MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services reported 37 New Cases of COVID-19 in the County for Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. They also say the majority of the cases again come of out SUNY Fredonia.

As of Friday morning, there’s been 51 cases of the coronavirus involving SUNY Fredonia students, with 50 of them still listed as active. Meanwhile, there are a total of 166 active cases in the county as of Thursday afternoon.

Chautauqua County executive PJ Wendel told WRFA on Thursday that it appears most of the active cases are coming from either SUNY Fredonia or Fieldbrook Foods food processing plant in Dunkirk.

• LISTEN TO FULL SEPT. 3 INTERVIEW WITH PJ WENDEL

PJ Wendel

“Right now that’s what the numbers are indicating. We do see an uptick at SUNY Fredonia and Fieldbrook Foods. We issued a press release urging everyone in those communities to be vigilant. But that goes for everybody in Chautauqua County. And (Erie) County Executive Mark Poloncarz alluded to [Wednesday] that all of us in all five Western New York counties are very concerned about this,” Wendel said.

Wendel also expressed frustration with some employees at Fieldbrook Foods who were at high risk of possibly having the virus not practicing social distancing while awaiting test results.

“We heard there were a large number of individuals who failed their screening test. Immediately that afternoon, we set up our mass testing, which began on Aug. 25. Those individuals were told to isolate and quarantine. But at least one individual reported, ‘I had a party at my house with about 40 people.'”

The County executive also responded to calls by Governor Andrew Cuomo that local governments in Western New York need to do a better job of enforcing measures intended to slow the spread COVID-19, saying there’s not much the county can do when it comes to residents having social gatherings on their own private property, which appears to be the cause of much of the recent spike in cases.

“We are enforcing those rules. We are enforcing those masks… but we have to have our residents help us as well. We need everybody to work together at this. We’re in this together,” Wendel said. “The government of Chautauqua County is not a police state. That’s not what this is intended to do. We just need everybody to work together with us to keep this under control.”

Meanwhile, there are now 595 people in the county who are under quarantine/isolation orders by the County Public Health Director and being monitored. Not all of those being monitored are confirmed to have COVID-19 but have either shown symptoms, are awaiting results, or have risk factors. An additional 670 people are under domestic traveler quarantine for having arrived to the County from a state listed on the New York State travel advisory list. Also, five people hospitalized in Chautauqua County as of Wednesday had tested positive for COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic in mid-March of this year, there’s been 479 total confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the county, with 303 now listed as recovered. There’s also been 10 deaths, the most recent being reported on Tuesday.

Also on Thursday, Governor Cuomo announced that the rapid testing site in Dunkirk, along seven other test sites across the Western New York Region, is not yielding good news.

“Western New York is not good news – 1.9 percent [Wednesday]. The state’s effort on the rapid testing that we started – we did 6,400 tests this week. It’s a 4 percent positivity overall which is high. Again, it’s not a random sample. These are people who think they may have the virus and that’s why they come in. Chautauqua County was 4.5, Niagara 2.8, Buffalo City 5.9, Erie without Buffalo 2.3,” the governor said. 

To help continue the rapid testing for COVID-19 in the county and respond to the spike in new cases, Wendel also announced Thursday afternoon four new machines are coming to serve both the north county and south county to help test more people and get results faster, with 1,000 test kits being provided for the equipment.

He said the equipment will be very helpful in case of another outbreak similar to Fieldbrook Foods.

Male in his 50s listed as latest coronavirus-related death

MAYVILLE – Another Chautauqua County resident has died from complications related to COVID-19.

That’s according to the Chautauqua County Health Department, which reported late Tuesday afternoon that a tenth Chautauqua County resident has died in an out-of-state hospital, due to ongoing complications of COVID-19.

They say the man was in his 50s and was diagnosed in late July. He had been hospitalized since. Officials also say the man suffered from multiple chronic health conditions and was not able to overcome complications of the infection.

The county is also reporting 14 new cases of COVID 19 for Tuesday, bringing to total number of Active Cases up to 107. That’s two more active cases than what had been reported on Monday. Among the new active cases is a female in her 100s.

