Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C - Batavia) signed on to a letter calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to respond and investigate the nursing home mismanagement disaster from the COVID-19 pandemic in a more timely and open manner.

As many New Yorkers are aware, nursing homes were some of the most highly volatile areas where the coronavirus spread. This was largely due to elderly citizens being particularly vulnerable, and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo decided to relocate hospitalized patients to nursing homes once there were no more beds in hospitals. Hawley, like many legislators, wants accountability from those who made the decision that led to so many deaths.

“This saga has gone on for three long and painful years, and it’s time for the governor to be more transparent with what her plans are,” Hawley said. “We’ve had families plead for justice, for answers, for accountability, but they have gone unheard thanks to a government that has tried its hardest to sweep its mistakes under the rug. We owe it to all New Yorkers to be transparent and timely with them about this matter.”

Western New York had a particularly notable case that demanded answering for. The Villages of Orleans is currently facing a class action lawsuit and a separate lawsuit from the New York State Attorney General’s office regarding the mishandling of the elderly in their care during COVID-19. With incidents like these in our own backyard, Hawley is eager to see wrongs be righted.

“Families deserve justice, plain and simple. Both here in Orleans County and across this state. I sincerely hope the governor agrees to our request and makes this process more transparent,” Hawley concluded.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C -Batavia) rallied today with the Assembly and Senate Minority in the call for an increased allocation of funds for local roads and bridges as part of this year’s budget. Local roads and bridges are often in disrepair and require support from the state to help with maintenance and management, and Hawley believes the budget should allocate for it.

“I am imploring the legislature and the governor to include an additional $200 million for local road and bridge maintenance and an additional $70 million for Extreme Winter Recovery,” Hawley said. “With the governor's proposed budget of $228 billion, it would behoove the legislature and governor to assure the $270 million is made available for our local roads and bridges that our taxpayers travel every day.”

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today voted in favor of H.R. 497, the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill she cosponsored to end the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. In addition, the Congresswoman also voted in favor of H.R. 382, the Pandemic is Over Act, which officially ends the COVID-19 public health emergency declared by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2020.

H.R. 497 passed the House by a vote of 227-203, while H.R. 382 passed the House by 220-210.

Following her vote on these bills, Congresswoman Tenney released the following statement:

"The president has said it himself: the pandemic is over," said Congresswoman Tenney. "As New York families and small businesses have returned to normal, it is finally time for the government to do the same by ending the permanent state of emergency and lifting its overreaching and unconstitutional mandates. I was honored to support these critical pieces of legislation, which make good on the Republican commitment to restore our fundamental freedoms and ensure the government is accountable to the people."

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today reintroduced the Health Freedom for All Act to prevent the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from overstepping its congressional authority by enacting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

In September of 2021, the Biden Administration, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) attempted to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees of businesses with 100 or more employees and require weekly testing for those who remain unvaccinated.

While this mandate was blocked by the Supreme Court, this legislation will stop the Biden Administration from ever attempting a COVID-19 mandate through OSHA again. The bill finally clarifies that under existing law, OSHA does not have the authority to implement rules requiring Americans to undergo COVID-19 vaccinations or testing.

The Health Freedom for All Act was co-sponsored by Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-2), Congressman Bill Posey (FL-8), Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17), Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-3), and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-2).

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) member of the House Ways and Means Committee, today reintroduced H.R. 348, the Transparency in COVID-19 Expenditures Act, alongside Representatives Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Jake LaTurner (KS-02), Darrell Issa (CA-48), and Chris Smith (NJ-04).

This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit the funding provided by the COVID-19 relief bills Congress passed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, the GAO must audit and report on the use of funding provided by:

• the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020
• the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• the CARES Act
• the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
• Divisions M and N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and
• the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The United States has spent over $4 trillion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of which was spent without proper oversight. In fact, the New York State Comptroller reported that over $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment insurance payments were made during the first year of the pandemic alone.

Following the release of H.R. 348, the lawmaker released the following statement:

“Taxpayers deserve to know where their money went and how it was spent,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Now that we are in the Majority, House Republicans are leading to charge to make the government more accountable and transparent, and that starts with how American’s tax dollars were spent. The financial fraud following the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented and we must ensure we never give out a blank check and make these same mistakes again. I’m honored to lead this charge to create a more transparent government.”

Read the full text of the bill here.

Katherine J. Briggs is indicted on one count of criminal contempt in the first degree. Briggs is accused of violating an order of protection on July 27 at a location on South Main Street, Batavia.

Martin P. Macioszek, II, is indicted on one count of grand larceny in the third degree.  Macioszek is accused of stealing property with a value greater than $3,000 from a location in the Town of Batavia between May 2020 and September 2020.

Public health officials are encouraging eligible residents in the Finger Lakes region to get vaccinated with the updated booster shot against COVID-19. The CDC recently approved reformulated booster shots to further protect against the disease.

According to CDC guidelines, people ages 12 and older are now eligible to receive an updated booster two months after their last COVID-19 dose — either since their last booster shot or since completing their initial two vaccine doses.

