Fresh snow and heavy, gusting winds made for some slippery travel this morning, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. A few area schools have been closed and Le Roy has delayed its start for two hours. Closings include: Attica, Alexander, Pavilion and Pembroke.
Several area school districts have delayed opening school for two hours as a result of icy roads, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. They include: Batavia City Schools, Attica, Le Roy and Pavilion. Fischer reports that a number of roads simply have yet to be salted.
In other news, 40 workers have been let go at Lapp Insulators in Le Roy. On its Web site, the company is described as "a world-leading manufacturer of high voltage ceramic and composite insulators for the global electric utility industry." A loss of 40 employees will bring the total workforce down to 98. There is no news on the WBTA site as to why the company enforced the lay offs.
It was a wretched commute into Batavia from Rochester this morning. Roads were packed and ragged with snow. It's slow going out there, so be careful.
Fortunately, the winter storm warning is set to expire by noon today, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Until then, however, expect another few inches of snow to fall, and watch out for whiteout conditions as the winds should be kicking up around 30 mph.
Road crews all over Genesee County have been vigilant and most roads and city streets are now all clear of the ice and snow that covered them yesterday, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Nevertheless, some patches of packed snow can be found in spots, so caution is still advised while driving. As for tonight—how about rain? Temperatures will be pushing 40 degrees as we head into Christmas Eve. That means some of the ubiquitous snow will shrink down as it melts.
Fischer reports that the storms have caused some collateral damage, costing the Salvation Army some $5,000 in donations to the Red Kettle Campaign, presumably because folks couldn't get out and give.
The brother of the 6-year-old boy who brought a loaded handgun onto a school bus yesterday morning is today out on bail, WBTA's Dan Fischer reports. David Truesdale, 19, was released on bail and will later return to court to answer his charges of fourth-degree possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child. Both counts are misdemeanors. Juan Claudio, 40, remains in jail. Claudio faces the same charges, although the possession charge had been upgraded to a felony due to a prior conviction.
Between three and five inches of heavy wet snow has so far fallen on Genesee County and environs, WBTA's Wayne Fuller tells us. It's ugly out there. Driving is slippery, so be careful. We're also still due for a continued onslaiught of snow and sleet and freezing rain until about noon today. Precipitation should end in a freezing drizzle and some icing is possible. Be wary all day on the roads. Fortunately, we look to be in the clear for tomorrow.
Expect some snow showers to begin some time around 7 o'clock this evening. WBTA's Dan Fischer warns us of a National Weather Service advisory for tonight that should last until about noon tomorrow. What will start out as light snow in the Southern Tier and spread throughout the region will develop into a mix of snow and sleet in the morning hours. All told, expect between four to six inches of accumulation by tomorrow afternoon.
In other news, Indian tribes across the state are threatening legal action following Gov. David Paterson's move to start collecting taxes on cigarettes sold by Indian retailers. Barry Snyder, who heads up the Seneca Nation, said that he plans to "revisit every aspect of the nation's relationship to the state." Fischer thinks that might be a thinly veiled threat that the Seneca Nation will rethink its revenue sharing deal between the casinos and the state.
Batavia's City Board of Education will meet tonight at 7:00pm at the administration building on Washington Avenue, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. You can download the meeting agenda via the city schools' Web site. Board members are expected to go into an executive session regarding an employment matter.
In other news, Fischer reports that Tops Markets will add as many as ten new stores throughout the region, including several that are planned for Buffalo and Rochester. The supermarket chain will also invest some $150 million in renovations to its existing stores.
Dan and Debbie Fischer sure know how to throw a party.
There was plenty of food and laughs tonight at 113 E. Main St., in the studio of Batavia's WBTA.
The radio station hosted the Chamber's monthly mixer and made sure all guests were quite entertained.
Below, Dan received a certificate of recognition from the Chamber for hosting the event.
Everybody loves a good auction, and at this time of year, an auction can be a great way to pick up an interesting present.
Batavia's WBTA is holding another of its periodic auctions this Saturday. For rules, information and a list of the items up for grabs, visit WBTA1490.com.
Among the many interesting items:
The Genesee County Legislature approved next year's budget with little comment last night, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. The property tax rate will remain the same at $9.82 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Investigators are citing an overheated furnace as the cause of a fire that gutted a home on Fisher Park yesterday morning. The total damage was figured at $85,000.
The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign in Batavia has a little more than halfway to go to reach its fundraising goal for the season. So far, the group's volunteers have taken in $31,000. They have two weeks left to reach $65,000.
Batavia residents will continue to pay for trash collection through their property taxes... at least, for now, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. City Council took up the issue last night, debating whether it might not make more sense to switch to a non-exempt fee system. Fischer cites an example brought up by Councilman Sam Barone last night who said that the Genesee ARC costs the city $900,000 per year in trash collection, yet the group is exempt because of its non-profit status. Council will take up the issue again in April.
