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A house fire with heavy smoke and flames showing is reported at 37 Maple St. in the city. Fire crews are on scene. The road is shut down at Jackson and Maple. A resident has told a dispatcher she is going into the residence to retrieve her purse and she was adamently told not to do so. A second alarm is called.

Mercy medics are en route. Command says everybody's out of the house and they have water on the fire.

UPDATE 10:44 a.m.: National Fuel is called to the scene to shut off the natural gas pipeline. Two Town of Batavia engines called to stand by in quarters. Darien Rescue is called for mutual aid and Alexander's Fast team, too.

UPDATE 10:48: Mercy medics are standing by at Maple and Evans streets.

UPDATE 10:57 a.m.: Town of Batavia Engine #24 is called to the scene.

UPDATE 11:21 a.m.: Command asks dispatch to call for an inspector.

UPDATE 11:41 a.m.: A grandmother who has been renting the house for three years says the fire started outside but they don't know how it happened. She was inside with her grandchild, daughter and son and they all made it out safely. She had multiple pets and believes two of her dogs perished in the blaze and she is uncertain about the fate of her cats. She lost everything inside and had no renter's insurance. More T/K.

UPDATE 1:38 p.m.: The scene is turned over to the caretaker of the property and the city assignment is back in service.

City Fire Chief Stefano Napolitano comforts Bentley Sherman, who lived at the residence with his mother and grandmother.

Update: March 30, 1 p.m.

County Manager Matt Landers provided the amount of sales tax that New York State will divert from Genesee County for 2021 to be used for Fiscally Distressed Health Facilities/Other State General Purposes (FDHF-GF) & Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM)-related Payments:

FDHF-GF Sales Tax Diversion

January 15, 2021 -- $251,636

Rest of calendar year 2021 -- $185,632     

Total -- $437,268

AIM-related Payment Sales Tax Diversion

May 2021 -- $69,124

December 2021 -- $234,489

Total -- $303,613           

Grand Total -- $740,881

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In the Genesee County manager’s eyes, it seems as though the more New York State gets, the more New York State wants.

Matt Landers today said he supports the New York Association of Counties as it attempts to reverse a recent local sales tax diversion law that, according to NYSAC, is removing more than $59 million a year from communities across the state.

“I’m in full agreement of the push by NYSAC to stop this diversion, especially in light of the fact that the state has been given funding through the federal stimulus to assist with nursing homes,” Landers said. “There really isn’t a need to divert county sales tax to go toward assisting distressed hospitals and nursing homes.”

Earlier this month, Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act and appropriated $23.8 billion to New York, with more than half of that going directly to the state government.

Landers emphasized that sales tax is a major source of revenue for more than half of the NYS counties, and also for towns, cities, villages and school districts that have sales tax sharing agreements with their counties.

In 2019, local governments shared $2 billion in local sales tax revenues, NYSAC reported.

The county manager said some municipalities had their state Aid and Incentives to Municipalities funding reduced or eliminated and then put back in – with sales tax diversion cover their AIM – and some will receive their full AIM.

“The governor’s proposal had it so that the AIM will be covered by sales tax diversion, but the Senate and the Assembly have different versions of that. So, until we see a final bill, I’m not sure what the final impact will be,” he noted. “But the sales tax diversion and the AIM situation are just two more examples of the state taking county sales tax for other purposes."

NYSAC President Jack Marren said local governments, now more than ever, need their full share of sales tax and state Aid and Incentives to Municipalities.

“Strong local governments make for a stronger state, and as New York recovers from the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative that those of us who have been serving on the front lines of responding to the crisis be provided with the resources and the flexibility we need for a full recovery,” he said.

In a related development, Landers said he is against the formula being proposed to distribute the 13 percent sales or excise tax attached to the legalization of cannabis.

“The state plans to keep 9 percent of that 13 percent and they’re distributing the 4 percent to municipalities. The problem is that instead of putting it through as sales tax and letting sales tax sharing agreements divvy the money appropriately, they’re providing 3 percent directly to towns, villages and cities, and just 1 percent to counties,” he said.

Landers said that flies in the face of common sense.

“Just think about it? What municipalities are being impacted the most by legalization of marijuana?” he said. “If you look at the services that are delivered, it should go to criminal justice and human services agencies that the county runs – whether it’s the public defender’s office or the DA office, sheriff, the jail, mental health, health department. What does the typical Genesee County town have in services that would be impacted by the legalization of cannabis compared to a county?”

