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Genesee County Planning Board members are in for a busy night on Thursday as 14 project referrals are on their monthly meeting agenda.

The meeting will take place via Zoom videoconferencing at 7 o’clock.

Four of the referrals -- including a site plan review for a new state-of-the-art LandPro sales, storage and maintenance facility in the Town of Batavia -- are coming to the board following initial action taken by the Town of Batavia Planning Board last week.

LandPro, dealer of John Deere tractors and equipment, is lined up to build what Paul Williams, operations manager/north, says will be the company’s “main hub for technology” at 4554 W. Saile Drive – on a 14-acre parcel just east of Vantage Equipment at the corner of Call Parkway.

“This will be a full-servicing John Deere dealership and that will include agriculture as we know it, turf, all turf products and a limited, what we call a compact construction equipment (facility),” said Williams, who is in charge of half of LandPro’s 20 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. “Additionally, it will be our main hub for technology – our integrated solutions as we call it – GPS (Global Positioning System) and all of the fancy technology that is in our equipment.”

Williams said technology has made its way to the forefront over the past 15 to 20 years.

“It continues to grow and continues to be an extremely critical piece of our business,” he said. “The machines are now talking to us, they’re talking to John Deere at the factory and we’re getting early warning signs of failures so we can be on site before things fail.”

He said the tractors, by utilizing GPS, have the capability to be within an inch of accuracy as they drive down the rows of corn, for example.

“The technology is very, very high at this point, and it continues to grow. That’s why this facility will not only be state-of-the art and our largest shop, but it will also house our high-technology product division,” he said, adding that LandPro is partnering with Stihl and Honda products for handheld supplies and generators.

When asked if the new location would replace the John Deere stores in Oakfield and Alexander, Williams said that “eventually, they probably will (close) but we want to make sure that we can still serve the capacity of the customers in that geography … before we close those locations.”

“So, we’ve got a little bit of work to do – but that is the long-term plan,” he said.

Williams said that 60 to 65 employees will work out of the new building, which is expected to be completed in the spring or summer of 2022, with current workers in Oakfield and Alexander relocating to West Saile Drive.

He didn’t disclose the amount of investment into the facility, which shows 13,000 square feet for retail sales, 5,000 square feet for parts storage and 28,000 square feet for maintenance, but without question, it is a multimillion dollar venture.

LandPro will seek tax credits through the Genesee County Economic Development Center and grants through National Grid, Williams said.

Other highlights of Thursday’s Genesee County Planning Board meeting:

• A site plan review and area variance for a four-story, 140,000-square-foot medical office building proposed by Rochester Regional Health at 8103 Oak Orchard Road (Route 98), near Call Parkway, in the Town of Batavia. The facility will have 90,000 square feet for office space and 63 of its 360 parking spaces in a lower-level parking garage.

• Special use permits and an area variance for a pair of solar projects named Trousdale Solar I and Trousdale Solar II at 5117 Ellicott Street Road, Batavia. The first phase is a 5-megawatt array covering 18 acres of a 65-acre parcel while the second phase is a 4-megawatt system covering 19.6 acres on a 71-acre parcel. Pending recommendation of approval (with modifications) from county planners, it will go to a public hearing conducted by the Town of Batavia Planning Board.

• A special use permit for two ground mounted commercial solar systems, one generating 5.3 megawatts and the other generating 6.6 megawatts, at 7984 Tesnow Road in the Town of Pembroke. The applicant, Solar Liberty Energy Systems, Inc., of Buffalo, wishes to place the solar array on property owned by Kreher Brothers LLC of Clarence.

• A site plan review to change the use from professional office space and art studio to a medical office for acupuncture and physical therapy at 10 Lake St. (Route 19) in the Village of Bergen. Documents submitted by applicants David and Anna Marie Barclay reveal a plan to use about half of the building’s lower level for their clinic, which will have four employees.

• A site plan review to relocate Precious Paws to an existing commercial building at 10571 Main St., Alexander. Plans submitted by the applicant, Alicia Brenkus, call for slight modifications to convert a former pizza shop to the owner/operated dog grooming business.

Previously: Rochester Regional Health plans to build four-story medical office building in the Town of Batavia

Press release:

Interim City Manager Rachael Tabelski announced today the appointment of Raymond Tourt as the Director of the Department of Public Works.  

Tourt has served the City for 22 years in various capacities including Assistant City Engineer and currently as the Superintendent of Maintenance.

