Stories from

Press release:

Genesee County announced holiday hours for free drive-thru COVID-19 self-administered rapid testing for residents who are asymptomatic (no symptoms, not feeling sick, etc.).

Free testing will be available on Tuesday, Dec. 22^nd and Tuesday, Dec. 29^th from 1 until 4 p.m. There will be no testing on Thursday, Dec. 24^th (Christmas Eve) and Thursday, Dec. 31^st (New Year’s Eve).

The testing is at Genesee County Emergency Management Office & Fire Training Facility, at 7690 State Street Road in the Town of Batavia.  

“County workers and others across the community who are volunteering their time at our drive through testing site have been going above and beyond duty and we want them to take some time during the holidays to be with their families,” said Genesee County Legislature Chair Shelley Stein.

“As we are reminding them and are reminding the community, even though it is such a special time of the year to keep your gatherings limited for everyone’s safety.”

To schedule a test, you must register online here. Anyone needing additional help for online registration may contact the Genesee County Health Department at (585) 344-2580, ext. 5555.

“We want to avoid delays and get as many people tested as possible, so registration is a requirement,” said Genesee County Health Director Paul Pettit. “Registering is easy and takes only a few minutes and it really helps in keeping the flow moving at the testing site.”

As a reminder, anyone who had a recent potential exposure to COVID-19 should not recommended to be tested until at least five days have passed since the exposure.

In addition to registering for the test, please keep in mind the following guidelines:

• Make sure you have a pen in your vehicle.
• Everyone in the vehicle is to have their mask on when they pull up at the testing site.
• A parent or guardian must be present for any individual under 18 who is going to be tested.
• Those who are tested could get a call fairly quickly from an unknown number; please answer the phone as staff cannot leave messages and can only give results to the individuals tested or the guardian of those under 18 years of age.

Press release:

With a bipartisan spending and COVID-19 relief deal just reached, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer detailed its pending impact on Upstate New York as more than $50 billion.

The deal includes direct stimulus checks, extending enhanced unemployment insurance, and secures another round of forgivable PPP for small businesses, restaurants and nonprofits across the state. As part of the deal, more than $13 billion flows DIRECTLY to New York State government via education funding, vaccine distribution, COVID-19 health funding, emergency assistance for renters and more.

“Today’s deal marks $50 billion-plus for New York workers, families, renters, communities, healthcare organizations and New York government —the things the federal government must immediately fund to get us through this pandemic,” Senator Schumer said. “This marks the second biggest relief bill in the nation’s history—second to the CARES Act—and it delivers aid that is urgently needed by the unemployed, by renters at risk of losing their homes, by small business owners throughout New York that are worried about going out of business, by people seeking vaccination, by schools that spent money to keep kids safe, by families struggling to make ends meet and so much more.

"Clearly, there is more to be done –this is not a stimulus this is an EMERGENCY SURVIVAL bill, and we will fight for more relief under President(-elect) Biden, because this crisis is not over. New York State governments will directly receive over $13 billion dollars in a variety of ways from mass transit aid, to education aid, to money for vaccinations and testing.

"In addition to direct stimulus checks, extending enhanced unemployment insurance, this deal provides another round of PPP and grants for small businesses across the state, including set-asides for minority-owned and other underserved businesses and new larger forgivable loans for restaurants as part of a funding bridge to the Biden Administration where we will fight secure additional relief."

“In addition, the center of New York’s cultural life—independent music and live event venues, independent movie theaters, museums and other cultural institutions—will receive dedicated aid to stay alive here in New York. Direct aid in the form of education funding, transit funding and highways, vaccine distribution and COVID health funding, along with emergency assistance for renters are just some of the immediate ways this legislation will help the state and city’s budgets amid the crisis."

The details and the impact on New York appear in the breakdown below. These numbers are tentative.

DIRECT AID TO NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENTS

$5.8 Billion – Education Stabilization Fund

• $4B – Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, provides relief to K-12 public schools across the State of New York.
• $1.4B – Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, directs funds to New York’s university system, like SUNY and CUNY.
• $313M – Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, the governor can use these funds at his discretion to support the state’s K-12 education and higher education needs related to COVID-19. 

----Including a set-aside that will be prioritized to private schools serving low-income students who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

$200 Million – Emergency Transit Relief will support county bus services and upstate transit agencies.

$426 Million -- Critical aid to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to backstop declining revenues and support construction jobs.