Landers mentioned that he understands some cities are planning to use income from marijuana legalization to pay for programs unrelated to what likely will arise from the increased usage of pot.

“The money should be to fund unintended consequences from the legalization of marijuana. There are going to be public health and other effects – just like the VLT (Video Lottery Terminal) money that was given to municipalities that have gambling in their areas,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that you go and create a new, unrelated program and put the money there. It should be used to offset the societal costs that you’re going to be hit with as a result of that activity.”

He said that some cities have their “wish list” of things that they want to do and now they have a new revenue stream to do that.

“In Genesee County, we would take that money and apply it to whatever effects it had on our budget as a result of the legalization. Unfortunately, though, I think it’s pretty much a done deal and we’ll have to accept the reality.”

Press release:

• Genesee County reporting 34 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke)
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
  • The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 90s. 
  • Twenty of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
  • Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 
  • One of the new positive individuals is a resident of the New York State Veteran’s Home at Batavia.

​

• Orleans County reporting 11 new positive cases of COVID-19.  
  • The positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby)
    • Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre)
    • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
  • The individuals are in their, 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.
  • Nineteen of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
  • One of the current positive individuals is hospitalized.
  • Four of the new positive individuals are inmates of the Albion Correctional Facility.

For 29 years in the Florida Keys, a Genesee County girl was known only as "Valentine Jane Doe."

She had been raped and murdered on Valentine's Day, 1991, her body found the next day by a group of windsurfers walking on a path near a beach. Investigators noted two things about her: she had no tan lines suggesting she was from the north and hadn't been in Florida long, and she had a small heart-shaped tattoo with the word "love" in it.

Over the summer, using DNA matching with relatives, she was at long last identified as Wanda Deann Kirkum, who was 18 at the time of her murder. Wanda was born in Hornell but had spent most of her life in Genesee County going to schools in Pavilion, Batavia and Oakfield.

For those 29 years, her remains were stored in a Florida Social Services vault but recently her ashes were returned to her closest living relative, first cousin Brenda Chartraw.

Chartraw said she and Wanda were close as children and now, after her cousin being known only as a Jane Doe for so many years, Chartraw wants to make sure her name is memorialized with a proper burial in a final resting place and headstone. Kirkum will be lain to rest at a cemetery in Oakfield.

The headstone is being donated by Oakley Monuments of Batavia but Chartraw is asking for the community's help with the rest of the fundraising. She has set up a gofundme.com page and is holding a basket raffle at the Caryville Inn in Oakfield this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets will be drawn at 4 p.m.

Wanda ran away from home when she was 18. Chartraw said Wanda was physically and sexually abused by her father and mother. Her parents, who are both now dead, apparently had no interest in finding her and did not file a missing person's report.

The family believed, Chartraw said, that Wanda wanted to start a new life and had believed that she had done so, without suspecting that she had been killed.

Chartraw said the case of the Valentine Jane Doe was kept top-of-mind within the Monroe County (Florida) Sheriff's Office by the dispatcher who first took the call of Kirkum's body being found by the windsurfers. The case was featured on national television shows but no leads were ever uncovered until this past year.

One of the detectives working the case uploaded Kirkum's DNA to a genealogy site -- using a technique pioneered in California in the Golden State Killer case -- to identify a fourth cousin of Wanda's. With that match, detectives found another family member and acquired a DNA sample to confirm the match.  

Using DNA, detectives also identified Kirkum's killer, Robert Lynn Bradley, who was 31 at the time of his murder in Texas the year after he killed Kirkum.  

NOTE: Family members say that Kirkum never gave birth to a child, as suggested in the video.

Press release:

The Fashion Program students at Genesee Community College announced the 40th Annual Fashion Show will go live, ONLINE, for FREE on Saturday, May 1 at 6 p.m. and this year's show is just in time for the "Novaturient" desires stirring in us all!

The term novaturient describes a desire for change that leads one to travel -- to seek a change in environment.

The entire Fashion Show, which features designs by a dozen GCC students, has been articulately composed around everything from the emotions to the comforts and practicalities of that traveling individual. With sophisticated color pallets and completely unique styles, this show has a look for everyone!

