Weekly top reads: Auburn shop closes, COVID-19 in Cayuga County, snowblower theft in Sennett | Local News | auburnpub.com

Top 10 stories most read by citizens this week. 

AUBURN-Bill and Jane Fox have spent nearly 10 years looking for buyers for their Auburn area car dealers, and they will care about their communities as they do.

They believe they have found that buyer among Jonathan Sobel.

They told Citizen on Thursday that Sobel of Manhattan had acquired Fox Honda, Fox Toyota Subaru and Fox Chrysler Dodge Giplum from its long-time compatriot owners.

Foxes and Sobel did not disclose the selling price of the prolific Grant Avenue dealership. Sobel told Citizen that the transaction will end on Monday, when his ownership of them will take effect.

Former partner of Goldman Sachs,

In New York City, Hampton and Princeton, New Jersey have several dealerships. He said he plans to continue to operate the Auburn and Sennet dealerships like Bill and Jane Fox, and will maintain his workforce of 275 employees. So far, the only change he plans is the renovation of the Fox Honda building. 

He said: "This is a family-managed business for nearly 50 years." "They have been doing it in the community for a long time, and we just want to build on this."

Sobel is expected to work in Auburn on a regular basis, but he has promoted Bob May, a longtime Fox employee, as the platform manager for these three dealers.

Fox said that the fact that Sobel did not hire people he knew from outside the area to handle the dealer’s day-to-day business has demonstrated his commitment to the Auburn community. 

Jane Fox said: "He assured us that he will support and participate in our community." 

The Foxes will continue to operate their fourth dealership, Liverpool’s Salon Chevrolet, because they transferred ownership to their other long-term employee Mike Carrow.

This will also make it less sudden for the foxes to leave their life's work. They grew up on Nelson Street and were in the car business under the leadership of their parents (wholesalers). One of their childhood neighbors, Peter Tonzi, will do business with them as the minority owner of the dealer property and the director of organizational operations.

On June 10, 1976, the Fox family opened Fox Chevrolet in Weedsport. This is the first of 14 dealerships they have owned over the years, covering Victor, Watertown and Painted Post. But they can only operate up to seven at a time. This is because some dealerships of the Fox family cooperated with a long-term employee to purchase, and then transferred ownership to them as in Carrow.

The Auburn brothers and sisters also supported people on other steps of the rung, from local BOCES automotive students to hundreds of employees at the dealership. Some of this support comes from the State Automobile Dealers Association, and both foxes have served on the board. Bill Fox (Bill Fox) is also a member of the National Association Council and became its chairman in 2015.

Jane Fox said that the automotive industry is not only sales and technical personnel, but also marketing, office management, maintenance and other personnel.

She said: "There are many people who can open this door every day."

He added: "We have great people." "You go downstairs and say hello to any of them. Ask how long they have been here. You will find that they have all lived here. 10. 20 or 30 years."

Jane Fox said that last year, all these Fox employees sold a total of about 4,100 cars with revenue of $150 million.

Despite the meager profits of the industry, Fox has been reinvesting most of its funds into the community. The beneficiaries include Auburn Junior High School, where siblings donated $750,000 to improve the sports field. They also provided support to Cayuga Community College, Auburn Community Hospital, Auburn YMCA, Mallorca, Finger Lakes SPCA and Nick's Ride 4 Friends in CNY. They even brought Salon Chevrolet customers to the Cayuga County DMV so that their hometown can reduce registration fees.

Jane Fox said: "We really try to support this community." "We are trying to keep (our business) here, hire people here, and provide people here."

About ten years ago, when Fox started looking for buyers for dealers, the tradition of community service continued to be the most important. They said that 79-year-old Bill Fox and 75-year-old Jane Fox thought it was the right time to buy and sell. The agent recommended Sobel to Sobel, who came to Auburn for the first time in 2019 to meet with the owner.

