It has been seven years since public school students cracked open a textbook at the Robert Morris building on Union Avenue in Batavia but the Batavia City School District superintendent is thinking it's time for that to change.

Anibal Soler Jr. suggested to the Board of Trustees on Monday night, along with a facilities consultant who made a presentation during the Zoom conference meeting, that Robert Morris is being underutilized; that there are space constraints elsewhere in the district, particularly at the middle school; and without students at Robert Morris, the building is a financial drain on the district.

"We wanted to throw something out there to get your mind working," Soler told the trustees. "We know we’ll have some fiscal challenges but to maintain a building that we don’t get anything for and we have to keep finding tenants as we do at Robert Morris, I think we have to start thinking about that, especially when we know the middle school is extremely packed right now."

In 2012, city schools consolidated their five schoolhouses into four -- Jackson Elementary, John Kennedy Primary, the middle school and the high school -- with Robert Morris becoming home to a couple of school programs with space available to tenants. The building has been generating $100,000 annually in lease payments for the district. That revenue will drop to $36,000 in the coming fiscal year. One tenant currently in the building is leaving once its lease expires in June. 

Meanwhile, because there are no students in the building, the district cannot receive state aid for any maintenance or improvements needed on the structure, Soler said.

The future of Robert Morris came up during a presentation by Richard Little and Brian Cieslinski, of SEI Design Group. The architectural firm was hired by the district to fulfill a state mandate to do a facilities review every five years.

The state requires each school district to go through these periodic reviews because identification of issues at school facilities helps the state's education department budget for aid to school districts.

SEI identified more than $40 million in maintenance issues that need to be addressed within the next five years.

“This looks daunting as far as a $40 million sum," Cieslinski said. "I would tell you, statistically, (compared to) a lot of our school districts this is actually a very good list. You’re maintaining your buildings very well."

The list includes items such as:

• Jackson School
  • Improving accessibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Replacing rooftop heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units
  • Installing an emergency generator
• John Kennedy School
  • Improving drainage
  • Replacing broken or cracked concrete slabs
  • Accessibility
  • Moisture mitigation in the gym
  • Upgrades to the alarm and PA systems
• Middle School
  • Exterior brick restoration
  • Moisture in the gym walls
  • Accessibility
  • Fire barrier in the auditorium
  • Installing an emergency generator
• High School
  • Locker room renovations
  • A boiler upgrade
  • Moisture mitigation
  • Lighting upgrades
  • A new public address system
• Robert Morris
  • Brick repairs
  • Window replacements
  • Accessibility
  • An upgrade to the fire alarm system and PA
  • An emergency generator

SEI delivered to the school district a thick binder that listed these items and many more that were ranked from 1 to 5 by priority. It will be up to district officials to figure out how best to prioritize these items over the next five years.

Board President Alice Ann Benedict asked if the conversion of Robert Morris back into a school is something that will be part of the upcoming budget discussions. Soler said, no. The conversion and reassignment of students will be a significant planning issue. It will take a lot longer than a couple of months to pull together and it also needs to involve discussion with the board, administrators, teachers, parents, and other community members.

Little did present one suggestion under consideration: Moving two classes of students out of the middle school -- possibly to Robert Morris, and then relocating district offices to the middle school. That would free up space at the high school, possibly for expanded STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education, as well as accommodate students in the future who might do better with remote learning even in a post-COVID-19 education world.

Soler was quick to emphasize that is just one idea and that more ideas need to be explored with community input.

Press release:

New York high school seniors who are graduating and interested in pursuing a career in agriculture can apply for New York Farm Bureau’s Agricultural Youth Scholarship.

Statewide winners can earn up to $1,500 toward their future education.

The applicant or their family must be a New York Farm Bureau member, and the student must live and/or work on a farm in the state. The student must also complete the application, which includes writing an essay addressing an issue facing agriculture in their county and how Farm Bureau may support its members in addressing it. 

Scoring will determine both county and district winners and may include a personal interview.

Each district winner will receive $100 and then compete for one of three state scholarships worth $1,500, $1,200 and $1,000, based on their submitted applications. The judging will take place prior to April 20.  

For more information, including the application, go to New York Farm Bureau’s website at nyfb.org. The scholarship information can be found under “Promotion and Education” in the programs section of the website.

