Afternoon News Brief

An unlicensed driver has pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from the death of a child he struck with his SUV in 2021. 38-year-old Kevin Mendola of Buffalo admitted to all counts in an indictment against him, including leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death and criminally negligent homicide. Prosecutors said Mendola put his SUV in reverse and backed over a 10-year-old boy with his bicycle. He then went forward, running over the boy again; Mendola next stepped out of the vehicle, saw the boy, and drove away. 10-year-old Michael Conklin of Sloan was taken to Oishei Children’s Hospital where he died that night from his injuries. Mendola is being held without bail pending his sentencing as a second-felony offender. He faces a maximum of 11 years in prison.

 

 

Visual progress has been made on the South Lyon Street Bridge with the installation of two trusses. Work continues this week. Photo: Doug Thompson, WBTA News.

 

 

 

FROM THE GENESEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE: 41-year-old Matthew Zon of Byron is charged with criminal contempt and possession of a controlled substance, after allegedly violating an order of protection requiring him to stay away from a protected party. Zon was also allegedly in possession of a controlled substance at the time of his arrest.  ALSO: 41-year-old Jason Freeman of Batavia is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and introducing dangerous contraband into the Genesee County Jail. This followed his arrest on an unrelated charge; he had been released on that first charge with an appearance ticket. But then following his arrest on the second charge, Freeman was held in jail pending arraignment.

 

The Law Street Yard Waste Station will open for the season next Monday, April 10th for city residents. The station will be open from 12:00pm to 6:00pm Monday through Saturday until Daylight Saving Time in November when time changes to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The station will also be closed on May 29th for Memorial Day, July 4th for Independence Day, September 4th for Labor Day and November 23rd for Thanksgiving. The station will close for the season in early December. City residents may bring yard waste material (grass, leaves and limbs) to the Waste Station as there is no spring curbside pickup of these materials. The following items cannot be accepted at the station: Tree stumps, building materials, rock, fill (soil and stone), and other debris. Yard waste shall be free of trash (paper, plastic, bottles, cans, etc.), as this material cannot be processed. Use Law Street entrance to enter and exit the City Yard Waste Station only.

 

 

The state budget deadline has come and gone without an agreement, and lawmakers are back at the Capitol today to try and work out a deal. Both the Senate and Assembly were sent home Friday, hours before the deadline, which was midnight Saturday. According to reports, the issues that are still holding up the budget from being passed include affordable housing and bail reform. If an emergency spending measure isn’t approved by the end of today, state workers might not receive their next paychecks on time.

 

 

Beginning this evening, a portion of the Kensington Expressway (Route 33) is going to be shut down during the overnight hours. The state Department of Transportation says an eastbound stretch of the highway in the area of Best Street will be closed from 10 pm until 6 am, Monday through Friday. Crews will be working to fix the Dodge Street overpass, which was damaged by a crash involving a tractor-trailer. The repairs are expected to take about two months to complete.

 

 

 

Governor Hochul has announced the launch of a new pharmacy benefit program that’s aimed at improving prescription drug access and coverage to millions of New Yorkers who are enrolled in Medicaid. It is called NYRx, and will give people access to more medications, and will lower confusion over the brand name and generic drugs covered by the program. Pharmacists and doctors can also now prescribe medication based on a uniform list that’s less restricted. Details on this program are available by calling 1-855-648-1909, or online: https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/pharmacy.htm

 

Gasoline prices have started to nudge their way upward again. According to Triple A this morning, the average national cost of a gallon of regular gas is $3.51. The statewide average is $3.47. And in Batavia, we’re paying $3.46; that’s up a dime from a week ago and 12 cents from a month ago. The highest per gallon price here was recorded in June 2022 when it reached 4.92.

 

There’s still a couple of weeks until taxes are due, and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is reminding folks they can file their returns at no cost. The agency says people whose 2022 federal adjusted gross income was $41,000 or less regardless of age or individuals who meet other criteria can file their returns using the Free File software on the tax department’s website. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers take advantage of this service each year. More information is available at tax.ny.gov.

 

 

The superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment will be making a return trip to Buffalo this summer. A live episode of Monday Night Raw will air from the KeyBank Center on July 10th. Among the wrestlers expected to be in attendance include Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins, and also Cody Rhodes. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased starting this Friday at 10:00am.

 

 

If you’re looking to become an overnight millionaire, there’s plenty of time to buy tickets for two upcoming multi-state lotteries. There was no grand prizewinner in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing, which pushes the jackpot up to $159,000,000 (million) for tonight’s drawing. As for Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot — that’s worth $385,000,000 (million). Please play responsibly.

 

 

The Buffalo Sabres are now at a point when every game is becoming more important than the previous one. They were victorious over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday; final score was 6-3. Kyle Okposo, Jordan Greenway and Jeff Skinner all scored once each for Buffalo and Alex Tuch scored a hat trick. The win places the Sabres in fourth place with 81 points; they’re 5 points back from second place in the Eastern Conference race…(New York Islanders have 87 points with 4 games remaining; Pittsburgh Penguins, 86 points, with 5 games left; the Florida Panthers are in third place with 85 points and 5 games remaining; Buffalo Sabres have 81 points with 7 games left; and the Ottawa Senators have 80 points, and 5 games remaining)…Their road trip continues with a game tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. Face-off is at 7:00.

 

OF NATIONAL INTEREST…

A new report says the Chinese Surveillance balloon that flew across the U.S. gathered intelligence from sensitive military sites. The balloon reportedly made multiple passes over some of the sites and could transmit the information back to Beijing in real time. The intelligence collected was from electronic signals.

 

 

Democratic lawmakers are introducing a bill that would allow cameras in New York courtrooms ahead of a potential criminal trial of former President Trump. Brad Hoylman, a sponsor of the bill, says the public has the right to witness this moment in history. Trump is being indicted in a case involving hush money payments made to conceal an alleged affair.

 

 

 

Stop eating raw cookie dough. That’s the new CDC warning as eleven states are dealing with a salmonella outbreak. At least 12 people have gotten sick so far, though health officials believe the number is much higher.

 

 

 

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW??
Today marks 50 years since the first mobile phone call was made on April 3rd, 1973. A new survey reveals just how vital mobile phones are to people. It found nearly 72 percent of people couldn’t imagine going more than a weekend without their mobile phone, while nearly more than 23 percent believe they could last an hour at most.