mask wearing

Under some district's plans, even in the Utica area, students will wear a mask into class, then remove it when seated. The union that represents teachers in New York says that's not good enough.

Halloween will probably be a little different in Utica and Rome this year - even masks won't out of place anymore. If you're looking for a costume that exemplifies 2020, we've got you covered.

A new study about the effectiveness of different types of mask might have you questioning the type you're wearing regularly. One mask is actually worse than wearing nothing. (SPOILER ALERT: You've probably seen this kind all over Utica.)

Not wearing a mask at McDonald's? Their employees might call the police, according to comments the company CEO made in an interview.

TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods says they will require masks in all their stores, including those in New Hartford and Rome.

Walmart, Home Depot, and Walgreens say they'll still serve customers with no masks in spite of saying masks were mandatory in stores, out of concern for employee safety. Have you seen this happen at your Utica or New Hartford store?

A small survey of Central New York retail workers reveals a wide range of enforcement policies at local businesses. What have you seen while you're out and about in Utica and Rome?

If this whole pandemic is a test of how kind we can be to our fellow humans, I think it's clear some of us are failing. A trip to a New Hartford store yesterday solidified that for me.

After reports of food service workers being assailed by customers who refuse to wear masks, one restaurant owner in Hamilton decided to take a humorous approach: water pistols.

If you find yourself screaming at two teenaged girls at an ice cream stand because they asked you to wear a mask, you're a jerk - let's just get that out of the way. This actually happened not very far from Utica.

You can't say you support small business in Utica and then refuse to wear a mask - it's that simple. If you're putting small business in the position of having to police your mask wearing, and you're yelling at their employees, you might be a jerk.

A Middleville restaurant is imploring patrons to stop yelling at their staff and just wear a mask, or they say they'll be forced to close.