During his tenure, he has successfully completed multiple infrastructure projects to include over 10 federal aid projects, other responsibilities have been streets, sewers, parks, snow and fleet operations. He currently oversees 23 employees in the Bureau of Maintenance.  

As the Director of the City of Batavia Public Works, Tourt will oversee the Bureau of Water, Wastewater, Bureau of Maintenance, Bureau of Inspection and Bureau of Engineering.  

“I am excited to continue to work with Ray in his new role as the Director of Public Works," Tabelski said. "The City is undertaking numerous capital projects and his knowledge and leadership will ensure that these projects move forward to successful completion. He is a dedicated and knowledgeable member of the City staff and I know he will be well received in his new role."

Tourt will serve as Acting Director of Public Works for the next four weeks until the retirement of the current Director, Matt Worth, at which time he will be appointed provisionally. 

The City of Batavia encourages all citizens to welcome Tourt in the position of the Director of Public Works. Tourt lives in the Town of Batavia with his family.

Press release:

Data Update:

• Genesee County received 21 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Elba, Le Roy, Oakfield and Pembroke. 
  • The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 70s. 
  • Fifty-seven of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
  • Seventeen of the positive individuals are hospitalized.
  • We received notification of two deaths of community members. Both of the individuals were over the age of 65. To protect the individual and their family we will not be releasing any further information. We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this community member during this very difficult time.

​

• Orleans County received 23 new positive cases of COVID-19.
• The new positive cases reside in Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Yates, Ridgeway and Shelby.
• The individuals are in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.
• Two of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Twenty of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
• Six of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

We are saddened to report the COVID-related community death of an Orleans County resident who was over the age of 65. We will not be releasing any further information to protect the individual and their family. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this community member during this very difficult time.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” have taken on a new meaning for Batavia City School District Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr., who has had to make the difficult decision of implementing 100-percent virtual learning at all four district buildings prior to the holiday break.

“I think these 12 school days off (Dec. 7-22) will allow us to get a little bit of the staff back and hopefully limit the number of people needing to quarantine since there are no kids in the building and there are no additional staff members needing to congregate or walk by each other or be in the same place,” Soler said today. “We should be able to have our staffing back to the levels that they need to be to and be able to reopen Jan. 4.”

Soler said that the inability to adequately staff the classrooms drove him to shut the schools down, adding that 81 teachers, aides and other employees have had to quarantine since the start of the school year.

“The issue is not so much students, it’s the staff members,” he said. “If a teacher has to quarantine at home for 14 days, then I need another adult to cover the class for the in-person kids because the teacher is now home. It makes it extremely hard knowing that we already struggle with the substitute teachers, so it also makes it hard to deliver a quality program. We gratefully have some of our teachers who are willing to tele-work, but we still needed another adult to supervise the kids in front of them.”

The superintendent said he was not under any statewide pressure to enforce all distance learning, but pointed to a couple variables – the rolling seven-day average for positive cases in Genesee County at around 8 percent and the daily calls from students and staff needing to quarantine.

He said that 21 staff members and 21 students have tested positive “and every single one of those positives results in a group of people that have to quarantine for 14 days.”

“It becomes unmanageable and we’re at a breaking point. Definitely 50 percent of our buildings would have been significantly impacted,” he said. “By having kids home, we wouldn't have to worry about substitute coverage and teachers could still teach remotely during these next 12 days.”

Soler said that most students will miss five in-person days (due to a schedule that features a mix of in-person and remote learning).

“That was a heartbreaking thing because we prided ourselves on being able to offer at least some in-person learning to our students, unlike other communities that have been shut down all year,” he offered.

He also mentioned that people continue to gather socially, which makes it even tougher to provide in-person learning.

“As we work with the Genesee County Health Department on contact tracing, we find out that people did go to somebody’s house for Thanksgiving or kids did have a sleepover at someone’s house,” he said. “We know these things are occurring, unfortunately, but when they do occur, they come back into the building and make it hard for us to staff the building.”

Only about 20 students – those who have special needs -- are being allowed in school buildings, he said.

Soler said he believes strongly that Gov. Andrew Cuomo should classify school personnel as “essential workers.”

“If the governor were to label all school staff members as essential employees then they wouldn’t need to quarantine if they don’t have any symptoms. We’d really like to see that rule changed because then we could have had in-person learning – keep school open,” he said. “We should be able to designate them as essential and not make them quarantine if they don’t have any symptoms. As it stands now, that seems pretty harsh.”