Two hospitalizations in the county are also being reported to have tested positive for COVID-19.

There are also now 460 cases under quarantine/isolation orders by the Public Health Director and being monitored. Not all of those being monitored are confirmed to have COVID-19, but have either shown symptoms, are awaiting results, or have risk factors.

603 people are also under domestic traveler quarantine for having arrived to Chautauqua County from a state listed on the New York State travel advisory.

To date, there’s been 410 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county, with 293 of them now listed as recovered. With the additional death being reported on Tuesday, the total number of deaths is now at 10.

SUNY FREDONIA ANNOUNCES 22 ACTIVE CASES, 13 STUDENTS SUSPENDED FOR VIOLATING SOCIAL DISTANCING PROTOCOL

As of Wednesday morning, SUNY Fredonia is reporting that 22 of its students are considered Active COVID-19 cases, with 7 of them living on campus and being in quarantine, while another 15 students are in isolation off campus.

SUNY Fredonia has suspended 13 students for violating the Student Code of Conduct relating to COVID-19 and off-campus gatherings.
Those disciplinary actions were announced in an e-mail to campus in the afternoon by University President Stephen Kolison, Jr.

School administrators say that students and faculty are being encouraged to wear facial coverings and social distancing and have reminded students about the repercussions for not following the rules.

They say that a zero tolerance policy is in place for any Fredonia student who endangers others by disregarding public health precautions and they will face serious penalties.

The suspensions are pending a review by the Office of Student Conduct.

The planning committee of the Hope and Healing Conference of Western New York (WNY) made the decision to continue with a virtual conference instead of cancelling the event. The virtual conference will be held on Thursday, June 4, 2020 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The online event will include keynote speakers and educational webinars on mental health, chemical dependency, and other wellness topics that are available in Chautauqua County and our region as well as community resources.

Hope & Healing of WNY will feature keynote speakers Anne Hazlett, Senior Advisor for Rural Affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Also speaking will be Chautauqua County native, Melissa Pietrkiewicz, a clinical social worker, trauma informed care specialist, and founder of Partners in Kind, a local organization that promotes charitable efforts “to make Chautauqua County whole again.”

Other sessions on topics such as social/emotional learning, trauma-informed care, prevention, and harm reduction, are planned for the virtual event in addition to “FRED” Talks, brief and engaging presentations highlighting efforts to bring hope and healing in Chautauqua County.

Hope and Healing Conference of WNY 2020 Planning Committee Members include Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene, Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services, Prevention Works, State University of New York at Fredonia, Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County, HOPE Chautauqua, the Community Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Chautauqua Tapestry, Tobacco Free CCA, Chautauqua Substance Abuse Response Partnership, and other local organizations.

Organizers say the conference will include valuable information for the entire community addressing complex needs in mental health, chemical dependency, and wellness while celebrating successes in our region. This event is free and open to the public, and registration is required. To register, find the event on Facebook by searching for Hope and Healing Conference of WNY 2020: Virtual for the registration link or call the Prevention Works office at (716) 664-3608.

Prevention Works. Treatment is Available. Recovery is Possible.

Charles Holder

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace announces the retirement of Undersheriff Charles Holder on Friday afternoon. Undersheriff Holder has over 30 years of law enforcement experience with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, the last 13 years spent as the second-in-command to Sheriff Gerace.

Prior to being appointed Undersheriff in 2006, Holder has served as the agency’s Captain, Sergeant and Academy Director of the Zone 13 Training. In addition, he served in the Jail/Court Services. Holder was the Team Supervisor of the County Fire Investigation Team and the Crisis Negotiation Team.

Holder had an important role in numerous programs and initiatives during his tenure at the Sheriff’s Office, including all capital projects, the EMT program and all the agency accreditation programs.

The Undersheriff is also a Firefighter and EMT with the Maple Springs Fire Department.

Holder will be assuming new responsibilities as the new Emergency Planning Coordinator for SUNY Fredonia. His retirement will become effective in December.

Sheriff Gerace thanked Undersheriff Holder for his many years of service, dedication and professionalism. He has been a tremendous asset to the Sheriff’s Office and partner in the operation of the agency.

