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DEC issues air quality advisory for today

By Howard B. Owens

The air quality index for today is expected to exceed 100 for ozone so the DEC has issued a health advisory from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Press release:

The air quality index...or AQI...was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the

Air quality alert issued for Sunday

By Howard B. Owens
air quality

Press release:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at Albany has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Fine Particulates until midnight EDT tonight. Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an Air Quality Index value of 100 for Fine Particulates. 

The

Genesee County remains in air quality advisory condition

By Howard B. Owens
air quality
Air Quality map from airnow.gov

Genesee County,  remains under an air quality health advisory, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The air quality seems to have improved over a significant portion of Western New York, but Genesee County and further east is still a hazardous area, according to the most recent report.

Air quality advisory remains in effect for Genesee County

By Howard B. Owens
smokin'

It was another grey, smoky day in Genesee County on Thursday, including along Route 20 in Bethany, as weather patterns again pushed smoke from wildfires in Canada into New York.

An air quality advisory is in place and is expected to remain in effect until midnight on Friday. 

The

DEC issues air quality advisory through Wednesday

By Joanne Beck

The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for several areas of the state, including Western New York counties  of Genesee, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming.

The DEC and Department of Health issues these advisories when meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or

Air Quality Advisory: Masks Available in Genesee and Orleans Counties

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The New York State Department of Health recommends that with the reduced air quality, everyone should limit their outdoor activities to reduce exposure. Masks will be available to the public at the following locations in Genesee and Orleans Counties on Thursday, June 8th, 2023, during normal business hours

With air quality advisory in place, GO Health offers masks

By Press Release

Press release:

The New York State Department of Health recommends that with the reduced air quality, everyone should limit his or her outdoor activities to reduce exposure. Masks will be available to the public at the following locations in Genesee and Orleans Counties during normal business hours while supplies last. 

No need for panic with air quality haze, but use caution, MD says

By Joanne Beck
smokey air
Dr. Shahzad Mustafa

If the smells wafting through your open windows have been tinged with burning embers more than tangy barbecue sauce Tuesday, they’re likely coming from wildfires raging through eastern Canada, and a rheumatology expert has five words of advice to keep in mind.

Volunteers pivot to make Kinderfarmin' a success in midst of air quality advisory

By Howard B. Owens
kinderfarmin 2023

Even dairy farmers know how to turn lemons into lemonade.

Volunteers had to act quickly Wednesday to reconfigure their annual Kinderfarmin' event at Hildene Farm in Pavilion after air quality concerns caused superintendents at six of the eight scheduled schools to cancel field trips.

"Agriculture never stops," noted organizer Natasha Sutherland, and neither do kindergarteners. 

Canada fires burning fast, blowing south and ramping up air pollutants in WNY

By Joanne Beck
smoke over tonawanda
Apparent smoke from the wildfires in Canada created a haze over the Tonawanda Creek on Friday morning.
Photo by Howard Owens.

So this is what life has come to for much of upstate New York: checking the air quality reports every couple of days and having a good scientific expert on speed dial.

At least that’s how it is for The Batavian, with air levels reaching up past 150 for Western New York the last few days, signaling a red zone of “unhealthy.”

City Schools cancels outdoor activities for Wednesday

By Press Release

Statement from Batavia City School District Superintendent Jason Smith:

Dear BCSD Families and Community, 

As you may have seen on the news, experts believe the air quality issues we’ve been experiencing due to the fires in Canada will continue in the coming days. 

Therefore, all BCSD outdoor activities

City Schools cancels outdoor activities for Tuesday

By Howard B. Owens

The worst fire season on record in Canada, according to news reports, is causing a decline in air quality throughout large parts of the United States, including Western New York.

As a result, Batavia City Schools are canceling all outdoor activities for the rest of the day, on the advice

Upstate New York's summer: 'kind of smoky'

By Joanne Beck
derek mallia
Derek Mallia, assistant professor of atmospheric science at the University of Utah

If you’re breathing a little easier with the downgraded air quality levels of late, Derek Mallia, assistant professor of atmospheric science at the University of Utah, has projections that may give pause for celebration.

Although the worst may be over, as far as high levels of particulate matter 2.5 are concerned, this region is not out of the woods just yet. So to speak.

“It could be a very intermittent, kind of smoky summer for areas in New York,” Mallia said during a phone interview Friday from Utah with The Batavian.

Sen. Ranzenhofer announces Earth Day poster contest for kids, deadline is April 13

By Billie Owens
Press release:
 
Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer today called for local student entries for the New York State Senate’s Earth Day Poster Contest, a statewide competition that raises awareness of environmental issues.
 
“Earth Day celebrates the great strides made in protecting our environment," Ranzenhofer said. "This poster contest is an opportunity

Photo: Smoke 'n' meat

By Howard B. Owens
smoke 'n' beef

Photo by Alison Lang, on Goodman Road, Alexander, who noticed the juxtaposition of dense smoke hanging over Genesee County from Canadian wildfires and beef cattle in a field.

Deadline for comments about proposed remediation plan is Sept. 21

By Joanne Beck
Ex-Eaton remediation site
The targeted site for remediation by ex-Eaton Corporation at 34-40 Clinton St., Batavia, shown in green.
Image submitted.

Public comments about a remediation project on the city’s east side will be taken up to Sept. 21, state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials say.

The project, first outlined in an April 21, 2023 article on The Batavian, is part of the Clean Water Act for Basket Place LLC, located at 34-40 Clinton St., Batavia. 

Action on the privately owned Basket Place parcel was to begin in May, to address contamination, with a site-specific health and safety plan and a Community Air Monitoring Plan to be implemented during remediation activities. 

Le Roy company's updated technology earns financial nod from National Grid

By Press Release
lapp_image-1.jpg
Submitted photo of Lapp Insulators Maintenance Planner Mike Myers, left, and Facilities Manager Ron Richards, right, show National Grid’s Jay Snyder one of the three new pumps that had been installed to improve safety and reduce energy costs.

Press Release:

Lapp Insulators Co. LLC changed a decades-old process to incorporate new technology and equipment that results in energy savings, lower operating costs, and a safer work environment. The changes also earned the Le Roy-based company $27,000 in energy efficiency incentives from National Grid.

Lapp is a leading

It’s always swimsuit weather at Palm Island Indoor Waterpark

By Genesee County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center

Escape the wintery winds to a place where the temperature is always 85 degrees, the water is always warm and hot dogs are always on the menu. At Palm Island Indoor Waterpark, summer never ends! Located within the Batavia Quality Inn and Suites, kids and kids-at-heart are sure to have

Batavia school officials should find teacher for Spanish class, culture

By Staff Writer

 My, my, my!  Kate Long, a local Batavia parent (charged with harassing the Batavia Board of Education and Batavia schools superintendent with e-mails and correspondence over the lack of a satisfactory, according to her, Spanish language teacher at the Middle School), is resurrecting shades of the "N.Y. Times" newspaper, the

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