2021 Fashion Show Scene Coordinators include:

• Xi Lin: Styled looks for "Staycation"
• Cadeeja Tanksley: Styled looks to take you to the tropics
• Ariana Medick, Julia Ashworth, and Damani Joseph: Designed, created, and styled women's looks and styled men's looks for "Honeymoon"
• Alexis Remington: Styled looks for "Rendezvous"
• Sayaka Hisayama, Miyabi kondo, and Ayami Kusumi (Freshman): Combination of designed, created, and upcycled looks for "Higaeri Ryokou (Day Trip)"
• Deanna Anderson, and Gianina Defrank: (freshmen scene coordinators) Upcycled and styled looks from personal collections for "Sehnsucht"
• Rebecca Siglin: Designed and created looks for "Carnival"
• Sam Dombrowski: Styled and Upcycled looks for "Road Trip"
• Ziare Evans: Styled looks for "Spring Break"
• Lauren Diegert: Styled and Upcycled looks for "Business and Pleasure"
• Damani Joseph: Styled looks for "Elopement"

Designing the entire show to debut online is a first for GCC's Fashion Program students.

Historically, the show has taken place on campus and has been filled to capacity.

Then, in 2018, the show moved into the Richard C. Call Arena and was able to expand the audience to 2,000 seats. Expecting a full house again in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic caused the in-person show to be canceled, the Fashion Program quickly teamed up with other departments within the College to change directions and the online show was created.

With just about 60 days to create the website from scratch, the students focused on adapting their designs to fit their new models -- the ones they shared a living space with -- while the College focused on preparing the online platform to display their talents. With more than 4,359 views generated from over 41 countries, the 2020 show was a success.

"Knowing the 2021 Fashion Show would be online allowed us to plan it as such from the beginning," said Fashion Program instructor Laura Taylor. "Students needed to have their designs created, submitted and approved much earlier in the semester so our filming could take place with all of the appropriate COVID-19 Safety precautions in place.

"Scouting, selecting and securing locations for filming was a time-consuming addition to our production schedule but it has given our students priceless industry experience."

With a relatable and powerful theme to guide their selections, the students coordinated their scenes, secured models, and collaborated with GCC photographers and videographers to ensure their visions would be creatively realized.

Until the show goes live, the Fashion Business students will be promoting, seeking sponsorships and creating website content for the fast-paced, professionally produced show.

To see the exciting and intricate stages of the "Novaturient" development, follow @gccfashionprogram on Instagram, @trendygcc on Twitter and the FBM (Fashion Business Merchandising) program blog at https://sunygcc.blog/category/academics/fashion/. Students will be sharing details about the show, their individual scenes and more!

The Fashion Program at GCC has always been a flagship for the college. The knowledge and experience of the faculty and their dedication to their students has produced quality and professional workplace candidates and well-prepared transfer students since the program's inception more than 35 years ago.

As defined in the College's strategic priorities, GCC is ever-focused on student success and has renewed its articulation agreement with LIM for students in the Fashion Business: Merchandising A.A.S. program. Students who complete the track and degree can seamlessly transfer to LIM to complete their B.B.A. in Fashion Merchandising, Visual Merchandising, Marketing or Management.

In addition, GCC is very excited to announce a new articulation agreement with Cazenovia College. This agreement provides a seamless transfer opportunity for GCC's Fashion Business: Merchandising A.A.S. students to Cazenovia's Fashion Merchandising B.P.S. and for GCC's Fashion Business: Fashion Design A.A.S. students to Cazenovia's Fashion Design B.F.A. degree program. Anyone interested in taking advantage of these transfer opportunities through GCC is encouraged to contact GCC's Student Success Center at (585) 345-6805 or via email at SSC@genesee.edu.

Nia Hanevin Spring, of Meadville Road, Alabama, is charged with third-degree grand larceny. At 7 p.m. on March 23, Genesee County Sheriff's deputies responded to 986 Bloomingdale Road in the Town of Alabama for complaints of trespassing and larceny at the Rez Smoke Shop and Gas Station. Spring allegedly stole $9,501 in merchandise from the business. She was arraigned in Alabama Town Court and released on her own recognizance. She is due in Genesee County Court on May 18. The case was handled by Deputy Zachary Hoy, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Emery Green, 32, no address or place of residence provided, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, 4th, a Class A misdemeanor. He was arrested and processed at Batavia Police Headquarters after an investigation into an allegation that he possessed a firearm on Batavia City School District property. He was arraigned virtually in Batavia City Court and is due to return there on April 13.

Joshua Williams Sr., 29, no address or place of residence provided, is charged with: criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; second-degree menacing; endangering the welfare of a child; and second-degree harassment. He was arrested at 4:26 p.m. March 17 after a domestic incident in which he allegedly attempted to hit a person with a brick. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond, or $15,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in city court on April 22.