In addition to Holder’s departures, Gerace will also be leaving the sheriff’s office after nearly 40 years of service at the end of December. He was defeated earlier this week in the general election, losing to Republican candidate and former Sheriff’s Office deputy James Quattrone.

Jessica Goodell (image from alumni.fredonia.edu)

JAMESTOWN – A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and author will deliver the 2016 commencement address at Jamestown Community College’s Jamestown Campus on May 21.

Jessica Goodell earned a degree in social sciences from JCC in just two semesters, graduating at the top of her class and earning the college’s top social sciences award. She went on to earn a degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Fredonia and is in the final year of a doctorate program in counseling psychology at the University at Buffalo. She hopes to work with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders and other combat-related mental illnesses.

Goodell’s book, Shade It Black, is a memoir chronicling her service as a member of the Marine Corps’ first officially declared mortuary affairs unit in Iraq.

The commencement program in Jamestown begins at 10 a.m. in the Physical Education Complex.

Goodell will also deliver the commencement address for JCC’s Cattaraugus County Campus ceremony, scheduled for May 20 at 7 p.m. in Olean.

Fredonia State professor and researcher Dr. Sherri Mason speaking to the County Legislature prior to its vote on a local law banning microbeads in September 2015.

FREDONIA – A local professor who spearheaded the effort to ban the sale of products containing microbeads is one of six New Yorkers being recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Monday announced SUNY Fredonia professor Dr. Sherri Mason has been awarded the EPA’s annual Environmental Champion Awards.

Dr. Mason is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at SUNY Fredonia and has done extensive research on the high levels of microplastics in Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. In 2015 her research led to Chautauqua County banning the sale of products that contain microbeads.

• LISTEN TO DR. MASON’S PRESENTATION TO LEGISLATURE IN AUGUST 2015

The EPA’s Environmental Champions Award recognizes achievements of individuals, non-profit organizations, businesses, government agencies and print & broadcast media. Winners will be presented with their awards on May 13th at a ceremony in New York City.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

A reception, open to the public, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on February 12 in the gallery. The event features a presentation by Rachele Riley, one of the designers whose work is featured in the exhibition. Riley, assistant professor of design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will discuss her installation, “The Evolution of Silence,” a web-based research project about Yucca Flat, the Nevada nuclear test site.

“Graphic design was synonymous with commercial art for much of the 20th century,” notes Patricia Briggs, Weeks Gallery director. “Graphic designers made their names in advertising, magazine layout, and corporate identity development.

“In the age of the desktop computer, the role of a graphic designer has expanded to include subjective, exploratory practices that go beyond business and commercial applications and seem more akin to fine art,” she adds.

Guest curated by Jason Dilworth, assistant professor of visual arts and new media at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Artifact and Process features the work of approximately 15 graphic designers who present an historical framework as well as works that challenge customary descriptions of graphic design.

David Colley, Fools Play, theatre poster, 1974

On view will be a number of World War I posters produced between 1914-1918 to bolster military recruitment and mobilize popular support for the war effort. On loan from the Patterson Library in Westfield, these large colorful posters were produced by the federal Division of Pictorial Publicity to illustrate patriotic ideas such as “Teamwork Builds Ships” and “Be Patriotic –Sign Your Country’s Pledge to Save the Food”.

Representing an era when color printing on a mass scale was relatively new, WWI posters depict brilliant hand-drawn figurative illustrations, the most popular graphic communication style of the early 20th century.

A new graphic design style emerged during the 1920s that was inspired by European avant garde art movements such as Cubism, Surrealism, and the Bauhaus style. Displacing drawn illustrations, this modern style used abstraction of simplified forms. The 1967 Polish file poster, “Krew na sniegu” (Blood on the Snow), presents a large abstract head dotted with blood. The original lithograph features hand-lettered typography and a photo collage reminiscent of surrealist film and art.

From the 1920s through the 1970s, geometric abstraction and a fascination with typography were the most characteristic features of professional graphic design as the field expanded with the growth of magazine publishing and corporate advertising. Posters by Lance Wyman, David Colley, and John Malinoski that represent the trend are included in the exhibition.

