TTL News

Is there something driving you nuts here in the Southern Tier? Perhaps there's someone you want to give a well deserved kudos to? This is the place to do it.

UPDATE: The Ollies in Grand Central Plaza is scheduled to open October 27 at 9am

From "Chemung County Matters" Facebook Page:

Due to the rising number of cases in Chemung County, we’ll start a single thread for updates and discussion as it happens.

In a letter released this afternoon, Chemung County Executive Chris Moss released a memo making the wearing of masks mandatory for all county owned buildings. See the letter below:

In preparation for Monday's vaccination deadline, Governor Kathy Hochul today released a comprehensive plan to address preventable staffing shortages in hospitals and other health care facilities statewide. "We are still in a battle against COVID to protect our loved ones, and we need to fight with every tool at our disposal," Governor Hochul said. "I am monitoring the staffing situation closely, and we have a plan to increase our health care workforce and help alleviate the burdens on our hospitals and other health care facilities. I commend all of the health care workers who have stepped up to get themselves vaccinated, and I urge all remaining health care workers who are unvaccinated to do so now so they can continue providing care." The plan includes preparing to sign an executive order if necessary to declare a state of emergency that seeks to increase workforce supply and allow qualified health care professionals licensed in other states or countries, recent graduates, retired and formerly practicing health care professionals to practice in New York State. The Department of Labor has issued guidance to clarify that workers who are terminated because of refusal to be vaccinated are not eligible for unemployment insurance absent a valid doctor-approved request for medical accommodation. Other options include deployment of medically-trained National Guard members, and partnering with the federal government to deploy Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) to assist local health and medical systems. Additionally, Governor Hochul plans to work with the federal government and other state leaders to explore ways to expedite visa requests for medical professionals. As of September 22, 84% of all hospital employees in New York State were fully vaccinated. As of September 23, 81% of staff at all adult care facilities and 77% of all staff at nursing home facilities in New York State were fully vaccinated. According to the regulation issued by the State Department of Health, all health care workers in New York State, at hospitals and nursing homes, are to be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the first dose received by Monday, September 27, and staff at other covered entities including home care, hospice, and adult care facilities are to be vaccinated by October 7. The regulation also applies to all out of state and contract medical staff who practice in New York State.

Bump. This could still be an interesting topic to discuss.

On Friday, September 24th, 2021, at approximately 12:10 AM, officers from the Elmira Police Department responded to the 400 block of Franklin St. for a report of shots fired. When officer arrived on scene they did locate several shell casings in front of a residence. Officer did locate a residence that had been struck by several bullets. The residence was occupied at the time of the shooting. Officers interviewed the resident who was home and he reported that he was sleeping and was awakened by the sound of gunfire. No injuries were reported. Based on the investigation it appears that this residence was intentionally targeted. The Elmira Police Department was assisted at the scene by the New York State Police and Chemung County Sheriff’s Office. The investigations into this shooting is ongoing. If anyone was present in the area and witnessed this shooting, or has any information related to this shooting, they are encouraged to contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT.

On Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021, in the span of just over three hours, officers from the Elmira Police Department responded to two separate reports of shots fired in the 400 block of Mackey Pl. The first shooting took place at approximately 7:42 PM and the second shooting took place at approximately 11:03 PM. Officers interviewed people in the area of the shootings. In the first shooting, a vehicle was seen traveling west on Mackey Pl. As this vehicle passed the 400 block of Mackey Pl., approaching West Av., several shots were fired at this vehicle. The vehicle then turned north on West Av. and left the area. Shortly after the shots were fired, three people ran west on Mackey Pl. towards West Av. One person ran north and the other two ran south. It is unknown if these people were involved in the shooting. Numerous shell casings were recovered from the scene. No injuries were reported during this shooting. The second shooting took place at approximately 11:03 PM. Officers again responded to the 400 block of Mackey Pl. for a report of multiple gunshots. did locate evidence at the scene that indicated shots had been fired. Officers were unable to determine what, if anything, was struck by gunfire. Witnesses only reported hearing gunshots, but did not observe anyone shooting. No injuries were reported during this shooting. Neither of these shootings appear to be random acts of violence. The investigations into these shootings is ongoing. If anyone was present in the area and witnessed either of these shootings, or has any information related to these shootings, they are encouraged to contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT.

