Fri, May 1st 2020 02:20 am
The New York State Association of Counties on Thursday announced an updated and expanded economic analysis that projects counties outside of New York City losing in excess of $2 billion, factoring in sales and occupancy taxes, casino gaming revenues and other local fees. Counties are also bracing for another $1.25 billion in cuts to state reimbursement, which was signaled by the state's Division of Budget earlier this week.
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Fri, May 1st 2020 01:55 am
Early this week, there was a spike in Erie County's COVID-19 hospitalizations. The number of people hospitalized with the virus in the county reached 258, the highest it has been.
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 06:40 pm
As part of her weekday afternoon community update Thursday on LCTV, Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Becky Wydysh said, "That site is being run by the state Department of Health, and they are requiring that you preregister to be tested at that site. Again, you can call 1-888-364-3065, or head to the website (covid19screening.health.ny.gov).
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 11:10 am
The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, located at Stella Niagara near Lewiston, invite the community to join in a collective moment of prayer beginning on Friday, May 1.
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 11:10 am
On Monday, the Niagara County Community College Small Business Development Center was awarded a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. The grant award total was for $36,300.00, part of the foundation's COVID-19 small business relief fund. Thanks to this timely funding award, the Niagara SBDC will be able to offer Niagara County businesses emergency relief services. These services include expert consultation on e-commerce development, free participation in a multiple-part small business crisis management webinar series, and individual advisement on enhanced marketing sales techniques.
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 11:10 am
United Way of Greater Niagara has continued to ramp up funding to support its 29 partner agencies within Niagara County. UWGN recently received grants from National Grid, General Motors and Hypertherm, which will be used to support COVID-19 response efforts related to child care services in the Niagara Region. These grants, along with funding from the Beeman Foundation, will provide funding to Youth Mentoring Services in Lockport and the Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club, two organizations in the county currently providing day care services for essential workers.
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 11:05 am
The Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund, coordinated by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, The John R. Oishei Foundation and the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, has awarded $1 million to an additional 35 nonprofit organizations, bringing the total grant amount from the fund to $5.5 million, supporting a total of 109 nonprofit organizations.
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 11:00 am
Kaleida Health has expanded hours for its COVID-19 testing site on the East Side of Buffalo.
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 11:00 am
The Giving Project has launched a fundraising campaign called, "Good Neighbors Against COVID-19," which will benefit the Child Care Resource Network. CCRN is an essential resource for the Western New York community during the pandemic as it is connecting essential workers such as doctors, nurses and grocery store workers with child care services. The organization teamed up with Thurman and Patti Thomas to put together a special raffle prize: Dinner with them at Mullberry Italian Ristorante.
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 11:00 am
Earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP):
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Thu, Apr 30th 2020 10:10 am
Niagara County Legislature Vice Chairman John Syracuse on Thursday announced the formation of three working groups charged with preparing Niagara County for post-pandemic operations. Syracuse said the effort will involve members of the legislature as well as other county leaders, department heads and community partners.
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Wed, Apr 29th 2020 09:25 pm
New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon on Wednesday announced the New York State Department of Labor has directed all New York-based employers to proactively provide New Yorkers with the information they need to file for unemployment benefits. In a directive sent to over 320,000 businesses, the DOL reminded employers of their legal obligation to provide employees with their employer's New York state employer registration number, federal employer identification number (FEIN), and full employer name and address.
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Wed, Apr 29th 2020 09:20 pm
Congressman Brian Higgins encouraged local professional and volunteer fire departments to apply for new federal fire grants made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act approved by Congress on March 27.
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Wed, Apr 29th 2020 09:20 pm
To slow the spread of COVID-19, individuals who test positive are asked to retrace the people and places they recently interacted with.
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Wed, Apr 29th 2020 09:20 pm
With pent-up demand for travel expected once the pandemic passes, many travelers will be anxious to vacation and check destinations off their bucket lists. Yet it's only natural to wonder if hotels and airlines are safe and clean before venturing out on a trip.
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Wed, Apr 29th 2020 02:00 pm
Did you wake up this morning unsure of what day it was? Maybe you had ice cream and a glass of wine for dinner last night after your kids ran out of excuses to not go to bed? I'm here to tell you you're not alone.
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Wed, Apr 29th 2020 01:00 pm
The Niagara County Department of Health issued the following update Wednesday on positive COVID-19 cases in Niagara County: "We regretfully report one new death of a Niagara County resident, an 80-year-old male with underlying health conditions. We send our deepest sympathies to his family and friends."
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Wed, Apr 29th 2020 11:30 am
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday outlined additional guidelines for the phased plan to reopen New York on a regional basis. Each region of the state - Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mid-Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley, New York City, North Country, Long Island, Southern Tier and Western New York - must follow these guidelines as part of the reopening plan.
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Tue, Apr 28th 2020 03:35 pm
"One thing that we can offer right now is the cloth masks. Last week, we offered those free cloth masks through Niagara County Department of Emergency Management to businesses who needed to give them to their essential workers. We would now like to open that up to all of our area businesses. We gave out over 15,000 masks in the last week through that program. And we now want to offer this to businesses who are starting about their reopening process, and will need them for all of their employees most likely when that occurs."