You can also call the New York Farm Bureau office at 1-800-342-4143. Completed application packets must be returned to New York Farm Bureau in Albany with a March 1 postmark deadline or via email to pdugan@nyfb.org.

From Vicky Muckle, executive assistant to the county manager:

Genesee County will hold a free COVID-19 Testing Clinic for Genesee County residents on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Fire Training Center, 7690 State Street Road, Batavia.

Time is 1 to 3 p.m.

There are 309 appointments available: 

Here's the link to register.

Phone: (585) 344-2580

Press release:

Today, U.S Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation in the new Congress to eliminate the $10,000 cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction starting in 2021.

The proposal would allow taxpayers to fully deduct their state and local taxes on their federal income returns. In 2017, the deduction was capped at $10,000 and resulted in a tax increase for many middle-class families.

“When it comes to SALT, New York families needed and deserved this money before the coronavirus took hold, the stakes are even higher now because the cap is costing this community tens-of-thousands of dollars they could be using amid the crisis,” Senator Schumer said.

“That is why I am proud to be leading this legislation to restore our full SALT deduction. Double taxing hardworking homeowners is plainly unfair; We need to bring our federal dollars back home to the to cushion the blow this virus—and this harmful SALT cap—has dealt so many homeowners and families locally.

“I am proud to join my colleagues to introduce legislation to repeal the cap on the State and Local Tax deduction, a cynical policy passed by Republicans as a way to repay wealthy donors and lobbyists with big corporate tax cuts,” Senator Gillibrand said.

“The reinstating of the SALT Deduction will ensure that New York families have more money in their pockets, get much-needed tax relief and will once again be treated fairly.”

Schumer and Gillibrand pointed to the following reasons for why the SALT deduction is unfair to New Yorkers:

• New Yorkers already subsidize other states by paying $36-45 billion more in taxes than we receive back from the federal government;
• The repeal of the SALT deduction results in double taxation by imposing federal taxes on the income used to pay state and local taxes;
• The elimination of the deduction drives wealthier people to other states and leaves middle- and lower-income taxpayers holding the bag to pay for school, police and other essential state and local tax burdens.

A breakdown of data from 2017 shows just how critical the full deduction was to New York homeowners. In the 27th Congressional District, for example, 33 percent of taxpayers used the SALT deduction that year, and the average deduction was for $14,096. In Genesee County, a total of 6,840 households claimed the SALT deduction and the average deduction amounted to $10,156. Countywide, 94 percent middle-income taxpayers were beneficiaries of the SALT deduction.

Across Upstate New York, the average SALT deduction was more than $13,000 across more than 1.2 million households.

Under the pre-Trump tax code, taxpayers who itemized deductions on their federal income tax returns could deduct state and local real estate and personal property taxes, as well as either income taxes or general sales taxes.

State and local income and real estate taxes had made up approximately 60 percent of local and state tax deductions, while sales tax and personal property taxes made up the remainder. According to the Tax Policy Center, approximately one-third of tax filers had itemized deductions on their federal income tax returns.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is demanding a legislative hearing regarding the handling of the coronavirus pandemic within New York state’s nursing homes by the Department of Health, as well as the revocation of the Governor’s emergency powers, following a report from the state Attorney General’s Office that the department underreported nursing home deaths related to COVID-19 by as much as 50 percent.

The report also revealed that residents and staff were not provided with sufficient amounts of PPE (personal protective equipment) and COVID-19 tests, and that many nursing homes were not complying with an executive order requiring communication with family members of residents.

“What was revealed in today’s report from the Attorney General is nothing short of tragic, and, at this point, I consider it a moral obligation to hold hearings into this matter so we can get to the bottom of what caused this unfathomable tragedy,” Hawley said.

“I am shocked we are only learning today of the magnitude of this unthinkable loss of life, and I am resolved to restoring proper and constitutional government in our state to ensure the Legislature has the oversight capability to assure this never happens again.”

The City of Batavia has received two responses to its request for proposal for agencies interested in providing youth services to the municipality.

Interim Manager Rachael Tabelski, speaking at Thursday night's City of Batavia Youth Board meeting via Zoom videoconferencing, said one firm scored an average of 90 and the other scored an average of 75. Scoring was done by Tabelski, members of the youth board and other persons named to the selection team.