Eight property owners from Oak Street told the City Council last night that they oppose the state's proposal to reduce that street from four to three lanes, one heading north, one south, and one that would be used for turning only. A public informational meeting will be held on the proposal on December 18.
Repair crews should be on scene this morning at the site of a water main break on West Avenue near Woodrow Road, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Road conditions could be tricky in that area, as any ground water is likely to freeze pretty quickly. Fortunately, salt dispensers should also be on scene to keep those city streets from turning into ice rinks.
In other news, Batavia's City Council will meet tonight at 7 o'clock at City Hall. On the agenda: Looking at alternate means of funding garbage collection.
More than 260 area employees will soon be without a job. WBTA's Dan Fischer reports that the Seneca Gaming Corp. will be laying off 210 of its workers, all of whom are employed at the casinos in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca. Seneca cites the "worsening economy." Also, in Rochester, the Democrat & Chronicle will be eliminating 59 jobs, 34 of which will be paid off this week. That accounts for 8 percent of the total workforce, according to an article from the Associated Press, which has this to say of the newspaper layoffs:
The newspaper has not yet specified how many of the layoffs will occur in the newsroom. After the cuts are made, it will have 680 full-time and part-time employees.
Publisher Ali Zoibi says rising costs and a drop in advertising and circulation revenue have created what he called "this unpleasant situation."
He said the newspaper also is trimming non-payroll expenses.
Tough times, it seems, all over.
A dozen prison farms across the state will be closed down over the next six months, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. That includes the farm in Attica. The State Department of Corrections has said that the cost of maintaining the farms exceeds the revenue brought in by the produce. Don't know about anyone else, but I was surprised to hear that these farms still existed.
A JP Morgan Call Center based in Albion will remain open, and its 850 employees will remain at work. Fischer reports that there had been concern over whether the center would remain open after Chase acquired Washington Mutual two months ago.
A Batavia business mainstay for more than a century, Loose Ends Vending & Food Service, has been sold, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. A Massachusetts company will take over the vending service and incorporate it into "the nation's largest vending company," Next Generation, which operates out of Canton. Fischer reports that: "Many Batavia workers will be transferred to the new company's offices and warehouses in Buffalo and Rochester." No mention of how many workers will be affected, or if any stand to lose their jobs. Loose Ends was owned by brothers Thomas and John Houseknecht, along with their brother-in-law William Barton and nephew Michael Houseknecht. The family also owned the Pepsi-Cola Batavia Bottling Corp., which was sold nine months ago to the Pepsi Bottling Group.
Multiple accidents on the Thruway eastbound near Pembroke kept the highway closed down and backed up for nearly 20 miles yesterday evening. Slick wet roads are likely to blame for the crashes.
After several weeks of tweaking the proposed budget by County Manager Jay Gsell, the Genesee County Legislature has whittled the tax rate back down to $9.82 per $1,000 of assessed value, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. That's the same rate as this year.
An official vote on the budget will be made on December 10. You can see the salary increases proposed for county officials at the WBTA Web site. A vote on those will be made with the vote on the budget.
Genesee County's Legislature will meet tonight at 7:00pm in the Old County Courthouse. Also, the Batavia City Council will hold a conference meeting at 7:00pm at City Hall.
The unemployment rate for Genesee County is up more than a percentage point from this time last year, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. The October jobless rate for the county was figured at 5.2 percent this year, as compared with 4.1 percent, last year. Those figures are released by the State Department of Labor, one of whose economists said that the last time the figures for the region were this high, the country was coming out of the recession of the early 1990s.
M&T Bank is on tap to receive $600 million from the federal government, in exchange for "preferred stock" that will go to the Treasury Department, as part of the nationwide "rescue plan."
(Update): The Buffalo News today includes a comprehensive article on M&T's option to join the "bailout." Especially interesting are these few lines:
M&T had been hesitant to sign on because executives feel the bank is perfectly healthy, hasn’t cut back on lending in its communities, and doesn’t need the extra capital. The bank currently has $6.4 billion in capital, giving it a “Tier 1” capital ratio of 7.34 percent, which exceeds the highest regulatory minimums.
That’s why the bank requested only the minimum of $600 million, as opposed to the maximum of about $1.73 billion that it could have sought, based on its asset size.
Come again? The bank is doing perfectly fine, doesn't need the money, but figured: 'Hey, what the heck, if they're giving it out, we might as well take some.'
The search for a missing Sheldon man continues today, ten days after he went missing. Michael Shiltz, 42, was last seen on November 10, and his truck was found parked by a trail off of Humphrey Road in Sheldon two days later. Read our post from yesterday for more details.
In other news, Holiday Valley, the Ellicottville ski resort, is opening today. Thanks to the several feet of lake-effect snow over the past week, and more on the way, this will mark the third earliest opening of the resort in its 50-year history.
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