Category: Local News

July 26, 2026

FROM THE D.O.T.:  The New York State Department of Transportation is advising motorists that State Route 21, near the County Route 66 intersection in the Town of Hornellsville, Steuben County, will be closed to traffic beginning on Monday, June 29, to accommodate a culvert replacement project. The work is anticipated to be completed by the end of August.

Motorists are advised to follow the posted detour utilizing Interstate 86.

Motorists should anticipate travel delays during this time and are advised to seek alternate routes if necessary. Construction activities are weather dependent and subject to change based on conditions.

Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.

June 26, 2026

ARKPORT CENTRAL Co-Valedictorians: Ella Spitulnik, Portia Stuart

ARKPORT Salutatorian: Ibrahim Ford

Arkport Graduation Friday June 26 at 6pm

HORNELL – Tonight, 7:00PM 

Co-Salutatorians: Ella Foreman & Gavin Thompson

Valdictorian: Nick Gray

CANISTEO GREENWOOD – Tonight, 7:00pm

Salutatorian: Jaxson O’Brien

Valdictorian: Malachi Stauring

ALFRED-ALMOND CENTRAL, Saturday, 2pm

Co-Valdictorians: Michah McClain, Boden Whelpley

Salutitorian: William Denninger IV

June 26, 2026

FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE: 

GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES 396 MILLION FREE SCHOOL MEALS SERVED STATEWIDE IN 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR

Saving New York Families Up to $450 Million Per Month on Grocery Costs

Ensuring 2.7 Million NY Students Receive Free Breakfast and Lunch at School

To mark the end of the school year, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that 396 million free school meals have been served in schools statewide. Governor Hochul’s Universal School Meals Program, launched last year, guarantees every student in New York State access to a healthy breakfast and lunch at participating schools, helping them thrive in and out of the classroom. By eliminating any financial requirements to receive this benefit, New York State has leveled the playing field by taking the burden off of families.

“It’s simple: No kid should go hungry, which is why we introduced free school meals statewide,” Governor Hochul said. “Making sure students have access to healthy meals improves their mental wellbeing and their academic performance. At a time when families are concerned about the affordability of everyday items, New York is proud to support our children’s success and bring down costs for families statewide.”

For the 2025-2026 academic year, New York has:

• Delivered more than 396 million free school meals to New York students
• Helped families statewide save up to $450 million per month on grocery costs

The FY27 Enacted Budget included $395 million for school meals, a $55 million year-to-year increase, requiring all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students regardless of their families’ income. Under this program, the State will pay the student’s share of costs for all meals served to students not already receiving free meals.

New York State Education Department Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “Every student deserves access to healthy, nutritious meals every school day. Through our partnership with Governor Hochul and schools across New York, the State Education Department is proud to administer the Universal School Meals Program, helping ensure students arrive in the classroom ready to learn. By providing free breakfast and lunch to every child, we are supporting student well-being, strengthening academic success, easing financial burdens on families, and building healthier, more equitable school communities across our state.”

June 25, 2026

Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard says that there was a school bus accident earlier this afternoon, around 1pm, in a work zone, on County Route 119.  We’re told that there were 11 students on board and that two of the students had minor injuries who were treated at the scene.  There were no serious injuries reported as of this posting.  The county sheriff’s department is doing a full reconstruction of the accident scene.

June 25, 2026

FROM VAL WHITEHILL AT HORNELL PARTNERS FOR GROWTH:  “After closely monitoring multiple weather forecasts and discussing the situation with the band, Hornell Partners for Growth has made the difficult decision to cancel tonight’s Opening Night of Thursdays at the Square. With thunderstorms, periods of rain, and the potential for severe weather being forecast throughout the evening, both HPG and the band feel that cancelling the event is the safest decision for our performers, vendors, volunteers, and community members.  We know many of you were looking forward to kicking off the season with us; however, the safety of everyone involved must always come first. The good news is that we are already exploring opportunities to bring Midnight Storm back later in the season, so we can still enjoy an evening of great music together.  As many of you have probably seen, weather forecasts from multiple sources, including AccuWeather, Weather.com, and local radar reports, continue to show the possibility of thunderstorms and rain during event hours. While we always try our best to hold events whenever possible, outdoor events require us to err on the side of caution when severe weather is possible.   Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We look forward to seeing everyone at our next Thursdays at the Square event.”