A third firm responded with a no-bid letter stating that it did not wish to bid.

Tabelski shared this information with Youth Board members David Twichell, Paula Fischer and Lydia Schauf and City Council liaison Al McGinnis before continuing with the RFP discussion in executive session – without The Batavian reporter in attendance.

It was expected that the Youth Board would meet in the next week or so to interview one or both of the organizations that indicated responded favorably.

Tabelski did get back to The Batavian following the meeting last night.

“The plan going forward may include interviews (of one or both of the candidates) and for the measure to be put on a Council agenda to explain why the selection committee has rated a particular firm as the highest,” she said.

She would not disclose the names of the two organizations in the running, but said that the agenda of City Council’s Feb. 22 Conference Meeting “potentially” could include the youth services RFP item.

As an historical note, the Liberty Center for Youth opened in August 2019 as a joint venture of the City Youth Bureau and Genesee Area Family YMCA and the subsequent daily operation (before it was closed due to COVID-19) was being split 50/50 by the City Youth Bureau and YMCA.

The RFP was drafted by Jocelyn Sikorski, the former county/city youth bureau executive director, before she left the position to take the executive director job with Cornell Cooperative Extension. It was sent out on Dec. 1 to local organizations that may wish to contract with the city for the 2021-22 fiscal year that begins on April 1.

The city’s primary youth services are an afterschool program at the Liberty Center for Youth on the City Church St. Anthony’s campus and a summer recreation program, but it does participate in other activities, including those coordinated by Genesee County.

Fischer reiterated the youth board’s position that the city’s agreement with the county to share the cost of an executive director should be dissolved in light of Sikorski’s departure, the city’s budget situation and the county possibly looking to make changes to the way it delivers youth services.

It was noted that the county has not billed the city for youth services during the first quarter of this year and that the city has not requested any services from the county.

Twichell asked McGinnis if City Council understood that the youth board recommended ending the contract with the county, but Tabelski said dissolution of contracts was a responsibility of the city manager’s office, and ultimately it would be decided by City Council.

Fischer mentioned that the reason the city contracted with the county because, at the time, it was required by the state.

“Shared services were a big thing being pushed by the governor and it made sense to share that position and get the state funding – and save the city money in the process,” she said. “But in 2017, we no longer needed to have that position to get the state funding.”

In other developments, the board:

• Welcomed Schauf, a former city youth bureau employee, to the committee for a term extending to Dec. 31, 2023. Schauf said she would be contacting Chelsea Elliott, the county’s deputy youth bureau executive director, about the youth board’s intention to participate in the annual Youth Awards Banquet, usually held in April.

• Put out a call to enlist other community members to join the committee, noting that its bylaws call for 11 members with no fewer than five seats for adults. Currently, there are only four citizen representatives on the youth board.

• Scheduled its next regular meeting for 6 p.m. Feb. 16 as long as space at City Hall is available as the consensus was to have an in-person meeting. The agenda for that meeting will include the appointment of officers and a review of the bylaws.

Previously:  Youth Board backs RFP for possible outsourcing, but wants city to keep in-house program 'on the table'

Press release:

Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr. reports that an inmate has died after attempting suicide at the Genesee County Jail on Jan. 4.

A Genesee County Correction officer found the 28-year-old inmate hanging from a shower curtain rod at approximately 12:27 p.m., Jan. 4, while making routine rounds. The Correction officer immediately summoned assistance and began performing life-saving measures. The inmate was transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo where he passed away on Thursday, Jan. 14.

The inmate is identified as Kyle Adam Scheuerlein, of Batavia, NY. He had been incarcerated on bail in the Genesee County Jail since Jan. 1, following his arrest by the City of Batavia Police Department on the charges of second-degree burglary and criminal contempt - disobeying a court order in the second degree.

An investigation into this incident is being conducted by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the NYS Commission of Corrections.

A chimney fire is reported at 9565 Old Creek Road, Alexander.

Alexander fire is dispatched.

