Month: March 2016

March 31 2016
 
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Officials say that 27 year old Harold Warner of Hornell is not accounted for in the state of Virginia. According to officials, Warner, a Hornell meth lab suspect from the February fire on Olive Place in Hornell, Warner’s whereabouts are currently unknown.
 
According to NBC 12 in Virginia, Warner was reportedly rescued after falling into a river in the Richmond Virginia area.
The other meth lab suspect, 36 year old Amy Briscoe, also from Hornell, died after falling into the river in Virginia, this week.

March 31, 2016
 
 
ALBANY, NY – Time Warner Cable News reports that State Senate Republicans got several compromises in the budget. The biggest compromise is the one on the $15.00 an hour minimum wage. According to TWC, Senate Republicans got it down to $12.50 an hour for upstate New York.
 
Also, the State Senate GOP got the rest of the legislature to agree to a tax cut, and the complete end to the GEA. The Gap Elimination Adjustment is money that is held back from being given to districts by the state government, so that the state legislature can use that money for other things.
 
Click here to read full story.

March 31, 2016
 
 
ARKPORT, NY – Arkport Central School says that they’re looking over the feedback from local voters who took part in recent online surveys.
 
Arkport Central School District administrators have received and are now digging into the results of the online surveys conducted earlier this year.
 
The district partnered with School Communications Performance Evaluation (SCoPE) Surveys to administer three surveys – one each for community, faculty/staff and parents/families – to help Arkport evaluate the effectiveness of its communication with these key groups.
“I want to thank everyone in Arkport who took the time to give us valuable feedback,” Superintendent of Schools Glenn Niles said. “SCoPE has provided us with loads of data, which frankly we’re still in the process of analyzing. But we already have a strong sense of what our community thinks and expects of our communication efforts, and soon we’ll plan next steps to help us understand why.”
The participation period for the surveys extended from Jan. 11 through Feb. 9. During that time, 74 percent of 100 faculty and staff members completed their 70-question survey, generating a margin of error of plus or minus 5.9 percentage points. For the 76-question parents/families survey, 13.8 percent (65 of 470) participated, for a margin of error of plus or minus 11.5 percentage points. Unfortunately, because the response rate for the community survey was exceptionally low – less than 2 percent of Arkport residents, or 37 of 2,808 potential respondents – the district was not able to garner any reliable insights from this population.
The parent and faculty surveys identified several areas of strength as well as opportunity in the district’s efforts to communicate with its constituents.
Some highlights:
 Overall satisfaction: Faculty and staff members indicated a high level of overall satisfaction with the district’s communication, with 88 percent giving a grade of average, very good or excellent. Likewise, 83 percent of parents were satisfied overall.
 Understandability, reputation: Eighty-eight percent of employees said communication from the school/district was understandable, and 84 percent said Arkport’s reputation was a significant factor in their decision to work for the district.
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 Timeliness: Most parents indicated the district’s communication was timely (82 percent) and understandable (88 percent).
 Transparency: A majority of employees said communication was transparent (61 percent) and timely (70 percent).
 Engagement: Most parents said they felt informed about their child’s progress in school (66 percent) and how to direct questions, concerns or complaints (74 percent).
Areas in need of improvement:
 District finances: 30 percent of employees and 29 percent of parents said they were well-informed about the district’s fiscal situation.
 Leadership decisions: 30 percent of faculty and staff respondents said they were satisfied with the level of communication about school and district leader decisions.
 Success stories: 33 percent of employees rate the district well for communicating about faculty and staff success, and 35 percent for student success and achievement.
 Goals: A quarter of parents expressed satisfaction with the district’s communication about the use of technology in the classroom.
In coming weeks, the district plans to conduct focus groups with some respondents to help administrators address and prioritize areas where performance indicated needing improvement. Additional information will be posted on the district website soon.
The complete summary reports of all three SCoPE surveys are available in the district office and online (www.arkportcsd.org).

March 30 2016
 
 
BATH, NY – Steuben County Department of Public Works Commissioner Vince Spagnoletti says that there will be some bridge closings coming up soon. One in Hartsville, there will be an on-site detour. The bridge work in Hartsville starts on April 4.
 
Another bridge closing will be in the Town of Troupsburg, on Cook Hollow Road, that bridge closes on April 4th. Spagnoletti says there will be closed for 12 weeks, and to use the town and county roads as a detour in Troupsburg.

March 30, 2016
 
 
NBC 12 in Richmond, Virginia, is reporting that the body of Amy Briscoe, 36, Hornell NY, was found dead in a river in Virginia this week. Briscoe had been wanted by Hornell Police after a meth lab explosion in February.
 
The other meth lab suspect, Harold Warner, 27, is reported to have survived with hypothermia.
 
Click here to read full story from NBC 12.

March 29, 2016
 
 
PRATTSBURGH, NY – State Police are reporting that they are trying to find out who robbed the Arrow Mart in Prattsburgh yesterday.
 
Troopers say a male suspect, about 6 foot tall wearing a black mask, black gloves and a black shirt took a cash, change and cigarettes.
 
Anyone who knows anything about this can call state police at 607 776 6866.