He said Cuomo has said on multiple occasions that schools are the safest place … “so why not give us some additional leverage and leeway with the guidelines?”

Soler said he expects that the buildings will reopen on Jan. 4 unless there is a resurgence and the governor deems otherwise.

“Right now, we’re working on increasing the number of parents to give us consent to do the Binax rapid testing in school in case that is required for us to stay open,” he said. “And we’re also focusing on delivering a high-quality virtual experience for the next 12 days.”

The path to cultural competence, an attribute that is increasingly important in police/community relations, starts with an understanding of others’ life experiences, according to Julie Carasone, a certified instructor in areas designed to bridge societal gaps and foster civic unity.

Speaking at the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative meeting on Monday night via Zoom videoconferencing, Carasone said her role is to get people to “think outside of the box and think about things other than your world.”

“… Understand that your lived experiences are different from my lived experiences and that’s OK, but understand where someone is trying to come from when they interact maybe with the police department, when they interact with mental health or with somebody at GCASA (Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse),” she said.

Carasone took about 20 minutes to present implicit bias awareness training to the committee, which is convening on a regular basis in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 mandating that municipal police agencies adopt policies and procedures that ensure racial equality.

While acknowledging people’s sensitivity to the subject, Carasone emphasized that everyone has some type of implicit bias – thoughts and tendencies developed over a lifetime.

She said that implicit biases are activated involuntarily.

“Our brain is hardwired to take little bits and pieces, and that forms our biases,” she said. “It can be favorable bias, such as toward our military, and sometimes police officers, but nowadays it’s sometimes not favorable.”

MEDIA IS CRAFTING THE NARRATIVE

She said that currently the media is dominating the narrative and reinforcing people’s associations.

“This is the biggest thing right now – media -- both social media and regular print media or TV,” she said. “Sometimes the news organizations get the most ignorant person that’s out there and they’ll put them on TV, and that causes our biases toward someone.”

Calling it “confirmation bias,” Carasone said this causes the brain to favor information that conforms to a person’s existing beliefs and discounts evidence that does not conform.

“(Whether it’s) FOX News or CNN or a certain newspaper, or pro-life, pro-choice, pro-gun or anti-gun, they (people) will seek out information that confirms those biases,” she said.

Carasone said that steps to overcome implicit biases include:

• Check your Blind Spot: We all have implicit bias. Refusing to acknowledge or accept that you have bias creates a blind spot.  

• Play Devil’s Advocate: Seek out information that would contradict your initial thoughts. Listen to others that have a different lived experiences than you.

• Avoid the Ostrich Effect: It can be uncomfortable to talk about unpleasant facts that drive negative emotions. Don’t let your discomfort cause you to stick your head in the sand.

• Opinion vs. Fact: When you are stuck in a disagreement with someone, avoid opinions and use facts -- fair, data-driven information.  Remember “Your opinion is not fact.”

WORDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

She also said the words that people use indicate how people look at others, and suggested replacing “addict” with “individual with a substance use disorder” or “criminal” with “justice involved individual.”

On the latter, Carasone said that 4 percent of the people in jail or prison are innocent.

“And that’s just the people that we know,” she added.

Carasone said that implicit bias does not equal racism but, when applied to a group of people, it becomes the foundation of racism.

She said racism is evident at different levels – individual, institutional and structural – and can be directed at a person’s gender, race, religion or economic status.

Policies, practices and procedures that make discriminate against certain classes of people – “usually what we call redlining,” Carasone said – can be mitigated, but it takes a commitment from both individuals and organizations to effect positive change.

“How can your organization mitigate implicit biases in your services in staffing and polices?” she asked. “Become culturally competent. Make policy and procedural changes that will provide equity for the underserved population.”

“That means taking a big look at what we’re doing right now, and looking at your strategic plan. What are your strengths and what are your barriers and your weaknesses that need to be improved upon?”

Carasone defined cultural competence as the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures.

MANY LAYERS WHEN IT COMES TO CULTURE

“Culture is like an iceberg. You have the top part where you can see on the outside – our clothes, our language, and so forth -- and the things that we don’t see,” such as background, talents, likes, dislikes, traditions, she said.

Using herself as an example, she mentioned that she is from a military family, that she lived in poverty and below poverty and, “me opening up, you can’t tell that I had a mental illness as well. So, there are a lot more layers that you can’t see underneath.”

