ensure that the plan builds off the lessons learned during the past nine months to anticipate and prepare for an expected increase in Covid cases and hospitalizations over the holiday season.

Specifically, the winter plan consists of five targeted strategies focused on mitigating the spread of the virus and bolstering New York State hospital preparedness including:

• Continue and Strengthen New York’s Targeted Micro-Cluster Strategy while Managing Hospital Capacity to Enhance and Equalize Care;
• Increase and Balance Testing Resources and Availability;
• Keep Schools Open Safely;
• Prevent Viral Spread from Small Gatherings; and
• Operationalize an Equitable and Safe Vaccination Program

“While the holiday season often brings joy to many, the increase in social activity and mobility will also bring an increase of viral transmission,” Cuomo said. “We understand the cause and effect, and the effect is dramatic. We must adapt to this reality and have a plan in place that specifically addresses the challenges that come with it. We’ve been through the worst, and while we’re not done yet, we are moving forward with the lessons we learned in the spring to come through this together.”

Strategy 1 – Continue and Strengthen New York’s Targeted Micro-Cluster Strategy while Managing Hospital Capacity to Enhance and Equalize Care

Since Governor Cuomo first launched New York’s micro-cluster strategy in mid-October, it has proved effective in identifying targeted areas with high infection rates and implementing additional restrictions to reduce viral spread in the micro-cluster area. This approach has allowed state and local health officials to target resources, has encouraged community members to take greater action to reduce viral spread, and helped prevent the need for larger, regional shutdowns which impact all aspects of life and the economy.

Under New York’s Winter Covid-19 Plan, this strategy will be strengthened through the utilization of additional, hospital-related metrics to provide a clearer picture of where a particular zone stands in the fight against Covid and how each neighborhood, municipality, and other geographic area contributes to daily hospital admissions due to Covid.

Under this improved strategy, the New York State Department of Health will include factors such as regional hospital bed capacity, ICU capacity, staffing ratios, and daily hospital admissions as part of the analysis and metrics used to determine which geographic areas qualify as micro-cluster zones.

In addition to the 3 existing micro-cluster zone levels (Yellow Precautionary, Orange Warning and Red), New York will also add a new ‘Emergency Stop’ level, which will effectively put that area under the NY Pause guidelines, if needed to preserve hospital capacity. Hospital metrics associated with these zones will be identified in the next week to 10 days, once data from the Thanksgiving holiday is received and analyzed.

Additionally, the Department of Health today began to initiate emergency hospital measures to prepare the state’s hospital system for an expected surge in new admissions over the upcoming weeks. Specifically, these measures include:

• Hospital systems must begin to identify retired nurses and doctors to bolster staff;
• Hospital systems in Erie County must suspend elective surgeries to create new bed capacity for Covid patients;
• Hospital systems must begin balancing patient loads across their individual hospital facilities;
• Prepare plans to utilize emergency field hospitals;
• Prepare plans to increase hospital bed capacity by 50 percent;
• Prepare plans to implement statewide ‘Surge and Flex’ operations (similar to load balancing, but patient shifts would occur across all hospital systems, as opposed to within individual hospital systems)
• Prepare plans to staff emergency field hospitals; and
• Confirm availability of resources in existing stockpiles.

The Department of Health will also be launching a new, statewide hospital metric tracking system.

Strategy 2 – Increase and Balance Testing Resources and Availability

Under the Winter Plan, New York state will take steps to increase the amount of testing available statewide, but do so in a way that ensures distribution is balanced with testing sufficient across different segments of the population, including:

• Healthcare workers;
• Nursing homes;
• Schools;
• Essential workers;
• Business professionals;
• Personal services testing; and
• General population, returning students and travelers, etc.

Strategy 3 – Keep Schools Open Safely

One of the most critical aspects of managing the Covid-19 pandemic for governments and parents alike has been answering the question of how and when schools should remain open. On that point, experts from around the globe have determined that as long as a school’s infection rate is under control and remains under the infection rate of the community at large, schools should remain open, particularly for students in K-8. Not only does school provide parents with support in terms of childcare, it provides a regularity to life which has been missing for so many children throughout this pandemic.