They said that he proved the right person. But this did not make Bill and Jane Fox (Jane Fox) leave their business for more than 40 years and suffer.

She said: "We love this industry. We started from scratch. Our parents are blue-collar people and we work hard." "This is our legacy."

He added: "Our journey is great, we will miss it." "We will miss it very much."

According to the order of the state government, the COVID-19 clinic of the Cayuga County Department of Health will no longer be open to elderly residents. 

In the latest situation, the health department explained that “the vaccination service is limited to a subgroup of the 1B population, and currently does not include people over 65”. The reference to 1B is one of the stages eligible for the vaccine. 

The Phase 1B team includes certain important staff and first responders, such as firefighters and police personnel. 

The health department established the first COVID-19 vaccination clinic on January 9, allowing eligible workers and elderly residents to sign contracts. Citizens were treated at a clinic, and residents 65 years of age and older received the first dose of the vaccine. 

However, the state instructed the health department to focus on other populations in Phase 1B. According to the Cayuga County Health Department, pharmacies and physicians are providing vaccinations for the elderly. 

There is no explanation yet that the state's authorization will affect the health department. 

Before the establishment of the first clinic on January 9, the Cayuga County Health Department had received an initial shipment of 2,000 doses. Then another 400 doses were delivered. Within a week, the health department administered 2,400 doses. 

However, last week, the county received 200 doses. The health department has not publicly announced any vaccination clinics. It is unknown whether they have received more doses this week. 

The county's public health director Kathleen Cuddy has not yet responded to multiple interview requests. 

As the county adjusted its mandate, the number of active COVID-19 cases dropped for the 14th consecutive time in 17 days. On January 7, 1095 people were forced to quarantine due to a positive test result. This is the record of the county. 

According to statistics from the Cayuga County Health Bureau, there are currently 330 active cases and 1,552 people under mandatory quarantine, which is also the lowest level this month. 

The department admitted 25 new cases on Sunday, two of which were in the local correctional facility. There are 50 cases awaiting admission, and because they have not been placed in compulsory isolation, they are not included in the statistics of ongoing or confirmed cases. 

Since the March 2020 pandemic, Cayuga County has confirmed 4,695 cases. In the past 10 months, 4,289 people have been discharged from hospital due to isolation. 

Auburn Community Hospital has 27 cases of COVID-19 patients, down from 28 cases a day ago. Hospitalized cases do not include patients in medical institutions outside the county. 

There were new death reports over the weekend. A resident of a nursing home, a woman in her 90s, tested positive and died. No other information was released. 

The death toll from COVID-19 in Cayuga County is as high as 76, of which 52 have been reported in January. 

91-year-old Rose Luziani received a COVID-19 injection at the Vaccine Clinic of the Cayuga County Health Department in Cayuga/Onondaga BOCES, Aurelius.

91-year-old Rose Luziani walked to the waiting area after receiving a COVID-19 injection at the Vaccine Clinic of the Cayuga County Health Department in Cayuga/Onondaga BOCES, Aurelius. If a reaction occurs, the recipient is required to wait 15 minutes after vaccination.

Auburn firefighter Lieutenant Ryan Guerrette drew a syringe during the Cayuga County Health Department Vaccine Clinic in Cayuga/Onondaga BOCES, Auburn.

Auburn firefighter Lieutenant Ryan Guerrette administers the vaccine at the Cayuga County Health Department Vaccine Clinic in Cayuga/Onondaga BOCES, Auburn.

Joan Delaney received a COVID-19 injection at the Vaccine Clinic of the Cayuga County Health Department in Cayuga/Onondaga BOCES, Aurelius.

On Friday, residents over the age of 65 will attend the Cayuga County Health Department's Vaccine Clinic at the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES in Aurelius.

When a reaction occurred at the vaccine clinic of the Cayuga County Health Department in Cayuga/Onondaga BOCES, Aurelius, recipients were asked to wait 15 minutes after being vaccinated.

Tom Patterson believes that people in the antique industry should be honest.

