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Assemblyman Steve Hawley is featured in a new public service announcement ad for the 2020 Census. The PSA is being submitted to television stations to air.

People have been using the Ellicott Trail -- especially since COVID-19 hit -- for months but yesterday was the official opening of the 9.7-mile bike and walking route that snakes through the city and down from Williams Park to Seven Springs Road.

The project cost $1.7 million, mostly funded by grants, with the city and town picking up 10 percent of the cost.

Thank you to Dean Brooks for the drone footage used in the video.

Click here to a PDF map of the trail.

An excavator has struck a gas line in the area of 11028 Attica Road, Alexander.

The two-inch line is ruptured and leaking, according to a chief on scene.

Natural Fuel requested to the scene.

A first responder has located a valve and firefighters are going to shut off the gas.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: A chief requests Attica PD to shut down Attica Road at Old Buffalo Road (Route 238) and another responder on the other end of Attica Road to stop traffic from that direction.

UPDATE 12:46 p.m.: National Fuel is on scene.

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: All Alexander units are clearing the scene, back in service.

UPDATE 1:32 p.m.: Attica PD is clearing the scene, back in service.

Strong thunderstorms with heavy rain are possible later this afternoon, according to special weather statement by the National Weather Service.

Damaging winds are possible. There is a risk of tornado activity, especially in the Southern Tier and western Finger Lakes region.

The storms are likely to contain torrential downpours that could easily exceed an inch of rainfall in a 30-minute period.

UPDATE 2:23 p.m.: From National Grid -- National Grid is closely monitoring this afternoon’s weather forecast, which calls for potential scattered severe thunderstorms, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain throughout portions of western New York. The most severe weather is expected in the westernmost tip of the state and is predicted to stretch northward along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

A driver of a Waste Management truck that police believe was 13' 6" high, including its natural gas fuel tanks atop its waste bin, tried passing under a train bridge over Mill Street in Le Roy this afternoon.

The problem: the bridge is only 12' 6" high.

Two of the tanks atop the truck carrying compressed natural gas, to fuel the truck, exploded. The other two were damaged and leaked off their contents.

Nobody was injured in the blast.

A witness said the driver managed to get out of the truck and run from the explosions while a tank spun in the street "like a top."

One of the tanks landed in two pieces in the Oatka Creek, more than 150 yards away.

Mill Street reopened after the roadway was cleared of debris. The bridge was damaged, with a large crack visible in the concrete buttress. An engineer for Rochester and Southern Railroad, owners of the track and bridge, is driving from Massachusetts tonight to inspect the damage and determine whether the bride is safe for trains to cross. In the meantime, the bridge is closed to train traffic.

Press release:

• Genesee County received two new positive cases of COVID-19. for a total of 238 positive cases.
  • The positive individuals reside in Alexander and Pembroke.
  • One of the positive individuals is in their 20s and one is in their 40s.
  • The positive individuals were not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • One of the previous community positive cases has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Twenty-seven new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states. This number is accurate but due to a lag in receiving the report from the state system, these individuals may have reported in previous to today.
  • No individuals are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received zero new positive case of COVID-19, maintaining a total of 269 positive cases.
  • One new individual is on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • Five of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.
  • We are saddened to report that we received notification of a COVID-19 related death of one of our Orleans County residents. The individual was a resident of Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of this individual during this very sad time.

The Salvation Army and United Way hosted a free food distribution this morning at Northgate Church.

Upcoming food distributions:

July 22 at 9 a.m. -- Oakfield-Alabama CSD -- 7001 Lewiston Road, Oakfield (585) 948-5211

July 29 at 3 p.m. -- Byron-Bergen High School -- 6917 W. Bergen Road, Bergen (585) 343-6284

AUGUST

Aug. 5 at 9 a.m. -- City Church (St. Anthony’s)— 14 Liberty St., Batavia, (585) 343-6895

Aug. 12 at 9 a.m. -- Oakfield-Alabama CSD -- 7001 Lewiston Road, Oakfield (585) 948-5211

Aug. 19 at 3 p.m. -- Byron-Bergen High School -- 6917 W. Bergen Road, Bergen (585) 343-6284

Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. -- Northgate Free Methodist Church -- 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia (585) 343-6284

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 2 at 9 a.m. -- City Church (St. Anthony’s)— 114 Liberty St., Batavia (585) 343-6895

Press release:

• Genesee County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 236 positive cases.
  • The positive individuals reside in Batavia and Pembroke.
  • One of the positive individuals is in their 40s and one is in their 60s.
  • The positive individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Two of the previous community positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
  • No new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • No individuals are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received zero new positive case of COVID-19, maintaining a total of 269 positive cases.
  • Five new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • Six of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.

