Genesee has 2 new cases, 1 in 20s, and 1 under age 20

For the third straight day, there are no new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Orleans County, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments is reporting.

In Genesee County, there are two new cases, both are Le Roy residents with one less than 20 and the other in the 20s. Genesee has now had 271 people test positive for Covid-19. (Orleans has had 282 cases.)

In Genesee, the newly positive cases are people who weren’t on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Genesee is reporting one more recovery, two people who are hospitalized from Covid-19, and 14 new individuals on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

Orleans County is reporting eight new individuals on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

• Survey about Health Department’s communication efforts: The local health departments want to hear from the public about the communication efforts during Covid-19. Click here to see the survey. The survey will be available for input until August 24.

• Statewide update: New York set a new high on Wednesday with 87,900 test results. There were 737 new positive cases or 0.84 percent of the test results.

The state also set a new low since mid-March with 56 people intubated due to Covid-19.

There were 10 Covid-19 deaths in the state, bringing that total to 25,228.

“New York State continues to stay vigilant in the face of an ongoing crisis across the country as we pursue a phased reopening,” Governor Cuomo said. “Yesterday we did a record-high number of tests – which is critical to our cautious, data-driven reopening strategy – and we’ll keep closely monitoring the numbers we receive daily.”

More than 140 businesses will receive funding to support recovery and strengthen resiliency against future flooding

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced over $17 million from the Lake Ontario Business Resiliency Program has been awarded to more than 140 businesses in shoreline communities to assist with restoration and resiliency efforts from prior flooding events, and to strengthen businesses against future flooding.

The grants were awarded to affected businesses in the eight-county area that surrounds Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River as part of the Governor’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative, which was established in response to devastating flooding along shoreline communities in 2017 and 2019.

“We know that climate change is real and there’s no such thing as a ‘hundred-year flood’ – it’s the new normal and we need to be prepared for anything Mother Nature sends our way,” Governor Cuomo said. “The Lake Ontario Business Resiliency Program is providing critical help to businesses to repair the damage from repeated flooding while strengthening their resiliency efforts as they build back better than before.”

REDI Co-Chair and Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO designate Eric Gertler said, “Thousands of New York State businesses span the shorelines of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River and rely on these bodies of water for their way of life. Many of these businesses were severely impacted by reoccurring flooding and high-water levels and this funding will help build these businesses back stronger and smarter than ever before so they can withstand future flooding events and remain integral components of their communities.”

The multi-agency REDI Commission has been studying ways to strengthen infrastructure along Lake Ontario’s waterfront while bolstering the region’s local economies. Through REDI, the State has committed to rebuilding the shoreline, as well as improving resiliency in flood prone regions along Lake Ontario. This funding was made available to support resiliency-related capital improvement projects at affected businesses and other eligible organizations, which qualified for reimbursement of up to 50% of project costs, with a maximum award of $200,000.

Eligible applicants included most private businesses, homeowner’s associations, certain not-for profits, farms, and owners of multiple dwellings used for business purposes located in the eight-county coverage area. Eligible capital projects will reduce the applicant’s vulnerability to risks that were experienced during the high-water events along the shores of Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and other nearby waterways such as flooding or erosion. Examples of eligible projects included:

• Elevating and or moving, landward, non-water dependent features such as offices, restrooms, stores, restaurants, parking or boat storage;
• Raising/relocating fueling facilities;
• Converting to floating docks or other docks that allow for movement with water levels (adapted to both high and low water) such that docks can raise to a minimum elevation;
• Strengthening existing dockage by evaluating and strengthening connection points between dock sections (typically the weakest point in a dock’s design); and
• Retaining and/or creating vegetated buffers along the waterfront.

All applications were reviewed in consultation with the New York State Department of State to ensure that projects met the program’s resiliency project requirements.

REDI Co-Chair and DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “When 2019’s high water levels inundated Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River region, Governor Cuomo launched a comprehensive and collaborative approach to consider all the economic impacts, especially on small businesses throughout the region. The funding awarded through the Business Resiliency Program is instrumental to helping communities rebuild better and smarter, and I applaud the Governor and ESD for their ongoing commitment to providing these important resources along the Great Lakes coast.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARKER – These kayakers were out in Lake Ontario last evening for a spectacular sunset. They are out in the water near the Lighthouse Christian Camp in Barker, about 2 miles west of the Orleans County line.