However, this fall, the people Patterson must be honest are not customers. It's himself.

The fact that Patterson must face is that his company Dance Hall Antiques cannot survive due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, the store welcomed its last customers for more than 25 years. The last seven customers were at 35 Market Street in downtown Auburn.

Patterson, 72, told Citizen on Tuesday that he does not plan to retire soon before the pandemic. His business partner Dale Ross died 5 years ago, but Patterson continued to run the store alone. Or at least he didn't open until Sunday, March 15, until New York's COVID-19 guidance had to close. It did not reopen until November.

Around that time, Patterson realized that he should only reopen Dance Hall Antiques to permanently close it.

He said: "I have been tossing back and forth. I said a few prayers to get the correct answer, and I think it is coming." "The pandemic just caused losses. Economically speaking, we can't do it."

Patterson was born in the village of Waverly in the southern region and came to Auburn in 1968 to study retail business management at Auburn (now Cayuga) Community College. But he eventually earned a degree in nursing, and thus worked as a registered nurse at Auburn Community Hospital for 43 years. Meanwhile, in 1995, he and Rose established Dance Hall Antiques in a nine-room farmhouse renovated in Genoa. Before that, they had rented space from Bakers Acres in Lansing, where they started their business under the name Country Antiques.

Patterson said he and Rose

After James Meyer, who owns the building, contacted him, the company was transferred to 35 Market Street 

There.  

Over the next seven years, in downtown Auburn, Patterson was repeatedly reminded why he started selling antiques. He said that he likes to study their history and appreciate their craftsmanship. His favorite furniture is Eastlake furniture (ornate design style in the late Victorian era) and Hummels (a series of hand-painted ceramic figurines, originated in Germany in the 1930s).

Patterson added that the ballroom also enjoys a reputation for glassware and ceramics, and its works come from famous brands such as Hall China and the ceramics brand McCoy.

But he said that Patterson's favorite thing to carry these names is to share their history and craftsmanship with customers.

He said: "Everyone is kind and there are few disgruntled customers." "If you don't have what they want, they will be very polite and they will move on."

The clearance sale started with a 60% discount and ended with a $5 shopping bag transaction. After that, the ballroom was almost empty. Patterson added that the response to the store’s closure was encouraging.

When he retires, he will continue to engage in real estate sales because he has obtained a permit to help the family split the house of his loved one. He is also a volunteer in the Sagrada Familia.

Despite this, Patterson will still miss his customers. He said that without them, the ballroom antiques would never find a foothold.

He said: "The people are my life." "I like to meet and help them. This is life."

The owner of the ballroom antique shop, Tom Patterson, closed his business at 35 Market Street in Auburn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The owner of the ballroom antique shop, Tom Patterson, is closing his business at 35 Market Street in Auburn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The photo of his partner Dale Ross's death in 2015 is reminiscent of a good time.

The Cayuga County Health Department has developed a plan to manage the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the state directive changed the deployment method and the personnel that the department can vaccinate in the initial priority group. 

Beginning on January 9, Cayuga County received 2,400 doses of medication in the clinic.

Qualified vaccines in the 1A and 1B priority groups were vaccinated at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, including medical staff, emergency personnel and residents over 65 years old. 

But on January 15, the state instructed local health departments to focus on certain essential workers who are eligible for the vaccine. Due to the order, the health department can no longer provide the first dose to the elderly. The state’s plan requires pharmacies and mass vaccination clinics to vaccinate residents 65 years and older. 

According to a statement issued by the Cayuga County Health Bureau, the National Ministry of Health has approved mass vaccination sites where people aged 65 and over can get vaccinated. However, none of these locations are in Cayuga County. 

AURELIUS-There are eight vaccination stations in one room. Opposite the station is...

Five pharmacies already take medicine for the elderly: Herbst Pharmacy in Port Byron, three Kinney Drugs pharmacies in the county and Rite-Aid on Grant Avenue in Auburn. Each pharmacy received 100 doses last week. 