She promoted a brainstorming exercise that focuses on cultural awareness, knowledge and sensitivity, and emphasized the many benefits of cultural competence, such as building healthier families and communities, and increasing productivity and revenue at all the levels of commerce.

Carasone said plans call for her to provide implicit bias awareness training – on a volunteer basis -- to all Genesee County Sheriff’s Department personnel as well as to the City of Batavia Police Department and Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department.

In response to a question from committee members about language barriers, Undersheriff Brad Mazur said the sheriff’s department recognizes contracts with a company that provides an 800 number through dispatch to provide translation when necessary, such as in traffic stops, criminal proceedings and emergency situations.

Carasone said it is preferable to get a live interpreter on the line instead of using an online application (app) due to the fact that some words may not be translated correctly. She said interpreters are trained extensively to properly interact in these situations and also have received cultural competence education.

Press release:

Data update covering the weekend and today until 2 p.m.:

• Genesee County received 130 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, Le Roy, Oakfield, Pavilion, Pembroke and Stafford. 
  • The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. 
  • Thirty-eight of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
  • Twenty of the positive individuals are hospitalized.
  • Two of the new positive individuals are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia, one is a resident at the NYS Veterans Home, and one is at the VA Medical Center.
  • We received notification of three deaths. One is a resident at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia. Two of the deaths were community members. All three individuals were over the age of 65. To protect the individual and their family we will not be releasing any further information. We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this community member during this very difficult time.
•  
• Orleans County received 32 new positive cases of COVID-19.
• The new positive cases reside in Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Yates, Ridgeway and Shelby.
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s 70s and 80s.
• Four of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Twenty of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
• Nine of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

​

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) joined a bipartisan letter to the House and Senate appropriations committees calling for additional funding for the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) ReConnect rural broadband grant program in the upcoming FY21 funding bill. 

“I have long advocated for increased broadband investment in NY-27. The pandemic has only elevated that need,” Jacobs said. “With schools moved online, businesses increasingly relying on the internet, telemedicine services becoming more popular, and farm technology advancing – the need for reliable high-speed internet access is urgent. The ReConnect Program is a sound investment that has helped connect our underserviced communities.”

Congress created the ReConnect Program in FY18 with a $600 million appropriation. $550 million and $555 million were appropriated in FY19 and FY20, respectively. To date, USDA has invested more than $1.3 billion in high-speed broadband infrastructure. Currently, the proposed FY21 Senate budget for this program has been cut by $150 million relative to FY20 funding levels. Jacobs is asking for increased funding for this rural broadband program relative to recent years.

“Our children, families, farmers, and economy rely on access to high-speed internet – we must ensure that we are making sufficient investments that set them up for success,” Jacobs said.

Jason Allan Klinkbeil, 32, of Lockport Road, Alabama, is charged with: first-degree vehicular assault; felony driving while intoxicated -- drugs; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; reckless driving; failure to keep right; speed not reasonable and prudent; moving from lane unsafely; driving left of pavement markings; improper passing; failure to notify DMV of address change; and failure to change address on vehicle registration. Following an investigation into a motor-vehicle collision with injury at 8:48 p.m. Sept. 12 on Bliss Road in Oakfield, Klinkbeil was arrested. He allegedly drove a vehicle while he was impaired by drugs and caused serious physical injury to a passenger in another vehicle. Klinkbeil was released with appearance tickets and is due in Oakfield Town Court on Feb. 1. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Aaron Joseph Romani, 29, of Milestrip Road, Blasdell, is charged with driving while intoxicated -- drugs; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree; and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Romani was arrested Dec. 3 for an incident at 2:48 a.m. on Aug. 2 when he was found pulled to the side of the road on Byron Elba Road in Byron. He was allegedly driving while intoxicated by drug and in possession of methadone which was not prescribed to him. His driver's license was expired. He was issued appearance tickets returnable to Byron Town Court on Jan. 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Gauthier, assisted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Renee Irene Brown, 40, of Harris Road, Waterport, is charged with petit larceny and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. At 3:09 p.m. on Dec. 3, the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center received a call of a woman stealing items from the Crosby's convenience store in the Village of Elba, then fleeing in a vehicle southbound on Route 98. Deputies located the car in the Town of Batavia a short time later and conducted a traffic stop. Following an investigation, Brown was arrested. It is alleged that she possessed 72 packages of Starburst candy chews, 19 packages of Slim Jim meat snack sticks, and 14 packages of Jack Links Wild Snack Sticks XXL Original. Brown was also allegedly found driving while her license to do so was suspended. She was released with appearance tickets and is due in Elba Town Court on Dec. 23. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush.