Even before the pandemic struck New York, the Genesee County District Attorney's office was hit hard, according to DA Lawrence Friedman, by new discovery rules that greatly increased the workload of attorneys in his office, he said.

Now, his office is faced with the daunting task of catching up on a backlog of cases at a time when courts are scheduling defendant appearances further apart.

In order to maintain social distancing in courtrooms, courts are putting a time buffer between cases, which impacts the workflow and increases the time an attorney can be tied up in court, Friedman said.

"The same thing is going on in every court in the county," Friedman said. "We can't even imagine what that is going to do as far as our time commitments. We're concerned."

When the pandemic hit, Friedman's office was in the process of hiring a seventh full-time attorney to help with the prosecution load but before a new person could be brought on board, the county initiated a hiring freeze.

The hiring freeze remains in place but yesterday, Friedman asked county legislators at the Public Service Committee meeting to lift that freeze for this one position in his office.

"We're well aware of the financial difficulties faced by the county but the same pandemic that created the financial problem has only increased our need for the position," Friedman said.

Before the hiring freeze, Friedman did hire two new paralegals, authorized in this year's budget, to help with the workload mandated by the new discovery rules (under the new rules, there is more material to review and turn over to defendants in a shorter period of time).

"This is not a position we can just fill immediately," Friedman said. "We need a month to get the word out and collect resumes, schedule interviews, and make a job offer. Generally, attorneys like to give four weeks' notice. So it could be a couple of months, at best, before we're able to hire someone."

Only Friedman and First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell have more than 14 months of experience in the DA's office and Friedman will retire at the end of 2021.

The workload in the office is also increasing because state troopers will start wearing body cams, which will mean more evidence to review in some cases, and the repeal of Public Service Law 50-a, which used to keep police disciplinary records confidential, has also made the discovery process more burdensome. 

"Our obligation is to make sure that information is disclosed to the defense," Friedman said.

The public defender's office, Friedman noted, also has six attorneys handling criminal cases but the office, Friedman said, handles only "a fraction" of the cases the DA's office handles. Since defendants might hire a private attorney or received assigned counsel, the Public Defenders Office doesn't handle every single criminal case in the county, which the DA's office does.

There are also state grants available to help cover the public defenders' budget, Friedman noted.

Friedman also noted that new City Court Judge Durin Rogers is "more demanding" and takes up more time on cases, and Town of Batavia Supervisor Greg Post has also asked for more DA time in the Town of Batavia Court.

No committee member offered any comment on Friedman's request nor is there an indication on when the legislature might consider it further.

County legislators dealt with two law enforcement-related contracts at Monday's Public Service Committee meeting that, as one member put it, are "mysteries" because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

It is unknown whether there will be on-campus learning at county schools this fall, but the Sheriff's Office is expected to provide School Resources Officers to six campuses if students return to classrooms, so that contract needs to be in place.

Right now, it doesn't look like Live Nation will host any concerts at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center but in case they do, the contract for the Sheriff's Office needs to be in place.

The committee recommended both contracts be approved.

For SROs, three school districts -- Alexander, Byron-Bergen, and Pavilion -- employ deputies year-round and reimburse the county for that expense. Those SROs remain employed by their respective districts.

Pembroke, Oakfield-Alabama, and BOCES use SROs for only 10 months during the year, so the Sheriff's Office gets reimbursed for those deputies' salaries for only those 10 months.

The year-around school districts have continued to use their SROs even during the lockdown, even during the summer, but it's uncertain what will happen with the partial-year SROs if students don't return to campus in the fall.

Currently, the Sheriff's Office has three open road patrol positions. Rather than hire and train new officers, the three deputies who are SROs in Pembroke, O-A, and BOCES are fulfilling those duties, so the cost to the county of not getting those salaries covered by the school districts is a wash.

As for Darien Lake, there's no expense to the county if there are no concerts and Live Nation pays for any deputies put on duty at concerts.