Clarence Wesley Odell, 52, of Corfu (no address provided) is charged with: felony driving while impaired by drugs with a previous conviction within 10 years; felony aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree; refusal to take a breath test; operating an unregistered ATV; and unlawful operation of an ATV on a public highway. At 11;38 p.m. on July 30, Odell was arrested after a traffic stop on South Pearl Street in the Village of Oakfield. He was arraigned on March 5 in Oakfield Town Court and is due back there on April 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Heberlein, assisted by Jacob Gauthier.

James F. Perry, 36, (no address provided), was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal contempt after a disturbance at 1:30 p.m. March 16 on State Street in Batavia. He was allegedly observed in the presence of a person with an order of protection from him. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail in lieu of bail (unspecified). He is due back in court April 15.

Peter Joseph Mancuso, 32, of Northwood Drive, Batavia, is charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal contempt. On March 26 Mancuso was arrested for allegedly causing damage to a door and doorknob at a residence on Roberts Road in Alabama at 11 a.m. March 10 in violation of an active order of protection. He was arraigned in Alabama Town Court and released on his own recognizance. Judge Charles Zambito issued a full stay away order of protection to the Roberts Road resident. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Chad Minuto, assisted by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Cynthia McKnight, 22, of Avenue D, Rochester, is charged with: aggravated driving while intoxicated per se -- with a BAC of .18 or more and no prior convictions; DWI -- first offense; and failure to stop at a stop sign. On March 27 at 6:41 p.m., Genesee County Sheriff's deputies responded to Route 33 in the Town of Bergen for a single-vehicle accident. After an investigation, McKnight was arrested on the charges. It is alleged she was driving while intoxicated and failed to stop at a stop sign, causing her vehicle to go off the roadway and into a field. She was released with appearance tickets and is due in Town of Bergen Court on April 7. The case was handled by Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush, assisted by Deputy Kyle Tower.

Press release:

Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended the eviction moratorium to affected multifamily housing residents through June 30. This halt in residential evictions allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to extend relief to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on USDA-supported multifamily housing communities.

“Due to COVID-19, the United States is facing a nationwide housing affordability crisis," said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson. "That’s why, in a whole-of-government effort, USDA is taking this important action today to extend rental relief to the tens of thousands of individuals in USDA-supported multifamily housing communities.

"Currently, more than 40,000 tenants are rent-overburdened, paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent. Today’s actions will give tenants at USDA-financed properties essential relief while the Department works as quickly as possible to extend the $100 million for emergency rental assistance provided by the American Rescue Plan Act to USDA’s most rent overburdened tenants.”

For more information about the protections provided under this moratorium extension, see the FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration’s Multi-Agency Effort to Support Renters and Landlords | The White House.

In a recent Census Bureau survey, nine million renters (or an estimated 15 percent of all renters) reported being behind on rent. The same survey showed that about 29 percent of Black families and 17 percent of Hispanic renters were behind on rent.

USDA’s Multi-Family Housing Programs provide affordable multifamily rental housing in rural areas by financing projects geared for low-income, elderly and disabled individuals and families, as well as domestic farm workers.

USDA extends its reach by guaranteeing loans for affordable rental housing designed for low- to moderate-income residents in rural areas and towns. USDA also provides grants to sponsoring organizations to repair or rehabilitate housing for eligible families and subsidizes rents for low-income tenants who cannot afford to pay their full rent.

COVID-19 has had a lasting impact on rural America. Families have lost their homes, students have resorted to unconventional solutions to access schoolwork online, the need for food assistance has grown, and access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations have been limited.

The American Rescue Plan implements funding that invests in the people of rural America:

• $100 million through September 2022 in rental assistance for low-income and elderly borrowers.
• $39 million through September 2023 to help refinance direct loans under the Single-Family Housing Loan Program and the Single-Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants.
• $500 million in Community Facility Program funds to help rural hospitals and local communities broaden access to COVID-19 vaccines & food assistance.

In addition to programs facilitated by USDA, the American Rescue Plan provides significant investments into rural communities by expanding internet connectivity and establishing a homeowner assistance fund to assist struggling homeowners with mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance, utilities and other housing related costs.

Press release:

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $3,702,246 in federal block grants for seven New York tribal communities through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Indian Housing Block Grants Program.

Included is $35,007 for the Tonawanda Band of Seneca in Basom.