A black Mazda is reportedly going more than a 100 miles an hour eastbound on Route 5 from the Department of Social Services complex on east Main Street, Batavia, toward Le Roy. It is said to be weaving in and out of traffic. Deputies are responding and Le Roy is notified.

A shed fire about 50 feet behind a residence is reported at 8050 Byron Road, Stafford. Unknown contents of the shed. The location is between the Thruway and School Road. Stafford fire is responding.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: A first responder confirms this is a working fire, 60 to 70 feet behind the residence. Responders are told to come in non-emergency mode. There is no water hyrdrant available.

UPDATE 3:14 p.m.: South Byron fire is called to the scene.

UPDATE 3:16 p.m.: Shed fire is out, command reports.

UPDATE 3:17 p.m.: South Byron is put back in service.

UPDATE 3:44 p.m.: Command requests an investigator to the scene.

UPDATE 3:47 p.m.: It is agreed a Sheriff's deputy should respond to the fire scene first "to see what we have" before bringing in an investigator.

Health Alert

The Genesee Orleans County Health Departments have received a positive COVID-19 test result from an individual who was at Sport of Kings, Batavia on:

• Monday, Nov. 30^th from 2 to 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, Dec. 1^st from 2 to 8 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases. 

We advise all individuals who were at Sport of Kings on the stated dates and times to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

For more information please visit: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home.

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.16, up 3 cents from one week ago. One year ago, the price was $2.58. The New York State average is $2.25 – up 2 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.68. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.22 (up 3 cents since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.19 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.24 (up 6 cents since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.24 (up 3 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.33 (up 3 cents since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.19 (up 5 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.30 (up 2 cents since last week)

The national average price for a gallon of gas has inched up 4 cents in the past month, but it is 42 cents lower than last year at this time. Since mid-November, domestic crude prices have steadily increased topping $45 per barrel, contributing to pump prices rising across the country. Crude prices increased amid growing market optimism that vaccines for the coronavirus will be available in coming weeks, but then oil prices stalled as the number of infections surged domestically.

Going forward, low demand will likely limit price gains, with the latest report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showing that demand decreased dropped to its lowest reading since early June. Demand typically drops in the winter driving season, so American drivers should expect gas prices to remain lower when compared to last year’s pump prices, moving into 2021.

From GasBuddy:

"With oil's rally to a new COVID-19 high-water mark, gas prices have begun to follow, even as gasoline demand crumbles to some of the lowest levels in months," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "Optimism continues to propel oil markets higher, led by positive news on a COVID-19 vaccine, but should anything change timing wise, we could a reversal, but for now it remains full steam ahead with markets focused on the promise of oil and gasoline demand rising, or the best potential outcome of the situation. Should the hype be overblown, a correction could happen in the weeks or months ahead. For now, motorists may see more volatility in oil markets then we've seen in months."

From Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

Seventy-nine years ago, America was attacked by Imperial Japanese forces. The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the day that officially forced the hand of the United States into the conflict that would come to be known as World War II. 

That day saw much tragedy, as did the months and years of conflict following it, which is why we remember it today.

Being so far removed from the attack, it can be challenging for current generations to reflect on why exactly this day is so important. In a time when global war was once again on the rise, and recognizing America’s strength and influence, our enemies had coordinated an attempt to prevent us from pushing back against their own plans of expansion and domination. And in a time when the world was truly just beginning to open itself up, to globalize in the political, social, and economic sense that we know it today, many world powers were making their claim for dominion wherever they could.

Reflecting on the Attack on Pearl Harbor today can bring up many diverse and confusing feelings, especially with where the country is today. Despite the clear, distinct, and harsh rivalry America and Japan had as a result of this attack, today, we remain some of the strongest allies to each other. Despite America’s commitment to the freedom and prosperity of its citizens, there was a period following this attack that many American citizens of Japanese descent saw their freedoms stripped for the sake of aggressive security measures, such as with the case of Fred Korematsu. Tensions rose within the country as a result, leading to a lot of social strife, which was only exacerbated with America’s entry into the war and joining the fight on the Western Front.

This is a day of remembrance: for what followed, absolutely, but also in recognition of the brave heroes who fought in the face of true adversity, in the face of a complete surprise, in the face of losing everything in an instant.

