Thursday News Brief

41-year-old Daniel Goodell formerly of Alexander and more recently of Wichita Kansas, is indicted on two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, a Class A-II felony. Goodell is accused of committing rape in the first degree and of engaging in sexual intercourse as an adult, with a child of less than 13 years old, in the Town of Alexander sometime between September 6 and November 26, 2010.

 

 

 

Jacob Richards is indicted on felony charges of grand larceny, and of criminal possession of a forged instrument. He is accused of stealing property valued at more than $1,000 in the City of Batavia on October 4th, 2022. Richards is accused of possessing a forged check from Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union.

 

Jason Anderson of Batavia has been indicted on counts of robbery in the first degree, a Class B violent felony, criminal possession of a weapon, petit larceny, and menacing. Anderson is accused of stealing by threat of violence with a knife, bed sheets and a bottle from Walmart on Veterans Memorial Drive on January 23rd.

 

 

We have some new information for you on an incident in Rochester earlier this week that left a one-month-old girl in critical condition. Investigators say her father, 25-year-old Gerald Benitez-Alvarez, was running from Child Protective Services Tuesday when he was hit by a box truck on Joseph Avenue. The impact caused the infant to fly out of his arms and strike the ground. Benitez-Alvarez reportedly picked the girl up and ran to Saint Paul Street before dropping her and continuing his attempt to run away. He was caught and arrested on an assault charge. Benitez-Alvarez appeared in court yesterday, reportedly interrupted the judge on many occasions as he tried to plead his case. He is due back in court next week. The baby remains at Strong Memorial Hospital and is being treated for life-threatening injuries.

 

PRESS RELEASE: All residents, businesses and local traffic please be aware that Route 5 between Bank Street and Redfield Parkway will experience traffic delays beginning on Monday May 8, while Verizon will be closing one of the two west bound lanes starting at Bank Street and ending at Redfield Parkway. This will be about a two-week duration. When Verizon’s operation gets to Route 98, Route 98 northbound will be closed for one day. Please contact the NYS Department of Transportation at (585) 343-0502 with questions.

 

The Erie County Legislature is expected to vote today on a deal that would lead to a new stadium being built for the Buffalo Bills. If approved, the more than $1,000,000,000 (billion) facility would be constructed across from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, which is where the NFL franchise plays its home games. Much of the cost of the stadium is going to be covered by New York State. If all goes to plan, ground will be broken on the project later this year so the stadium can be open in 2026.

 

The Chautauqua County District Attorney says the suspect accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie is expected to go on trial sometime this fall. According to prosecutors, 24-year-old Hadi Matar attacked Rushdie while he was at the Chautauqua Institution last August. Rushdie was seriously hurt in the assault but survived his injuries. Matar is behind bars without bail and another hearing in this case is expected to happen in a few weeks.

 

Governor Hochul is highlighting changes to bail reform and funding for other safety measures in the state’s new budget. Hochul and state leaders reached a deal to give judges greater discretion to set bail for the most serious criminal offenses. There’s also funding to improve the effectiveness of the criminal justice system and the budget allows for increased enforcement for illegal marijuana shops that have been the target of robberies. Lawmakers approved the budget on Tuesday, more than one month after the April 1st deadline.

 

A Newfane man is in some serious legal trouble after being accused of scamming regional homeowners out of more than $230,000. Officials say that 40-year-old Nathaniel Wagner advertised his services on Facebook and offered to build things like garages and decks for people who paid him a large deposit upfront. But, Wagner ended up using that money for personal expenses including vehicle repairs, child support, and payments to family members. The scams happened between December 2019 and June 2022 and Wagner is facing multiple charges.

 

State Attorney General Letitia James says that Erie County has received $350,000 to help fight childhood lead poisoning and reduce energy bills for residents. The money will help support the Erie County Window Replacement Program, which has already installed over 500 windows in more than 50 housing developments to reduce the risk of people getting sick from lead paint. The new windows also help low-income individuals save on utility costs. In a statement, County Executive Mark Poloncarz thanked James for helping create a safer, healthier Erie County.

 

People who are searching for work might want to check out a transportation job fair being held by the Gates Chili Central School District today. The district wants to boost its number of available bus drivers and will be hiring for those positions. Attendees will have the chance to tour the district’s facilities and to meet with current drivers. The event is happening from 4:00 to 7:00 this afternoon at the Gates Chili Transportation and Facilities Center.

