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Megan Hatch
EXCLUSIVE: The Wayne County Fair is back with new and traditional events
The Wayne County Fair kicked off Monday. Community members from across the county came together to celebrate the week-long tradition. This year marks the 165th anniversary of the Wayne County Fair, which began in 1856. New ... more
Inflation: Local food pantries are overwhelmed as more families struggle to afford groceries (video)
The U.S. economy has been hit hard by inflation. Families in New York are struggling to pay for food, and local food pantries are feeling the pressure. COVID and supply chain disruptions kickstarted inflationary pressures ... more
“Farming in upstate NY is already very complicated:” Concerns abound over lowering farm worker overtime threshold
It's been three years since the Farm Workers Law was signed into law by former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Fast forward to the present day, and the state is looking to change overtime rules concerning farm ... more
Four towns and a village join forces to upgrade their wastewater treatment facilities (video)
The towns of Marion, Macedon, Walworth and Palmyra, as well as the village of Palmyra, are all hoping to build a new wastewater treatment plant in Wayne County. The Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority ... more
The Great NYS Fair prepares for August event with 15 new vendors (video)
The Great New York State Fair is gearing up for its annual end-of-summer celebration. After two years of change from the pandemic, organizers are ready to bring back the full fair. They've recently added 15 ... more
Unregulated short-term rental properties: What’s being done in our region?
Short-term rental properties are all the rage as more people are buying houses as investments and renting them out as vacation homes on apps like Airbnb and VRBO. The Finger Lakes area brings lots of ... more
Central NY artists to earn income through new initiative (video)
Every artist has a different journey. Some have opportunities early on, but most artist take a longer route to success. For that reason, Creatives Rebuild New York recently launched a $135 million initiative to provide ... more
What’s included in New York’s controversial new gun law?
New York just passed new gun legislation in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the state's concealed carry law. FingerLakes1.com's Megan Hatch spoke to two different lawyers to understand the new law and ... more
Slithering through the FLX: Experts say you shouldn’t fear this ‘laid back’ snake species (video)
If you have ever been hiking on a trail in the Finger Lakes, there's a possibility you might have run into one of the most common snake species in New York: The timber rattlesnake. "They ... more
Aquatic invasive species threaten the Finger Lakes ecosystem: “We’ve got to stop the spread”
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article listed Hydrilla as the most populous AIS in the Finger Lakes. In actuality, it's a more rare invasive species, but a high priority for eradication in the ... more
Alyssa’s Law: How will New York schools implement panic buttons? (video)
As the school safety movement spreads across the nation, New York State is taking steps to install panic buttons in schools. Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed Alyssa's Law, which will require all NYS schools to ... more
Cornell graduate student invents CO2 filter that could help combat climate change (video)
Mary Zick is pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Cornell University. She recently created a carbon dioxide filter that might be one solution to climate change in the future. In a collaboration with Dr. Phillip ... more
Tompkins County: Unarmed officer pilot program aims to improve police-community ties (video)
Public safety in the city of Ithaca and Tompkins County might improve in the next year through the Reimagining Public Safety Collaborative. The collaborative has been developing multiple programs, including its most recent one, the ... more
Who will be the next Wayne County judge? GOP primary held Tuesday
Wayne County voters turned out today for the Republican primary election for the next county judge. Republicans from all over Wayne cast their vote on Tuesday, June 28 for either Michele Villani, principal court attorney ... more
What next for Geneva’s Trinity Episcopal Church? (video)
After long negotiations and meetings, the Trinity Episcopal Church was officially sold to McGroarty Investments in early June. Real estate developer Mark McGroarty now owns the church and two adjacent buildings. According to the project ... more
Penn Yan Airport serves as the first solar light testing site by the FAA (video)
Penn Yan is officially the first airport in the U.S. to have solar lighting from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is using Penn Yan's airport to study how solar-powered lighting and signs along runways ... more
Bird feeder battle divides neighborhood in Sodus Point (video)
Sodus Point resident Don Antal feeds the neighborhood birds, squirrels and ducks with his 23 sheet pans of peanuts and bird food. The 71-year-old lives in Sodus Point year-round and started his project in 2011 ... more
Will New York’s Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill encourage black market pet sales? (video)
New York's Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill is on Governor Kathy Hochul's desk to be signed. It would ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores. Petland in Cicero is one business at ... more
“I’ve never seen anything like this before”: The state of mental health care in the Finger Lakes
Mental health care in New York has reached a crisis point as the number of patients seeking care overpowers the number of available services. Attorney General Letitia James said New York is in the midst ... more