However, discussion of the concert season had legislators asking about the impact that closure of Darien Lake -- the theme park, concert venue, and hotel -- would have on county revenue. The county derives significant revenue from sales tax at the theme park as well as gas tax for people who travel into Genesee County for the park and subsequently buy gas here. The bed tax from the hotel is about a third of the bed tax revenue for the county, said County Manager Jay Gsell.

Chairwoman Rochelle Stein told the committee that based on her communication with industry and state officials, Darien Lake is part of an amusement park lobbying group trying to get the governor's office to authorize theme parks to reopen.

She said Darien Lake has drafted a thick binder of guidelines the park would follow if it reopened.

"They've put their safety plan in front of the governor's office," Stein said. "There is a whole lobbying arm of the amusement park industry that as a group is trying to convince the governor to let them reopen. So far, that has fallen on deaf ears."

Photo: The socially distanced Public Service Committee meeting.

When Rob Credi got back in the coffee business -- he had previously co-owned and ran Main Street Coffee for years -- he didn't expect to be back in the come-in-and-sit-down coffee business anytime soon.

He was satisfied with his truck for Pub Coffee Hub, setting up at locations around Batavia and Western New York selling lattes, espressos, and sandwiches. 

Then Renee Smart, owner for nine years of Moonjava Cafe let him know she was ready for a change in her life and was looking to sell her business in the Harvester Center.

Credi looked at the assets, the location, the lease agreement, and decided it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"I said, 'I would be foolish to say no to it,' " Credi said.

He will rechristen Moonjava as Pub Coffee Hub, change the color scheme inside but otherwise keep the same atmosphere -- including local art -- and hopes to open by Aug. 1.

He's surprised, he said, at how smoothly things have gone.

"At this moment, I’m apprehensive," Credit said. "It’s been too easy so far. It’s been super uncomplicated. I’m cautiously optimistic because it’s a great opportunity. Something will go wrong at some point, but I’m kind of crossing my fingers thinking maybe it will be this easy.”

Easy includes keeping on Smart's assistant Anthony Siedlecki. Siedlecki will run the Harvester Avenue location full time allowing Credi to operate the food truck full time. 

Credi said he always felt bad when he took the truck to Buffalo because loyal customers in his home base of Batavia couldn't get their Pub Coffee fix.

"That was an added benefit to know that if the truck isn’t in Batavia, people can come in and still get the same things," Credi said.

While Pub Coffee Hub's shop will serve a menu to match what's on the truck, one thing being retained from the Moonjava menu by popular demand is the soups, Credi said.

Smart said he's decided to re-enter her previous career as a cytotechnologist -- a laboratory professionals who study cells and cellular anomalies -- and was thinking about the change even before the pandemic hit.

After shutting the cafe as part of the state's coronavirus response, now seemed like a good time to make the transition. She also said the changes necessary to comply with social distancing measures dampened her excitement for the business. 

"I felt that it was time to let Moonjava go and hopefully find somebody with their own dream and ideas to open a place that would provide for the community in a new way," Smart said. "Enter Rob. It all flowed together for both of us.

"I really would like to say," she added, "that it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to be able to serve that community for nine years and although it was a difficult decision to close the business, it was very reassuring to be selling it to another creative and community-conscientious person. I am excited for Rob and can’t wait to experience his take on the local coffee hub!"

An off-duty deputy in route to work has called in an accident on Route 5 just outside the Village of Le Roy that he said he witnessed.

He's requested an ambulance to the scene and said there is airbag deployment.

The Le Roy fire chief was also immediately on scene. The chief reports one person is trapped in a vehicle, alert and conscious.

UPDATE 8:27 a.m.: Le Roy fire is responding. Le Roy Ambulance is on scene.

Police were in pursuit of a white Chevy Impala or similar vehicle with "SECURITY" on the side.

The car apparently pulled out of the Red Roof Inn with no lights. It fled toward BJ's Wholesale Club and around the building back on to Veterans Memorial Drive. It crashed in the area of Aspen Dental and headed back toward BJ's.

It then headed back toward the Thruway and was driving on Thruway property behind the Hershey's Ice Cream building where it stopped or became stuck.

There are at least three individuals in the vehicle.