The Toronto skyline can be seen in the background.

These kayakers paddle back to shore.

This group of three had fun riding a Jetski on the lake.

District has ‘Thought exchange’ on school website to post concerns and questions

ALBION – The school district has scheduled three virtual parent forums on Aug. 19 to discuss the district’s reopening plan.

Scott Bischoping, the interim superintendent, will go over the reopening plan and also will take calls and emails during the forum. Parents also can call in at 589-2078 or send an email to Covid19Coordinator@albionk12.org.

The forums at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. will be held on the ACS YouTube channel. Each forum time has a different link. (Click here to be directed to the links for each forum.)

If parents are unavailable on Aug. 19, recordings of each meeting will be available to watch on our YouTube channel. Parents can continue to send emails to Covid19Coordinator@albionk12.org.

Albion also has a “Thought exchange” on the district website. School district stakeholders can click on the link, post thoughts, concerns or questions regarding reopening of our schools, and then have others rate it. They can also rate other stakeholder thoughts.

When more people rate the responses, district officials start to see a clearer picture of topics that are more of a concern.

Matthew Farley is in intensive care after suffering third-degree burns during from a grease fire on Tuesday night.

ALBION – The mother of an Albion man who suffered third-degree burns in a grease fire on Tuesday night has started a GoFundMe to help pay for his medical care.

Matthew Farley was cooking in the kitchen at his West State Street residence when he suffered severe burns at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

His mother, Staci Donnelly, says he has third-degree burns throughout his body and is in intensive care at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

“He will need much time in the hospital, and then a long road of physical therapy,” she posted on GoFundMe. “He will have to relearn many skills after his burns have healed. We are looking at a very long road ahead of us.”

She also asked the community to keep her son in their prayers.

“Please lift him up in prayer as we all know the power of prayer in numbers,” she said.

Click here to be directed to the GoFundMe for Farley.

Provided photo: Cory Pawlaczyk sent in this photo of the sunrise on the Erie Canal on Wednesday morning when he was out for a jog between Bates Road and Horan Road in Medina.

The weather won’t be as hot in the coming days after temperatures hit the high 80s to start the week.

Today is forecast to be sunny with a high near 84. Friday will also be sunny and will reach a high of 83 in Orleans County, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

This week the forecast includes partly sunny on Saturday with a high near 84. There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m.

On Sunday, showers are likely. It will be mostly cloudy with a high near 77.

‘Our kitchens don’t have to be a dangerous place. With a little patience and care, we can make sure that we are never the victims of a kitchen fire.’

Press Release, Orleans County Emergency Management Office

With a recent surge in kitchen fires in our area, now is a great time to remind people of some very important fire prevention/safety tips.

Kitchen fires are the most common fires that occur inside of structures in our country today. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), an average of 470 home cooking fires per day happen in the US. This results in 173,200 cooking fires annually.

However, there are ways to make cooking a safer and more pleasant activity.  Here are some safety tips that you can put into practice to ensure that you aren’t one of the many people who experience a kitchen fire:

• Do not leave your stove/oven/microwave unattended! If you start to cook something, remain with it until you are finished cooking. (An unattended stove is the leading cause of all kitchen fires).
• If pots or pans catch fire, do not move them! You could spread the fire or burn yourself.(Simply cover the pot or pan with a lid or cookie sheet and turn off the heat).
• Never throw water on a grease fire! This could cause the fire to flare up and may help it to spread onto the ceiling or walls. (As mentioned above, covering the pot or pan and turning off the heat should work).
• Don’t leave flammable items on the stove. (Keep potholders, towels, paper products and other flammable items away from any heat source).
• Make sure that you can easily read your stove’s dials and knobs. This will help you to see if your stove is on or not.
• Make sure you turn on the proper burner. Oftentimes, a person will put a pot on the stoveand turn the wrong burner on.
• Do not overload electrical outlets with multiple appliances.
• Plug appliances in only when you need them. Unplug them when they are not in use.
• Keep pot handles pointed toward the back or inside of the stove to avoid being knocked off the stove.
• Keep children away from the stove!
• Wear snug clothing or short sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can get too close to a burner and catch fire. (If you do catch fire: stop, drop, and roll to put the fire out).
• Do not put metal in the microwave oven.
• Slowly remove lids from containers in microwave ovens after cooking. Steam inside containers can scald.
• If you have a fire in your microwave, keep the door shut, unplug it, leave the house immediately, and go to a neighbor’s house (or use your cell phone from outside the house) and call 911.
• If you have a self-cleaning oven, make sure you know how to use it. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Make sure everything is clear both inside and outside of the oven beforehand so that nothing can catch fire.
• If you are come home tired at night, don’t use the stove. Many fires start when people put food on the stove and fall asleep while it is cooking.