Wartime tactics like these aren’t seen often, and aren’t publicized the way Pearl Harbor was; and to know that there were still soldiers, sailors, airmen, nurses and civilians fighting through those wee hours in the morning to get to another day, to save their fellow American, and to push back against aggression, is something worth remembering.

In the aftermath, 15 Medals of Honor were given. 51 Navy Crosses. 53 Silver Stars. Four Navy and Marine Corps Medals. One Distinguished Flying Cross. Four Distinguished Service Crosses. One Distinguished Service Medal. Three Bronze Star Medals. And following the attack, the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal was given to all veterans of the attack.

These tokens of recognition serve as but a small way to show to America, and indeed to the rest of the world, the courage, bravery, and sacrifice those men and women gave all those years ago. Because that’s what we think about when we remember Pearl Harbor.

A two-car accident reported at Oak and Richmond in the City of Batavia.

An officer on scene reports there is no injuries. The northbound lane is blocked. There is debris in the roadway but no apparent fluid leaks.

UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: A fluid leak is now reported.

UPDATE 6:30 p.m.: Engine 11 responding.

Law enforcement is being sent to Broadway Road (not sure if Darien or Alexander) for the report of lights going eastbound.

Maybe from an airplane, the dispatcher reported.

It's unclear if that means the airplane is on the ground or in the air.

UPDATE 8:10 p.m.: Nicole Dorman submitted the photo. The photo was taken on Route 262 in Elba.

UPDATE: The lights were apparently related to a SpaceX launch. 

A two-vehicle accident is reported in Alabama at Ledge and Maple roads. There's possible entrapment in one of the vehicles. Alabama Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 1:29 p.m.: The accident is blocking traffic in the southbound lane of Maple Road, according to a first responder.

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: There is no entrapment. A second ambulance is called and both can proceed in non-emergency mode. An occupant in each vehicle complains of pain in their lower extremities.

Statement from Batavia City School District Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr.:

Dear Batavia Blue Devil Families,

As the number of positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise across New York State and specifically in Genesee County ​(8-percent positive test rate -- current highest in New York)​ it brings a number of challenges for the school district.

These challenges include but are not limited to the following:

• Our ongoing ability to staff in-person learning with certified staff members.
• Guidance regarding close contact and quarantining: we continue to have a large number of students and staff members unable to attend in-person learning and work because of the fact that educators/ district staff are not designated as essential employees under current New York State Department of Health guidance, which forces them to quarantine even if they are not showing symptoms.
• Despite the CDC reducing the number of days for quarantining to 7-10 days, the NYSDOH is still requiring a 14-day quarantining window.
• Social gatherings are still occurring outside of school, which bring new positive cases into our school district.
• The influx of parent and family requests that want to move their children from in-person hybrid learning to a 100-percent full virtual model.
• Over this last week our number of total positive cases in our schools increased to 39 and the number of students and staff that have had to quarantine as a result was over 100 between our four school buildings.

  Therefore, ​I have made the difficult decision to move our school district to 100-percent Virtual Remote Learning effective immediately and through the upcoming winter break. I will monitor and reassess this decision and I will provide families an update prior to our return on Monday, Jan. 4th.

  Moving our entire district to 100-percent Virtual Remote Learning will give us the ability to focus primarily on one mode of teaching and learning and allow us to prepare for updated guidance from New York State that prioritizes safe in-person learning for all. Families of children who receive specialized instruction and various mandated therapy will be contacted by the district with options for teletherapy and targeted support. BOCES Career Technical Education students will also attend their program virtually. This does not impact out-of-district placements and students who attend BOCES Alternative Academy and ITP programs. For the majority of our students this equates to the loss of five in-person learning days over the course of the next 12 school days.

• The district will continue to provide daily breakfast and lunch for pick up at Jackson Primary and John Kennedy from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. during this period.

  It is also important to remind you that if we are to return to any form of in-person learning that we still need parents and guardians to fill out our consent form located here. To date, we only have 483 (24 percent) of in-person learning families who have given consent. Please know that if and when we are designated a color zone, that random testing will be required and only families who give consent will be able to attend in-person learning.

  At a time where we should be focused on celebrating an upcoming winter break and spending time with our families, I know that this decision will impact many of you negatively and that is not my intent. Ultimately, my intent and one of my main responsibilities as your Superintendent, is to always protect the physical and mental health and safety of our students, staff and community.

  If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to call your child’s school for support.

  WE are Better Together...WE are Batavia!

  Anibal Soler Jr.
  Superintendent of Schools