Under New York’s Winter Plan, efforts will be focused on keeping K-8 and Special Education schools are kept open as long as it can be done safely. The first step will be to establish sustainable, ongoing testing in schools so that they can continue operating in the long term. As part of this, schools located in Orange and Red micro-cluster zones will be required to conduct weekly testing. Schools in Orange Zones will be required to test 20% of in person students, faculty, and staff over the course of a month and schools in Red Zones will be required to test 30% of in person students, faculty, and staff over a month. Pool testing will be allowed as well.

These protocols represent the minimum standard required for schools to stay open and the state may adjust requirements for specific districts based on any special circumstances which may arise. While local districts are able to close at levels under the state’s mandatory closure rule, they are urged to keep K-8 schools open whenever it is safe.

Strategy 4 – Prevent Viral Spread from Small Gatherings

Small gatherings have now been identified as the number one spreader of Covid-19, with at least 65 percent of all cases coming from these settings. Now that we are in holiday season, behavioral shifts must be observed by New Yorkers to mitigate the spread. Sixteen states, including New York, have already instituted gatherings limits of less than 10 people, with Kentucky recently moving to gathering limits to 8 or less.

While government’s ability to monitor small gatherings is limited, public education on the safety concerns of small gatherings is crucial. As New York State did with public campaigns urging mask compliance, New York State will be launching a public education campaign to highlight how small gatherings can lead to the spread of Covid-19 in the community.

Strategy 5 – Operationalize an Equitable and Safe Vaccination Program

While a vaccine is expected to be released in the coming weeks, it will be months before a critical mass of available vaccinations for the general public will be available. As the state builds its plan to distribute vaccinations, it will be founded on three main pillars:

• Fairness;
• Equity; and
• Safety.

These pillars, as well as outreach to the Black and Brown communities with poor health outcomes who have been hit hardest by the pandemic, are critical to ensuring a fair distribution of the vaccine.

Orleans reports 37 more recoveries from Covid; Genesee also reports a death from Covid

In its first update since Wednesday in local Covid-19 cases, The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported 127 new cases in Genesee and 36 new confirmed cases in Orleans.

“Due to the high number of cases from the long weekend we are finalizing the data and will have it updated along with the charts tomorrow,” the Health Departments said in a new briefing at 5 p.m. today.

In Orleans, the 36 new cases bring the total to 623 positive cases since March. The new positive cases reside in Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Three of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans also is reporting 37 more recoveries and they have been removed from the isolation list. In addition, three of the new positive cases were recovered prior to the Health Department receiving the test results and are included in the recovered data.

Orleans also is reporting one of new positive cases is an inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility, a women’s prison.

• 2 students, 1 staff member test positive at Albion Central School: The school district said that today it was informed that two students and one staff member tested positive for Covid-19 over Thanksgiving break. One of the students is learning 100 percent remotely while the other is a hybrid learner in the elementary school. The staff member works in the middle school.

The hybrid student was last in school on Tuesday, Nov. 17, the district said. Due to the 48-hour look-back period, the Department of Health determined there is no need to conduct contact tracing in school for either student, according to message from the district.

The Health Department has completed contact tracing for the staff member and has communicated with any close contacts.

• Lyndonville staff member tests positive: The Lyndonville school district reported on Saturday that a staff member has tested positive for Covid-19. The staff member was last on campus on Nov. 16. As a result of precautionary measures, we have identified no close contacts as a result of this positive case, and therefore there is no need for any quarantine or remote learning, District Superintendent Jason Smith said.

• Medina reports 2 students, 3 staff members test positive: Medina Central School today notified the community that two students and three staff members have tested positive for Covid-19. That includes a student and staff member in the high school, two staff members in the middle school and one student in the elementary school.

The district is working with the Health Department to determine the the quarantine needs of the school. That includes one classroom section in the middle school and one classroom section in the elementary school being on quarantine.

In Genesee County, the 127 new positive cases of Covid bring the total to 954 since March. Complete details of the new cases will be included in tomorrow’s press briefing, the Health Departments said.

Of the new cases, 15 are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia and 7 are from the Batavia VA Medical Center.

Genesee is reporting that 12 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

Genesee County also had a resident pass away from Covid, bringing the total deaths from Covid in the county to 7. The individual was over the age of 65.

“To protect the individual’s privacy we will not be reporting any further information,” according to the news release from the Health Departments. “Our deepest condolences to this person’s family and friends on their loss during this very difficult time.”