June 25, 2026

By Steamers General Manager Paul Welker

The Hornell Steamers broke open a one-run game with a five-run outburst over the final two innings to defeat the Genesee Rapids 6-2 on Wednesday night at Maple City Park.  After trailing 2-1 through six innings, Hornell rallied behind timely hitting and a dominant bullpen effort to improve to 11-7 on the season.   The Steamers struck first in the second inning. Emmett Heath (Pomona Pitzer) singled and Trent Green (Alfred State) entered as a pinch runner before Callum McAtee (Transylvania) was hit by a pitch and Luke Manders (Kalamazoo) drew a walk to load the bases. Wyatt Argentieri (Bethany Lutheran) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Green to tag and score for a 1-0 Hornell lead.  Genesee answered in the fourth, tying the game on an unearned run after Nate Simon stole third and scored on a throwing error. The Rapids took their first lead an inning later when PJ Ortiz scored on a sacrifice fly by Mikey DeLuca to make it 2-1.

Hornell’s offense came alive in the seventh. McAtee worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on Manders’ sacrifice bunt before Argentieri lined an RBI single to center to even the score. Two batters later, Markus Brehm (Finger Lakes CC/St. Bonaventure) delivered a clutch RBI single to left, with an errant throw allowing him to advance to third as Argentieri scored the go-ahead run.  The Steamers added breathing room in the eighth. Green doubled into the left-field corner before Manders drove him home with an RBI single. Argentieri followed with another base hit, setting the stage for Taylor Joseph (North Park), who ripped a two-run double into the left-center gap to cap the scoring and give Hornell a 6-2 advantage.  Argentieri led the offense, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including the game-tying hit in the seventh and an earlier sacrifice fly. Joseph collected a pinch-hit two-run double in the eighth, while Manders finished with a hit, an RBI, a walk, and scored a run. Green scored twice after entering the game as a pinch runner and later remaining in left field.  Hornell’s pitching staff was equally impressive.  Alex Spezzano (Hobart) kept the Steamers in the game through four innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out four. Zachary Emmer (Kalamazoo) bridged the middle innings before Peter Pipikios (North Park) turned in four dominant innings of relief to earn the victory. Pipikios allowed just one hit, struck out five, and retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced as he shut the door on the Rapids.

The Steamers finished with 10 hits while holding Genesee to six. Hornell pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts, and the bullpen did not allow a run over the final five innings.  Hornell travels to Genesee on Friday for a 7 p.m. contest vs. the Rapids.

June 24, 2026

Here’s how the Steuben County local Republican Primaries went last night:

In the primary for the Campbell Town Supervisor, Norman Maynard came in with 160 votes, over Jeffrey Horton’s 98 votes.  In the Corning Town Justice race, Wendalyn Van Zile got 134 votes, Randy Dye 94.  For the Erwin Town Board race, Heather Ford came in with 178 votes, Alisa Troocia 109 votes.  In the Lindley Town Supervisors primary, Patrick Clark 145 over Roger Reep 44.  In the Lindley Town Highway Superintendents Race, Dylan Hill 122 votes over Carlos Plumley’s 64 votes.  For the Rathbone Town Board primary, it was Kevin Clark 53 and Mary Catherine Cole 21.

June 24, 2026

For The Allegany County Judge Race:

Dawn Wildrick-Cole 787

Allison Carrow 507 

Gerald Driscoll 300

For The Town of Friendship Justice Race: 

David Szucs 45

Edward Yagger 24

For The Town of Hume Justice Race: 

Karen Stroud 84

Richard Bentley 50

Tony Wolfer 2

For The Town of Rushford Justice Race: 

Cal Champlin 70

Dominic Barone 8

June 24, 2026

Longtime Steuben County Social Services Commissioner Kathryn Muller, has died at the age of 66.  Muller was a graduate of Haverling High School and became the Social Services Commissioner in December of 2000.  Then in 2020 she became the President of the New York State Public Welfare Association. 