Data Update –

• Genesee County received 36 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, 80s and 90s.  
• Twenty-seven of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
• Twenty of the positive individuals are hospitalized.
• One of the new positive cases is a resident of the Batavia VA Medical Center. 
• One of the new positive case is a resident of the New York State Veterans Home at Batavia. 
• We are saddened to report the loss of an individual over the age of 65 who was a resident at the Leroy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility. We do not provide any further information to protect the privacy of the individual and their family. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends during this very difficult time.

Orleans County received 33 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, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
• Five of the new positive individuals were on quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Eleven of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
• Eleven of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.
• Twelve of the new positive individuals are residents at the Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.

The Board of Trustees for Batavia City School District has adopted a new public communications policy that Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. characterized at this week's meeting as allowing more public input into board decisions and discussions.

The initial idea for drafting a new policy came from board President Alice Ann Benedict in October. At that meeting, Soler suggested running any proposed policy change through a subcommittee.

The proposed policy came to the attention of attorneys at the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic, who drafted a letter to the school district expressing concern about some of the proposed changes, which Attorney Heather Murray said could run afoul of the First Amendment.

In the new policy, the school district seems to have heeded the advice of the clinic.

In the initial draft, a paragraph prohibited public discussion of individual district personnel and students. Murray said this policy would prevent members of the public their right to criticize public officials. She cited a case involving a school board in Virginia where similar language was struck down.

The new policy does not include language prohibiting discussion of individuals.

The original draft also indicated, “Obscene language, libelous statements, threats of violence, statements advocating racial, religious, or other forms of prejudice will not be tolerated.”

Murray informed the district this language was overly vague, noting that a basic tenet of the First Amendment jurisprudence is that speech cannot be restrained in anticipation of libel. She said the appropriate remedy for an alleged libel is a civil suit for money damages.

She also said, "Second, the quoted language as a whole, and in particular 'other forms of prejudice,' is impermissibly vague and provides too much discretion to the Board to restrain certain viewpoints. Further, because these terms are not well defined and left to the determination of the Board President, there would likely be a chilling effect on public speech at Board meetings.

The final policy alters the language from the first draft, too, "All speakers are to conduct themselves in a civil manner. Obscene language, threats of violence, statements advocating racial, religious, or other forms of prejudice on the basis of protected class will not be tolerated."

Federal and state law establishes what constitutes a "protected class" when it comes to discrimination.

The board did retain a requirement that people wishing to speak at meetings first fill out a form, that includes a request for identifying information. Murray's letter suggested requiring people to identify themselves violates the state's open meetings law. However, the new policy does strike a proposal giving the board president the ability to rule on what topics were "generally appropriate." 

Murray noted that giving the board president power to silence people on certain topics prior to them speaking would constitute unlawful prior restraint.

Previously, Benedict had suggested the questions submitted by the public for the board be prescreened. Murray recommended against such a practice since it could constitute viewpoint discrimination and that pre-writing answers to questions submitted prior to the meeting could violate the open meetings law.

Overall, Murray said today she is pleased that the board seems to have listened to the clinic's recommendations.

“The Board’s decision to make revisions to the proposed policy prior to its adoption is a great example of elected officials making decisions with input from the public," Murray said. "Providing the opportunity for members of the public to address school board members on matters of public concern is critical to maintaining trust during this unprecedented time for us all.”

The Holland Land Office Museum will be returning to its normal operating hours beginning Tuesday, Feb. 2^nd.

The museum will again be open on Tuesdays.

The museum will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For any questions or further information please contact the museum at (585) 343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com.

Press release:

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer yesterday (Jan. 27) followed up on his efforts to secure a provision in the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act to boost American-based semiconductor manufacturing by reaching out directly to Samsung, which is interested in possibly locating their new plant in Genesee County.

He called Senior Vice President of Samsung Device Solutions Joe Herr and other top brass about the Genesee Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park -- STAMP -- in Alabama and expressed his strong support for the project coming to Western New York.

Samsung is currently considering the STAMP campus, as well as several other locations in other states, for its semiconductor fabrication (“fab”) plant – with 1,900 jobs – that the company plans to open late next year. Samsung’s Device Solutions division includes Samsung’s Global Semiconductor Foundry business. 

“This Samsung project is an exciting and a potential game changer for the region," Schumer said. "I made it clear to Samsung that I strongly support locating their planned 1,900 worker state-of-the-art semiconductor chip fab at the shovel-ready STAMP site in Genesee County. I know firsthand that STAMP is shovel-ready – and that, combined with Upstate New York’s robust semiconductor industry, make Genesee the perfect location for Samsung’s new chip fab.