More from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments:

Business Reminder: It is important to periodically review your Business Safety Plan that was developed earlier on in the pandemic. As part of the plan businesses were encouraged to develop contact sheets for all patrons to assist with contact tracing in the event of a potential Covid-19 exposure. This will help in investigations and will limit the necessity of press releases which will help limit potential spread.

Situational Update: We can’t stress enough the importance to limit time with non-household members. Continue to do your best to limit the spread of Covid-19 and the flu by frequently washing/sanitizing your hands, wear a mask/face-covering over your mouth and nose when out in public and keep at least 6 feet from non-household members. If you are not feeling well, please stay home and contact your primary care provider for guidance.

PEMBROKE – Many dignitaries gathered this morning in the rain to dedicate the new Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke.

The cemetery took more than a decade of work to become a reality, said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, one of the speakers at this morning’s ceremony.

He was joined by Department of Veterans Affairs officials and Western New York veterans who have been instrumental in the push to create a veteran cemetery in Western New York. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Congressman Chris Jacobs also spoke at the dedication.

The 269-acre site on Indian Falls Road in Pembroke is located approximately 30 miles from Buffalo and 48 miles from Rochester. The cemetery will provide a fitting burial option to approximately 77,100 currently underserved veterans and family members living in Western New York.

The cemetery will be the first and only of its kind in the Buffalo-Rochester area and will save thousands of military families from having to travel more than 100 miles in some cases to what was previously the closest Veterans’ Cemetery in Bath, Schumer said.

“Today at long last, veterans across Western New York will have a fitting resting place and eternal place of honor right here in the very community they dedicated their lives to defend and serve,” Schumer said. “Dedicating this hallowed ground today answers the call of veterans who organized over a decade ago for a local National Cemetery. I was proud to take up their call and work alongside them to now realize this day. Now a grieving family will not be left to travel over 200 miles from their home to bury or visit their loved ones. Now the veterans of Western New York who have done so much for us and our nation will have a proper burial, at a National Cemetery close to their home, family and thankful community.”

A group of veterans started the process to get a cemetery dedicated for veterans in Western New York in the mid-2000s. The group, organized by Erie County Veteran and Advocate Dr. Patrick Welch gathered over 10,000 signatures that he and other veterans provided to Senator Schumer that called for the establishment of a veteran’s cemetery in Western New York.

For several years, Schumer said he worked alongside the veteran’s community of Western New York to push the U.S. Veterans Affairs Administration to establish a National Veterans Cemetery in WNY. In 2010, the VA responded and announced it would establish a new veteran’s cemetery in Western New York as there where at least 80,000 veterans that resided at least 75-miles from the National Veterans Cemetery in Bath.

In 2019 Schumer secured an additional $10 million that they VA said it would require to complete the cemetery’s Phase 1 construction.

In January of 2018, Schumer called on the VA to complete the final acquisitions of two land parcels of 60-acres and 77-acres respectively in Pembroke, New York, needed to create the cemetery and one month later announced the VA had done so. In 2016, Schumer announced that following his push $36 million in federal funding for the construction phase of the cemetery in Western New York had been secured and included in the final continuing resolution (CR) package.

“Genesee County’s veteran community is extremely proud to be the host-county for the Western New York National Cemetery,” said Doug Doktor, Chairman of the Genesee County Joint Veterans Council. “Now local veterans have our fitting final resting place of honor close to home and our families.”

Jim Neider, OIC of the Joint Veterans Honor Guard of Genesee County and member of the Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post 332 in Batavia, said, “We are deeply grateful to at long last dedicate the new Western New York National Cemetery and to know that local veterans and their family members will have an eternal home of honor right here in Genesee County.”

Congressman Chris Jacobs thanked veterans for their service and regretted many could not attend the ceremony due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“Let me also say that you were right all along in your efforts to get this cemetery here in WNY, because our region deserves this cemetery, our veterans deserve this cemetery, the family members of our veterans deserve to mourn, pray for and visit their loved one’s in our region not 100 miles away,” Jacobs said. “The veterans and their families earned this right, our WNY region on a per capita basis has far more veterans than so many other areas in our state and our nation again you earned this.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Albion Betterment Committee had this sign honoring Charles Howard erected in 2015 on Route 98 in Albion.

This photo shows Charles W. Howard with a Santa at Christmas Park in Albion. Howard operated the Park and a school for Santa Claus in Albion until his death on May 1, 1966.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed off on state legislation to name a portion of Route 31 in Albion in honor of Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966.

