November 27, 2024
HORNELL, NY – There was a kitchen fire today, inside of Biggie’s Restaurant at 66 River Street. Officials say, the fire was called in at 2:30pm this afternoon. There was significant damage to the kitchen, however the seating area and the bar, were not damaged.
November 27, 2024
FROM HORNELL POLICE: The Hornell Police Department will participate in the Stop DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign this Thanksgiving Eve through the weekend. In order to keep our streets safe, extra officers will be deployed to target impaired drivers. Please arrange a plan to get to your destinations safely.
Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2024
Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard reports that on November 25, 2024, deputies of the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jeremy P. Wambold, age 43, of Poags Hole Road, Dansville, New York, following an investigation of reported social media threats. It is alleged that Mr. Wambold threatened to kill several members of the Steuben County Government. Mr. Wambold was charged with Making a Terroristic Threat, a class D Felony. Mr. Wambold was arraigned in the Centralized Arraignment Court and released. Sheriff Allard thanks the New York State Police for their assistance in this arrest
November 27, 2024
GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON THE RELEASE OF THREE AMERICANS, INCLUDING ONE NEW YORKER, FROM CHINESE CUSTODY
New York, NY – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement about the release of three Americans, including New York’s Kai Li, from Chinese custody: “This Thanksgiving, I am so grateful to hear that three Americans, including my constituent, Kai Li, have been released from Chinese custody and are set to be reunited with their families. For the last several years, my office and I have been working with the Biden administration, Leader Schumer, and most importantly, Kai’s son, Harrison, to help secure Kai’s safe passage back to the United States, and now that day has come. The release of Kai Li, Mark Swidan, and John Leung means that there are no longer any wrongfully detained Americans being held in the People’s Republic of China. I would like to thank Harrison Li and his family for their tenacious advocacy for Kai over the last several years, as well as President Biden, his staff, and personnel across the United States government who worked tirelessly to bring Kai home.
I will continue to work with President Biden and his administration to secure the release of our wrongfully detained individuals across the world, including my constituent, Ryan Corbett, who has spent over two years wrongfully detained by the Taliban, and the return of the innocent men and women still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.”
November 27, 2024
GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON THE RELEASE OF THREE AMERICANS, INCLUDING ONE NEW YORKER, FROM CHINESE CUSTODY
New York, NY – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement about the release of three Americans, including New York’s Kai Li, from Chinese custody:
“This Thanksgiving, I am so grateful to hear that three Americans, including my constituent, Kai Li, have been released from Chinese custody and are set to be reunited with their families.
For the last several years, my office and I have been working with the Biden administration, Leader Schumer, and most importantly, Kai’s son, Harrison, to help secure Kai’s safe passage back to the United States, and now that day has come. The release of Kai Li, Mark Swidan, and John Leung means that there are no longer any wrongfully detained Americans being held in the People’s Republic of China.
I would like to thank Harrison Li and his family for their tenacious advocacy for Kai over the last several years, as well as President Biden, his staff, and personnel across the United States government who worked tirelessly to bring Kai home.
I will continue to work with President Biden and his administration to secure the release of our wrongfully detained individuals across the world, including my constituent, Ryan Corbett, who has spent over two years wrongfully detained by the Taliban, and the return of the innocent men and women still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.”