The county's director of public health, Kathleen Cuddy, spoke about the state of vaccine management at the Cayuga County Health Commission meeting on Tuesday. She described the work of vaccinating thousands of residents as "a huge task" and provided more information beyond the health department's press release. 

Cudi revealed that the health department is vaccinating people, including daycare providers, public transportation employees and school personnel. She added that this was due to a directive from the Ministry of Health of the State Council that local health departments “only vaccinate a subgroup of the population eligible for 1B”. 

According to the new mandate, medical personnel will be vaccinated by hospitals and federally qualified medical centers. Pharmacies and mass vaccination clinics will handle the elderly population. 

"This is a challenge-this is a challenge, it is still a challenge-the information we get from New York State and how we get the information and whether we get it in a timely manner," Cudi said. 

Cudi explained that the problem with this approach is that it can cause panic in the community, especially for the elderly. Together with the health department, she assured the elderly residents who had received the first dose of the medicine from the health department that they would be allowed to get the second dose. She said the second dose will be taken at the end of the first week of February. 

Prior to the issuance of the state directive, the county health department publicly announced the vaccination clinic, and anyone who met the conditions could sign an appointment. However, due to the mandate, the health department adopted another method to arrange the dose. 

Cudi told the Health Commission that they have opened "closed clinics", which means they are not open to the public. The health department communicates with the employers of qualified workers to sign the clinic staff. 

Last week, the health department received 200 doses of medication at these clinics. The department received another 200 doses this week. 

Cudi said: "When we have so-called closed clinics, it is not because we are unwilling to give everyone a chance." "This is because we have a limited number. The consequence of non-compliance is that we will no longer get vaccines. , Of course we don’t want to be in this position either." 

Last week, a leaked link caused problems for the health department. The clinic was originally scheduled to be held on Friday, and a link was provided for employers of qualified workers. According to Cuddy, people with access to the link shared the link with others, according to people who live in Freeville, Geneva and Seneca Falls. 

She admits that this shows that people are willing to get the vaccine, but it creates "a lot of work to get the vaccine from the clinic" and is replaced by qualified individuals. 

Cardi said: "We will try to be more stringent in the way of dispensing medicines this week." 

Cuddy and the health department have not given up the opportunity to provide more choices for qualified residents, especially the elderly and residents living in high-end residential areas. The department hopes to have mobile clinics that can be used not only for high-end housing facilities, but also for residents in more rural areas north and south of Auburn. 

Ralph Battista, a member of the Health Commission, recalled that the first COVID-19 outbreak was in a rural area of ​​the county. Cudi said the department needs to be able to bring vaccines to residents and don’t expect them to get vaccinated. 

She said: "We hope that the state will open up to us as the local health department the ability to provide vaccines to all qualified people." "Assuming we move in this direction, we can go back to the original plan, which is when we are ready to proceed. Some mobile vaccine clinics are really brought to people when they are vaccinated." 

Sergeant Jason Teeter experienced the surreal feeling of standing on the empty streets of a major American city. This was not only once last year, but twice.

A few months after being deployed to the COVID-19 field hospital in Manhattan, the Auburn National Guard was deployed to Washington after attacking the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to provide security.

On Monday, Teeter and the 102nd Military Police Battalion returned to Auburn. He told Citizen the next day that he and several of his friends had messaged each other shortly after the January 6 attack. During the attack, hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump rushed into the Capitol to protest his defeat in the 2020 election. The attack resulted in five deaths, dozens of police officers were injured, and security measures across the city were greatly improved. He said that Tittle and his National Guard soon suspected that they would be part of these measures.

Indeed, the camp was in Washington two days later. Teeter said that in the next two weeks, they were keenly aware that they were living in a dark chapter in American history.

He said: "It didn't make us crazy." "The troops were not placed in the Capitol.

