August 2006  news (The most recent news stories are at the top.)

• State Health Department Advises New Yorkers to Take Precautions to Protect Themselves from West Nile Virus Albany, NY, August 31, 2006 - New York State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H. today urged New Yorkers to take extra measures to protect themselves from West Nile Virus (WNV) during this time of year when transmission of this potentially serious illness from mosquitoes to humans is at its peak. There have been two human cases of WNV reported in New York State this year, one in Staten Island and one in Suffolk County. The State Health Department also announced this week that the first two mosquito pools have tested positive for Lacrosse encephalitis virus (LAC) in Orange County and on Long Island. The New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center reported that 25 counties statewide, including New York City, have tested 258 mosquito pools and 124 birds that are positive for WNV. Based on these increased reports of WNV activity, health officials are emphasizing the need for additional precautions against mosquito bites. The reported number of dead birds and mosquito pools are higher this year than at this time last year. (August 31, 2006) New York State Department of Health
• Trickles of pollution: A path to a clean lake? SUNY effort to locate sources may lead to solutions - — GREECE — Northrup Creek flows wide and lazy along suburban back yards, carrying ducks and fish and the occasional canoe. It's also a conduit for the pollution that sullies Lake Ontario. Every time it rains, water flows across the surface of the land, picking up pesticides, loose soil, motor oil drippings and fertilizers in its path. The little rivulets collect in ditches and small streams, then in creeks like Northrup, eventually making their way into the lake. (August 30, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Shoreline cleanup coming - Volunteers sought to scour water's edge Sept. 16 New York had been coordinating an annual coastal cleanup for 15 years before the ICC started, an effort that has grown from a handful of volunteers to tens of thousands statewide, said state coordinator Barbara Cohen of the American Littoral Society, a group concerned with the ecology of coastal areas. (August 29, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• MPNnow.com: Can the skies help deflate energy costs in Webster? WEBSTER – A tower could soon pave the way for wind power in town. The town of Webster is hoping to construct a 164-foot tower to measure wind speed at the sewage treatment plant off Phillips Road. Webster has been looking into whether wind could effectively power the Walter W. Bradley Pollution Control Facility, thereby reducing energy costs. "(The facility has) extremely high energy use for the sewer department, with all the mechanical equipment and so forth, so what that would do would be to reduce the price of electric (for the town)," said Tony Casciani, Planning Board chairman. (August 28, 2006) Messenger Post Newspapers
• Local zookeeper wings to Panama to help save frog species— John Adamski spent his summer vacation walking through the thick underbrush along Panamanian streams and snatching dozens of tiny gem-colored frogs from the air as they leapt away from his footfalls. He put in hours of hard labor installing fish tanks in the tropical heat, spent his nights in a hotel suite bathing hundreds of frogs in an antifungal solution — and he can't wait to go back.  - (August 28, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Getting flu shot expected to be easier this year — Flu season last fall in the Rochester area was anything but orderly. Delays from manufacturers in getting flu vaccine to doctors' offices and public clinics caused people to swamp any local clinics that remained open. And when vaccine became plentiful in December and January, seemingly no one wanted it. - (August 26, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Schools to use 'green' cleaning supplies for safety Some urge tougher rules to reduce children's exposure to chemicals - (August 24, 2006) — ALBANY — Products with names like Earth's Choice, Sustainable Earth and Green Knight will fill janitors' closets this fall as schools around the state comply with a new law that requires "environmentally friendly" cleaning supplies. Concerns about the harmful health effects chemicals can have, especially on children, and a realization that cleaners with reduced amounts of potentially dangerous ingredients are increasingly available prompted the legislation, which takes effect Sept. 1. (August 24, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Funds Get a Boost for Lead Removal - The federal government is putting more money into paying for lead paint removal from homes across the country and in Monroe County. Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter is making a formal announcement in Rochester on Thursday. The amendment she authored restores $35 million in federal funding to the Housing and Urban Development's office of lead hazard control. (August 24, 2006) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• WXXI: Area Reps Back Great Lakes Bill (2006-08-24) ROCHESTER, NY (2006-08-24) Congressman James Walsh was in Irondequoit Wednesday to announce his support for a bipartisan bill intended to promote cleanup and preservation of the Geat Lakes. Walsh was joined near the mouth of the Genessee River by representatives of a number of environmental groups to promote the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementaiton Act. (August 24, 2006) Public NewsRoom
• environment: it's not easy being green Last month The Green Guide, a New York City-based news and information source for green living, published its list of America's Top 25 Greenest Cities. It turns out grass and the leaves aren't the only things greening up around here this spring: Rochester debuted at No. 21. Mayors' offices in 251 metropolitan areas with populations of 100,000 or more were surveyed on issues like air quality, electricity use and production, environmental perspective, green design, green space, public health, recycling, water quality and transportation. (August 24, 2006) Insider: Rochester Remixed
• Building a better wheel: Wind legislation postponed - COHOCTON - In an effort to tighten legal enforcement regarding the construction of wind turbines, the Town of Cohocton decided to delay recommendations set by the planning board. The decision was announced Tuesday at the town board meeting, according to Supervisor Jack Zigenfus. (August 18, 2006) Hornell Evening Tribune Online