November 27, 2024
FROM SENATOR SCHUMER: WITH MEDICARE’S TELEHEALTH SERVICES FOR 176,000+ SOUTHERN TIER SENIORS IN LIMBO, SCHUMER PUSHES AT JONES MEMORIAL HOSPITAL TO SAVE THIS LIFELINE FOR HEALTHCARE CRITICAL TO OUR RURAL AREAS AND AVOID TELEHEALTH CLIFF
WITH MEDICARE’S TELEHEALTH SERVICES FOR 176,000+ SOUTHERN TIER SENIORS IN LIMBO, SCHUMER PUSHES AT JONES MEMORIAL HOSPITAL TO SAVE THIS LIFELINE FOR HEALTHCARE CRITICAL TO OUR RURAL AREAS AND AVOID TELEHEALTH CLIFF
During The Pandemic, Telehealth Services Were Able To Finally Be Reimbursed By Medicare, Helping Provide Convenient Access To High-Quality Health Care For Rural Communities In Southern Tier And Across The Country – But That Program Is Set To Expire December 31st Without Congressional Action
Schumer Says We Can’t Go Over The Telehealth Cliff And Have This Lifeline For Healthcare Cut Off, Launches Push To Extend Critical Program In End Of Year Legislation And Keep Seniors Connected To Their Doctors & Care. Standing at UR Medicine | Jones Memorial Hospital in Allegany County, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer launched his push to protect Medicare’s telehealth program, which could expire at the end of next month without Congressional action. Schumer said it is critical we avoid the upcoming telehealth cliff for Southern Tier seniors, which is especially important to rural areas like Allegany County, to maintain this vital lifeline for accessible healthcare. “Telehealth services are essential in places like Allegany County; it is a lifeline for our rural areas and seniors who can’t easily travel to the doctor to get the healthcare they need and we can’t let it expire. That’s why I’m launching a push to avoid the telehealth cliff and save this lifeline for tens of thousands of seniors in the Southern Tier,” said Senator Schumer. “We saw telehealth surge in use during the pandemic, and we should make sure that access to your doctor is as easy as picking up your phone. I was proud to help Medicare expand telehealth services during the pandemic, but we need to act quickly to preserve this program and ensure this lifeline isn’t cut off for our seniors come 2025.”
“Whether you are in Binghamton or Hornell, telehealth helps improve accessibility, affordability and makes our hospitals stronger by reducing wait times and making sure patients can get the care they need, and we have seen that right here in Wellsville. It makes it so patients can receive timely care, even when they can’t physically make it to the doctor’s office,” added Schumer.
Schumer explained that during the pandemic, the federal government declared a public health emergency that gave the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) flexibility to reimburse patients for expenses related to telehealth services and allowed providers to deliver audio-only health care services.
Schumer added, “This helped thousands of seniors in rural areas across Upstate NY when the closest doctor is hours away access critical health care services. Telehealth is one of the biggest tools for supporting rural Upstate communities that face shortages of doctors. Especially for seniors who can have difficulty going to a doctor’s office due to mobility challenges, telehealth lets people get routine care without having to worry about how to get to the doctor’s office.”
When the public health emergency officially ended last year, Schumer led efforts to pass legislation to extend those flexibilities that allowed CMS to cover telehealth appointments. However, that legislative authority will expire on December 31st, 2024 without Congressional action. This means that seniors could lose coverage for telehealth appointments, doctors could no longer provide audio-only telehealth services, and fewer providers will be able to receive reimbursement for telehealth services.
Schumer is now pushing to include an extension in the end of year legislation and try to make telehealth services a permanent and accessible option for all on Medicare.
“We are honored to welcome Senator Schumer to Jones Memorial as we shine a spotlight on the transformative power of telehealth for our elderly and rural patients,” said Jim Helms, CEO of JMH. “This visit underscores the critical role technology plays in bridging healthcare gaps, especially in rural communities like ours. We are excited to share our journey and discuss ways to further expand access, ensuring every senior has the opportunity to receive timely, quality care from the comfort of their home. We thank Senator Schumer for his leadership on this very important issue.”
Schumer said that it is important for Congress to extend these flexibilities for the approximately 11,091 seniors in Allegany County and 176,692 seniors across the Southern Tier with Medicare who will lose access to telehealth services. A county-by-county breakdown can be found below:
Jones Memorial’s utilization of telehealth visits increased 42% in 2023, with these flexibilities, and has remained at nearly 1,000 primary care visits per year since then.