$105.5 Million – Relief for New York airports to continue operating safely during the pandemic. Upstate airports will receive: $6.4M for the Hudson Valley, $6.5M for the Capital Region, $6.9M for Central New York, $4.8M for the Finger Lakes, $7.6M for Western New York, and $4.1M for the Southern Tier. 

COVID HEALTH & RELIEF

$1.6 Billion – Vaccine, Testing, and Tracing, and Flexible Local Health Funding: $810M for NYS and $810M for NYC

• $135M for NYC for vaccine distribution
• $135M for NYS for vaccine distribution
• $675M for NYC testing, tracing, isolation support and COVID-19 mitigation
• $675M for NYS testing, tracing, isolation support and COVID-19 mitigation

RENT & EVICTION RELIEF

$1.3 Billion  -- Emergency Rental Assistance funding. This is a historic and unprecedented federal emergency rental and utility assistance program. It will assist multiple New York government entities and by extension help provide critical aid to keep thousands of New Yorkers safely in their homes.

The CDC federal eviction moratorium will also be extended until Jan. 31 and can be extended further by the next administration.

EMERGENCY CHILD CARE GRANTS

 $465 Million – Child Care Development Block Grants (CCDBG) – These funds ensure that the child care sector will continue to assist essential workers and working families, and to support child care providers in meeting their increased operation costs during the pandemic.

FEMA DISASTER RELIEF FUND (DRF)

$1 Billion -- FEMA estimates that in Fiscal Year 2021 New York will receive about $1 billion in FEMA aid for COVID-19 alone. Schumer just negotiated an increase of these funds in this Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) account.

***$13+BILLION DIRECT TO NEW YORK GOVERNMENTS***

THE DIRECT CHECKS, UI & FEMA FUNERALS

Over $6.5 Billion for NY in Enhanced Unemployment Compensation – This bill provides billions in additional federal relief for struggling New Yorkers by extending the historic unemployment insurance reforms established in the CARES Act through March 14. Importantly, it reinstates the critical lifeline of the enhanced unemployment assistance, providing an additional $300 per week on top of all state and federal unemployment benefits. The bill also:

• Extends the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides unemployment benefits to the self-employed, freelancers, gig workers, part-time workers and other New Yorkers in nontraditional employment, and increases the number of weeks of PUA benefits an individual can claim from 39 to 50.
• Provides 24 additional weeks of federally funded unemployment insurance benefits to New Yorkers who have exhausted their regular state benefits.
• Continues the full federal financing of state Shared Work programs, allowing thousands of New York employers to keep their valued employees on payroll during this downturn.
• Delivers a federally funded $100 per week additional “mixed-earner” benefit to New Yorkers who have a combination of traditional (W-2) and independent employment (1099) income and are disqualified from receiving PUA because they are still eligible for regular state benefits.

$9 Billion for New Yorkers – Direct cash payments to New Yorkers, including $600 for individuals making up to $75,000, $1,200 for couples making less than $150,000, and an additional $600 per child. This amounts to $2,400 for a family of (4).              

$260 Million – FEMA’s funeral assistance – financial aid to those who have lost a loved one among the over 35,000 deaths in New York caused by COVID – which comes at no cost to the state. This historic use of FEMA’s funeral assistance program ensures those grappling with unspeakable loss are not also saddled with the financial burden of exorbitant funeral costs.

RELIEF FOR NEW YORK SMALL BUSINESSES, FAMILIES, LIVE VENUES, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND OTHER ENTITIES

Over $20 Billion for New York – Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide a second round of forgivable loans to New York small businesses, including restaurants, nonprofits and grant assistance to very small, underserved businesses and live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions, as well as:

• New dedicated set-aside for PPP lending through Community Development Financial Institutions, Minority Depository Institutions, and other community lenders to reach minority-owned and other underserved small businesses and nonprofits.
• New dedicated set-aside for very small businesses to gain greater access to PPP.
• New larger forgivable loans for the restaurant and hospitality industries and the ability to use funds for PPE, outdoor dining enhancements, and more.
• “SAVE OUR STAGES” ($15B NATIONALLY) -- Dedicated relief for Broadway, comedy halls, music venues, other live entertainment, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions—New York is positioned to get a large share of the $15 billion. 
• Housing cooperatives, tourism organizations, and local newspaper, TV and radio stations made eligible for PPP.
• $10,000 SBA grants will be available for very small and underserved businesses in low-income communities.
• Provides $3.5 billion to resume debt relief payments of principal and interest (P&I) on small business loans guaranteed by the SBA under the 7(a), 504 and microloan programs.
• Includes $2 billion to enhance SBA’s core programs, including 7(a), Community Advantage, 504, and the Microloan program, by making them more affordable and useful to small businesses.
• SBA Microloan Program is funded at $57 million to provide technical assistance and leverage about $64 million in microloans for minority-owned and other underserved small businesses.