If you find that you have a kitchen fire, get out of the house immediately and don’t return. You should have a fire escape plan complete with working smoke alarms, at least two ways out of every room in the house, and a meeting place outside in front of your house. Practice this plan and help your family members understand the importance of such a plan.

Call 911 from a neighbor’s house or your cell phone if you have it on you. Always pay attention when you are in the kitchen.

Our kitchens don’t have to be a dangerous place. With a little patience and care, we can make sure that we are never the victims of a kitchen fire.

Medina is being considered for new Amazon warehouse after the company withdrew its plan to build in Grand Island.

Buffalo Business First reported that Medina is one of four locations in Western New York being considered for the project, with the STAMP site in nearby Alabama and sites in Chautauqua County also under consideration. Click here for a link to the article.

The Orleans EDA tweeted the article from Buffalo Business First and said the Medina Business Park already has the zoning and infrastructure in place for the project.

Amazon encountered community resistance in Grand Island for the 3.8-million-square-foot warehouse, with concerns raised about traffic and impact on the environment. Amazon offered the town $10 million for project approval, in addition to what the company would be paying in taxes.

But on Wednesday, the project was withdrawn. The company told Channel 2 (WGRZ) in Buffalo the opposition wasn’t a factor. The company instead is looking at other locations due to possible cost increases at Grand Island. Amazon said it is no longer looking at sites in Erie County for the $300 million project.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A crowd of about 1,000 people attended the National Night Out at Bullard Park in Albion on Aug. 6, 2019. One highlight was the “Battle of Belts.” Dillon Black, front right, and Dan Baase, both of the Albion Police Department, were part of a four-man team of law enforcement officers. They topped two other adult teams with a time of 51.39 seconds. The teams compete to see who is the fastest getting into car and fastening their seatbelts. Each member then must switch seats and again fasten their seat belts. The time ends when each person has sat in each seat in the car and the horn is honked.

Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni

ALBION – It is with deep regret that we must announce that the 2020 National Night Out Event is being cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.

The event was postponed from its original date of August 4 to October 6 with the hopes that the risks associated with Covid-19 would be mitigated by October. While we as a community have done an amazing job to control the infection rate, we cannot guarantee that our event could be held in a manner to keep people safe.

This is very unfortunate as the event helps connect people in need with resources that can be life changing. This is at a time when those resources are needed more than ever.

The National Night Out Committee has worked very hard to make this year’s event better than ever and we vow to make next year’s the best we have ever held.

The committee will continue to work hard to prepare for next year’s event. Any donations that were made to the event will be applied to next year’s event unless they are requested to be refunded. Next year’s event will be held on August 3, 2021 at Bullard Park.

Below is a list of past participants that may can be contacted if anyone needs that assistance that they offer to our community.

• Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition
• Tobacco Free GLOW
• Parent Network of WNY
• Oak Orchard Health
• OCALS Learning Services
• Catholic Charities Friendly Phones & Home Visitation Program
• Orleans County YMCA
• Care Net Center of Greater Orleans
• Light of Victory Church
• Albion Free Methodist Church Youth & Kids Ministry
• MHA of Genesee & Orleans County
• Orleans County STOP DWI
• ABCD at Holley
• Orleans County Child & Family Services
• Orleans Community Health
• Orleans County Department of Mental Health
• Medina Area Association of Churches (MAAC)
• The Arc of Genesee/Orleans Rainbow Preschool
• Community Action of Orleans & Genesee Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R)
• Orleans County Health Department
• Orleans County Suicide Prevention Coalition
• Fidelis Care
• Genesee/Orleans Ministry of Concern- Just Friends Youth Mentoring Program
• Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
• OC Valor MRC
• Hoag Library
• Orleans County Chamber of Commerce
• PACT
• Early Head Start Child Care Partnership
• ACT – Helping Youth ACT Responsibly
• Albion Lions Club

Orleans County doesn’t have any new confirmed cases of Covid-19 to report today, while Genesee County has one more.