Howard also was the Santa for nearly 20 years in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. He remains a revered figure among the people who portray Santa today. The Santa School continues to operate in Howard’s name in Midland, Mich.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) and Sen. Robert Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) both are pleased with passage of their legislation which designates a portion of New York State Route 31 in the town of Albion as the “Charles W. Howard Memorial Highway.”

“Mr. Howard was known for his hard work, his love for community and his jolly spirit; he represented the best any New Yorker could hope to achieve,” Hawley said in a statement. “With this highway dedication and the committed partnership of Sen. Ortt, Western New York has finally given the man the recognition and reverence he deserves. This holiday season and  year-round, we can all learn from Charles about how to be good neighbors, how to work to spread cheer and joy and how to live life to the fullest.”

The Orleans County Legislature in August 2019, passed a resolution, urging the state to recognize Howard by naming a portion of Route 31 in his honor.

Signs proclaiming the section of Route 31 in Howard’s honor will be displayed when entering the Town of Albion – northwest corner of Transit Road from the east to the southeast corner of Wood Road from the west.

Genesee County has one of the highest positive rates for Covid tests in the state in the past week, according to data from the state.

Genesee’s rate of 6.8 percent in the past seven days is topped only by the 7.3 percent in Allegany County and 7.0 percent in Erie County.

Orleans County’s positive rate is about half of Genesee’s in the past week at 3.3 percent.

There are several counties with positivity rates at 5 percent or more in the past week (with the county’s region in parentheses): Cortland (Central NY), 6.4 percent; Oswego (Central NY), 5.1 percent; Monroe (Finger Lakes), 5.7 percent; Wyoming (Finger Lakes), 5.7 percent; Orange (Mid-Hudson), 5.1 percent; Putnam (Mid-Hudson), 6.5 percent; Chemung (Southern Tier), 6.0 percent, Cattaraugus (WNY), 6.4 percent and Niagara (WNY), 6.3 percent.

To see more information on the data from the state, click here.

So far Genesee hasn’t been designated in a focus zone that can result in more restrictions on gathering sizes, and reduced capacity for businesses. Schools also would need to test 20 percent of students and staff weekly in a yellow zone or go to remote instruction in an orange or red zone.

TIER 3: Genesee, with a population over 50,000 and less than 150,000, is listed in the tier 3 by the state for metrics for determining the focus zones.

Here are the criteria from the state for Tier 3 counties in the three different focus zones:

Yellow: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 3.5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average

Orange: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 4.5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

Red: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 5.5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

TIER 4: Orleans is considered a Tier 4 county (population less than 50,000). The metrics for the focus zones in Tier 4 include:

Yellow: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 4% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

Orange: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average

Red: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 6% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

The state also is considering other factors in a focus zone:

• The geographic areas have a minimum of 5 new cases per day on 7-day average for geographic areas (i.e. ZIP code) with 10,000 or more residents, minimum of 3 new cases on 7-day average per day for areas with less than 10,000 residents.
• The increase in positive cases or positivity reflect community spread and cannot be mostly explained by a cluster in a single institution (e.g. nursing home, factory, college, etc.) or household transmission.
• The State Department of Health, in consultation with the local department of health, finds that based on the above listed metrics, and other epidemiological factors, such as an upward trend in total and daily hospital admissions from residents of this geographic area, that a zone designation is appropriate.

ALBION – There will be a public hearing on Orleans County’s proposed $73 million budget today at 5:30 p.m.

The hearing will be through Zoom video conferencing, rather than an in-person session due to Covid-19 restrictions. Click here for instructions on being a part of the meeting.

The budget would increase spending by 2.16 percent, from $71,711,638 to $73,262,025, and taxes would go up 1.66 percent or by $299,798 — from $18,009,699 to $18,309,497.

The tax rate would increase by 1.11 percent or 11 cents, from $9,87 to $9.98 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The county faces uncertainty in state reimbursements. It also will be paying 20 percent more in retirement contributions. That’s because the stock market was at a low point on March 31, and that’s the date the state comptroller takes the valuation of the retirement fund to set retirement rates for 2021.

The county also faces a 19 percent increase in health insurance premiums for 2021 due to rising pharmaceutical costs in the county’s health plan.

The county also is in a two-year annual sales tax diversion of $190,274 for “Fiscally Distressed Health Facilities,” which was imposed by the state.

The budget meets a goal of county legislators in maintaining core services while staying within the state tax cap.

