Afternoon News Brief

BATAVIA CITY POLICE BLOTTER: 40-year-old Sarah Malone of Batavia is charged with theft of services and criminal impersonation. It’s alleged she dined at a local restaurant and left without paying her bill. Once located by police, Malone provided the officer with a false name and date of birth. She was issued an appearance ticket and was scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court. ALSO: 48-year-old Douglas Ashworth of Batavia is charged with menacing, following an incident during which it’s alleged he pointed a hunting rifle at two juveniles, which placed them in reasonable fear of injury or death. Ashworth was issued an appearance ticket and scheduled to appear in City Court at a later date. ALSO: 32-year-old Phillip Byford of Sweden, NY has been arrested on Batavia City Court bench warrants. The first stemmed from an incident at a West Main Street business charging him with petit larceny. Byford was issued an appearance ticket and failed to appear, which led to a second warrant. The third was linked to criminal trespass; he was issued another appearance ticket and once again failed to appear. Byford was arraigned in Batavia City Court and is to return to court at a later date. ALSO: 19-year-old Myia Sobus of Oakfield and 18-year-old Timothy Alis of Batavia are each charged with petit larceny. It’s alleged that they filled a shopping cart with $897 worth of items and left the story without paying. They were released on an appearance ticket and scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court this afternoon. ALSO: 38-year-old Shawn Sloan of Batavia is charged with petit larceny and criminal trespass. It’s alleged he entered an apartment on Bank Street and stole a kitchen utensil. Sloan was released on an appearance ticket and was scheduled to appear in City Court a later date.

 

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for the entire GLOW region until 8:00am tomorrow. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected with occasional wind gusts of 40mph. This combination will create periods of difficult travel due to poor visibility and blowing and drifting snow. Some parts of the state are anticipating up to two feet of snow. It’s those areas where Governor Hochul is urging people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel; and in fact, she declared a state of emergency for some downstate counties. However, Erie, Monroe, Livingston, Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming counties are not included in the declaration.

 

 

Democrats in the State Senate will attempt to prevent Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to raise yearly tuition at the state’s public college and universities by creating a plan that would tie tuition to the Higher Education Price Index or 3%. The tuition proposal from the Governor would affect campuses at the State University of New York as well as the City University of New York. The debate over SUNY and CUNY tuition is coming as public higher education has faced financial squeezes over the last several years amid the ongoing challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, growing costs and in some instances declining enrollment. The state Senate is set to unveil its budget resolution this week alongside the Democratic-led state Assembly. The Senate budget proposal will not include the tuition proposal from Hochul. Legislative budget resolutions are non-binding documents, but provide a roadmap for where lawmakers would like to take the negotiations over the next several weeks with the governor in the budget talks.

 

 

Governor Hochul has announced that a dedicated outreach team is going to be helping connect East Buffalo residents with necessary services. This effort is part of larger investments to help people in that area recover from the deadly mass shooting at a Tops store on Jefferson Avenue last May. The team will be going door-to-door in several zip codes to identify the specific needs of individuals. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says he’s looking forward to seeing positive results.

 

 

The latest data from the New York State Flu Tracker shows there are still a low number of flu cases being reported in our region. During the week ending March 4th, the area with the highest number of infections was Monroe County with 38; Erie County had 19; Niagara County, 12; Ontario County had 4; Wyoming and Orleans Counties each had 2, and Wayne and Genesee Counties reported no cases of the flu. County Health Departments tell us it’s not too late in the season to get a flu shot. You can find a clinic by going to vaccines.gov.

 

 

A former employee with the East Irondequoit Central School District is in some serious legal trouble after being arrested on child pornography charges. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 20-year-old Leonard Ortiz, Jr. was working as a teacher’s aide when officials received a report he was trading child porn online through social media. A search of his home led to the discovery of hundreds of disturbing images and videos. School district administrators say he was fired immediately in December when they learned he was under investigation. Authorities noted he was previously investigated for possession of child pornography in 2019 when he was 17. He was not federally prosecuted because of his age. The district said he did undergo a background check and there were no reports of any questionable behavior during his employment. Ortiz is now facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

 

The investigation has been completed into the 4-alarm blaze that took the life of Buffalo Fire Department member Jason Arno. The results of the probe are now going to be in the hands of the Erie County District Attorney’s office. The fire happened on March 1st, and the 37-year-old Arno died at the scene. The fire caused more than $2,000,000 (million) worth of damage. While demolition work at the site is happening, streets in the area will be closed to traffic.

 

 

 

Rochester police are taking action to prevent owners of certain Kias and Hyundais from having their vehicles stolen. The department is handing out steering wheel locks on a first come, first served basis at neighborhood centers on Dewey Avenue, Norton Street, Genesee Street and North Goodman Street. The locks are only available to city residents who own Kia’s and Hyundai’s from the 2010 to 2020 model years. Those vehicles have been targeted by thieves after a viral video showed how easy it is to steal them.

 

The Buffalo Sabres have snapped their 4-game losing streak after picking up a much-needed win on the road. Alex Tuch scored twice and Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn had a goal each as the Sabres defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 at Scotiabank Arena last night. Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson was able to stop 25 of the 28 shots he faced in the contest. Buffalo’s next game is tomorrow against the Washington Capitals; face-off is at 7:00.

 

Today is Pi Day, the annual celebration of the mathematical constant Pi. Pi is commonly rounded to 3.14. And while Pi Day is not to be confused with National Pie Day, there’s sure to be deals on pizza today as well. Pi is an irrational number, which means it cannot be represented as a simple fraction, and those numbers cannot be represented as terminating or repeating decimals. Therefore, the digits of pi go on forever in a seemingly random sequence. Photo credit: James Meier

 

 

The Mega Millions jackpot is still on the rise and the prize up for grabs ahead of tonight’s drawing is $229,000,000 (million). Anyone who wants to watch the drawing can visit megamillions.com. Please play responsibly.

 

 

 

 

A popular rock band has joined the list of groups that are going to be performing at the Artpark Amphitheater in Lewiston this year. Styx is scheduled to take the stage on Friday, June 2nd at 7:30pm. The group is known for several hits including “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” and “Babe.” Tickets for this concert will go on sale this Friday at 10:00am. Other artists who are coming to the Amphitheater include Barenaked Ladies and The Avett Brothers.

 

The Genesee County Health Department has been given a 5 year grant to give out free Radon testing kits to Genesee County residents. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that comes naturally from the soil and can cause lung damage that can lead to cancer. New homes and older homes both can get a buildup of this gas. Tests are available for free to Genesee County residents if they request a kit from the Health Department but there is a finite supply. If you live outside Genesee County you can buy one at a hardware store for about 15 to 20 dollars. If you have high Radon you can get a contractor to install a Radon mitigation unit at your own expense. To contact the Health Department call 585-344-2580 Extension 5555.