From now on all reports of shots fired in the City of Elmira will be posted here.

Read more here. What do you think? Is it time for reboots to pass out of style or would you be interested in this one?

Evidence shows that, yes, masks prevent COVID-19 – and surgical masks are the way to go What type of mask is best? Brais Seara/Moment via Getty Images by Laura (Layla) H. Kwong, University of California, Berkeley Do masks work? And if so, should you reach for an N95, a surgical mask, a cloth mask or a gaiter? Over the past year and a half, researchers have produced a lot of laboratory, model-based and observational evidence on the effectiveness of masks. For many people it has understandably been hard to keep track of what works and what doesn’t. I’m an assistant professor of environmental health sciences. I, too, have wondered about the answers to these questions, and earlier this year I led a study that examined the research about which materials are best. Recently, I was part of the largest randomized controlled trial to date testing the effectiveness of mask-wearing. The study has yet to be peer reviewed but has been well received by the medical community. What we found provides gold-standard evidence that confirms previous research: Wearing masks, particularly surgical masks, prevents COVID-19. Laboratory studies help scientists understand the physics of masks and spread. Lab and observational studies People have been using masks to protect themselves from contracting diseases since the Manchurian outbreak of plague in 1910. During the coronavirus pandemic, the focus has been on masks as a way of preventing infected persons from contaminating the air around them – called source control. Recent laboratory evidence supports this idea. In April 2020, researchers showed that people infected with a coronavirus – but not SARS-CoV-2 – exhaled less coronavirus RNA into the air around them if they wore a mask. A number of additional laboratory studies have also supported the efficacy of masks. Out in the real world, many epidemiologists have examined the impact of masking and mask policies to see if masks help slow the spread of COVID-19. One observational study – meaning it was not a controlled study with people wearing or not wearing masks – published in late 2020 looked at demographics, testing, lockdowns and mask-wearing in 196 countries. The researchers found that after controlling for other factors, countries with cultural norms or policies that supported mask-wearing saw weekly per capita coronavirus mortality increase 16% during outbreaks, compared with a 62% weekly increase in countries without mask-wearing norms. Researchers gave surgical masks to adults in 200 villages in Bangladesh to test whether they reduce COVID-19. Innovations for Poverty Action, CC BY-ND Large-scale randomized mask-wearing Laboratory, observational and modeling studies, have consistently supported the value of many types of masks. But these approaches are not as strong as large-scale randomized controlled trials among the general public, which compare groups after the intervention has been implemented in some randomly selected groups and not implemented in comparison groups. One such study done in Denmark in early 2020 was inconclusive, but it was relatively small and relied on participants to self-report mask-wearing. From November 2020 to April 2021, my colleagues Jason Abaluck, Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, Stephen P. Luby, Ashley Styczynski and I – in close collaboration with partners in the Bangladeshi government and the research nonprofit Innovations for Poverty Action – conducted a large-scale randomized controlled trial on masking in Bangladesh. Our goals were to learn the best ways to increase mask-wearing without a mandate, understand the effect of mask-wearing on COVID-19, and compare cloth masks and surgical masks. The study involved 341,126 adults in 600 villages in rural Bangladesh. In 300 villages we did not promote masks, and people continued wearing masks, or not, as they had before. In 200 villages we promoted the use of surgical masks, and in 100 villages we promoted cloth masks, testing a number of different outreach strategies in each group. Over the course of eight weeks, our team distributed free masks to each adult in the mask groups at their homes, provided information about the risks of COVID-19 and the value of mask-wearing. We also worked with community and religious leaders to model and promote mask-wearing and hired staff to walk around the village and politely ask people who were not wearing a mask to put one on. Plainclothes staff recorded whether people wore masks properly over their mouth and nose, improperly or not at all. Both five weeks and nine weeks after starting the study, we collected data from all adults on symptoms of COVID-19 during the study period. If a person reported any symptoms of COVID-19, we took and tested a blood sample for evidence of infection. Based on current evidence, many places across the U.S. have some form of mask requirements. AP Photo/LM Otero Mask-wearing reduced COVID-19 The first question my colleagues and I needed to answer was whether our efforts led to increased mask-wearing. Mask usage more than tripled, from 13% in the group that wasn’t given masks to 42% in the group that was. Interestingly, physical distancing also increased by 5% in the villages where we promoted masks. In the 300 villages where we distributed any type of mask, we saw a 9% reduction in COVID-19 compared with villages where we did not promote masks. Because of the small number of villages where we promoted cloth masks, we were not able to tell whether cloth or surgical masks were better at reducing COVID-19. We did have a large enough sample size to determine that in villages where we distributed surgical masks, COVID-19 fell by 12%. In those villages COVID-19 fell by 35% for people 60 years and older and 23% for people 50-60 years old. When looking at COVID-19-like symptoms we found that both surgical and cloth masks resulted in a 12% reduction. The body of evidence supports masks Before this study there was a lack of gold-standard evidence on the effectiveness of masks to reduce COVID-19 in daily life. Our study provides strong real-world evidence that surgical masks reduce COVID-19, particularly for older adults who face higher rates of death and disability if they get infected. Policymakers and public health officials now have evidence from laboratories, models, observations and real-world trials that support mask-wearing to reduce respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Given that COVID-19 can so easily spread from person to person, if more people wear masks the benefits increase. So next time you are wondering if you should wear a mask, the answer is yes. Cloth masks are likely better than nothing, but high-quality surgical masks or masks with even higher filtration efficiency and better fit – such as KF94s, KN95s and N95s – are the most effective at preventing COVID-19. Laura (Layla) H. Kwong, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

