Wreath Cleanup On January 13 at Bath Ntl Cemetery

The public is asked to help with the retrieval and cleanup of wreaths that were placed on Veterans' graves during last month’s Wreaths Across America Day in Bath National Cemetery. The event will be held on Saturday, Jan 13, 2024, beginning at 10:00 AM. Follow the Bath WAA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WAABathNYNationalCemetery for the latest updates.  According to location coordinator Linda Conway, “We have more than 4,500 wreaths that need to be removed from the cemetery. It would be great to get as many volunteers as possible for this effort. No sign-up or registration is required to participate.”  Parking will be at the back of the Bath Veterans Administration Museum building. Cleanup instructions will be announced at the cemetery monument. It is suggested to bring a rake or broom handle to facilitate carrying wreaths to the disposal trucks. Participants should dress based on weather conditions. 

 

On Yesterday's Local Court  Cases

Bath resident Larry Schoonover had a court appearance Thursday afternoon in Steuben County Court.  Schoonover’s trial date has not been set as of yet, he’s in court again for conference on February 1, at 945am.  Schoonover is accused of firing gunshots at a troopers, village police and deputies and investigators, in Bath, last August.   Regarding the case of Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard’s suing of the county over insurance issues, which was also in Steuben County Court on Thursday, Judge Jason Cook says, he'll issue an opinion sometime soon.

 

Arnot Health: We're Back To Masking In Some Areas 

Arnot medical officials say, due to an increase in the Flu, RSV and COVID-19, they are mandating masks, until January 18^th  for all employees, visitors, and volunteers in the following areas: 

• Inpatient Hospital Units
• Emergency Departments
• Skilled Nursing Units at St. Joseph's and Ira Davenport Hospitals
• Falck Cancer Center
• Infusion Center at Arnot Ogden Medical Center 

 

Governor Kathy Hochul is working to pass a law so that New York State will provide paid leave, for pre-natal care.

 

Bath Police Chief Taft: Same As Last Year's Numbers

Bath Police Chief Colin Taft says, out of the 100,000 Steuben County residents, there were about 10 people who took the civil service exam and physical agility portion for police jobs.  The Bath Police Chief also says that out of those 9 candidates, 5 were already with other agencies, so that left four names left to choose from and there are eight openings in the county.  Police Chief Taft also says that last year, it was the same numbers.  

 

VA's Working To Help The Homeless

VA officials in Washington report that this year, VA’s will award more than $26 million in funds to organizations that help homeless Veterans with legal representation, assistance with court proceedings, defense in criminal cases related to homelessness, and more.  This follows news that the Department of Housing and Urban Development  released the results of the 2023 Point-in-Time  Count, the annual effort to estimate the number of Americans — including Veterans — experiencing homelessness. The data shows that on a single night in January 2023, there were 35,574 Veterans who were experiencing homelessness, a 7.4% increase over 2022. This uptick mirrors the increase in homelessness among all Americans, which increased by 12% over 2022.