 

Fisher-Price presented a check for $1.2 million to Oishei Children’s Hospital, following the sale of its special edition “Go Bills” Little People. Since 2021, Fisher-Price has released two different sets of Little People in partnership with the Buffalo Bills and Wegmans. The first set was Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Head Coach Sean McDermott, as well as two ‘Bills Mafia’ fans. The second set was Allen, McDermott and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. According to Fisher-Price, Wednesday’s donation brings the total to nearly $2 million. When the check was presented yesterday, the new “Fisher-Price Little People Pediatric Recovery Wing” was unveiled on the hospital’s 10th floor which also includes the “Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing.”

 

 

Buffalo’s Owen Power is one of three players named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy. Each season, the award is given to the best rookie in the NHL. Power finished the 2022 season recording 4 goals, 31 assists, and 35 points. Power also tallied 8 power-play points, ranked third for all rookies. The other two finalists are Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers, and Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. The winner will be announced on June 26 at the 2023 NHL Awards.

 

ELSEWHERE…

 

Ed Sheeran has been found not liable in his music copyright infringement case. The singer was accused of ripping off chords from Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” when creating his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud.” His lawyers argued the only things the songs have in common are “unprotectable” chord progressions that have been used in many other songs.

 

 

Michelle Obama says she’s launching a healthy food and beverage company to offer parents “healthier, great-tasting products” for their kids. The former first lady made the announcement Wednesday at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival in New York City. The company Obama is launching is called PLEZi [[ PLEH-zee ]] Nutrition and its first product, PLEZi is a fruit juice for kids that contains 75% less sugar than average leading 100% fruit juices.

 

 

Veterinarians are warning about marijuana after seeing a growing number of dogs getting sick from eating discarded joints on New York City Streets. Veterinarian Amy Atlas says THC is extremely toxic to dogs, affecting their central nervous systems and making them stoned “in a bad way.” It happened to Colleen Briggs’ toy poodle Bondai last fall, not once but twice, after ingesting leftover joints on Manhattan sidewalks. She said Bondai’s eyes were rolling around, his head was wobbling and he couldn’t walk. The ASPCA says calls from worried dog owners have skyrocketed three-hundred-percent in the last five years as more states legalize recreational cannabis.

 

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is once again calling on the IRS to clear its backlog of claims. The senator made her demands in a second letter to the agency, noting it’s holding up pandemic-era money owed to businesses. Gillibrand says more than one million Employee Retention Credits have gone unprocessed, noting congress approved the monies in 2020 so businesses could keep their employees during the pandemic. Gillibrand says several New York businesses and non-profits are still waiting on the money they’re owed, including New York Presbyterian Hospital.

 

May is Bicycle Safety Month, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles is urging people who drive, walk, or bike to share the road safely. The agency has issued tips to help make that happen, including asking drivers to check the blind spots of their vehicles before turning, opening a door or parallel parking. They should also reduce speed when passing a bicyclist to ensure riders aren’t knocked off balance. Bicyclists should ride in a bicycle lane if available, and if they can’t, they must ride near the right curb or edge of the road so they can stay out of traffic.

 

May 4 in history…

 

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was laid to rest outside Springfield, Illinois.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1964 The Moody Blues formed in Birmingham, England.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1970, four Kent State University students were shot and killed by National Guardsmen during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration. Nine others were wounded. Memorial services are held annually on the Kent, Ohio campus for Allison Krause, Sandra Lee Scheuer, Jeffrey Glenn Miller and William K. Schroeder.

 

 

 

 

In 1975, legendary comedian Moe Howard died at the age of 77. He teamed with Curly and Larry and the rest to form the classic comedy team “The Three Stooges.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2016 The Rolling Stones asked former President Trump to stop using their music while on the campaign trail.

 

 

 

In 2018, California became the world’s fifth largest economy when it surpasses Great Britain.

 

 

 

 

In 2021, President Biden announced a goal to vaccinate 160-million people for COVID-19 by July 4th.

 

 

 

In 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve attempted to combat the fastest rate of inflation in four decades by making the largest interest rate increase since the year 2000. The interest rate was raised by half of a percentage point.