This was announced by the Towanda Area School District on Sept. 20: According to the districts Facebook page there have been 11 students who tested positive and/or symptomatic in the last seven days.

While conducting interviews with positive COVID-19 cases in the county, Tioga County Public Health has found that many have attended work or school while they were symptomatic. If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, including minor symptoms like a runny nose, headache, or sore throat, stay home and contact your health care provider. When people go to school while symptomatic, it results in other students, teachers, and school staff needing to quarantine. The Public Health Department asks that you do not let your children go to school while they are sick. When parents or children expose others to the virus, they are putting them at risk and cause an inconvenience to many other families in your school district when children need to be excluded from school. COVID-19 case breakdown in Tioga County from September 8, 2021 – September 14, 2021: New Cases: 123 Unvaccinated: 59 Vaccinated: 43 Children Under 12: 14 Unknown Vaccination Status: 7 Hospitalizations: 3 Deaths: 0 Current Actives Cases: 143 Vaccination status is self-reported by the positive case or their parent/guardian during the case investigation. Tioga County Public health says several factors may affect one’s protection against COVID-19 including which vaccine they received, how long it has been since they were vaccinated, and what precautions they are taking to protect themselves from COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine offers protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. At this time, if you are exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine as long as you remain symptom free. Lisa McCafferty, Public Health Director reminds those with underlying health conditions to “...take care of yourself due to cases we are seeing in our community. Protect yourself by practicing social distancing, wear a mask while in public areas, and get vaccinated if you have not done so yet.”