Schumer has a long history of support for Jones Memorial Hospital, most recently working to deliver significant federal funding for financial recovery after the pandemic, delivering $4,903,664 from the Provider Relief Fund, $3,836,000 from the CARES Act Emergency federal funding program, and working to extend Medicare-Dependent Hospital program, a designation, resulting in over $6M in funding for Jones Memorial over the next 10 years.
November 26, 2024
from Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard:
In September of 2023, members of the Steuben County government passed two resolutions to strip the Sheriff’s liability protections under the Public Officer Law and to cause him to purchase, at his own expense, millions of dollars of liability insurance. Upon submitting a petition to enjoin (stay) the resolutions to the New York State Supreme Court, the Sheriff was granted a stay of the resolutions until the case could be heard in Supreme Court. The county, prior to the initial hearing, repealed the resolution requiring liability insurance. On September 10th, 2024, all final statements and submissions were made to the Court.
On November 25th, 2024, New York State Supreme Court Justice Jason Cook issued a written Decision and Order (attached). The Court, after examining all evidence and testimony concluded that the County had “engaged in multiple questionable practices” and that the discussion and vote held only in executive session of the Public Safety and Corrections Committee regarding legislation to strip the Sheriff of indemnification was “not permissible under the express conditions and enumerated purposes set forth in the statute”. Furthermore, the court found that “the failure of the legislature to follow the Open Meetings Law irreparably taints the legislature’s actions”. The Court ultimately found that the “indemnification was revoked as an act of bad faith to ‘punish’ the Sheriff, just as the county had previously threatened”.
The Court issued the following Order:
ORDERED, that Local Law No. 11 of 2023 was unlawfully enacted and is deemed invalid, and it is further
ORDERED, that Respondents are enjoined and prohibited from implementing Local Law No. 11 of 2023 in effect, and it is further
ORDERED, that this Decision and Order is without prejudice to the Steuben County Legislature to re-address the issue of the Sheriff’s indemnification, and it is further
ORDERED, that Respondent’s motion for sanctions is denied.
Throughout this legal fight, the county has used taxpayer monies to both initiate and defend this “bad faith” action. Steuben County residents have paid for the following outside legal services used to defend the county’s actions:
As of September 2024: Coughlin and Gerhart LLP: $66,469.16
Stephen J. Rehfuss, Esq.: $10,257.50
Total: $76,726.66
This legislative action commenced in July 2023. As part of the Executive Session material and debates by the legislature regarding the Sheriff and the Sheriff’s Office, several presentations occurred only in Executive Session by an Attorney from the Philips Lytle law firm. During this same period the county used taxpayer monies to contract with a professional media consultant to release a video defending the county’s actions.
Communications Counsel: $8,941.50
From August 2023 to September 2024 Steuben County residents have paid for the following legal services:
Philips Lytle LLP: $113,079.68
The county has spent almost $200,000 of taxpayer money to initiate and defend their actions.
The Sheriff is thankful that justice has been served. As always, all Steuben County residents are encouraged to be active in their county government. The Sheriff and the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office remain committed to their public safety mission, as well as serving the citizens of Steuben County. For more information about the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office and its various activities, programs, and duties, follow us on Facebook at Steuben County Sheriff’s Office or visit our Steuben County Sheriff’s Office App and website (SteubenNYsheriff).
FROM THE STEUBEN COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT:
“Steuben County is aware of the decision handed down yesterday and we are currently evaluating our next steps”
November 26, 2024
BATH, NY – FROM THE STEUBEN CO PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICE: The Steuben County Public Health Department and partners are sharing updated overdose data for October 2024: 28 overdoses were reported, 1 fatality was reported, and 7 instances of Narcan administration were cited.
In October, three of Steuben’s overdose records cited opioids as a suspected drug causing the overdose. Seventeen overdose records did not note a specific substance or were not able to be accessed for a full review, and the remaining 8 records indicated another substance was suspected to be the cause of an overdose. Other reported substances included alcohol, prescription drugs, and others.