In Genesee, the new case is a person in the 20s from Batavia. The person was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported.

Genesee also has three more people on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states. There are two people from Genesee currently hospitalized due to Covid-19.

In Orleans, there are five more residents on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Communication Survey: We need your help!  Please consider taking a few minutes to complete a survey to measure our Genesee-Orleans (GO Health) Health Departments communication efforts in response to our COVID-19.

Your response is appreciated!  The survey (click here) will be available for your input until August 24.

• Travel Advisory: The following states and territories are on New York’s travel advisory due to high Covid-19 infection rates: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia,  Virgin Islands, and Wisconsin.

People coming to New York from those states need to quarantine for two weeks.

• Traveler Health Form: For all out-of-state travelers from NYS restricted states, whether arriving by land or air, must self-identify by completing a traveler health form or be subject to a $2,000 fine. Click here for the traveler health form.

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments will be hosting free drive-through anti-rabies immunization clinics in August.

The Genesee County clinic will be on Thursday, Aug. 13, from 4 to 7p.m. at the Genesee County Fairgrounds (5056 E Main Street Road, Batavia).

The Orleans County clinic will be on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Orleans County Fairgrounds (12690 Route 31, Albion).

Paul Petitt, Public Health Director for the two counties said this is the first time the departments will be offering a drive-through clinic.

“The drive-through style will allow for the health departments to provide a vaccination clinic to our communities, while adhering to the health and safety guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “This will ensure social distance protocols can be maintained in an organized manner.”

Upon arrival, staff will instruct you to stay in your vehicle and form a single lane to the clinic area. Public health workers will be screening the occupants in each vehicle for COVID-19 symptoms.

County workers will be directing traffic flow. At the veterinarian immunization station, pet owners will be instructed to exit their vehicle and bring their pet(s) out for the veterinarian to vaccinate.

Once directed to do so, animals must be secured on a leash or in separate carriers at the immunization station. Face masks, cloth face coverings, or face shields are required when speaking to staff and when outside of their vehicle at the vaccination table. Please limit 4 animals per vehicle.

Pair of Swallow-tailed Kites have been spotted on 272, Creek Road

Photos by Tom Rivers: Josh Ketry, a bird enthusiast from Buffalo, scans the sky for a pair of Swallow-tailed Kites. Those raptors normally are in Florida but are making a rare appearance in New York.

KENDALL – The church parking lot at the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Kendall has been drawing a crowd of people from all over the state in recent days.

There have been as many as 40 to 50 people in the lot, holding binoculars or peering through telephoto lenses.

Josh Ketry was able to get a photo of one of the birds in flight. He has come to Kendall three of the past four days to observe the Swallow-tailed Kites.

They are chasing a “life bird,” a pair of raptors from down South. Two Swallow-tailed Kites are making a rare appearance in the state. Birding enthusiasts theorize they were knocked off their normal path from the hurricane.

The two raptors have been spotted in Kendall for the past 10 days. But they didn’t become a big draw until Sunday, when birders started sharing on social media and websites that the Swallow-tailed Kites were hanging around Route 272 (the Monroe-Orleans Countyline Road) near the Creek Road intersection.

Josh Ketry, 41, of Buffalo was in Pennsylvania on Sunday on a birding expedition when a friend texted him about the Swallow-tailed Kites in Kendall. Ketry immediately changed course and drove 3 ½ hours to Kendall. He was back Tuesday and again today.

“This is a lifer so I’m chasing it,” he said.

He has been able to photograph the two birds. They are bright white with black on their wings and back. They tend to glide in the air. Ketry said they have been observed eating cicadas and dragonflies while in Kendall.

Ketry started getting into birds about 3 ½ years ago. He enjoyed the outdoors and hiking and wanted to make it more exciting. He set a goal of seeing an owl on a hike. They it became seeing eight different types of owls.

His list has continued to grow and he has made many friends through the hobby.

“It gave me a quest,” he said. “I’m fascinated by them.”

Lisa Scheppke of Queens and Josh Ketry of Buffalo chat in the parking lot of the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Kendall late this morning. Crowds have been in the church parking lot since Sunday drawing birders from all over the state.