The budget also maintains funding to outside agencies. They didn’t face a funding cut, and they didn’t get an increase.

Those agencies and organizations in the budget include: $240,000 to Cornell Cooperative Extension, $190,000 to Orleans Economic Development Agency, $92,500 to Soil & Water Conservation District, $10,000 to be shared among four public libraries, $5,000 to Mercy Flight, $4,000 to Sportsmen Federation, and $3,000 to GO Art!

The tentative budget would eliminate 8 full-time jobs and 12 part-time positions from 2020. The county will down 8 full-time positions from 333 to 325.

The fee for solid waste and recycling service will be $216, which is a 2percent increase from 2020.

The budget also calls for 2 percent raises for the seven county legislators. Their pay will go from $18,496 to $18,886 for the chair, $13,985 to $14,265 for the vice chair, and from $12,329 to $12,576 for the other five legislators.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CLARENDON – Many local firefighters responded to 4581 Holley-Byron Rd. to a house that was filled with smoke after a fire in a side wall.

Nobody was home in the house owned by Will Grathouse when firefighters were dispatched to the scene at about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The top photo shows the ladder truck from Holley. There were also personnel from at least Clarendon, Holley, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, Albion, Barre and South Byron fire departments, as well as Monroe Ambulance, the State Police, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

Smoke spews from the windows in the top floor of the house.

Firefighters broke windows in the first floor of the house to let out smoke.

Earl Jenks of the Clarendon Fire Company was at the controls for Clarendon’s ladder truck.

Doug Bentley of the Barre Volunteer Fire Company was among the group of firefighters who were at the scene well past midnight.

No other information is available.

Press Release, Congressman Chris Jacobs

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) is calling for Congress to remain in Washington, D.C. until a new Covid-19 relief bill is passed. This comes as the Democratic Leadership in the House released an amended legislative schedule with fewer voting days prior to the holidays.

“The idea that Congress should go home for the holidays and wait until the new year when a new Presidential Administration takes office is reprehensible,” Jacobs said. “I have spoken with restaurants, small businesses, families, and local elected officials – I can say with full authority there isn’t time left.”

Recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new Covid-19 restrictions and business shutdowns throughout Western New York. Similar restrictions have been put in place in numerous other states, and national weekly jobless claims have risen the past two weeks for the first time since July.

“Many small businesses in my district are facing bankruptcy, and they are unsure if they can keep employees or survive a second shutdown without further assistance,” Jacobs said. “My colleagues and I have been trying to free $138 billion in already appropriated Paycheck Protection Program funds for months; however, the Speaker and the Democratic Caucus have refused to work with us. This is aid we can deliver right now.”

“Additionally, local governments are struggling due to revenue losses and Covid-19 expenses. I have co-sponsored the SMART Act to deliver billions in additional funding to these governments – without it, they will have to lay off staff and cut critical public safety, EMS, and educational services our constituents rely on,” Jacobs said.

The SMART Act (H.R. 6954) is bipartisan legislation that would provide $500 billion in aid for state and local governments. One-third of this aid, roughly $161 billion, would be sent directly to local governments.

“We need to get a deal done and there are bipartisan solutions we can pass right now. With cases spiking, employees being laid off, schools closing, and small businesses facing uncertain futures, we have no time for the political games the Speaker has been playing with this aid,” Jacobs said. “The American people elected me, and my colleagues, to work for them, and they need us to act now. We should not be leaving for the holidays until bipartisan, targeted relief is passed and signed.”

The number of people hospitalized from Covid-19 has more than quadrupled in both the Finger Lakes Region (which includes Orleans County) and the Western New York Region since Nov. 1.

On Nov. 1 there were 92 hospitalized from Covid in the Finger Lakes and that increased to 371 on Nov. 28. In Western New York, the number hospitalized from Covid went from 90 on Nov. 1 to 386 on Nov. 28.

That is a greater increase than state-wide, which has seen hospitalizations triple from 1,151 on Nov. 1 to 3,372 reported today by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office.

The state was at a low point in hospitalizations from Covid with 410 on Sept. 5. It crossed 1,000 for the first time in the fall surge with 1,023 on Oct. 22.

That is still way down from the Covid peak of 18,825 Covid hospitalizations on April 12. State-wide the hospitalizations from Covid was at 10,350 on May 1, 3,121 on June 1, and 878 on July 1. The hospitalizations have been rising fast this month from the 1,151 on Nov. 1, to 2,124 on Nov. 16, and then passing 3,000 on Nov. 25 with 3,056.

