(Image courtesy of Hoard’s Dairyman)
By Bryan Jackson
Day-to-day hard work just paid off for True Farms.
The Perry farmers’ “Farm 2” site was one of six recipients to earn a Platinum Award from the National Diary Quality Awards for excellent milk quality. In addition, Harkins Dairy Farm in Wyoming received a Silver Award, giving Wyoming County another winner.
The NDQA is sponsored by the National Mastitis Council and is in its 19th year. The awards honor dairy producers across the United States that prioritize the highest-quality milk production possible.
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By Bryan Jackson
Kailee Griffith Bridges, a former Wyoming and Warsaw student currently undergoing treatment for bone cancer, certainly has a lot of supporters in her corner.
A group of family friends and community members are organizing a spaghetti dinner and basket raffle Feb. 9 at Wyoming Central School for Bridges, who is also a new mother.
The benefit will be held from 4 to 8 p.m., with basket drawings at 7 p.m. In case of snow, the event will be held Feb. 10.
Tickets, which can be purchased beforehand or at the door, are $8 for adults and $6 for children 10 and under.
Attendees can purchase a book of 25 raffle tickets for $5, which also enters them into a $50 door-prize basket. Tickets can be used to bid on baskets donated by businesses in Warsaw, Pavilion, Batavia and other local towns.
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By Bryan Jackson
Negotiations between Wyoming Central School and Morrison Food Service that would have restarted a hot lunch program at the school have come to an abrupt halt, taking the hot lunch option off the table for the rest of the school year.
Following the Jan. 10 board of education meeting, it appeared school officials had reached an agreement with Morrison, which also provides dining services to Wyoming County Community Health System. However, according to Wyoming Superintendent Sandra Duckworth, negotiations fell through when WCCHS indicated the school would have to pay for the time Morrison spent using hospital facilities to prepare the lunches.
“I had a conversation with the folks at Morrison (Food Service), with a regional director,” Duckworth said at the Jan. 24 board of education meeting. “The Board of Supervisors insisted that Wyoming pick up our share of use of the facilities, prepping and whatnot, so the price per meal increased by another dollar, per meal.”
The extra cost would’ve pushed the price of lunch to $3.25, and as Duckworth said, that increased price didn’t even include the cost of milk or labor. With those additional costs factored in, the price could have soared close to $5.
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By Gary Towner
When the New York Secure Ammunition and Enforcement Act of 2013 (NY SAFE ACT) was passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, questions immediately arose concerning the law’s effect on gun owners.
But gun dealers also are feeling the effects, such as Silver Trail Outfitters in Perry, co-owned by Kyle Slocum and Jeff Fiorito, and K & K Guns in Varysburg, owned by Keith Kraft.
The Courier also reached out to Walmart for comment, but a call was not returned before press time.
Both Slocum and Kraft have felt the effect of low inventory, caused by the run on guns and ammunition after the Newtown, Conn. massacre and Webster shootings. Both told the Courier that most distributors are sold out so dealers can’t restock. Also, manufacturers cannot keep up with demand on anything dealing with hunting and shooting.
Kraft said he invested in building a new store last year, and because he is a small independent dealer, there is the possibility that he might go out of business for lack of inventory. Some customers have even told him that they were considering moving out of state.
“I would do it myself,” he said, “but I built a store so I’m stuck here for a while.”
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By Bryan Jackson
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sprawling road map for New York’s future laid out in his Jan. 9 State of the State Address boiled down to four core elements: jobs, education, fiscal responsibility and progressivism.
Sam Hoyt, regional president of Empire State Development Corporation, hammered home those foundational points during a Jan. 18 presentation hosted by the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce. Several Wyoming County business, government and cultural leaders attended Hoyt’s State of the State update at the Wyoming County Business Services Center in Perry.
After Hoyt highlighted Cuomo’s vision in a 30-minute slideshow presentation, he opened the floor for questions, which facilitated earnest discussion about the economy, education, workers’ compensation reform, the newly-passed state gun laws and mandate relief.
Speaking on behalf of the county, Eagle Town Supervisor Joseph Kushner said unfunded mandates continue to severely limit Wyoming County’s potential and represent one of the county’s main concerns.
“Our concern, and my concern, is the county tries to provide to our businesses roads, public safety, bridges, etc., and our major concern has been we haven’t heard anything about mandate relief,” said Kushner, who chairs the Board of Supervisors Finance Committee.
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