Cornell University has many online resources to help people identify birds, and alert them to rare bird sightings. Click here to see Cornell’s entry on the Swallow-tailed Kite.

The Swallow-tailed Kites have been crowd-pleasers so far. Ketry said hundreds of people have been able to make the sighting. They two have the added draw of flying in a pair, and they haven’t just passed through the area briefly. They have stayed for more than a week, allowing birders to mobilize to try to see them.

Lisa Scheppke, 53, made the trip from Queens in New York City. She has been a birder for about a decade. She will often go a trips with friends to see birds. It is typically a solitary hobby, with long walks through trails and the woods to see the birds.

She reached Kendall last evening but missed the two Swallow-tailed Kites. She was back at 8 this morning. She was feeling discouraged until they made their first appearance of the day at about 10:45 a.m. They tend to be spotted first in the day at 11 a.m.

Stacy Robinson left her home in the Adirondacks at 4:30 this morning to drive to Kendall to see the Swallow-tailed Kites.

“They are a beautiful bird,” she said, holding her binoculars. “This is unusual too because they are a pairing.”

Scheppke, after seeing the Swallow-tailed Kites, said she was likely headed to the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge in Central New York on the way back to NYC.

Stacey Robinson left her home in the Adirondacks at 4:30 this morning and arrived in Kendall at 10:30. Fifteen minutes later the trip felt worth it when she saw the Swallow-tailed Kites. Two of her friends from Albany and Ticonderoga also drove to Kendall and urged her to make the trip.

Robinson said she has been birding the past eight years “obsessively.” She is retired as an assistant at an animal hospital. She said birders check their social media and online communities to see if there have been life bird alerts.

“Birders are very good about sharing information,” she said. “You never know when the next one is coming.”

She said the hobby has taken her throughout the region, to small towns, nature preserves and wildlife refuges.

William Norton, 24, of Hamlin only had to drive about 5 miles to get in position to see the two Swallow-tailed Kites. He has been a bird watcher since he was 16.

He said there are many different colors among birds, and they make distinctive noises.

“It’s just relaxing,” he said about the hobby. “You’re out in nature.”

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that 87,776 Covid-19 tests were reported to New York State yesterday—a new record high for tests in a single day.

Of the 87,776 test results, 700 or 0.79 percent were positive.

Each region’s percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

“We’re continuing to move forward protecting New Yorkers, slowing the spread and saving lives as the Covid-19 pandemic rages throughout much of the country and threatens the reduction in the numbers we’ve achieved here at home,” Governor Cuomo said. “New York is reaching new heights in its ability to track and trace the virus, and that’s evidenced by the record number of tests—nearly 88,000—that were reported yesterday. As we prepare for the fall, I urge everyone to wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands, and I urge local governments to enforce state guidance on reopening.”

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization – 558 (+18)
• Patients Newly Admitted – 89
• Number ICU – 123 (+3)
• Number ICU with Intubation – 62 (+2)
• Deaths – 7 (Total Deaths – 25,218)

Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – Orleans/Niagara BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Clark Godshall will be holding four informational sessions, on YouTube Live, to address concerns and procedures for reopening of all their sites.

Three of the sessions are directed towards parents and one session will be to address staff concerns.

The events are as follows:

• August 17th at 7 p.m. – Reopening Informational Session for parents
• August 18th from 3 to 5 p.m. – Reopening Informational Session for parents
• August 18th at 7 p.m. – Reopening Informational Session for parents
• August 19th at 3 p.m. – Reopening Informational Session for staff

There will be a link on the Orleans/Niagara BOCES website under the Covid-19 link.

The first day of school for students is September 8th.

Frank Forte was one of the 2019 photo contest winners with this photo of The Max Jacob on the Erie Canal.

Press Release, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

WATERFORD – The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is calling for entries for its 15th annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest. Images should convey the unique character of New York’s canals and canal communities.

Entries must be postmarked by Aug. 28. Winning photos will be featured in the 2021 Erie Canalway calendar.

Images will be judged in four contest categories: On the Water, Along the Trail, Canal Communities, and Classic Canal. Judges will select first, second, and third place winning images in each category, as well as 12 honorable mentions.

Submitted images must be taken within the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, which spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York. It encompasses the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments, as well as more than 230 canal communities.

Download official contest rules and an entry form by clicking here.