The bill also extends and expands the refundable Employee Retention Tax Credit. The extension of this tax credit, through July 1, will help keep thousands of additional New Yorkers on payroll and small and mid-size employers all across New York afloat.

$15 billion to renew the CARES Act Airline Payroll Support Program which will save thousands of New York airline jobs by keeping workers on payroll without furloughs or reducing pay rates and benefits until March 31 New York will receive sizable share of these funds.

$1 billion in CARES ACT Contractor Payroll Support Program will help thousands of New York’s aviation industry contractor workers keep their paychecks.

CONNECTING MORE NY FAMILIES TO BROADBAND

$7 billion -- Emergency Benefit for Broadband Service to provide free or low-cost broadband service to low-income families or those who have been recently laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New York will receive sizable share of these funds.

NY HOSPITALS & HEALTH CENTERS

$1 billion to New York in support and relief for hospitals, mental health, community health centers and providers.

NEW YORK NUTRITION ASSISTANCE

$13 billion nationally in Nutrition Assistance (NY will get a sizable share), which includes:

• A 15-percent increase in SNAP benefits from January through June 30 to support the nearly 2.8 million New Yorkers who receive benefits;
• Increased access to nutrition benefits by waiving college student work requirements;
• Provides $5 million to add additional retailers to online SNAP, including for farmers markets and direct to consumer sales;
• Additional funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to fund the continued work of New York’s food banks;
• Funding for senior nutrition through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and Meals on Wheels program;
• Includes critical improvements to the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) program, which provides additional nutrition benefits for families with children who are eligible for free school lunches to help cover the cost of meals children would have otherwise received at school; 
• Allocates $4.6 billion nationally to expand P-EBT by extending the program to help cover cost of meals for kids enrolled in childcare programs;
• Nutrition assistance grants for Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
• Funds to support the food supply chain through food purchases, donations to food banks, and support for local food systems.

NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE

$13 billion nationally in Agricultural Assistance (NY will get a sizable share), which includes:

• $400 million set aside to support dairy product donations to encourage donations of dairy products and minimize food waste;
• $325 million set aside for specialty crops, including $225 million for supplemental payments to producers of specialty crops for losses in 2019 and $100 million for Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG) to support investments in specialty crop marketing, increasing training, and research investments;
• $100 million for the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), which supports the development and expansion of local food businesses and markets, and helps increase consumer access to locally and regionally produced agricultural products;
• $28 million in state block grants to support farmer and rancher stress management and mental health.

NEW YORK FISHERIES ASSISTANCE

$300 million nationally in fisheries assistance, which includes:

• $300 million available nationally for assistance to fisheries participants to help mitigate coronavirus-related economic impacts;
• $30 million set aside for Tribal fisheries of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native groups;
• $15 million set aside for fishery participants in states bordering the Great Lakes.

****ROUGH TOTAL FOR NEW YORK: $54+ BILLION****

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.22, up 6 cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.55. The New York State average is $2.30 – up 4 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.69. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.23 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.24 (up 5 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.26 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.27 (up 4 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.35 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.26 (up 8 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.33 (up 3 cents since last week)

After gas demand reached a low point recently, it is now on the rise according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The latest report shows that gas demand increased while supplies tightened amid lower refinery utilization. After decreasing for four weeks, the increase in gas demand has helped to push pump prices up across the country.

The increase in the national average is likely temporary as the country enters the winter driving season — a time when gas demand typically hits the lowest levels for the year.

Crude prices also rose due to a weak dollar and increasing investment based on market optimism that coronavirus vaccines will help crude oil demand recover in 2021. Higher crude prices have also helped to lift pump prices since the price of oil makes up over half of the cost of gasoline. Continued positive news about the vaccines will continue helping the domestic price of crude rise.

From GasBuddy:

"The sudden spike in gas prices last week was brought on by a continued rise in the price of oil, which jumped last week to nearly $50 per barrel, the highest we've seen since March, when prices collapsed due to COVID-19," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "While last week's gas price surge isn't likely to repeat this week, it could be a sign of things to come in the year ahead.

