Afternoon News Brief

The investigation continues today into the accident involving two trucks running into the library wall of an elementary school in Warsaw. As of this morning, the two drivers remain in stable condition. 61-year-old Martin Lodinsky of Gainesville is at Erie County Medical Center awaiting surgery. He claims his vehicle kept accelerating and he could not stop it, resulting in a t-bone accident with another vehicle, driven by a 35-year-old male who has not been identified but was also injured. Both vehicles crashed into the side of the school. The school district is working on a plan for a temporary home for its elementary school library. Their superintendent said that kindergarten students were in the library at the time, but away from the wall that was struck. Aside from the two drivers, no one else was hurt in the incident.

 

 

Governor Hochul says $10,000,000 in funding is going to be used to help revitalize Downtown Rochester. The money will go towards things such as adding affordable housing, creating a new hotel, and restoring historic buildings. The governor believes that these improvements are vital since so many people work and live downtown. The funds are coming from the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative and all of these projects are scheduled to be completed in 2023 and 2024.

 

Two men with long criminal histories are once again in trouble with the law – this time, facing drug charges following a traffic stop in LeRoy. 41-year-old Chad Main of Warsaw was pulled over for failing to use a turn signal. He allegedly attempted to run from deputies during the stop; following a brief chase, he was taken into custody. Among other charges, he was found in possession of drugs and was high while driving unlicensed. His passenger, 49-year-old James Sherbert of Perry is on parole and was also found with drugs.

 

 

An 18-year-old from Ogden has been arrested after hitting a gas pump at a gas station in Gates and then fleeing the scene. Police reviewed security camera footage and was able to identify the vehicle from the license plate and arrested Ryan Odell at his residence. He admitted that he was trying to do a burnout in the parking lot. Odell was charged with criminal mischief and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident. He was issued an appearance ticket and will return to court at a later date.

 

 

Today Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to crack down on unwanted telemarketing and robocalls. The new law requires telemarketers to give customers the option to be added to their company’s ‘do-not-call’ list at the start of the call and is intended to safeguard state residents from continuous, unwanted calls.

 

 

 

The Buffalo Common Council unanimously passed a resolution that asks Governor Kathy Hochul to declare a State of Emergency over the Buffalo School District’s transportation issues. This would allow Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams to change school start times without the approval of the Buffalo Teacher’s Federation. The district and the union have been renegotiating a contract for months, but are reportedly not close to reaching a solution. One point of disagreement involves a three-bell start time for grades kindergarten through 8, as opposed to two different start times that are in place now, to address the shortage of bus drivers without needing to hire more. The Buffalo Teachers Federation says its members are frustrated because they have been working without a contract for three years and that discussions on a new deal have slowed down. Dr. Williams released a statement yesterday saying that she’s staying focused on making the district stronger and better. The next negotiation day is tomorrow.

 

 

New information has been released about a deadly crash Chautauqua County over the weekend. State Police say 59-year-old Randall Rolison failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of State Route 83 and Center Road in Arkwright Saturday night. Rolison’s vehicle collided with another vehicle driven by 71-year-old Gary Kraemer and the impact caused his passenger, 71-year-old Linda Kraemer, to be ejected and killed. Rolison was charged last year for hitting and killing a 15-year-old girl in Jamestown.

 

 

 

The Buffalo Bills and longtime, AFC East rivals the Miami Dolphins are scheduled to play at Highmark on Saturday night, December 17th with kickoff scheduled for 8:15. The contest will air on the NFL Network. Earlier in the season Miami came out on top, 21 to 19. The Bills will also be home this coming Sunday when they host the New York Jets with kickoff at 1:00.

 

The non-emergency phone line to the City of Batavia Police has been fixed. The city’s dispatcher can now once again be reached by calling (585) 345-6350 for non-emergency situations. The phone line had been experiencing problems since Sunday afternoon.

 

 

Another Mega Millions drawing has come and gone without a jackpot winner and that means the game’s top prize is now even bigger. Whoever is lucky enough to select all of the winning numbers ahead of tonight’s drawing is going to get at least $354,000,000. This evening’s drawing will be streamed live online at megamillions.com.

 

 

New information has been released about the arrest of a now former employee at the Monroe County Children’s Detention Center in Rush. Police say 23-year-old John Kanu allowed two juveniles to take part in slap boxing inside a bathroom last month and also allegedly hit a child after they left the bathroom. An investigation started after the incident was reported and Kanu ended up being fired. He’s been charged with child endangerment.