Afternoon News Brief

 

A Cheektowaga man has been sentenced to prison for his role in two separate carjacking-related crimes; one of the car-jackings involved a woman and a two year old child. Yesterday, a judge ordered 18-year-old Josue Lubala to spend the next 8-1/2 years behind bars. Lubala pleaded guilty last month to several charges including robbery, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping. No one was seriously hurt in either of the incidents that happened last year. Once he’s released from custody, Lubala will be on probation for six years.

 

 

City of Batavia Fire Chief Joshua Graham has announced conditions are in place that creates an elevated fire weather risk. Today and through the remainder of the week, the combination of above normal temperatures along with gusty winds, dry dead brush, a dry air mass and relative humidity lowering to 25% creates a prime situation for potential wild fires. The annual statewide burn ban is in effect until May 14th.

 

 

 

A recent parolee in Medina was jailed after he allegedly stabbed his father in the buttocks. This happened during an altercation on Sunday. Officers were called to a residence on South Main Street about 8:00pm for a report that a man had been stabbed. 23-year-old Jakob Bishop had ingested a large amount of drugs prior to the incident.

 

Firefighters in Medina used at least 7.5 million gallons of water to put out the fire at 613 Main Street. That doesn’t count the water drawn in two spots from Oak Orchard Creek. Medina Mayor Mike Sidari has been a Medina firefighter for about 40 years, and he said the blaze was the biggest he’s seen in the village. He thanked firefighters, about 150 in all, and other responders for getting the fire under control without spreading. A structural engineer has deemed the building is in no danger of immediate collapse after the roof and floors caved in. The building is fenced off and the village has an agreement from building owner Jeff Fuller to stabilize the site. There weren’t any injuries from the fire, and one of the residents was safely rescued from a second-floor window. Fire investigators from the county and state continued their work today on determining the cause of last Friday’s blaze. (Provided photo)

 

A free, anti-rabies immunization clinic is scheduled for Thursday, May 18th from 4pm until 6:30 pm. It will be held at the Genesee County Fairgrounds. Vaccinations are free for dogs, cats, and ferrets, but voluntary donations are accepted. Animals must be at least 3 months old. Each animal must be leashed or crated and accompanied by an adult who can control the animal. Limit 4 pets per car maximum. For more information, please call 585-344-2580, extension 5555.

 

 

Some brand-new data from the New York State Flu tracker shows the spread of the virus is holding steady in our region. During the week ending April 1st, the area with the highest number of infections was Erie County with 40; Monroe County had 32. Ontario County had the next highest total during that time period with 5; Genesee and Niagara Counties each had 4 and Wayne County had three. Statewide, more than 327,000 New Yorkers have contracted the illness since flu season began. County Health Departments continue to encourage residents who have not yet gotten their flu shot to roll up their sleeves because it is never too late in the season.

 

 

Members of the Legislature have voted to approve another budget extender that will keep the state government running for the next several days. This new extender will be in effect until Monday, April 17th and will ensure that thousands of state workers get their next paychecks on time. Lawmakers have been trying to strike a budget deal with Governor Hochul, but there are issues that still need to be worked out including bail reform, minimum wage, and affordable housing. The original deadline for an on-time budget was April 1st.

 

The battle over the Whole Foods project in Brighton is the subject of a court hearing today. An organization called Brighton Grassroots wants a state appeals court judge to delay the store from opening its doors. Recently, a state Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of the project, allowing it to move forward. The Whole Foods is currently scheduled to start welcoming customers tomorrow.

 

 

The Buffalo Sabres are still in the hunt for a playoff spot after picking up a huge win in New York City. Casey Mittelstadt and JJ Peterka had a goal apiece as the Sabres defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout at Madison Square Garden last night. Sabres rookie goaltender Devon Levi faced 28 shots in the contest and stopped 26 of them. Three games remain for the Sabres and tonight Buffalo visits the New Jersey Devils, with face-off at 7:00.

 

 

It has been a few weeks since someone won the Mega Millions jackpot, but lottery players are hoping they’ll have luck on their side tonight. The top prize up for grabs is $441,000,000 (million) after no one correctly picked all the winning numbers for Friday’s drawing. Anyone who wants to watch this evening’s drawing live can do so online at megamillions.com. Please play responsibly.

 

ELSEWHERE…

There are new developments in the case of a Virginia teacher shot by a six-year-old student. The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, is now facing charges and is expected to turn herself in later this week. She was indicted by a grand jury yesterday for child neglect and not locking up her loaded gun. Police say the boy opened fire three months ago in his first grade classroom at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, hitting Abigail Zwerner in her chest and hand.

 

 

Former President Trump is heading back to New York City this week for a deposition. The New York Post reports that New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is investigating the Trump Organization’s business practices, will grill Trump, for the second time. Sources say he’s expected to plead the Fifth, as he did when he was questioned by the AG’s office last year.

 

 

 

 

 

Writers Guild of America members will begin voting today on whether to authorize a strike. A strike could seriously affect film and television production across the nation. The WGA has been negotiating a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers since March 20th. The Alliance represents the nine largest studios in Hollywood.

 

President Biden has signed a bill ending the national COVID emergency. Most Democrats in the House opposed the GOP-led resolution, but the White House has said it would not veto the measure if it made it to Biden’s desk. The White House wanted to wind down the national emergency on May 11th. The measure gives states the go-ahead to start winding it down now.