The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for several areas of the state, including Western New York counties of Genesee, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming.
The DEC and Department of Health issues these advisories when meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or
If the smells wafting through your open windows have been tinged with burning embers more than tangy barbecue sauce Tuesday, they’re likely coming from wildfires raging through eastern Canada, and a rheumatology expert has five words of advice to keep in mind.
Statement from Batavia City School District Superintendent Jason Smith:
Dear BCSD Families and Community,
As you may have seen on the news, experts believe the air quality issues we’ve been experiencing due to the fires in Canada will continue in the coming days.
The worst fire season on record in Canada, according to news reports, is causing a decline in air quality throughout large parts of the United States, including Western New York.
As a result, Batavia City Schools are canceling all outdoor activities for the rest of the day, on the advice
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) introduced the Red Light Act to withhold federal transportation funding from states that enact laws to provide driver's licenses or identification cards to illegal immigrants in the United States.
This bill directs the Department of Transportation to withhold a state's entire share of
Danielle Lovell, Aidan Walsh, and Scot Walsh, Submitted photo
When the Sunset Fire started to bear down on her Hollywood neighborhood on Wednesday evening, and the order to evacuate came, Danielle Lovell reminded herself to breathe.
She'd been through this before. In 2005, she and her family evacuated their home as Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.
"I think the biggest takeaway (from Katrina) was -- and even last night -- just reminding myself to breathe and to stay calm," Lovell said to The Batavian on Thursday. "You do not want to panic because you are in such a hurry, but breathe and stay calm. Getting out is the most important thing. Everything else is replaceable, and it'll be okay. As long as you're alive, it'll be okay."
Batavia High School special education teacher's aide Leah Wroten gets and gives a hug to student Kassandra. Submitted Photo
At 21, Leah Wroten was diagnosed with cancer, and life as she knew it changed for the foreseeable future, special education teacher Natalie Keller says.
“She had life-changing surgery," Keller said to The Batavian about her fellow Batavia City Schools colleague. "She had not been working for six months.”
Wroten, a BHS 2020 graduate, had major surgery, chemotherapy and related treatments since her diagnosis in 2024. School staff members have had football square and Dress Down Day fundraisers, and one coming up in February is expected to be the biggest so far, Keller said. It will be a 26 Shirts for Leah.
The City of Batavia is working with the Batavia Development Corporation (BDC) to apply to New York State for a second Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant.
Governor Hochul and State Legislative leaders have ensured that New York Cities can continue to grow their tax base and business