“Steuben County and its partners are continuing to improve opportunities for accessible Narcan” said Public Health Director, Darlene Smith. “Get trained on how to use Narcan safely and effectively. You can save a life.”
Narcan training is available at https://www.steubencountyny.gov/narcan or in-person training can be scheduled by calling Steuben Public Health at 607-664-2438 or reaching out to the Steuben Prevention Coalition’s Opioid Committee. Find Narcan wall box units near you using the Narcan Location Map: https://scnygis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d9a2723d449a4e558a2dfd44a121e823
Local support is available. Steuben County Substance Abuse Services (SCASAS) offers outpatient services in Bath (607-664-2156), Corning (607-937-6201), and Hornell (607-324-2483) as well as after-hours services (607-937-7800). CASA Trinity in Hornell (607-282-5200) and Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital in Bath offer detox and inpatient services as well. By texting the keyword “GetHelpNY” to 898-211, users will be guided through a series of questions to help them, or their loved ones find the assistance they need. Residents are also encouraged to call 211 for other local support.
November 26, 2024
Steuben County Adopts 2025 Budget: Focus on Fiscal Responsibility and Strategic Investments
Bath, NY – November 25, 2024 – Steuben County has officially adopted its 2025 budget, emphasizing fiscal responsibility, competitive wages, and strategic investments in infrastructure and public safety.
Key Budget Highlights:
Property Tax Levy & Rate: The budget includes a 1.76% increase in the tax levy, half of the allowable increase under New York State’s tax cap. Despite this, the average tax rate per thousand will decrease by 4.71%, marking the 12th consecutive year of reduced tax rates. Over the last decade, the county has reduced the full value tax rate by 27.53%.
Expense Drivers: Major expenses include wage increases and rising Medicaid and Social Services costs. Despite these pressures, the county will continue to support local programs while fulfilling state mandates.
Investments in Public Safety & Infrastructure: The budget allocates funding for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and $9.55 million for road construction projects to improve local infrastructure.
Personnel & Competitive Salaries: To address staffing challenges, the county is prioritizing market-based salary adjustments to attract and retain personnel, especially in critical service areas.
Total Budget: $259,696,215
November 25, 2024
From Hornell City Hall
The City of Hornell’s second public art installation through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) was installed on Broadway recently. The sculpture, “Homage to Gus,” is the second piece designed and created by local artist Glenn Zweygardt.
This sculpture celebrates Hornell’s industrial and manufacturing history, and incorporates an abandoned boiler tank recovered from our local salvage yard. “Homage to Gus” further honors Hornell’s manufacturing heritage by featuring a riveted ring that symbolizes the steel rivet rings once produced in the City’s historic boiler shop.
Like the Pave Alley Archway, this piece is sure to catch the attention of residents and visitors, while honoring the City’s proud past. Many thanks to Glenn for his hard work, dedication, and creativity in revitalizing our downtown!
November 25, 2024
Coming up today, the Steuben County Legislature will have a public hearing on the Steuben County budget. Immediately afterwards, they’ll be voting on it.
The proposed budget calls for a tax levy increase of 1.7 percent.
That’s according to County Manager Jack Wheeler who also says, the average tax rate will decrease by about four percent.
November 25, 2024
The Wreaths Across America Truck is coming to Bath on a week from today, on Monday December 2, between 10:30 and 11am. The truck will be met and escorted by several law enforcement agencies, fire departments and Patriot Guard Members at exit 39 and then lead through Bath down East Morris Street to the 4-way intersection. It will then turn left onto West Washington Street to make its way to the back entrance to the VA facilities. The public is invited to line the streets to welcome the truck as it makes its way to deliver the thousands of Wreaths that have been donated to lay on the gravesites of our Nation’s Heroes on December 14th . Wreath sponsorships are still welcome up until Thanksgiving. To sponsor a wreath visit WreathsAcrossAmerica.org/NYBNCB.