Four safety posters designed by Wyman, one of the primary designers for the summer Olympics, feature playful iconic figures. The posters were originally designed for the Chrysler Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.

“With the advent of desktop computers, inkjet printers, and the Internet in 1980s and 90s, digital tools and publishing became widely accessible and graphic design began to break its close ties to business,” notes Dr. Briggs. “Experimentation and expression, rather than the client’s demands, become a trend that is represented in the exhibition with a sampling of Ray Gun Magazine and Emigre, both known for experimental typography and complex, sometimes chaotic, postmodernist design layout.”

Riley’s “The Evolution of Silence” weaves, through graphic and web design, archival historical data with personal reflections on a highly irradiated nuclear weapons site.

Dilworth and SUNY Fredonia colleague Megan Urban will host a discussion of works in the exhibition at noon on February 17. The event is open to the public.

The exhibition will be displayed until March 22. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, and by appointment. The gallery is located on the second floor of the Arts & Sciences Center.

• FIND WEEKS GALLERY ON FACEBOOK

For more information, call 716.338.1301 or visit weeksgallery.sunyjcc.edu.

The 4th annual Jamestown area Suicide Prevention Walk is Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015. (Image courtesy of Community Alliance for Suicide Prevention)

JAMESTOWN – The local Community Alliance for Suicide Prevention is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) in hosting the Out of the Darkness Walk in Jamestown on Saturday, to raise money for the organizations vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, and assist survivors of suicide loss. This is the fourth annual walk in Chautauqua County.

To Register and/or to make a donation, visit www.afsp.donordrive.com/event/jamestown.

• Day of Registration Time: 9 a.m.
• Opening Remarks: 10 a.m.
• Walk Starts: 10:15 a.m.

This is a partnership between passionate community members, including American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Western NY Chapter, Compeer Chautauqua, Chautauqua County Early Identification & Recognition, Chautauqua Tapestry, The Community Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Chautauqua County and State University of New York at Fredonia.

For questions, to sponsor the event or to learn how to get involved, contact: Victoria Patti at 716-753-4519 or PattiV@co.chautauqua.ny.us

JAMESTOWN – Every county in the United States should have its own old growth forest.

That was the message Tuesday night from Dr. Joan Maloof, author and founder and director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, speaking at Jamestown Community College as a guest of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.

Maloof spent nearly an hour discussing her personal journey as a biologist and how she made the transition from someone who simply studied plant and animal interactions to becoming an advocate for promoting the important role biodiversity plays in our world.

According to Maloof, one of the places where biodiversity thrives is in old-growth forests, also known as primary forests or virgin forest. Old growth forests are those that have attained great age without significant disturbance, thereby exhibiting unique ecological features.

Maloof said that old-growth forests are especially rare in the United States because so many forests were removed or are currently being managed by forestry services. She said that despite what some may say, managed forests do not provide the same level of biodiversity.

An example of an Old Growth Forest can be found at Cook Forest State Park in Forest County, Pa. – an hour-and-a-half south of Jamestown, NY.

“Over and over and over again I hear foresters say, ‘You’ve got to manage that forest in order for it to be healthy,'” Maloof said. “But what does science say about that? My science [background] is useful to me. I can dig into the science literature and look for something like birds. I can find the studies and compare the birds in the old growth forests  to those in the managed forests. I can compare the fungi, the snails, insects, and on and on and on. And in every case, the biodiversity is higher in the old growth forests.”

Maloof also talked about the benefits of old growth forests to people. She said that old growth forests tend to have a higher concentration of oxygen, adding that research is now underway to try and understand the positive impacts spending time in the forest has on both physical and mental health.

“There are other compounds in the forest air that are also going into our blood stream – not just the oxygen,” Maloof said. “They’re circulating in our body, including our brain, and can effect our moods and our systems in a way that we really don’t quite yet understand. That research is really in its infancy.”

Maloof said that for the longest time, no system was in place to help preserve old growth forests, which is why she set up the Old-Growth Forest Network. She said the goal of the network is to have at least one old growth forest in very county in the United States where forests naturally grow.

