• CHEER: Once again, the holiday season in Niagara was much brighter thanks to the work of several area organizations and an army of volunteers and folks willing to donate so much to the efforts. We’re lucky to have Matt and Yvonne Davis, their family and dedicated supporters, who for more than 30 years now have put on the Christmas-time Lord’s Day Dinner. Niagara Gospel Mission distributed more than 1,650 meals to individuals and families in need across Niagara Falls, the Town of Niagara, and the City of North Tonawanda for Christmas. Community Missions of Niagara Frontier, Inc. once again conducted its Holiday Help program for area families and we’ve discuss in this space the impact of the Niagara Falls Firefighters Christmas Toy Fund. There are so many other local efforts to make the holidays brighter for all and we thank all of you out there for doing your part to make things more merry.
• CHEER: Nobody likes being without power, that’s why it was so good to see National Grid ready and waiting to tackle the host of outages that arose from that rough winter storm that swept through the area starting Sunday night. More than 150,100 National Grid customers in the region — including more than 4,200 customers in Niagara County — were impacted by the storm late Sunday and in to Monday and by Tuesday afternoon more than 95% had their service restored, National Grid reps told us. The company deployed nearly 3,400 line, tree, public safety and damage assessment specialists beginning Sunday to remove broken tree limbs and uprooted trees, and repair downed lines, broken poles, and other infrastructure damaged by the storm. Particularly hard hit in the county were spots in Newfane, Hartland and the Town of Niagara. Most of the service in those communities had been restored Tuesday night. We know, it seems like forever when you’re waiting for the power to come back on but considering the enormity of the storm’s impact, we’d say National Grid did a great job under the circumstances.
• JEER: Niagara County health officials are warning of a rapid rise in local flu cases. Dr. Fauzia Khan, the county’s health director, said this week that Data reported for the week of Dec. 20 showed 347 flu cases in Niagara County, up from 217 the previous week. Children ages 5 to 17 make up the most cases, with most hospitalizations are among people over age 75. We’re not alone. State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said 71,123 positive flu cases were reported for the week ending Dec. 20, the most that the department ever recorded in one week since influenza was made reportable in 2004. McDonald said the number indicated a 38% increase from the previous week. National statistics show that flu cases are spiking this season, compared to a more gradual rise in the two years prior. The good news in all this? There’s still ample opportunity to get a flu shot. Local pharmacies and places like Walmart are taking appointments. Health care providers can direct you to a site best for you. With or without a shot, practice all those things that we learned during Covid — washing your hands throughout the day, social distancing, covering your mouth when sneezing, etc. — and that should help as well.