Finger Lakes Times Local News: FLTimes.com

GENEVA — For those without a pool or lakeside property, finding a place to jump in the water isn’t the easiest thing to do — even for a city that sits on Seneca Lake.

LYONS — Wayne County’s efforts to clean up and ultimately redevelop blighted properties received a boost from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

PENN YAN — Yates County residents continue to voice concerns about a proposed new jail facility during public meetings, while the Public Safety Facility Ad Hoc Committee offers few details about its undertaking.

LYONS — State Police said five people were arrested on weapons charges following a fight where one suspect threatened a victim with a gun.

WOLCOTT — A package-delivery driver died Monday night after the van he was driving hit him while he was trying to stop it from hitting a home, State Police said Tuesday.

ARCADIA — A Phelps man is accused of shooting at a vehicle during a road rage incident.

GENEVA — The Salvation Army is celebrating a major milestone after local youth participants earned top honors during their first appearance at the Divisional Music and Arts competition, “Star Search,” held in May at Long Point Camp on Seneca Lake.

PENN YAN — Penn Yan Elementary School students recently learned about local careers during a hands-on “Touch-a-Truck” event held in the school’s bus loop.

CANANDAIGUA — Have you ever wondered how the culinary bounty of the Finger Lakes makes it into the local school system? Perhaps you are curious if your kids or grandkids are eating anything more nutritious than chicken nuggets and fried…

CANANDAIGUA — When Jack Johnson’s tour bus pulled into the city July 1 after arriving from Toronto, the singer/filmmaker/former surfer had one goal: to hit the water.

GENEVA — Madeline “Maddie” Askin has a clear idea of what she’s going to do when she begins her first year at Hobart and William Smith in August.

GENEVA — In addition to long-standing engineering partnerships with Columbia University and Dartmouth College, Hobart and William Colleges Smith students can now pursue a master’s in fields ranging from cybersecurity to biomedical engineering through a new agreement with Syracuse University.

GENEVA — Councilor-at-Large Ahmad J. Whitfield, who is facing felony drug charges, rejected a plea offer Monday from the Ontario County District Attorney’s Office.

SENECA FALLS — Fireworks set off a shed fire Saturday night, Seneca Falls police and firefighters said.

LYONS — As our nation formally celebrated its 250th birthday, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office sent two deputies to work in the nation’s capital as part of the Freedom 250 celebration.

SENECA — The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a two-vehicle accident that killed one passenger late Sunday morning.

AURORA — A portion of Cayuga Lake between Seneca and Cayuga counties is being treated chemically to eradicate hydrilla, an invasive aquatic plant.

On June 15, Melinda Marquart took over as interim Seneca County sheriff following the sudden retirement of former Sheriff Tim Thompson, who took another job with another law enforcement agency. Marquart is currently one of just two female sheriffs in…

GENEVA — The city is taking steps to order the owner of a now-vacant downtown building to make repairs or demolish the building — at their cost.

CANANDAIGUA — The city will celebrate Independence Day and the nation's 250th anniversary with a full day of activities, highlighted by a downtown parade.

PHELPS — The Finger Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its June Business After Hours Networking Mixer June 10 at the corporate headquarters of Wadhams Enterprises, Inc.

NAPLES — One man died and another person is in critical condition following a fiery three-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office said.

GENEVA — Geneva Summerfest 2026 returns July 17-18, bringing what the Geneva Family YMCA describes as two days of live entertainment, family activities, delicious food, and community celebration to Geneva.

CANANDAIGUA — Fireworks, games, music, and food will highlight the town’s July 4 and the nation’s 250th anniversary weekend events.

SENECA FALLS — Two minors have been charged in connection with a stabbing that took place in May, town police said Wednesday.

GENEVA — St. Peter’s Community Arts Academy will launch its 2026-27 concert series with a pair of free performances, the first coming on Monday.

SENECA FALLS — A recent report on lung cancer rates for the five northern towns of Seneca County and their proximity to the Seneca Meadows Inc. landfill appears to be inconclusive.

GENEVA — Ahmad Whitfield hasn’t attended any City Council meetings since being arrested Jan. 7 on felony drug charges.

SENECA FALLS — Built and opened as a Holiday Inn in 1975, the Lux Hotel and Conference Center at 2468 Route 414 will go up for sale by auction July 13-15.

WATERLOO — There are now two candidates in the race for Seneca County sheriff following Interim Sheriff Melinda Marquart’s announcement she is not seeking the seat herself.

ONTARIO — The owners of the Ginna nuclear power plant want to extend the Wayne County facility’s license another 20 years.

CANANDAIGUA — A teen on a scooter was injured Tuesday afternoon after colliding with a car, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office said.

ALBANY — Families celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with a cookout will find that prices at the grocery store closely reflect inflation increases over the last year.

During National Pollinator Week, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball highlighted the many actions that the state has taken to promote and protect pollinator health across New York, including encouraging honey producers to join the New York State…

SENECA FALLS — Artist, filmmaker, and author Tiffany Shlain has brought the movable sculpture “Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring” to the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

PENN YAN — The Southern Tier All Star Jazz Band, a 16-piece jazz orchestra with vocalist Angie Bemus specializing in big-band hits from the 1930s to the present, will join the Yates Concert Series tonight.

The Underground Railroad existed in northern states before the Civil War, assisting escaped slaves from the South. Sympathetic northerners secretly helped them reach places of safety — from Maryland to Canada.

GENEVA — Geneva General Hospital is not keeping patients in the dark on costs or charging them inappropriately in spite of that insinuation by Hospital Watch, according to a GGH spokesperson.

Congratulations Deborah Brown of Waterloo. You won $100 in the FLT's "Show Us The App" promotion. Please stop in our office by Monday July 6th (with proper ID) or call Melissa Delfi at 315-789-3333 by Monday to verify your winnings!!…

WATERLOO — The Waterloo Police Department is teaming up again with 7-Eleven, Inc. to reward local kids through the company’s community outreach program, Operation Chill. Now in its 31st year, Operation Chill aims to promote positive police-youth engagement and neighborhood…

SYRACUSE — Beyond, a program in support of LGBTQ+ youth and their families, presented its 2026 Changemaker Awards during its Sponsor Recognition Breakfast on LGBTQ+ Family Day of Visibility at the May 3.

CANANDAIGUA — The Thompson Health Guild awarded scholarships to six college-bound members of the class of 2026 at its annual dinner, held May 28 at Ferris Hills at West Lake.

SODUS — Wayne Action for Racial Equality has awarded three students Timothy Barber Scholarships. The annual higher education scholarships are given annually to graduating Wayne County high school seniors who identify as Black or African-American and who recognize that racism…

CANANDAIGUA — With just one remaining founding member from the band since its inception 59 years ago, there have been cracks by fans on social media that the current Chicago lineup is merely a tribute act.

KEUKA PARK — A local professor identified a promising new technique that might help restore one of the Earth’s most important underwater ecosystems.

SENECA FALLS — On May 11, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation notified Seneca Meadows Inc. for the third time that its draft Environmental Impact Statement was incomplete.

GENEVA — The city and town are working together to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary with a bang. However, they need a little help with the cost of putting on a fireworks display over Lakefront Park July 11, Mayor Jim…

The July 4 celebration in Geneva, as reported in the Geneva Daily Times, was a danger to life and property: “Throughout the ‘Glorious Fourth’ the fool-killer staid within doors and there was an unusually large batch of Fourth of July…

NEWARK — The village is looking at ways to make its events and recreational programs more accessible to people with disabilities.

WATERLOO — Two siblings at the top of their class isn’t that unusual, but it is when those two are twins and are at the very top of the same class.