"A weakening U.S. dollar and vaccine optimism continued to push oil higher last week, along with stock markets. While some are wrongly pointing to the coming shift in the White House as driving up prices, I can assure motorists that what we're seeing has nothing to do with such a change and everything to do with market optimism that demand will rise, and the weaker dollar, which makes oil cheaper to anyone holding non-dollar currencies, putting upward pressure on demand."

Press release:

The staff at The Manor House would like for you to send their seniors holiday cards, who especially need them because of COVID-19 restrictions and not being able to see their families for the holidays.

We want to show them how much the community cares and is thinking of them!

We are also looking for cards for three very special ladies who turn 100, 101 and 102 in January! 

There are boxes for cards and pictures at the front doors of The Manor House at 427 E. Main St. in the city or mail to the attention of Kristin Cronk at that address.

Happy holidays and stay healthy!

Press release:

What are you doing during the COVID-19 Pandemic? The folks at the Hollwedel Memorial Library in Pavilion would like to hear from residents about this historic time by publishing a collection of stories that they share about their lives in the pandemic.

They are putting out a call for residents to share their memories and accounts to be published in a book entitled, “Covid Community Chronicles – Our Lives During the Pandemic.”

“As this is a distinct time in our lives and in the world, we would like to capture a bit of what everyday life was like in our area during the Pandemic," says Josselyn Borowiec, library director. "A collection of short accounts along with photos will be something we can keep to document and share what life was like in our community. We all had to find different ways to work, learn and spend our time with each other, and we would like to have a permanent record of that here at the library.”

Plans for the book include accounts of how people are spending this time in their lives, what they learned, how normal routines changed, what was hard for them to deal with and/or what they will remember most about it. Residents are also encouraged to send along a photo or photos that they would like to use along with the stories that they share. 

“This time in our lives has impacted us deeply, and I know that people have had to change many things over the past several months," says Joan Gray, library board president. "We think it is important for people in our community to share our challenges, and to preserve what was important. When the collection is complete, we will also provide a way for people to order their own copy of the Covid Chronicles."

“There are submission forms at the library for anyone to pick up and use to share their story,” says Borowiec. “Of course, people can just write their account or memory and provide that to us as well.”

Residents are asked to email, mail, or drop off their stories and/or photos about this time in our local history. A short, signed permission form granting the library use of their stories and photos will need to be completed.

The permission form to publish photos and stories is available online and at the library. The email address to send submissions is:   hollwedellibrary@gmail.com.  

The very first entry in the book will be from the Hollwedel Memorial Library’s Board of Trustees. It is an account of what happened starting on March 20, when all nonessential businesses had to close.

“The challenges of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced to substantially change all we were used to in our library lives,” writes Joan Gray, “It is now November 2020 and the ‘new normal’ is a fluid reality. But working together we rose to the challenge throughout these many months to figure out safe and innovative ways to serve our patrons and surrounding communities."

Information about “Covid Community Chronicles” as well as the other programs and services available at the library, can be found on the library’s website at www.HollwedelLibrary.org.

Residents with questions can also contact the library by phone at (585) 584-8843 or stop by 5 Woodrow Drive in Pavilion. 

Current library hours are: Monday and Wednesday 2 to 7 p.m. / Friday 1 to 5 p.m. / Saturday 10 a.m. to noon / Closed Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Photos and information from Jason Clark, of St. Paul Lutheran School.

The children at St. Paul Lutheran School have been practicing for their Christmas Program since the beginning of November.

"We have the kindergarten through third-grade students spaced out 12-feet apart in the Sanctuary as the choir, with the fourth- and fifth-grade students on the 'stage' having memorized the lines," says Clark. "We will be videotaping the play during school hours, then sending out a link to the school families and church members to watch the play at home."

The title of this year's play is "The First Leon, Discovering the True Meaning of Christmas." It's a dramatic 35-minute children's musical created by Dennis and Nan Allen in which the Christmas story is told as seen through the eyes of Leon. He's special. See, Leon's name spelled backward is Noel, and since discovering that, he's felt called to tell the world the true meaning of Christmas.

The play is being directed by Jennifer Dunn.

Top photo: Members of the fourth- and fifth-grade class at St. Paul's Lutheran School.

Below: Sam McMillan and Lilly.

Below back row from left: Addison Kilian, Amelia Paratore and Cordelia Rivers. Addison Forsyth is in front.

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Below five photos: members of the choir comprised of the kindergarteners through third-graders.

Submitted photo and press release:

Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr. is pleased to announce that the Oakfield-Alabama Board of Education selected Youth Officer Timothy G. Wescott at this week’s meeting as its new School Resource Officer for its district.   

