Since I've been asked about this numerous times, I'll address it here. More than two dozen Cayuga County restaurants and stores have been fined for violating COVID-19 rules. But there is one I get asked about more than any other: Wegmans.
Their message is clear: How is this fair? Why is there one standard for certain businesses, while others face no penalties? These are good questions, and I plan on asking them.
60 Minutes reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. Palace representatives demanded that before considering commenting we provide them with our report prior to it airing, which is something 60 Minutes does not do.
They said that they had a conversation with someone at Wegmans' corporate office. Based on that discussion, she offered this assessment: "I just don't think they believe in it. That's the bottom line."
Since the state's COVID-19 mask mandate took effect, I have received several messages from readers about Wegmans not enforcing the mask rule. Their stories are consistent: They observe a customer not wearing a mask and they report it to an employee.
Itโs official: My wife does not have cancer. The tumor was benign, which is what the preliminary tests showed a couple of weeks ago. An exciting day in this household.
Some of the people who have contacted me about Wegmans do so after seeing local businesses, including locally-owned grocery stores, fined for not enforcing the mask mandate. One grocery store was fined today for the second time.
That's quite a statement about how this supermarket chain is responding to the pandemic. That has stayed with me for two months because I wondered what would come next. Would Wegmans face a stiffer penalty? Would there be additional penalties for these other complaints?
At the board of health meeting, a county official says that Wegmans paid the $50 but *did not* sign the order. That's significant because not agreeing to the consent order should trigger a hearing and the possibility of a stiffer penalty.
I planned on following up on this two months ago, but then our COVID cases spiked and there may have been an election I had to cover. I am following up on this after Thanksgiving.
These comments stayed with me as local businesses, many of which are small businesses, faced fines for either not abiding by the mask rules or not enforcing them.
And then I sat down to watch the Cayuga County Board of Health meeting in September.
This was surprising to some members of the board. One said that he "always thought of (Wegmans) as taking the approach of being a good corporate citizen."
And then came the big blow from a health department official.
What I wasn't prepared for was a long discussion about Wegmans. It was revealed, for the first time, that the board issued a consent order against Wegmans for violating the state mask mandate. But that wasn't the highlight.
The same county official said that a Wegmans attorney sent them a letter. This official summarized Wegmans' stance โ that the company "felt that they were not responsible for their customers."
At that meeting, the board approved four consent orders against businesses that violated the COVID-19 rules, specifically the mask order. I knew about these ahead of time because it's a public meeting and the materials were made available in advance.
A consent order is the first penalty in the enforcement process. The offender takes responsibility for their conduct (in this case, not following or enforcing the mask mandate) and they agree to pay a $50 fine. If they don't sign the order, the $50 fine *should* be off the table.
@BZeches
It's sad, but true. I will note, though, that Aldi was fined because they didn't enforce the mask requirement. They took responsibility and paid their fine.
.
@EliseStefanik
has been endorsed by the 12 county Republican committees in
#NY21
. She's running for a fourth term representing the North Country in Congress.
The
@BuffaloBills
should have their players talk to health care workers they pretend to honor about why the vaccine is important.
You can start with my sister, whose hospital lost hundreds of COVID patients (including young people).
@Bease11
@BuffaloBills
COVID has killed 600K people in about 15 months. Do you know how many die of the flu every year?
The number of COVID deaths is more than all of the estimated flu deaths in the last 10 flu seasons.
It's not the flu. But ... I do get my flu shot.
Former U.S. Rep.
@bobinglis
, who visited Auburn a couple of times to discuss ways to combat climate change, is suing the South Carolina Republican Party for canceling its presidential primary.
For context: Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, said this during a call with Democratic legislators.
The relevant line: "The Governor speaks on a regular basis with Dr. Fauci, and Dr. Michael Osterholm. I would say those are two of the people that are chief advisors."
In a call with lawmakers, a top Cuomo aide called Dr. Michael Osterholm a โchief advisorโ who spoke to the governor on a "regular basis."
Osterholm counters this claim on
@FiringLineShow
:
โI've had one five-minute conversation my entire life with Governor Cuomo," he says.
This has been a rough year. Losing my father-in-law was a low point. But today, a high point:
@JoshNews10
notified me that I'm the winner of the
@syrpressclub
's Bill Carey Journalist of the Year award.
@PinstripesNY
@Newseum
The admission price hurt. When you can walk a little further and visit numerous free museums? Thatโs a challenge for their model. I know there other museums that charge admission in D.C., but the prices are lower than what the Newseum charges.
Great news: My wife is coming home! Also, preliminary tests show the tumor isnโt cancerous. The surgery likely prevented cancer from developing down the road.
He is, officially, state Sen. John Mannion. Mannion was sworn in this morning.
Here is a provided photo of Mannion with his family in the Senate chamber.