World-class WNY Workforce

"Our world-class Western New York workforce combined with New York’s considerable experience in semiconductor manufacturing and R&D means STAMP is tailor-made to be the home for Samsung’s new facility. I stand ready to help Samsung harness all that the federal government has to offer to continue to lead the tech industry and position New York as a global hub of semiconductor manufacturing.

“When I stood at STAMP in August to announce my proposal to create the first-ever new federal semiconductor manufacturing and R&D incentives program, I said it could put sites like Western New York’s STAMP in contention for landing a new semiconductor manufacturing plant and the thousands of new jobs that come with it.

"This game-changer proposal passed into law last month and already companies like Samsung are considering STAMP for a 1,900 job chip fab plant, partly because of this new federal initiative. Now, I will work to secure this federal investment and offer my all-out support and advocacy in helping STAMP compete for this multi-billion-dollar plant.” 

Schumer has long championed the Genesee site and toured STAMP in August, and knows firsthand how ideal the campus would be as home for Samsung’s new chip fab. Schumer explained to Samsung that he, alongside the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCECC), New York State, and Western New York officials, worked for a decade to help ensure that it was shovel-ready for a semiconductor facility.

WNY Offers: Low Utility Costs, Transportation Networks, Supplies Access, Brain Power

“The STAMP campus, sitting on 1,250 acres of land between Buffalo and Rochester, New York’s second and third largest metros, respectively, with a 1.2 million person world-class workforce, is specifically designed for large-scale fabs and provides maximum flexibility in layout and infrastructure connections,” Schumer said.

"Additionally, the senator pointed out many cost and infrastructure advantages to the STAMP campus location, including low utility costs, access to existing transportation networks, access to New York state’s existing chip fab supply chain ecosystem, and 62 colleges, universities, and community colleges within a two-hour drive of the site including Cornell University, University at Buffalo, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, Genesee Community College.

Schumer said Samsung is relying on his legislation to building new fabs like this one in the United States. In fact, Schumer pointed out, the United States has gone from producing 24 percent of the world’s semiconductors in 2000, to just 12 percent while China, by comparison, has gone from producing zero chips to 16 percent of the world’s supply because the United States is not matching the investments that other competing nations are making in order to land new job-creating semiconductor chip fabs.

The senator's first-ever legislation will reverse this imbalance and level the playing field for companies like Samsung to build new chip fabs in the United States. For the first-time Schumer’s legislation will provide federal incentives to semiconductor chip fabs to build in the United States.

U.S. Reliance on Foreign-made Microelectronics Could Pose 'Huge Risks'

Upon passage of his legislation last month in the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act Schumer said his legislation is vital. He noted that even though the United States revolutionized the microelectronic industry and invented nearly all of the key technology used to this day, by 2030, non-U.S. competitors are projected to control 83 percent of the global semiconductor manufacturing supply while domestic production could be less than 10 percent, threatening U.S. reliance on foreign-made microelectronics, which could pose huge risks to U.S. national and economic security.

In a recent meeting with the Commerce Secretary nominee, Governor Gina Raimondo, Schumer raised the urgent need to fully fund and implement the new Commerce semiconductor manufacturing grant program he passed into law as part of last year’s defense authorization, pointing to this Samsung investment as an example for why these federal incentives are such a high priority. Federal incentives are critical to the United States successfully competing with other countries, including China, for new semiconductor manufacturing investment like the proposed Samsung facility.

Schumer, in addition to paving the way for future federal incentives for investment into domestic semiconductor manufacturing previously brought STAMP to the attention of the Department of Defense, urging the agency to work with the semiconductor industry to expand the domestic supply of chips and other microelectronics.

STAMP is Made Specifically for What Samsung Needs

STAMP is specifically designed for development of large-scale semiconductor manufacturing. The 1,250 acre mega site can accommodate large advanced manufacturing operations with its expansive space for several plants.

Schumer has also previously lobbied the Board of Directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) to put STAMP on their map and pitched SIA’s 18 semiconductor industry CEOs to look to expand their operations in Upstate New York at sites like STAMP in Genesee County.