Since the Civil War. "

He said the transformation in Washington was lengthy, causing Tittle and his soldiers to "take a nap as long as we can find a position." However, in his opinion, the story of the National Guard being forced to sleep in a parking lot or stairwell is still an exaggeration. They have hotel rooms, but this unusually deployed logistics often makes them want to take a break before sending them back.

Teeter’s battalion was stationed in the Capitol for a few days. Then, as the surrounding security area expanded, the 102nd Brigade moved to the Supreme Court to help its police escort a control point. Auburn soldiers enjoy historical sights, including the Library of Congress resting in their camp. He said that he also saw several politicians, but did not reveal their identity for security reasons.

He said: "We did not treat these buildings like military camps, but treated them like in the lobby of the Supreme Court, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress." "Everyone respects them."

Teeter said that the 102nd munition did not require any force during deployment. There were some protests before the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, but whenever the soldiers asked someone to step back, they would do so peacefully. In addition, many people on the street greeted the camp and said "thank you", and the local police also thanked them for their support.

He said, but this is not why Teeter served in the National Guard. The 9-year veteran who worked as a generator technician in Auburn said that he served the experience.

From providing loan support at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City in May to guarding the honorable auditorium in Washington this month, Tittle has recently shared his experience.

He said: "You would never think that you would go to Manhattan, see the streets empty, and then the capital of the United States." "This is crazy stuff."

Sergeant Auburn’s Jason Teeter was part of the National Guard deployment to help protect Washington, DC during the president’s inauguration.

After the attack on the Capitol on January 6, Auburn’s 102nd Gendarmerie Battalion was deployed to Washington, DC to provide security.

The Library of Congress captured by the sergeant. After the attack on the Capitol on January 6, Jason Teeter of Auburn deployed to Washington to provide security.

The U.S. Capitol was occupied by sergeants. Jason Teeter of Auburn provided Washington with a security period after attacking a building on January 6.

The Supreme Court occupied by sergeants. After the attack on the Capitol on January 6, Jason Teeter of Auburn deployed to Washington to provide security.

The Cayuga County Health Department approved three US$50 fines for businesses that violated New York’s COVID-19 mask regulations. 

Moravia's Dollar Dollar General Motors, Auburn's under 5 car company, and Sennett's NAPA Auto Parts Company signed a consent form to admit the violation and agreed to pay a fine of $50. The fine came from what an inspector from the Cayuga County Health Department observed while in the store. 

An inspector reported that an employee of Dollar General did not wear a mask within six feet of customers and other employees. There were also "several customers" wearing incorrect masks in the store. 

In "under five people," an inspection found that two workers were within six feet of customers and other employees and did not wear masks correctly. Another employee placed the mask on his chin while talking to an employee less than six feet away on the monitor. 

Two employees of NAPA Auto Parts Company did not wear masks correctly within six feet of the customer. 

The Cayuga County Health Department has fined 32 businesses for violating an executive order issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo that requires masks to be worn when social distancing cannot be maintained. The first offender will get a consent form and agree to sign the document, and they will be fined $50. Repeat offenders may be required to hold court hearings and face more severe penalties. 

: 

• According to the latest news from the Department of Health, Cayuga County has 339 active cases of COVID-19 and 1,624 residents have been forced to quarantine. 

There were 43 new cases on Monday. There are 23 cases awaiting isolation. These cases are not included in the valid and confirmed case counts. They are residents who have tested positive for the virus but have not yet been contacted for mandatory quarantine. 

There are no new deaths reported. The county has 76 COVID-related deaths. 

Auburn Community Hospital has 23 cases of COVID-19 patients, which is the lowest hospitalization rate since December 14. A week ago, there were 46 virus-related hospitals in the county. 

The Auburn Police Department is investigating the death of a city man who lost consciousness on the sidewalk on Monday morning.