Youth Officer Wescott is a 22-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office. He was hired as a Correction Officer in 1998, and was then appointed to Deputy Sheriff in 2000. He has held his current position as Youth Officer since 2013. During his tenure, he has earned an Officer-of-the-Year Award, a Meritorious Award, and a Commendation.

“Youth Officer Wescott is dedicated to the safety of our children and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience,” Sheriff Sheron said. "The Oakfield-Alabama School District is fortunate to have Deputy Wescott as their new SRO."

Photo, from left: Oakfield-Alabama School Superintendent John Fisgus, Deputy/SRO Timothy G. Wescott, Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr.

Press release:

• Genesee County received 52 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Byron, Corfu, Darien, Elba, Le Roy and Oakfield.
  • The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
  • Eighteen of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
  • Twenty-nine of the positive individuals are hospitalized.
  • Six of the new positive cases are residents at LeRoy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility.
  • Two of the new positive cases are residents at the New York State Veterans Home at Batavia.
  • One of the new positive cases are residents at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
• Orleans County received 30 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in Albion, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby.
  • The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
  • Two of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Twenty-five of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
  • Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.
  • Twelve of the new positives are inmates of the Orleans Correctional Facility.

Submitted photo and press release:

When Lindsay Juliano from the American Dairy Association North East contacted Jim Tyx, Food Service director for Pembroke schools, he was surprised and thrilled to hear the news that she had to share.

Reyncrest Dairy Farm in Corfu was selected as a 2020 Dairying for Tomorrow Award Winner. This award recognizes dairy farm families who display a passion for dairying and uses practices that help lead their farm and the industry into the future. 

As part of their recognition as an award recipient, the Reyncrest Dairy Farm chose Pembroke Central School to receive a donation of one milk barrel and two insulated bags, a $500 value. 

“We are honored that the farm chose our local school to receive this gift,” said Jim Tyx, Food Service director for Pembroke and Alexander central schools.  

Kelly Reynolds, of Reyncrest Farms, noted, “We are so excited that the students at Pembroke Schools have more access to milk and dairy products and are able to enjoy a cold serving of dairy thanks to American Dairy Association Northeast and the Dairying for Tomorrow awards!

"Our family works hard to provide the best care possible for our cows so that our community can enjoy these products.”

According to the American Dairy Association of the Northeast’s website, the Dairying for Tomorrow Awards, sponsored by American Dairy Association North East, are designed to recognize local dairy farmers and showcase the unique actions they take, on and off the farm, to help sustain and improve the dairy industry.

Genesee Valley BOCES operates a Regional Food Service, a program that 21 area school districts subscribe to. Pembroke Central School District is one of them.

Photo: Green shirt on left, Julie Phelps; pink shirt, Lynn Dilimone; gray shirt cutting the ribbon, Heather Starzynski; gray shirt holding check, Brittany Schafer; pink shirt on the right, Sara langewicz.

Submitted photo and press release:

When so many small businesses are taking a hit this year due to COVID-19, it hasn’t stopped Main St. Pizza owner Vic Marchese from continuing to give to others in need.

He has generously helped Genesee County CASA for Children by once again donating “Main St. For a Year” to their organization.

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates and is a nonprofit that advocates for abused and neglected children involved in the family court/child welfare system. CASA typically uses this donation as a grand prize for their annual CASAblanca Casino night at Terry Hills.

However, like so many other programs, CASA was unable to have any in person fundraisers this year. In order to continue raising funds, they decided to put Marchese’s generosity to good use by holding a raffle for the grand prize.

A total of 275 tickets were purchased for $5 each. This first time raffle was such a huge success that tickets sold out in only a week!

A live drawing was held on CASA’s Facebook page, and Patricia Wormley, of Batavia, was drawn as the lucky winner of 26 large pizzas and 26 spaghetti dinners for two.

CASA for Children would, once again, like to thank Vic Marchese for his kindness and unwavering support. 

Photo, owner of Main St. Pizza Vic Marchese, and prize winner, Patricia Wormley, of Batavia.

Submitted photo and press release:

The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) program at John Kennedy Intermediate School in Batavia received a $500 Educational Alliance Program grant from the ExxonMobil Corporation, which was then matched by the local distributor that had initiated the grant application, Reid Petroleum Corporation.

Mike McCarthy, vice president of Reid Petroleum, along with his grandson, Jack, currently a third-grader at John Kennedy, presented the two checks to John Kennedy’s STEAM teacher, Melissa Calandra at the Crosby’s convenience store/gas station in Batavia. Crosby’s is a subsidiary of Reid Petroleum.