UPDATE 2:54 a.m.: Police communication indicates the car was stolen out of Rochester. Mercy EMS responded to the scene for the evaluation of at least two individuals. Troopers at the scene were unable to speak to media and referred questions to the Public Information Officer during business hours. We were able to confirm that chase started when a trooper spotted the vehicle leaving the vicinity of Red Roof Inn without headlights and before the trooper attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle drove off the roadway on Park Road. That section of Park Road had a large amount of gravel on it and tire tracks were visible along the shoulder. Once the trooper tried to initiate a traffic stop, the driver fled. The spot where the car initially went off the road is also the same spot where the car exited Park Road in an apparent attempt to gain access to the Thruway. The sedan became stuck in a ditch next to the Thruway.

Press release:

• Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 234 positive cases.
  • The positive individual resides in Oakfield.
  • The positive individual is in their 20s.
  • The positive individual was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • One of the previous community positive cases has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • No new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • No individuals are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 269 positive cases.
  • The positive individual resides in Yates.
  • The positive individual is in their 20s.
  • The positive individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Three new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • Seven of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.

On Saturday, we paid a visit to the Farmers Market in Le Roy in part to catch up with what's been going with the Woodward Memorial Library as well as check in on the market. The market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon in Trigon Park.

A two-car accident, with one vehicle overturned in a field, is reported in the area of 10891 East Road, Pavilion.

Unknown injuries. One person reportedly is trapped in the overturned car because of damage to the door.

Traffic is not blocked.

Pavilion fire along with Bethany fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Press release:

Genesee Community College has made the decision to suspend its fall athletic season to protect the health and safety of the students and community in light of the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision will affect men's and women's soccer, basketball, swimming and diving, and women's volleyball, which is in line with the majority of Region III decisions.

GCC coaches have communicated this news to their teams, and are maintaining continual engagement with the College's student-athletes, as well as providing opportunities for safe athletic conditioning activities where possible.

"This decision, although not without its disappointments, is the best path for us to ensure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and training staff," said Assistant Vice President of Student Engagement & Inclusion Kristen Schuth.

"While we are eager to move forward with such an important part of the student and campus experience, the landscape of this semester just does not allow us to do so in a method that would have been convincingly without associated risks. I look forward to the day when it is safe for the fields and floors of GCC to hold competitions again."

GCC will honor all signed scholarship agreements for incoming student-athletes and for those returning. At this time, the length of the fall sports suspension is unknown, and decisions regarding winter and spring sports have not yet been made. Sport-specific updates will be shared as they become available at geneseeathletics.com.

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.20, which is two cents higher than a week ago. One year ago, the price was $2.79. The New York State average is $2.26 – a penny higher than last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.89.

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

• Batavia -- $2.23 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.19 (no change since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.17 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.21 (no change since last week)
• Rome -- $2.28 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.16 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.28 (no change cent since last week)

Demand for gasoline is slowly increasing according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) as motorists enjoy summer road trips, malls reopen, and people head back to work.

Gas prices remain relatively cheap compared to past years. While the national average is up two cents in the past week, it is 59 cents less than last year while the New York State average is 63 cents cheaper than last summer.

AAA continues to see motorists requesting maps and tour books for summer road trips as cars are the most popular form of travel this summer.

GasBuddy:

"According to GasBuddy data, gasoline demand continues to struggle as of late, hitting some mid-summer blues as coronavirus cases continue to see upward movement in more states, but it hasn't been a sharp enough drop to push gas prices lower last week," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

"While prices for this time of year remain the lowest in over 15 years, it's still easy to spend more than you need to on gas by letting your guard down, especially now with several states raising gasoline taxes in the midst of summer. For now, I continue to expect gas prices to move sideways -- that is -- the lack of a clear national trend for now, some will rise, some will fall, as we remain in a COVID-19 holding pattern."

Press release:

The City Water Department is on location of a water main break in front of 108 River St. The water will be shut off on River Street from Pearl to South Main. The surrounding area may experience low pressure or rusty water, please do not attempt to do laundry at this time.

Traffic will be limited so please avoid the area if possible.

We appreciate your understanding while repairs are being made, the city will make every attempt to have water restored as soon as possible.

UPDATE 11:45 a.m.:

The water main has been repaired and the water has been restored. The water may still be discolored, please avoid doing laundry until water is clear.

It will take a little while for the crew to make the repairs to the pavement, so if traffic can avoid the area it will be appreciated.