Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on April 3, 2023
Erie County District Attorney Flynn announced Monday that a Buffalo firefighter was indicted and charged with one count of promoting a sexual performance by a child and four counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child. On Jan. 4, 2022, the defendant, 39-year-old Jose DeJesus, allegedly possessed with intent to view, images and videos of child pornography. DeJesus is also accused of sharing images that depict sexual conduct by a child with another user through a website. At the time of the crime, DeJesus was employed as a firefighter by the Buffalo Fire Department. DeJesus will return to court on May 26 for motions. If convicted he faces up to 7 years in prison.
A former colleague of Anthony Mazurkiewicz, the RPD officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty last year, is now embarking on a grueling journey to honor his fallen friend. Retired police Sgt. Brett Sobieraski is planning a two-month running journey across eight states in April. He hopes his time on the road can help him process the loss of his friend, while supporting the grieving family of Mazurkiewicz. A husband, a father, and a grandfather, Mazurkiewicz was a Rochester police officer for 29 years. Maz, as his friends knew him, was shot and killed while conducting surveillance on Bauman Street, as part of a murder investigation this past July. Sobieraski hopes to raise $100,000 for the Mazurkiewicz family. Donations can be sent to the Rochester Police Locust Club on Lexington Avenue. The public can join the run for the last 3 miles, finishing at the Monroe County Hall of Justice in Rochester. To sign up to run, follow the link at WBTAi.com.
https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rochester/8StatesforMaz
5 years ago Leroy made a move to change the requirements to graduate Summa and Magna Cum Laude away from simply maintaining a high GPA to also taking challenging courses and now they are doubling down on that policy change. High School Principal David Russell, who was hired after the 2018 revisions, introduced modifications to the Laude System to the Board of Education at its last meeting that would further encourage students to aim for high achievement instead of competing with classmates. The proposed revisions would be based on the total number of credits a student takes and a cumulative GPA. Each course would be valued the same as the number of credits the course is worth on a transcript. Students taking AP courses and CTE courses that have college credit would continue to receive an additional five points added to their average for that course. The maximum possible score would be 36 total credits with a 100 GPA. To achieve Summa Cum Laude, a student would need at least 32 credits and a 95 GPA. Magna Cum Laude would be 30 credits and a 90 GPA. Cum Laude would be 28 total credits and an 85 GPA. Cum Laude is Latin for “with distinction.” Magna Cum Laude means “with great distinction,” and Summa Cum Laude means “with highest distinction.”
The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that it has updated and expanded the Barn Quilt Trail of Le Roy, in cooperation with Le Roy Historian Lynne Belluscio and the Le Roy Historical Society, by launching a new website and new self-guided trail brochure. The trail features a collection of over 100 hand-painted barn quilts along four driving tours in and around LeRoy. Explore the scenic countryside while spotting each unique barn quilt that’s displayed on an array of barns, garages, homes and other outbuildings. Each quilt pattern has a story to tell, and these stories, along with full size images, can be found on the new LeRoyBarnQuilt.org website.
Gas prices are up this week and AAA has announced the reason. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus announced on Sunday that they would be cutting production of oil by a billion barrels a day. This is expected to last for the rest of the year. As of Monday, AAA WCNY said the national average price for a gallon of gas is $3.50, which is up 6 cents since last Monday and the New York State average is $3.47, which is up 5 cents since last Monday. An increase in gas demand and a decrease in total domestic gasoline stocks are all leading to higher prices at the pump.
After being blocked by a lawsuit and months of waiting, four licenses have been approved for dispensaries in WNY. These licenses are given out to people with prior cannabis convictions, they’re the first to get licenses statewide. The goal is for licensing to open up to everyone by the end of the year. The Licensees are Arron Van Camp in Buffalo, Flower City Shop LLC in Rochester, Premier Earth Corp in Buffalo, and AMSM LLC in West Seneca. 99 licenses were approved total, 13 in areas previously blocked. These shops can open by the end of this month. A lab in Rochester also received approval. The Cannabis Control Board also doubled down efforts to crackdown illicit cannabis shops, encouraging people to shop legal.