Calling hours for Muller will be from 1pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm tomorrow at the Fagan Funeral Home in Bath. 

Kathryn Muller’s funeral will be at 11am Friday, at St. Mary’s Church in Bath. 

June 24, 2026

FROM REP. LANGWORTHY:   Congressman Nick Langworthy today announced he voted to pass the bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act, a once-in-a-generation package of landmark legislation designed to restore fairness to America’s housing market, increase housing supply and lower costs for Americans. The bill passed the House last night by a margin of 358-32. 

The Senate also passed the bill through its chamber with large bipartisan margins on Monday, and it now heads to the President’s desk for his signature. The last time Congress passed a housing bill of this scale and significance was in 1990, representing the most significant congressional action on housing in more than three decades. 

“For too many Americans, the dream of owning a home has become increasingly out of reach because of a shortage of supply, rising costs, and a housing market that has not kept pace with the needs of families,” said Congressman Langworthy. “The 21st Century Road to Housing Act tackles these challenges head-on by bringing more homes onto the market, cutting unnecessary barriers to construction, and ensuring our housing policies work for families, not just special interests. This bill delivers on our promise to the American people, and I’m so pleased we worked together to get it done.” 

The bipartisan package takes significant steps to address America’s housing shortage by:

• Increasing Housing Supply and Affordability: The legislation removes regulatory barriers that make it harder and more expensive to build homes, encourages local governments to streamline permitting processes, and expands financing opportunities to spur new construction and bring more affordable housing options to communities.
• Restoring Fairness to the Housing Market: The bill includes reforms to limit the ability of large institutional investors to buy up significant portions of the single-family housing market, helping preserve opportunities for families looking to purchase a home.
• Accelerating Federal Reviews: The legislation modernizes and streamlines federal environmental review processes for certain housing projects, reducing unnecessary delays that drive up costs and slow the creation of new homes.

June 24, 2026

FROM SEN GILLIBRAND’S OFFICE:  Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, held a virtual press conference to condemn the failure of the Trump administration’s military strategy in Iran and the devastating economic fallout of the president’s newly announced concessionary agreement.   “The president launched this war with no strategy and no exit plan,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Months later, he claims to have secured a ‘deal,’ but it is painfully clear he has failed to achieve a single stated national security goal. There is no regime change, no dismantling of the Iranian military, and no end to their nuclear ambitions. Instead, billions of American taxpayer dollars have been wasted in a foreign conflict while families at home face a severe affordability crisis.”

The Trump administration’s agreement with Iran includes the immediate lifting of economic sanctions and the creation of a $300 billion reconstruction fund to rebuild the regime’s economy. The deal leaves out any immediate enforcement mechanisms to halt Iran’s nuclear program or its ballistic missile development, leaving American service members and regional allies at risk.

Senator Gillibrand has consistently opposed this conflict since its inception, repeatedly voting in favor of War Powers Resolutions to demand congressional oversight and hold the executive branch accountable. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, she continues to demand the prioritization of domestic economic relief and measures to fight inflation over open-ended, costly foreign interventions.

Also today, in response to President Trump canceling his planned signing ceremony for the bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act in an attempt to pressure Republicans to pursue his dangerous elections bill, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement:

“This is ridiculous. Housing costs are surging and the American people are struggling, but the president is refusing to sign the most significant housing bill in decades that would build more housing, lower costs, and stop private equity and Wall Street from buying up homes. If this is the president signaling his intent to veto this legislation, Congress must come together to override his veto, pass this commonsense bill into law, and get the American people the relief they desperately need.”

June 24, 2026

FROM CONGRESSMAN NICK LANGWORTHY: “New stadium. Incredible team. One mission. Same goal: bring a Super Bowl back to WNY for all of #BillsMafia to savor and celebrate!”