The Four criteria that must be met for a forest to be added to the network are:

• The trees need to be as mature as possible;
• It needs to be protected from any type of logging activity;
• It should be open to the public;
• They should be relatively accessible.

Maloof will continue her visit to Chautauqua County Wednesday by visiting the 40 acre college lodge site, owned by SUNY Fredonia. Which is considered an Old Growth Forest but is also at risk of being logged by the college.

For more information about the not-for-profit Old-Growth Forest Network, visit OldGrowthForest.net.

On Wednesday night the legislature’s Planning and Economic Development Committee heard from Fredonia State professor Dr. Sherri Mason, who’s been researching the impact that microbeads have had on the ecosystem of Lake Erie and other waterways.

Dr. Mason explained that microbeads are tiny, plastic particles used in healthcare products to help with the exfoliation process. She said that because the microbeads are plastic, they are not biodegradable and are so small that they pass through wastewater treatment facilities. She once they enter our waterways, they can be ingested by animals and because many contain toxic chemicals, including BPA, they are considered harmful.

Dr. Sherri Mason

“These chemicals, while they are incorporated into the plastic material, are not chemically bound to the plastic,” Dr. Mason explained. “BPA got quite a bit of press because of the fact that it’s well known that it leaches out from the plastic. So a soup can, as it’s sitting on a store shelf, if it is lined in plastic, then the BPA from within that plastic will leach into the soup. And this was the biggest concern with baby bottles and so it was technically banned in baby bottles. We also know that when plastic is sitting in the water, it acts as a chemical sponge [absorbing various toxic chemicals that may be present].”

Dr. Mason said that while the micro beads can be harmful to aquatic life, they can also be harmful to humans who may eat fish that have ingested microbeads. And she said her findings have shown that nearly all species of fish that are pulled from the lake have tested positive for containing chemicals associated with ingesting microbeads.

“Every species that we’ve looked at has had plastic in it. Every species,” Dr. Mason said. “All 25 fish species and the double crested cormorant, that predominantly feeds off these fish, have had plastic in it.”

While Dr. Mason said her research illustrates why it is important to ban products containing microbeads as soon as possible, not everyone is convinced. Also speaking last night were representatives from the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), a lobbying group that represents the interests of the cosmetic and health industries. A consultant with the group, Dr. Ian Davies, said he has some concerns with Mason’s findings.

“I think that a lot of the research that’s been conducted, the results have been misinterpreted and have been quite misleading,” Dr. Davies said. “The types of microbeads that have generally been found, there really hasn’t been enough data to link them back to our ingredients. For example, our materials are fragments, and not – in fact – spherical particles.”

The PCPC also submitted a written comments providing a detailed list of concerns they had with the research to be put on the record and reviewed by lawmakers.

County Clerk Larry Barmore, right, talks with members of the county’s planning and economic development committee on Wednesday night.

County Clerk Larry Barmore also spoke during the meeting, saying such a ban would have to be enforced by his office’s Department of Weights and Measures, which could lead to an additional cost to the county of $60,000 to $75,000 a year. However, committee chairman George Borello of Hanover said that there could be alternative enforcement methods that didn’t involve added cost to government, such as working with watchdog groups as well as interns to keep an eye out for the products.

Borrello, who’s already gone on the record of favoring a ban, told WRFA this was just the first steps in the process – although he favors acting on doing something sooner rather than later.

“I’m hoping that we can put something together to possible introduce next month,” Borrello said. “But at the end of the day its my hope to do our due diligence and create something that is effective. We could very easily create some piece of feel-good legislation that isn’t very enforceable and doesn’t have any effect. I have no interest in doing that. I want to have something that we can actually work with and that gives us the opportunity to reduce the amount of microbeads going into the lake.”

The County Legislature has the option to enact its own ban on the sale of the microbead products, similar to what Erie County has done. It can also approve a motion requesting lawmakers in Albany initiate a state-wide ban.

Dr. Sherri Mason of Fredonia State presents her findings on the impact microbeads have on Lake Erie during a Wednesday night’s meeting of the legislature’s planning and economic development committee.