The funding, authorized in the American Rescue Plan, will go toward developing new affordable housing projects and improving existing units on Indian reservations and lands, in turn providing tangible relief to individuals and families. 

“Let me make this clear: safe housing, especially during a pandemic is a right,” Senator Schumer said. “This federal investment gets us closer to our goal of ensuring that every New Yorker has a safe place to call home, including our neighbors in New York’s tribal communities.

"I have long believed in the importance of directing resources to historically disadvantaged communities, and that need is even more pronounced in this crisis which has done so much to worsen those inequities. I will always fight tooth and nail so all of New York’s tribal community members have a place to call home.”

“I am proud to announce this American Rescue Plan funding to combat homelessness across the country,” Senator Gillibrand said. “The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis have exacerbated housing insecurity across New York, especially in underserved communities.

"This funding will help ensure that New York’s tribal communities have access to stable, safe, and affordable housing. No one should ever have to question whether they’ll have a safe place to sleep at night during the pandemic and beyond.” 

TRIBE

CITY

AMOUNT RECEIVED

Cayuga Nation

Seneca Falls

$186,448

Oneida Indian Nation of New York

Verona

$512,804

Seneca Nation of New York

Irving

$1,745,554

Shinnecock Indian Nation

Southampton

$67,575

St. Regis Mohawk Tribe

Akwesasne

$1,119,851

Tonawanda Band of Seneca

Basom

$35,007

Tuscarora Nation

Lewiston

$35,007

Press release:

Oak Orchard Health is pleased to announce it has received notification that it will be awarded $3.7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. 

These funds will be used to: expand COVID-19 vaccinations, testing, and treatment for vulnerable populations; deliver preventive and primary health care services to people at higher risk for COVID-19; and expand health centers’ operational capacity during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond, including modifying and improving physical infrastructure and adding mobile units. 

“This is great news for all of us at Oak Orchard Health and is another reminder of the importance of all the work we do,” says Mary Ann Pettibon, CEO Oak Orchard Health.

Oak Orchard Health

Originally founded in 1966, Oak Orchard has grown from a migrant health project into an integrated health center with multiple locations providing health care services for everyone located in the communities we serve. Currently serving more than 26,000 patients at 11 locations, Oak Orchard Health is a recognized patient-centered medical home and 501(c) nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) located in the towns of Albion, Alexander, Batavia, Brockport, Corfu, Lyndonville, Hornell and Warsaw.

From Cindy Canale:

St. Paul Lutheran School is pleased to announce that we will be adding sixth grade, beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year.

We are currently accepting registrations for preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, as well as kindergarten through sixth-grade.

For more information contact us at (585) 343-0488, or stpaulbatavia.org. The school is located at 31 Washington Ave. in the City of Batavia.

Press release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have Pfizer and Moderna vaccination clinics with appointments available for Genesee and Orleans counties' residents.

Whichever COVID-19 vaccine is available is the right vaccine to get now! All approved vaccines are effective and saves lives. We encourage anyone that is currently eligible to register for an upcoming clinic.

Vaccine is now available for people age 50 and older along with the existing priority groups (http://bit.ly/NYSPriorityGroups).

Pfizer is a two-series dose, 21 days apart (three weeks), and is recommended for people aged 16 and older. Moderna is a two-series dose, 28 days apart (four weeks), and is recommended for people aged 18 and older.

It is important to note that you must be able to return for the second dose 21 days for Pfizer or 28 days for Moderna after the first dose at the location, you received your initial vaccination. You will be making that appointment after you are vaccinated.  If you cannot make that date, please do not make an appointment for a two-dose series until you can make both appointments.  

Visit the vaccination webpage at:  https://bit.ly/GOHealthVaccine.

Choose either the Moderna Clinic or the Pfizer Clinic button to make your appointment. When you register, it will also show which vaccine will be at the clinic during that day.  In Genesee County, the clinics are held at the Athletic Center at Genesee Community College in Batavia and in Orleans County, the clinics are held at the Ridgeway Fire Hall in Medina.

If you are interested in making an appointment to get your COVID-19 vaccination, now is the time to do it locally!

Public Notice

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Village of Oakfield Board of Trustees will hold a Public Hearing Monday, April 12th, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. at the Village Hall, 39 Main Street, Oakfield, NY 14125 for the purpose of hearing comments on the Tentative Village Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022. The tentative budget is on file in the office of the Village Clerk at 37 Main Street, Oakfield, NY where it may be seen by any interested persons during regular business hours and is also available on the Village website oakfield.govoffice.com. The proposed salaries for the Mayor and Village Trustees are as follows: Village Trustees - $2,865.00 each, Deputy Mayor- $4,260.00 Mayor - $8,675.00.