In 2017 Schumer helped secure Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval of Empire Pipeline Inc.’s revised and extended PILOT agreement with Genesee County, the proceeds of which were needed to finance new water infrastructure at STAMP.

In 2016 Schumer began assisting STAMP secure necessary U.S. Fish and Wildlife right-of-way permits to construct new infrastructure hook-ups to STAMP. In 2012, Schumer successfully advocated on behalf of STAMP by calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide necessary wetlands permit assurances so that STAMP's developers could proceed with developing the site.

Submitted image and press release:

Batavia High School’s graduation rate, for students who graduate within four years, increased from 85 percent in the 2011-2015 cohort to 93 percent (for June graduates) and 94 percent (for those who graduated by August of their senior year) in the 2016-2020 cohort.

The number is even higher – 97 percent for the 2016-2020 cohort -- when only those students who attend school in BHS are counted (as opposed to those who, for various reasons, had been completing their studies at alternate locations.)

In other words, 85 percent of all freshmen entering BHS in the fall of 2011 (as the Class of 2015) earned their diploma by June of 2015.

The graduation rate continued to improve over the course of the next several graduating classes, with the last group for which we have data being the Class of 2020. For that graduating class, 93 percent of all freshmen entering BHS in the fall of 2016 (as the Class of 2020) earned their diploma by June 2020 and 94 percent completed the graduation requirements by August 2020. Again, that number was higher (97 percent) for students who attend school at BHS.

Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr., in presenting the data to the Board of Education on Monday, congratulated the staff on their role in student success.

He also noted that BHS principal, Paul Kesler, and his staff will continue to work on raising the overall graduation rate and will dig deeper into the subgroups of the student population to look for patterns and to identify better ways to serve the full student population.

Please join me as I discuss my experience in politics, business, and prison. What do you all want to hear about? #businesscoach #BusinessNews #PrisonReform #prison pic.twitter.com/k6nNMnQiKP

— Chris Collins (@realC_Collins) January 27, 2021

Chris Collins, the former Congressman for the GLOW region who admitted in Federal Court to illegal insider stock trading and lying to the FBI, has reemerged publicly after being pardoned last month by former President Donald Trump.

Collins has started a new Twitter account under the handle @realc_collins. In his first tweet Collins posted a video explaining that as a businessman, politician, and former convict, he is ready to share what he's learned with the social media world.

"I have a lot to share with my many years of experience in the business world, the political world, and just current affairs," Collins said. "I hope you will join me on my various social media platforms and we can have a communication going forward."

Collins represented Genesee County in Congress from 2013 to 2019. He was the first member of Congress in 2015 to endorse Trump for president. 

Following an FBI investigation in 2018, Collins and his son, Cameron Collins, were arrested Aug. 8, 2018. The senior Collins was accused of tipping Cameron to a failed drug trial for a publicly traded company that Collins served as a board member. Cameron and other associates then began dumping stock before the news of the failed trial was made public. 

For months, even while running for reelection, Collins denied any wrongdoing and vowed he would be vindicated at trial and then in September 2019, he resigned from Congress and entered a guilty plea in Federal Court.

In January 2020, Collins was sentenced to 26 months in prison. His term was delayed because of COVID-19 and his incarceration in a Federal prison in Florida didn't begin until October. Two months later he was released after being pardoned by Trump.

These are my 5 I’s for the #DepartmentOfInJustice #DOIJ

1. Incompetent
2. Inefficient
3. Insensitive
4. Indifferent
5. Inhumane

— Chris Collins (@realC_Collins) January 28, 2021

Press release:

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, is pleased to announce a unique opportunity for students in third through fifth grade to shine! February is Black History Month and for the past three decades Tops has been proud to salute and educate the community about those who have accomplished remarkable achievements in their lifetime.

Now it is your turn as the youth of America to honor those in your own lives whom you admire most who are of African American descent -- your mom, pastor, coach -- even your big brother.

Please submit a paragraph, or more, by Feb. 19 describing why they are someone you look up to for a chance to win not only $100 for your school, but a $50 Tops gift card for yourself so that you can treat your family, or the person nominated, to a special dinner and dessert.