Reid Petroleum had taken the lead initially by applying for the ExxonMobile grant on behalf of John Kennedy. When their office received word that the school would receive a check for $500, they decided to match it. As the money can only be used for math or science, it will go to support hands-on activities that go along with science lessons in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program, which is run by Calandra.

“I am so excited, and so grateful,” Calandra said. “This will be such a big boost for our students and our STEAM program.”

Photo: Melissa Calandra, John Kennedy’s STEAM teacher, left, and Vice President of Reid Petroleum Mike McCarthy, right, with his grandson, Jack.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley rallied alongside his Assembly Republican colleagues in a letter to President Trump requesting that he assist them in obtaining data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the state, including those in nursing homes.

For months now, we have written to the director of the CDC, Robert Redfield, requesting this information but have not been provided with a firm number of COVID-19 fatalities in New York State. In a hearing in August, NYS Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker also refused to provide this data, stating he was concerned it would not be fully accurate.

“When thousands of people die, families deserve answers,” Hawley said. “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.”

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley joined in a letter with his Assembly Republican colleagues to call on Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to demand 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.

"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.”

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Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) is applauding the Department of Agriculture (USDA) on their substantial investments into rural New York communities.

“Rural communities comprise the majority of NY-27, and I commend the USDA and the President for their commitment to making the health, prosperity, and future of rural communities a priority,” Jacobs said. “This commitment will translate into a strong, thriving economy in these communities and deliver new opportunities to students and younger generations.”

Overall, the USDA invested $40 billion in rural communities throughout the United States in FY20 -- $434 million of that was invested directly into New York State. Notable highlights include $16.8 million in rural broadband funding, $112 million to deliver safe drinking water supplies, and $1.6 million for small and emerging businesses. To read more about USDA investment, click here.

NY-27 Highlights:

• $17,235,000 into the towns of Byron, Pavilion, Byron and Dansville Village. These loans and grants were used to enhance water storage and access, as well as clean up contaminated water supplies. 
• $269,900 to the Springville Volunteer Fire Company to update their facilities to better respond to emergencies in the surrounding community. 
• $99,900 United States Department of Agriculture Grant (USDA) for the Village of Perry to improve local trail mapping, bolster tourism, and create jobs.
• The Farmers to Families Food Box Program developed in response to COVID-19 supported producers and processors throughout NY-27, including HH Dobbins in Lyndonville.

“I was proud to announce these significant investments into our Western New York communities, and I remain committed to maintaining a strong partnership with the USDA to ensure NY-27 rural communities are supported,” Jacobs said.

“Furthermore, I am going to be fighting for increased investment in the new Congress, especially to support rural broadband development to connect our communities – the urgency of this need has grown substantially with COVID-19 as small businesses, schools, and medical visits have moved online.”

Submitted photo and press release:

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) welcomes Kahlil Simon into his new position as a Housing Specialist.

In this role, he will assist individuals to apply for, and navigate, the programs and services offered through ILGR, including, coordinating housing evaluations for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, household budget counseling, employment advocacy, home environmental accessibility consultation, as well as serving as a liaison with landlords.

Prior to this promotion, Kahlil Simon served ILGR as a Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Peer Specialist, where he earned a New York Peer Specialist Provisional Certification.

Before his coming to the Agency, he had worked as an Imaging Services Secretary at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, where he was recognized with an Exemplary Service Award. During his tenure at the Medical Center, Simon was inspired to seek work that was more community service-oriented, ultimately obtaining employment with ILGR. 

About his new position, he says, “Here at ILGR, it’s my goal to provide a service to the members of our communities that are in need of assistance, while upholding the high standards of this organization.”

Simon attended Genesee Community College in Batavia after moving to the area from Brooklyn.

ILGR is delighted that Kahlil Simon will continue to serve the disability community in this new position.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region is a member of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum wants to let everyone know of the change to the concert scheduled for tonight at 7 o'clock. The concert will be performed by a flute trio from the Genesee Symphony Orchestra, however, due to the increased coronavirus precautions, we will not be having a live audience in attendance at the museum during the concert.

As was the case last week, we will still be livestreaming the concert on our YouTube channel, Holland Land Office Museum. We would like to thank Paul Figlow for helping us out with making this available for everyone. You can follow this link below to join us virtually tonight.

We would also like to thank the Genesee Symphony Orchestra for working with us to put on two wonderful holiday concerts to bring at least a little Christmas cheer this year.