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Tue, Apr 28th 2020 02:20 pm
Patients at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center's six primary care sites can now go online to quickly and conveniently meet with their care providers.
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Tue, Apr 28th 2020 12:00 pm
Coronavirus county update for April 28
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 07:25 pm
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday announced the state is opening five new drive-through testing facilities in Monroe, Erie, Broome, Niagara and Oneida Counties. On Saturday, the state expanded diagnostic testing criteria to include all first responders, health care workers and essential employees, even if they aren't symptomatic. These individuals will be able to get tested for COVID-19 at these new drive-thru facilities. Residents who would like to be tested at these facilities must make an appointment by calling 888-364-3065 or online at covid19screening.health.ny.gov.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 06:25 pm
Erie County Medical Center Corp. on Monday announced the 50th COVID-19 patient has been discharged and the institution celebrated the positive milestone by playing The Beatles' much-loved song, "Here Comes the Sun."
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 05:05 pm
It was announced Monday that 850 purchased meals for medical staff would be delivered to nine local medical facilities over the next two weeks. The first of 17 deliveries arrived at ECMC this morning. The scheduled deliveries will continue through May 8 at various other facilities.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 05:05 pm
Congressman Brian Higgins on Monday announced more than $71.87 million in federal funding has made its way to Erie and Niagara counties to help hospitals on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 02:40 pm
On Monday, the Erie County COVID-19 Business Task Force announced several new initiatives aimed at helping local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown, including the hard-hit agribusiness sector. In partnership with the Task Force, the Erie County Office of Agriculture has developed an "Erie Grown" website to promote the purchase of local and regional farm products by linking consumers with available local food products, support farmers navigating the pandemic and provide a resource hub for consumers and growers.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 02:20 pm
Ultraviolet light has the ability to improve immune responses and promote health, but don't rush out to sunbathe or purchase UV lamps, warns UB light therapy expert Praveen Arany.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 02:20 pm
New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher on Monday said, "Gov. Cuomo provided some much-needed good news today for the state's farmers and our partners looking to feed fellow New Yorkers in need. Our organization has been advocating for food purchase programs at the state and national levels to address the surging demand for food assistance as well as to help alleviate oversupply issues that are burdening our farms because of the loss of markets in the food service industry.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 12:30 pm
University at Buffalo researchers have created a map of food resources in Buffalo to help people locate and access food during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 12:15 pm
The Niagara County Department of Health issued the following update Monday on positive COVID-19 cases in Niagara County:
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 12:00 pm
Schools in New York state could be forced to cut tens of thousands of positions without additional federal funding for K-12 education, the New York State School Boards Association warned.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 11:50 am
Students at Niagara County Community College are still adjusting to a new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual learning has replaced in-person instruction, and plans for major milestones like commencement are being postponed in order to keep the community safe and healthy.
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Mon, Apr 27th 2020 10:30 am
Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Jovita Carranza and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin issued the following statement Monday on the resumption of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP):
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Sun, Apr 26th 2020 06:30 pm
Across the country, emergency departments previously bursting at the seams and hospitals that were operating at capacity have seen a significant reduction in patient volumes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Sun, Apr 26th 2020 06:25 pm
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Sunday outlined a phased plan to re-open New York and re-imagine a "new normal" for the state starting with construction and manufacturing. The plan will be implemented in phases and will be based on regional analysis and determinations.
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Sun, Apr 26th 2020 01:35 pm
Niagara County is nearing 400 positive cases of COVID-19. On Sunday, the Niagara County Department of Health issued the following update:
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Sun, Apr 26th 2020 11:55 am
A unique local business opportunity will result in the production of 5,000 much-needed medical gowns to help protect Western New York health care workers on the front lines.
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Sun, Apr 26th 2020 11:55 am
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Saturday announced the state is expanding diagnostic testing criteria to include more frontline New York workers - a direct result of rapidly increasing diagnostic testing capacity. The expanded criteria will now allow all first responders, health care workers and essential employees to be tested for COVID-19 even if they aren't symptomatic. The state will continue to expand testing criteria as testing capacity increases.
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Sat, Apr 25th 2020 11:30 am
The New York State Department of Labor on Saturday announced it has distributed $3.1 billion in unemployment benefits to New Yorkers since the coronavirus pandemic started impacting New York businesses in early March. In total, more than 1.4 million New Yorkers have submitted completed applications for unemployment benefits since the crisis began, including traditional unemployment insurance and pandemic unemployment assistance.
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Sat, Apr 25th 2020 10:55 am
Niagara Community Action Program Inc., under the Community Child Care Resource and Referral Program, applauds the action of the governor's administration in developing a plan to provide child care to essential workers at no cost. This allocation of funding for child care for essential workers comes to the state from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act"), which has provided New York with $163.6 million in emergency relief to the child care system.
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