“Tops has been dedicated to educating the community about Black History Month for the past three decades, but thought this year we’d welcome the youth of our community to share with us as to whom they admire,” said Kathy Sautter, public and media relations manager for Tops. “We hope that area teachers embrace this unique opportunity with their students -- whether they’re teaching virtually or in person.”

For more details on the contest, please visit http://topsmarkets.com/blackhistorymonth for contest rules and deadlines for submission. 

Press release:

Joseph Wisinski, president of the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association, urged the New York State Legislature on Tuesday to restore cuts in highway funding made in the 2020-21 state budget to the proposed 2021-22 spending plan, and to add highway crews to the Phase 1B eligibility list for the COVID-19 vaccine. 

The 2020-21 budget cut appropriations for local highway programs by 20 percent, or $120.6 million, and 2020 funding allocation notices to local highway departments were not sent until 69 days after the budget was adopted in April, Wisinski told a joint hearing of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and the Assembly Standing Committee on Ways and Means. He is also Madison County highway superintendent.

“Many municipalities could not go forward and plan their highway programs with the uncertainty of full reimbursement from the state,” Wisinski said. “With only 80 percent of our CHIPS (Consolidated Local Highway Improvement Program), PAVE-NY and EWR (Extreme Winter Recovery) funds available, our local transportation capital programs, which were already underfunded, were reduced even further. As a result, we saw a reduction in local construction jobs, and we all know that work delayed will cost much more later.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected local highway departments’ finances," Wisinski said. “We adhere to and follow all current public health policies to minimize the spread; however, despite our best efforts, we continue to be short staffed with people out for positive cases or quarantine.

"Costs for cleaning and sanitizing vehicles and equipment, social distancing and masks all continue to strain our local budgets.” For this reason, he said, “we request that our highway crews be added to the Phase 1B COVID eligibility list.” 

In addition, he said, “counties have seen a massive drop in sales tax collections and state aid, and while counties do all they can to manage highway infrastructure funding at the local level, they are often operating with their hands tied behind their backs and not able to make up losses in highway funding.” 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2021-22 budget proposes a 15-percent repayment for local programs that were cut; “5 percent will be a permanent cut for unknown reasons,” Wisinski said.

In addition, CHIPS funding would be flat for the ninth year, no increases are proposed for the PAVE-NY and BRIDGE-NY program, and the EWR program would not be carried forward. 

NYSCHSA is calling for 100 percent of the cuts to highway funding to be restored, the appropriations proposed in the 2021-22 budget to be fully funded, the EWR appropriation to be increased to $100 million, and protection against local highway program cuts to be included in the budget. 

“Local roads and bridges, as you know, make up the bulk of the statewide system,” Wisinski said. “Eighty-seven percent of New York’s roads and over half the bridges are owned by local governments. Our crews are plowing county roads as well as many state-owned highways to assure safe winter travel. Local roads are essential. … Motorists need to get to and from their jobs, homes, schools, hospitals and other destinations.” 

The New York State County Highway Superintendents Association is a nonprofit organization whose county superintendents, public works commissioners and affiliate members are dedicated to promoting and maintaining a safe and efficient county transportation system. More information is available here.

Submitted photo and press release:

Genesee County Youth Court swore in the Class of 2021 members on Tuesday, Jan. 26, via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This is the 13^th class to be sworn in since Youth Court’s inception. The oath and charge of confidentiality were administered by the honorable Judge Tom Williams.

These students went through an eight-week training and had to pass a bar exam to get to this conclusion.

The new youth court members are: Melania Desa e Frias, Katelynn Everett, Alexandra Hackett, Colin McConnell, Adam Piper, Beckett Swanson, Stuart Ulrich, Peyton Woeller and Quinn Woeller. 

The Genesee County Youth Court is a court where youth execute all roles of the tribunal court. There are three judges, a prosecutor, defense attorney, and bailiff. Youth who are referred to court can be as young as seven and up to 17 and must be referred through law enforcement or school personnel.

The Genesee County Youth Court is designed to create an atmosphere of equality in the law through judgment by peers while holding the respondent accountable for their actions.

The Youth Court is run by the Genesee County Youth Bureau and funded through Department of Social Services. If you would like more information about the Genesee County Youth Court, contact Chelsea Elliott at 344-3960.