• Pfizer’s updated booster dose is recommended for individuals 12 and older.
• Moderna’s updated booster dose is recommended for adults 18 and older.
• Anyone can get either the Pfizer or Moderna booster, regardless of the manufacturer of their previous vaccines.

The CDC suggests that people who had COVID-19 recently may consider waiting three months from the start of their symptoms or a positive test before getting the updated booster shot.

Linda Clark, Chief Medical Officer at Common Ground Health, said, “With COVID-19 variants continuing to persist and with flu season approaching, it is important that people stay up to date with their vaccinations. Everyone who is eligible should get the updated booster this fall for maximum protection against the disease, and people can get the booster shot the same day as their flu shot.”

These new booster doses contain an updated bivalent formula that protects against the newer Omicron variants and against the original Coronavirus. The updated bivalent formula is not for initial vaccination; it is for use only for COVID-19 booster doses.

People who have questions about COVID-19 vaccines should talk to their physician or visit http://www.getyouranswers.org.

For the week of Sept. 14, there were 123 new positive tests reported to the Genesee County Health Department. For the week of Sept. 21, there were 115.

New case reports were well below 100 most weeks throughout the summer.

The county only has data on cases reported from labs or people who did at-home tests and took it upon themselves to report their positive tests to the county.  People who test at home but don't report their results are not included in the count.  The total number of lab-based positives for the past week is 91.

One death from COVID-related causes was reported in the past week, bringing the total number of Genesee County residents who have died from the disease to 201.

According to the CDC, the county's current transmission risk is "medium." 

On Sept. 1, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its recommendations on booster doses for COVID-19. The updated Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster is designed to give individuals protection against the original strain of COVID-19 and provides better protection against the Omicron variant, which accounts for a majority of the current cases in the United States. The new bivalent booster replaces the existing monovalent vaccine booster doses that have been offered.*

Eligibility:

Moderna COVID-19 Bivalent Booster Dose

Individuals 18 years of age and older are eligible for a booster dose if it has been at least two months since they have completed their primary vaccine series or received a monovalent booster dose.

Pfizer COVID-19 Bivalent Booster Dose

Individuals 12 years of age and older are eligible for a booster dose if it has been at least two months since they have completed their primary vaccine series or received a monovalent booster dose.

*Pfizer COVID-19 Monovalent Booster Dose*

Individuals 5-11 years of age are eligible for a booster dose at least five months after completing their primary series.

“The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments will offer the Bivalent Booster starting this week at our COVID-19 clinics,” stated Paul Pettit, Genesee and Orleans County Health Public Health Director. “We encourage residents to talk with their primary care provider and/or their pharmacist with questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine and the Bivalent Booster.”

Appointments are required and walk-ins will NOT be accepted. To make an appointment for your next COVID-19 vaccine, visit https://bit.ly/GOHealthCOVID-19Vaccine.

Week of September 11

Genesee County

3837 West Main Street Road

Batavia, NY

Orleans County

14016 State Route, Suite 101

Albion, NY

Thursday, September 15^th

9:30-11:30AM

Bivalent Boosters ONLY

Thursday, September 16^th

1:30-2:45PM

Bivalent Boosters ONLY

Starting the week of September 18

Genesee County

3837 West Main Street Road

Batavia, NY

Orleans County

14016 State Route, Suite 101

Albion, NY

Wednesdays

1:30-3:30pm

All doses

Thursdays

1:30-3:30pm

All doses

 

The Batavia City School District is proud to announce it has received $1.4M in grant funding from the New York State Office of Mental Health under the “Student Mental Health Support Grants to School Districts” program to assist with mental health issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a national survey described in a recent publication of Pediatrics: An Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, “The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted both parent’s and children's mental health. The need to address the emotional and psychological wellbeing of children has never been more important.”

New York State’s Office of Mental Health announced the grants in March of 2022 specifically developed for public school students, families, faculty, and staff with the purpose of “improving access to mental health resources, support students who have experienced stress, anxiety and/or trauma, and to support the adults that surround them.” 

According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), “Research demonstrates that students who receive social-emotional and mental health support perform better academically.”

“This grant will provide much-needed assistance to our students and staff,” said Superintendent Jason Smith. “We are still evaluating the learning loss associated with the past two years of the pandemic, but it’s safe to say it’s had an extraordinary impact on our students’ mental health. We thank the Office of Mental Health for prioritizing students in our state and will certainly put these funds to good use.” 

According to the grant information, “The expectation is that this enhancement will be utilized to address inequities and provide additional availability and access to the continuum of strategies and supports that address the mental health of students. The objectives of this grant include enhancing access to mental health services, implementing integrated mental health supports, and strengthening community partnerships.”

“The impact of the pandemic across all areas of our students' lives cannot be underestimated,” said Dr. Molly Corey, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction. “With grant programs like these, we can fill in the gaps with our curriculum, programming, and resources to make sure no student falls through the cracks and gets the support they need to be successful and get back on track.” 

BCSD’s plans for the funding are currently under review and will be announced to the community at a later date.