Afternoon News Brief

A home in Varysburg was struck by lightning. This happened during the heavy rain and thunderstorms that moved through the region yesterday. Initial investigation points to lightning coming into the house via a power or telephone line. When firefighters arrived some light smoke was seen coming from behind the walls, as well as between the roof and the rafters. The wall was opened up along with a small portion of the roof structure; the fire was contained to these small areas. The woman who owned the home got the dog and a couple of cats safely out of the house. National Grid responded to the scene as well and noted that the home is livable, but some electrical repairs would be needed. The cost estimate of damage was $12,000.

 

50-year-old Chris Monfort and another man were caught in Elba allegedly attempting to steal heavy equipment from a property on Oak Orchard Road. Early Friday morning, an alert citizen called 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity, with a car and person on the property. Deputies found Monfort of Henrietta and 41-year-old Raymond Hardy of Rochester. Both men were taken into custody. Monfort was charged with attempted second-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Hardy was charged with attempted grand larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Hardy was released. Monfort, who has several previous felony convictions, was committed to Genesee County Jail without bail.

 

 

Your days of having to use the ArriveCAN app every time you want to go to Canada may be numbered. In June, the Canadian federal government extended many of its COVID-19 restrictions to go until at least September 30, but Congressman Brian Higgins, who has been critical of many of the COVID policies at the border for a long time now, is hopeful they will soon come to an end. Last week, Congressman Higgins met with some of his Canadian counterparts to talk about the need to remove barriers at border crossings to encourage travel and tourism. Members of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group encouraged the Canadian government to make ArriveCAN voluntary. Keep in mind these restrictions remain in place until at least next Friday, and there’s no official word yet from the Canadian government about them being dropped.

 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has laid out his plan to help keep Empire State residents warm during the winter months. Schumer is looking to add money to the federal budget to make sure Home Energy Assistance Program funds don’t run out. People can get anywhere between $350 and $675 annually depending on their income and the heat source they use. Utility companies, including National Grid, are already projecting a significant rise in home heating bills in the coming months because of high natural gas prices and increased gas delivery rates.

 

 

Some very good news…Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson was discharged from the hospital this morning. He walked out under his own power, with full movement in all of his extremities. His injury occurred in the final minute of the game’s first half. Jackson was covering Titans receiver Treylon Burks and tackled him low after a completed pass. As they fell to the ground, Tremaine Edmunds dove in appearing to anticipate hitting Burks before he went to the turf. Instead, Burks and Jackson were already on the ground, and Edmunds made headfirst contact with Jackson with the crown of his helmet, sending Jackson’s head and neck whipping violently backward. The 25-year-old Jackson is a third-year pro who played college football at Pittsburgh. The Bills selected him in the seventh round of the 2020 draft. He was a part-time starter last season before earning a starting job for 2022. Once again, Dane Jackson left the hospital this morning and has full movement in all extremities.

 

The Buffalo Bills have started the season 2-0 following a blowout victory in front of the hometown crowd. Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes, including three to wide receiver Stefon Diggs, as Buffalo beat the Tennessee Titans 41 to 7 at Highmark Stadium last night. The Bills also forced multiple turnovers in the contest including an interception by Matt Milano that was returned for a touchdown. Up next for Buffalo is a road game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon at 1:00.

 

The Mega Millions jackpot just keeps growing and that means there’s going to be a big prize up for grabs tonight. Whoever picks the winning numbers ahead of this evening’s drawing will receive at least $277,000,000. However, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in over 302,000,000. Tickets to play are $2 each. The Mega Millions drawing will be streamed live online. Please play responsibly.