• 5,000 masks await bird flu: Hornellsville supervisor has boxes ready for residents at town hall - ARKPORT - Hornellsville town Supervisor Kenneth Isaman is taking the potential for a pandemic outbreak of bird flu seriously. Isaman, who happens to be chairman of the Steuben County Legislature's Health and Education Committee, said his interest stems from experience. (August 18, 2006) Hornell Evening Tribune Online
• Top Federal and State Health Officials Join Together at New York Pandemic Planning Summit Acknowledging that pandemics happen and require a strong local response, Dr. Dale Morse, Director of the Office of Public Health and Science of the New York Department of Health (DOH), John Gibb, Director of the New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) and Dr. John Agwunobi, Assistant Secretary for Health of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today addressed federal and local public health officials, business, education, and community leaders and the public about pandemic flu preparedness. Dr. Agwunobi is in New York as part of a national tour of states, as the federal government prepares the country for a potential influenza pandemic. "Pandemics are global in nature but their effects are always local, so I am pleased that Dr. Morse and Director Gibb are taking leadership roles to prepare New York for this threat," Dr. Agwunobi said. "Pandemic planning needs to address how schools, businesses, public agencies, faith-based organizations and others participate in pandemic preparedness. With this meeting, local officials can identify needs specific to New York communities and begin crucial coordination to assure readiness if a pandemic outbreak strikes." - (August 16, 2006) New York State Department of Health
• Grants to fund water cleanup -$800,000 to cut pollution, restore habitat - — The streams of gray-brown soil and pollution that streak through the Genesee River and its tributaries with every heavy rain keep Rochester from taking full advantage of one of its greatest resources — a river at the heart of the city that could support a substantial ecotourism industry. However, local leaders believe that nearly $800,000 in local water quality preservation grants, announced Tuesday alongside the river at Genesee Valley Park, can make a big difference. (August 16, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• City buses to use cleaner fuel - Some experts say less-polluting diesel could improve health - — Rochester's public buses will be switching to a new, less polluting diesel fuel formulation this fall. A vote taken by the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority board of commissioners this week unanimously approved the switch to ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. The change — which will affect all 225 public buses and the nearly 28,000 gallons of fuel they burn every week — should be complete by October, said Jacquie Halldow, director of communications for the authority. (August 12, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• New Adirondack museum celebrates the outdoors - — Making the Adirondack Mountains was a cold, noisy, dirty business. Like an icy bulldozer, a massive glacier scoured, shattered, pushed and punched miles of ancient rock, shaping what became New York's beloved Adirondacks, the largest park in the United States. At The Wild Center, a new science museum in the Franklin County village of Tupper Lake, a 15-foot-tall glacial ice wall brings that distant past to life. (August 13, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Flu pandemic readiness urged - Stockpiling food, water, drugs recommended - — BRIGHTON — New Yorkers should have a two-week supply of water and food on hand, as well as a stockpile of nonprescription drugs and other health supplies, in case a feared avian flu pandemic becomes reality. That was the message state Health Commissioner and former U.S. Surgeon General Antonia Novello brought Wednesday as she addressed the annual conference of Monroe Community College's Homeland Security Management Institute. (August 10, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Botulism in Lake Ontario harming birds, fish — Botulism is back on Lake Ontario's shores, where invasive species are helping it thrive. Every summer, when water temperatures rise, thousands of fish and fish-eating birds such as gulls and terns succumb to the toxin produced by botulism bacteria across the Great Lakes. And in recent weeks, state Department of Environmental Conservation scientists have confirmed an outbreak at the east end of Lake Ontario that has killed hundreds of birds. They also have found the toxin in Sodus Bay, 40 miles east of Rochester. (August 9, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• West Nile found in crows here - Monroe just the third upstate county to discover virus this year — The West Nile virus, a potentially fatal illness spread by mosquitoes, is back in Monroe County, health officials said Friday. Two dead crows, a species used as an indicator because it is particularly vulnerable to the disease, this week tested positive for the virus — the first such test results for 2006. "It's been kind of a slow and late start" this year, said Monroe County Health Department spokesman John Ricci. "But this confirms for us that the virus is within our borders. From now until the killing frost, humans are most at risk" of infection. (August 5, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• First Case of Person with West Nile Virus Reported in New York State This Year, Health Officials Stress Prevention ALBANY, NY, August 4, 2006 – New York State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H. today announced that a Staten Island resident has tested positive for West Nile virus and urged New Yorkers to take extra measures to protect themselves from this potentially serious illness. The individual became ill with flu-like symptoms in late July. Since July 26th, the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center reported West Nile virus positive results for 11 mosquito pools for Suffolk County and 1 mosquito pool each from Nassau, Rockland, and Westchester Counties. Two positive birds have also been reported since July 26 from Monroe County, and one from Tompkins County. To date, Ninety positive mosquito pools and six positive birds have been reported to the State Health Department statewide. With today's announcement, health officials are stressing the need for additional precautions. --New York State Department of Health