Western New York has the highest rate of positive Covid tests among the regions of the state. Orleans County is in the Finger Lakes Region, which has the second highest average the past 7 days.

Genesee and Orleans Health Department haven’t updated the local stats since Wednesday. They said they will provide new numbers of cases and hospitalizations on Monday.

Gov. Cuomo has been providing daily updates, even on Thanksgiving. Here are the state-wide numbers the past four days:

• Today: Of the 157,320 tests reported on Saturday, 6,723 were positive (4.27% of total). Total hospitalizations are at 3,372. There were 55 Covid fatalities on Saturday.
• Saturday: Of the 152,355 tests reported on Friday, 6,063 were positive (3.98% of total). Total hospitalizations were at 3,287. There were 42 Covid fatalities on Friday.
• Friday: Of the 219,442 tests reported on Thursday, 8,176 were positive (3.72% of total). The 219,442 tests was a new record for most tests in one day. Total hospitalizations were at 3,103. There were 39 Covid fatalities on Thursday.
• Thursday: Of the 217,721 tests reported on Wednesday, 6,933 were positive (3.18% of total). Total hospitalizations were at 3,056. There were 67 Covid fatalities on Wednesday.

“If you look at New York relative only to New York, you see the numbers going up — not as fast as in other states, but the numbers are going up,” Cuomo said today. “It’s nice that we’re doing better in a national and global context, but it’s irrelevant to one extent because we have to deal with the issues that we have here in New York relative to New York.”

He expects the numbers will continue to go up through the holiday season past Jan. 1.

“This is a new phase for Covid — call it the winter phase or the holiday phase or the surge upon surge phase — and we are spending this weekend talking to health officials and local governments about the plan for that next phase,” Cuomo said. “We’ll be speaking to that tomorrow and this week with more details. In the meantime, everyone needs to stay vigilant: wear your mask, wash your hands, maintain social distance, and above all stay New York Tough.”

Here are some of the recent testing rates for zone clusters in counties near Orleans.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA — These homes on Gwinn Street in Medina are lighted up on Saturday night. Medina celebrated its Olde Tyme Christmas on Saturday and wants to continue the festivities with a contest for businesses and residences who decorate for the holidays.

There will be seven categories in the contest, which is open to businesses and homes in the village. Entry forms should be submitted by Nov. 30 with the decorations in place by Dec. 7. Click here to see an entry form and click here to see the rules for the contest. Only decorations on the front face and front lawn of houses will be judged.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

• Christmas Spirit – Traditional ($50)
• Christmas Spirit – Innovative ($50)
• Most Whimsical ($50)
• Best Use of Lights ($50)
• Probably Visible from Space ($50)
• Best Business – Christmas Spirit ($50)
• Best Business – Community Spirit ($50)
• Grand Champion – $200.

This house on Gwinn Street already is packed with decorations and lights.

Many of the downtown businesses have their storefronts decorated for the holidays including Della’s Chocolates.

The Book Shoppe also has a display in its front window.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Chris Piontkowski of Cheektowaga is nearly done with a mural on a cinder block building on Proctor Place, a one-lane road that starts near Rudy’s Diner. He is shown on Saturday afternoon.

Piontkowski is working on the fourth large-scale mural in Medina since July. The address for the flower mural is listed as 428-436 Main St. It is on the opposite side of a building that includes the “Canalligator” mural.

Piontkowski first applied gray primer on the wall. He then put geometric patterns and then painted local, native species of pollinator flowers.

Piontkowski, 34, said he will be back on Saturday to put the finishing touches on the project.

This is how the wall looked before Piontkowski went to work on it.

The Form Foundation spearheaded the effort for the four new murals. Besides the one by Piontkowski and the Canalligator, Chuck Tingley painted “Fake It Til You Make It!” on the back of 410 Main St. Tingley painted a traveler joined by dog and a cat on a journey.

Julian Montague, an artist from Buffalo, also painted a mural of geometric characters on two walls of a gym at the corner of Pearl Street and West Avenue.

Beloved dog turns 17 after an eventful year

Last time my girl Weezie was featured in a post she was turning Sweet Sixteen! It has been quite a year for our little one. She has taken a lick’in but keeps on tick’in. She is tough. If you look up tough in the dictionary it says “able to endure hardship or pain”. And that she has.

