Afternoon News Brief

62-year-old Ronald Washburn of Stafford is arrested and now accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 13, on two or more occasions while babysitting the child between 2008 and 2012. Washburn was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.

 

 

 

 

29-year-old Samantha Kent of LeRoy was arrested for aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, following too closely, failure to stop for a school bus and driving while ability was impaired. Her arrest followed the recent motor vehicle accident in the City involving a school bus. Kent was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released on her own recognizance. She returns to court on October 11th.  Also from the Police Blotter, 33-year old Jessica Eschenlauer of Batavia has been arrested and charged with criminal contempt, assault and unlawful imprisonment. She allegedly restrained another person, who was the protected party of an order of protection; Eschenlauer also punched the same individual, causing physical injury. She was arraigned in Batavia City Court and is scheduled to return to Court at a later date.

 

Jeremy Ives of Batavia has been indicted on two counts of attempted assault, menacing, kidnapping and criminal use of a firearm. He is accused of attempting to cause serious physical injury to a person using a shotgun in the City of Batavia and accused of abducting another person on that same day. Also indicted, Iverson Davis of Batavia has been indicted on charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument in the form of Western Union Money Orders. He is accused of stealing property with a value of over $3000 at Batavia Downs.

 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for funding to help in the fight against fentanyl. Yesterday, the New York Democrat said he wants federal money to battle the growing threat of “rainbow fentanyl,” which are highly addictive pills that look like candy. The 290-million-dollars in funds would be used to sustain dozens of overdose response strategy teams. Over 107-thousand Americans passed away from drug overdoses last year. Fentanyl is said to be stronger than both heroin and morphine.

 

 

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its preliminary report on a weekend plane crash in Western New York within the next two or three weeks. The NTSB says the small aircraft went down in a wooded area Saturday near the Clarence Aerodrome Airport. The pilot, 70-year-old Lee Hardy, is at Erie County Medical Center where he was last listed in stable condition. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

 

 

The Canadian government announced today that as of October 1st, it would no longer require people to wear masks on planes. Government officials also confirmed Canada is dropping the vaccine requirement for people entering the country and plans to end random COVID-19 testing at airports. Filling out information in what became an unpopular ArriveCan app will also no longer be required, which some people blamed for delays at airports. The government will also no longer require passengers to have pre-board tests for cruise ships.

 

 

COVID isn’t going away, but there’s a switch from focusing on daily cases to the long-term effects on those who have recovered. The latest study, in the journal Nature, found mild brain disorders occurred in 7% more of participants who previously had COVID compared with another group that hadn’t been infected. Most noticeable were changes in parts of the brain that affect memory, and tissue damage in regions linked to smell. Also, post-infected people showed larger cognitive decline than control subjects did between scans. (Image shows a brain model with areas in bright pink and dark red that have been found to be most effected over the longer-term.)

 

 

The latest data from Triple A shows the price of gas is still on the decline in our region. Right now, the average cost for a gallon of regular fuel in Batavia is $3.85. That’s down 10 cents from a week ago, and 50 cents cheaper than this time last month. The state average is currently sitting at $3.68, which is also down a dime in the last seven days. The national average is $3.71.

 

 

Following two blowout wins to start the season, the Buffalo Bills have suffered their first loss. Buffalo had the ball with seconds left in the game but failed to score and fell to the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 21 to 19 at Hard Rock Stadium yesterday. Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 42 of his 63 passes, for 400 yards and two touchdowns for his team, whose record is now two wins and one loss. Up next for Buffalo another 1:00 start next Sunday, as they make a road trip to Baltimore to take on the Ravens.