Public Notice

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Village of Oakfield Board of Trustees will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, April 12th, 2021 @ 6:30 p.m. at the Village Hall, 39 Main Street, Oakfield, NY 14125, for the purpose of hearing comments on a proposed increase in the water and sewer rates.

Hearings are in person. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, capacity of the meeting room is limited to 20 people with proper social distancing and masks required.

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.86, down 2 cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.02. The New York State average is $2.91 – no change from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.34.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.84 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.83 (no change since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.88 (no change since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.88 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rome -- $2.93 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.86 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.95 (no change since last week)

Growing stock levels have helped to put downward pressure on pump prices, according to the latest weekly report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The national average decreased despite rising gas demand, which will likely continue through the Easter travel week.

Crude prices dropped last week due to continuing market concern that crude demand will drop as Europe increases restrictions to curb growing coronavirus infection rates and now hover at $60 to $64 per barrel.

There are concerns, however, that the blocked congested Suez Canal will stall slow the supply chain for petrochemical products coming from the Middle East, leading to a possible spike in prices.

From GasBuddy: 

"After the feverish rise in gas prices to start the year, increases have largely tapered off and we're now seeing decreasing prices in most areas of the country, thanks to oil prices that have moderated for the time being," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

"As the Suez Canal has remained was blocked for nearly a week, we could see some volatility in the price of oil this week as the market digests any updates as hundreds of ships remain in limbo.

"Back stateside, refiners have made the switch to summer gasoline and price impacts have been limited thus far, but demand for gasoline remains strong. Last week saw total gasoline demand at yet another pandemic high according to GasBuddy data.

"As we approach warmer weather and motorists are increasingly getting outside, it could drive prices higher, so long as COVID-19 cases don't jump along with it and lead to new travel restrictions."

Livestream courtesy of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

Members of Girl Scout Troop 43091 held a cookie sale in Byron this afternoon.

Members of the Byron Volunteer Fire Department held a boot drive in the hamlet this afternoon. With normal fundraising activities curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic, the department conducted the boot drive to help raise money for air packs.

The Easter Bunny paid a visit to the Village of Bergen today where he and his helpers handed out Easter eggs and other treats in a socially distanced drive-thru Easter egg hunt.

Alice Calmes shared this information:

Typically the teams would start preparing in early December when the NYS BAR Association releases the case. However, due to Covid guidelines, the school didn't allow extracurricular activities to start until Feb 22.

At that time, the four returning members recruited four more members, assigned roles, and started working on opening and closing statements, questions for direct and cross, and memorizing affidavits.

The initial round of competitions for them started March 8th and they went 4-0 advancing straight to the semifinals due to a bye in the quarter-finals from being in first place at the end of the initial rounds. A win against Attica High School sent them to the finals against Oakfield-Alabama on Wednesday night.

Both matches were hard-fought, with Alexander beating Oakfield-Alabama in both.

Many of the students had to take a role on both the plaintiff and defense sides, which added to the difficulty of such a short preparation time.

The team consists of: senior -- Erin Hess, a first-year member; juniors -- Shawn Calmes, Katarina Luker, Imogene Plitt and Anna "Annie" Slenker -- all returning members, and Dana Morelli, a first-year member; and freshmen -- Olivia Burkhardt and Holly Bykowski, first-year members.

The team is led by Advisor -- Johnny Lucas, a History teacher at Alexander, and Jane Schmeider, their lawyer advisor.

Erin, Shawn, Katarina, Imogene and Annie are all doubling up on plaintiff and defense.

Photo submitted by Alice Calmes. Not all team members were available at the time this photo was taken and they won't be until after spring break. In the photo are Annie, Holly, Erin, Mr. Lucas, Shawn Calmes, Olivia, Katarina and Imogene (missing is Dana).

For previous mock trial coverage, click here.

Data Update – 

• Genesee County reporting seven new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke)
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 40s and 70s. 
• Twenty-four of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
• Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 
• One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at the Genesee County Jail.

​

Orleans County reporting four new positive cases of COVID-19.

​

• The positive cases reside in the:
  • West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby)
  • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
• One of the new positive individuals was under quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Two of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
• Zero of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.
• We removed one of yesterday’s reported positive, as they are not a resident of the county, yesterday’s total count should have been 2529.