Tomorrow, my father-in-law will be taken off the ventilator. He's had a profound impact on my life. He gave me the greatest gift of all: His blessing to marry Sarah. I will miss his love, humility, sense of humor and our conversations. He helped make me a better man.
My sister, who is a military spouse, may benefit from this bill.
@RepStefanik
introduces bill to provide student loan relief to military spouses who are transitioning to a new duty station.
Update: My company offers four weeks of paid parental leave, not two. I will be taking the four weeks off beginning Monday, Nov. 8. My leave ends Monday, Dec. 6.
Looking forward to spending the first month of my daughter's life with her.
The Rochester coronavirus case is wild. The guy now admits he took a Greyhound bus from NYC to Rochester. Monroe County Department of Public Health confirmed that today.
Oh, and he took an Uber from JFK to the bus station in NYC.
.
@The_Citizen
editorial board endorsed Cuomo for governor in 2010 and 2014 and Spitzer in 2006.
This year, the endorsement goes to the Republican candidate,
@marcmolinaro
.
Two of my sisters may have been exposed to COVID-19 at separate holiday gatherings. They were doing all the right things โ until Christmas.
Avoid these gatherings. Now is not the time.
For months, Auburn Community Hospital didn't receive federal funding through the Provider Relief Fund.
That's when
@SenSchumer
stepped in and helped the hospital get its funding โ more than $3.4 million.
I started therapy this week. It was time. I did not want anxiety to continue to come at me without a response. I have tried medication before and it didn't work. So far, therapy has been effective. I'm glad I took this route.
Got my Moderna booster today. My wife got hers, too. She has received all three vaccine doses while pregnant. Sheโs had a healthy pregnancy and our daughter should be arriving any day now.
Iโm probably not going to win any awards for my COVID reporting, but you know what? Thatโs OK.
I got to see my daughter today. Sheโs growing! Her mom already thinks she has her dadโs forehead.
One year ago today, my wife took a pregnancy test. She told me the result and, knowing she had a couple of extra tests, I told her to take another to confirm. She was pregnant.
Less than nine months later, our daughter arrived. Sheโs the greatest gift weโve ever received.
Ten years ago today was the last time I had a conversation with my dad. He had a heart attack on Nov. 5, 2008 and died 17 days later.
He appreciated good journalism and wanted balanced news coverage. "Just the facts," he would say.
I think of him when covering politics.
My interview with New York Republican gubernatorial hopeful
@marcmolinaro
is the most-downloaded episode of the Eye on NY podcast yet.
ICYMI: Here's the full interview:
Tomorrow is the big day. We head to the hospital and my wife will be induced. Hopefully our daughter arrives tomorrow and doesnโt make us wait even longer. But weโll take it one step at a time.
My father-in-law, Daryl Banazwski, was one of our better angels on earth. Heโs now one of Godโs angels in heaven.
He was an incredible man. A great husband, father, grandfather and father-in-law. I am eternally grateful for his love and support.
I met my doctor's weight loss goal (20 pounds). My blood pressure โ which was high enough that I was eligible for the COVID vaccine earlier than anticipated โ is now 114/70.
I still have plenty of weight to shed, but I've lost nearly 30 pounds. Making progress!
First time I ordered delivery during the pandemic, I tipped the driver $10 on a $30 order. I received a thank you message for the gesture.
Be kind to the people making it possible for you to eat.
One person attended a gathering over Halloween weekend in Cayuga County. They had symptoms of COVID-19, but didn't think they had the virus.
Twenty-one people who attended the event had to quarantine. Thirteen of them tested positive for COVID.
Today is my 14th anniversary at
@The_Citizen
. Many thanks to everyone who has read a story, liked a tweet or sent a message over the years. I love this job!
Hereโs some news:
@GovKathyHochul
says the dispute with the Seneca Nation has been resolved and $564 million has been paid to the state.
But thatโs not all! The stateโs share of that money ($418 million) will go to the new Bills stadium.
Keith Batman is holding a fundraiser for his state Assembly campaign. The pricing tiers?
Joker - $25
Penguin - $50
Riddler - $75
Alfred - $100
Robin - $150
Batman - $250
I have six more months of covering this race. It's going to be the highlight of my career.
I drop one f-bomb on Twitter and someone overreacts. I rarely curse on Twitter for this reason. You always get someone who chimes in and tells you that you should "be better."
You know what? I was raised by great parents. Guess what? They cursed from time to time. Get over it.
The American people are hurting. Economic stagnation/lockdowns have left many in difficult situations.
Iโve communicated to the President my support for increasing stimulus checks to $2,000 per individual and will be voting in favor of legislation to do so.
Full statement:
I've lost 21 pounds. My doctor set a target weight for me to reach by my next appointment on Aug. 5. I'm on track to reach that goal in the next few days.
My wife is dealing with a health issue that will require surgery soon. Send good energy our way. After all of this, she should be fine. But it's certainly added some stress to our daily grind.