By standards, not a perfect shih tzu at birth. I was told she was not worth much as a breed because she was bow legged, with an overbite and a hernia. That was OK because we just wanted to love her. She was given to us free at 6 weeks old.

On the day we met her we went to look at the litter and chose her because she was the prettiest mix of dark and light haired. Her first grooming left her pure blonde. Just the beginning of 17 years of never knowing what to expect from this little stinker. We named her Ellie.

As time went on Ellie turned to Eloisy and it was not soon after that she became Weezie. It just fit her. Of course we have other names for her like Peanut, Stinky and Cujo. Peanut since she is cute as a little peanut, Stinky for obvious reasons and Cujo because she has always been in charge and knows exactly how to put species in their place. The vet told me when she was a puppy it was my fault because I trained her to be the boss instead of me. Because of that she has been the boss of the entire house.

In her 17 years she has been a sibling to 4 dogs and 3 cats. She has outlived 5 of them. None of them have ever got the upper hand with her, except one, an old golden retriever we adopted. For some reason she respected her. At 15 she had a patch to repair one eye and after turning 16 she lost her other eye. I wish I could blame her cantankerousness on her age and challenges but she has always had a lot of attitude and has never been shy about showing her annoyance.

Age has made her very stingy with hugs and kisses too. Even though she doesn’t hear or see well, she still has plenty of energy. Everyday she gets her steps in and will do anything, even be sweet, if she thinks it will score her some watermelon or hamburg & rice. As long as you do not pick her up, she is happy as can be.

Age 16 awarded her her very own ShePen. A little caged in area with her own bed and pee-pee pads so she doesn’t have to feel bad about not being able to get herself outside on her own to tinkle anymore. But when you really love, you will happily make allowances to make that which you love happy. Just seeing her little wiggle as she walks around the yard or hear her little voice as she yells at me, makes it all worth it! As long as she is happy, we are happy too.

If you are a parent to an aging pet you know that they struggle at times, but we do what we can to make life easier. So Happy Birthday to little Weezie, we hope that this year will find you full of the joy and attitude that brings smiles to those who know you best.

To see Weezie as a Puppy visit My Blog live online (click here) and catch up on Weekly Photo Perks and past Sunday Posts. Like and share your comments.

Truly,
Debbie London

Medina’s popular parade finds a way to continue during Covid-19 pandemic

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Grinch joined the display at Parker’s Pit in Middleport during today’s 12^th annual Parade of Lights in Medina. This year the event was a “reverse parade” with the floats and displays stationary at the Medina Central School campus.

Covid-19 restrictions prevented a large crowd from gathering in the downtown and on Park Avenue. This time spectators were limited to passing by inside vehicles.

Shelby firefighters, including Zach Petry up high, decorate a fire truck at about 4:30, before the start of the parade at 5. They were one of 20 floats or decorated fire trucks in the parade. That is down from the 35-40 that are usually featured in the parade.

Shelby and Medina used their ladder trucks to hold up this giant American flag at the start of the parade.

There were some complaints on the Parade of the Lights Facebook page about a wait of an hour or more with traffic bottled up in the village. Other commenters appreciated the chance to attend a parade and holiday celebration with so many community events cancelled since March due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Mary Lou Tuohey, left, and her daughter Nicole continued their streak of participating in all 12 parades with Case-Nic Cookies.

Members of the Cobblestone Service Unit of the local Girl Scouts get their float ready for the parade. They have been consistent participants for several years. They were grateful the temperatures were above freezing, unlike in many previous years.

This group was part of the display for Party Tents Plus. They posed for a group photo before the start of the parade at 5. The parade lasted until 8 p.m.

The Surgical Services Department at Orleans Community Health created this display to thank the community for its donations and support.

The Szatkowski family – from left, Wyatt, mom Sara, Lukin and dad Andrew – passed out stickers and collected money for the fourth annual toy drive. This year instead of toys the collection of money will go to Community Action and the Medina Area Association of Churches for their holiday efforts with local children and families. MAAC is doing a toy drive and Community Action is giving gift cards to families.

The Medina Railroad Museum, last year’s grand prize winner, was back for the reverse parade this year. The winners in several categories could be announced on Sunday.

Lynne Menz of the Orleans County Tourism Department used plenty of duct tape on the tourism float.