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a multi-agency plan to address the school bus driver shortage affecting schools across the state. The plan includes short-term steps to remove barriers and recruit traditional and non-traditional Commercial Driver's License holders, expand CDL testing opportunities, and enhance processes all designed to get more drivers into school buses. Additionally, New York State is launching outreach to more than 550,000 CDL license holders in New York State. The longer term steps include changes to address the training and licensing of drivers, as well as broader recruitment into the bus driver profession. "Our schools and public health officials have moved mountains to ensure our children receive an in-person education this year, and we are leaving no stone unturned to make sure schools have adequate bus service to bring students to school and back," Governor Hochul said. "While the shortage of school bus drivers is not unique to New York State, I have directed state agencies to utilize creative approaches and use every tool at their disposal to help districts affected by the bus driver shortage, so we can bring in as many qualified bus drivers as possible as quickly as possible." Governor Hochul directed state agencies to utilize a multi-organizational recruitment effort to persuade CDL drivers to become school bus drivers. Interested drivers will be surveyed and their information then shared with local school districts who are seeking drivers. The schools can work through these lists to recruit interested drivers in their area. In addition, the state will target currently unemployed drivers through the Department of Labor. The state will also work with partners in law enforcement, firefighters, military and other organizations that have trained drivers in order to find more individuals interested in becoming school bus drivers. Those who are interested in obtaining a Commercial Driver's License can find information here. Additionally, DMV is enhancing and expediting the process for CDL completion by removing the 14-day waiting period between the permit test and the road tests. Through enhanced cooperation with county-run DMVs the state will also help to increase capacity to administer written exams and road tests. The State is opening up new CDL Driver Testing sites by partnering with SUNY, the Thruway Authority, New York Racing Association, and the Office of General Services to use large lots on their various sites for the road test. For school staff who currently hold a CDL, the State will set up expedited testing to obtain a permit to drive vans and buses temporarily. The State is continuing conversations with stakeholders to identify longer term strategies that will help to recruit and retain school bus drivers. This includes looking at alternative licensing entities and expanded partnerships with other state agencies to help train and recruit drivers. The State encourages schools to pursue creative and innovative ways to offer a wide array of benefits for school bus drivers that were previously not considered. This includes signing and retention bonuses, expansion of benefits to the drivers, and other options to recruit drivers in a nationally competitive market. Schools can use federal funds to provide these benefits. Many school districts receive a significant percentage of these funds in reimbursement from the state and are in a position to offer more competitive pay without absorbing the full cost at the local level.

Our region is full of seriously talented musicians, many that have made the experience of living here unique. Think about some of them a moment: "Mr. Polka", Joe Cavallaro, Pat Kane and so many more. They've provided the soundtrack to life in the Twin Tiers over the decades. So let's take a listen to some of the areas best musicians, past and present. Who would you recommend someone going to see live or listening to?

You know what you were doing when the 9/11 attacks happened. People remember where they were when Kennedy was assassinated. Everyone can tell you where they were when something big happened in our nation's history. And more often than not, those events were tragic and traumatic. But what about the big events that happened to you, in your life? You know, those personal events that, while perhaps not noteworthy of the world history books, are things you will never forget and remember fondly? Your first pet. Your first car. Your first concert. You get the picture. Let's hear your own personal, "I remember when..."

Watching the news most nights, especially on the weekends, viewers will notice a trend. A local story, maybe two, followed by a quick preview of the weather forecast, commercial. Then return, state or national news story ( mostly national ), weather, sports, weather wrap up, done. Opening a newspaper, there will be perhaps a local story or two, a few reprinted press releases, and then national news from a larger news organization such as USA Today. Comics, a couple obits, and done. Barely enough to line a bird cage with, and across the board various city newspapers are barely distinguishable from the other. It's easy enough to blame the internet, particularly social media. But there's still enough going on in the region for some investigative journalism and news stories that aren't entirely time sensitive. It's difficult to distinguish which has driven the model over the past decade, consumer demands or the never ending search for ways to cut increase revenue ( at the cost of community identity, investigation, and quality of news stories). Why is there no "Letters To The Editor"? Because social media comments, often some of the most repugnant, drive online presence which drives ad clicks and revenue. Why no more "Candidate Profiles" each election cycle? This is perhaps the laziest of cuts, as the candidates themselves do the brunt of the work by providing the content in the form of their responses. Why so much national news on the local evening news, especially when the national news, the very same stories sometimes, is coming up right after? What happened to journalism? What effect does the lack of it have on the community? Will we ever see a return of in-depth local news reporting in some form or another?

See more here