Police said they responded to the call of a comatose man in the Generation Bank area at 10 Osborne Street, across from downtown Wegman, at 10:30 am. Citizens are performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man. The 52-year-old man has not disclosed his identity because APD does not believe his death is suspicious. Auburn Fire Department and TLC paramedics continued their resuscitation attempts and took the man to Auburn Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The police are waiting for the autopsy results.

The police are seeking public assistance to investigate. Anyone who may have seen the man in the area on Monday morning should contact Officer C. Augello at (315) 253-3231, or Captain Kyle Platt at (315) 255-4705. The call can be anonymous.

The police released a description of the man. He is a heavy white male, wearing a dark brown corduroy jacket and blue jeans, and carrying a blue reusable bag.

Cayuga County has entered a new stage in the vaccination process: the first batch of the second dose of vaccine has arrived. 

The county's public health director, Kathleen Cuddy, told Citizen on Friday that the health department had been issued a second dose. In the clinics hosted by its department, residents who received the first dose of Moderna vaccine will contact them next week to arrange the use of the second dose. 

Moderna is one of two vaccines approved by federal regulators (Pfizer is the other). Both vaccines require two doses for maximum effectiveness, and the last vaccination will be given a few weeks after the first vaccination. 

Cayuga County Health Department

I received the COVID-19 vaccine three weeks ago. There are already public clinics in the first week, and the state’s new directive requires the department to focus on certain qualified groups, such as daycare providers, first responders, public transportation workers and teachers.

Although the elderly were initially allowed to enter the clinic, the state now says that pharmacies and physicians rather than the health department should provide vaccinations for the elderly. 

Even now, older residents still cannot get the first dose from the health department, but people who have already received the first dose at a clinic in the department will still get the second dose. 

Cardi said: "We ask people to continue to be patient." "We know that when people want to do the right thing and go out to get the vaccine, it is difficult. Once the vaccine is obtained, we arrange for the clinic to distribute the vaccine to people. " 

Since November, after Cayuga County has dealt with a surge in COVID-19 cases, the vaccine has made significant progress. There were more than 2,000 cases in December and 1,900 cases in January. 

In January, 58 virus-related deaths were reported, which was the deadliest month of the pandemic in Cayuga County. The vast majority (50) of the residents who died lived in nursing homes. 

Cayuga County does receive a limited dose of vaccine every week. After the initial delivery of 2,400 doses, the health department has delivered 200 doses each in the past two weeks. 

Cardi and other health officials hope that more doses will be available soon. With residents receiving the second and last dose of vaccine, the county's response to COVID-19 has made positive progress.

Cudi said: "We are very happy about this." "It's good for everyone." 

Two Auburn residents have been promoted in New York's central public accounting firm Dermody, Burke & Brown CPAs LLC.

According to a company press release, Nick Marinelli was promoted to senior partner in audit and accounting, and Amie Vanderpool was appointed to senior manager of taxation.

Nick Marinelli

Amie Vanderpool

Marinelli (Marinelli) received a bachelor's degree in accounting from the State University of New York at Oswego, and is working hard to complete the certification process to obtain the qualification to be designated as a certified public accountant. 

Vanderpool holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Le Moyne College. The new version says that she is the career opportunity chair of the New York State Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a member of the Syracuse Chapter of NYSSCPA Nextgen, and a member of NYSSCPA and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Dermody, Burke & Brown have offices in Auburn, Syracuse, Rome and New Hartford.

The police wanted someone to recognize the thief who was secretly blowing snow in Cayuga County.

Detectives from the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a new Simplicity P2138 Pro snow blower stolen from Main & Pinckney Equipment at Mutton Hill Road 7033 in Sennett.

The Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that the theft occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, January 13, and they are seeking help to identify the person seen in the surveillance video taken at the time of the incident.

Anyone requesting any information that might help solve the criminal problem should call Detective Joshua Blanchard at (315) 253-3902 or provide anonymous tips at the following locations

.

Read through the report published in Citizen

Five stories that citizens read most often this week. 

Get the latest news sent directly to your device.