April 25th, 2022 Daily Headlines

The Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) is alerting residents of therapeutic treatments for COVID-19. The TCHD says that older residents, or those at risk for severe illness may be eligible for prescribed therapeutics. Medications to treat COVID-19 are widely available in Tompkins County through local pharmacies. Residents seeking treatment should contact their primary health care provider t0 receive a prescription. For more information visit the Health Department website at Tompkinscountyny.gov/health

——-

On Friday the Finger Lakes Land Trust and the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced they have begun protecting 150 acres of land in Tompkins and Chemung Counties. The DEC announced that 50 acres of wooded land in the Town of Caroline will be added to the Danby State Forest. The DEC also announced it has added 104 acres of land to the Big Flats Wildlife Management area in the town of Big Flats. That includes about 4,000 feet of streambank along the Chemung River.

——-

Last Saturday, workers at the College Ave. Starbucks went on strike just 8 days after voting to unionize. According to the Ithacan, the decision to strike came after a grease trap overflowed, covering the store’s kitchen floor in grease, oil, and food waste. Workers said they’d urged management and Starbucks leadership to have the grease trap fixed for years. Employees insisted the store be closed to allow for proper clean up, but the store’s manager decided to keep the store open. At 11 a.m. on Saturday workers went on strike until that evening. On Sunday, the store was closed to have the grease trap repaired. Workers credited the strike with the quick repair time.

——-
The CDC now lists 23 New York counties including Schuyler county as being at High risk of COVID-19. According to Syracuse.com, just 40 counties nationwide are listed at high risk, with most of them in New York state. Two weeks ago, just three counties in New York state were listed as high risk. Last week there were ten. Tompkins county is still listed as being at medium risk.