Tuesday News Brief

From the Batavia City Police blotter: 50-year-old James Tillery of Batavia has been arrested and charged with assault. It’s alleged he physically injured an Emergency Medical Technician while being transported by ambulance to a hospital for medical treatment. Tillery is being held at the Genesee County jail pending arraignment. ALSO: 60-year-old RuLee Allyn of Batavia has been charged with six counts of owning an unlicensed dog and failure to provide sustenance to animals. When police were called for a report of numerous dogs running loose, they located five dogs and contained them and also determined they belonged to Allyn. A sixth dog was located in the residence. Each animal was allegedly covered in feces and not being properly cared for. Allyn was issued an appearance ticket for a later date.

 

 

A state appeals court has unanimously upheld the 2019 conviction of 41-year-old Richard Hanes of Holley who bludgeoned 47-year-old Raymond Morgan to death in a boarding house at 111 Liberty Street in July 2018. Hanes’ appeal focused on what his attorney claims was a verdict that was against the evidence. However, the court ruled the testimony of several witnesses along with evidence presented at trial indicated Hanes was in the area shortly before the incident and that DNA evidence at the scene pointed to his guilt. Hanes also contended that he was denied effective counsel, which the court rejected. Hanes is imprisoned at Lakeview Correctional Facility and will not be eligible for parole until December 2043.

 

This Thursday, August 3rd, Fairmont Avenue, Hart Street, and Norris Avenue (between State and Bank Streets) will be getting paved. This project is expected to be between the hours of 7 AM and 5 PM. Residents and businesses are asked not to park on the street during this time. Contact the Bureau of Maintenance and ask to speak to the Streets Supervisor or the Superintendent at 585-345-6400 opt. 1 if you have any questions. Please note that this is weather dependent work and will be scheduled for the next business day if necessary.

 

As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: A recent criminal complaint states that since January, in Western New York, there have been multiple reports of mail carriers being robbed, sometimes at gunpoint, for their keys to get into collection boxes. The postal inspector said he was notified that someone used a key to open a mailbox at Tonawanda Street in Buffalo on July 27th. Not long after, a customer service manager said that same person then rode to the Tops on Elmwood Avenue and took more mail. The inspector said that the individual used those keys to take greeting cards hoping they would have money in them. Police then arrested Eric Arroyo in connection to this theft. He was charged with criminal possession of stolen property. The inspector told reporters that there is not an increase in mail thefts in the area but the problem is a national issue. He also said that Rochester has it worse.

 

An employment opportunity in Buffalo: Kids will be heading back to their classrooms in just a few weeks, and Buffalo Public Schools is still in need of bus aides. The district is holding a hiring event this Saturday from 9:00am until 1:00pm at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts on Masten Avenue. Candidates are asked to bring proof of residency and documents such as a utility, phone, or cable bill, bank statement or vehicle registration. For more information, go to buffaloschools.org.

 

 

Governor Hochul has announced the launch of a new campaign that is aimed at stopping drug overdoses in the Empire State. This initiative is going to serve as a reminder to people about the dangers of fentanyl and tell them how to get help if they’re struggling with addiction. The state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports will also partner with NEXT Distro to increase access to naloxone. Fentanyl is often mixed in with other drugs and can be 100 times more potent than heroin. (NEXT Distro is an online and mail-based harm reduction service designed to reduce opioid overdose death, prevent injection-related disease transmission, and improve the lives of people who use drugs.)

 

The Genesee County Office For the Aging is looking for community input on how Bank Street could be made a better area for walking, biking and driving by changing the landscaping, crosswalk placements, and overall mobility of the area. They will be having a pop-up demonstration between Main and Washington on August 18th from 10 to 2 with a rain date of August 21st.

 

 

Damar Hamlin had his first day back in Buffalo Bills pads for practice at the Bills training camp at St John Fisher University on Monday. He said that he had been nervous about going back out after his heart attack last season but said “my strength is rooted in my faith and my faith is stronger than any fear.” Hamlin said he’s still processing thousands of emotions, and he’s not afraid to admit that. Monday was a huge step forward and a testament to Hamlin, the work he’s put in, and his medical team.

ELSEWHERE…

A former mayor of the town where actor Paul Reubens grew up, remembers him as a friend and someone who stood up for human rights. Fredd Atkins was Sarasota’s first Black mayor and remembers Reubens as one of the few white students who made friends across the color line. The death of the actor best known for playing Pee-wee Herman was announced Monday following his private battle with cancer. Reubens was 70 years old.

 

 

 

Clinical trials for long-COVID treatments are starting soon. It’s estimated as many as 23 million people in the U.S. have developed long Covid, with symptoms that include fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, and loss of taste or smell. They can last weeks, months or longer. The National Institutes of Health will begin enrolling patients soon.

 

For only the fifth time in the game’s history, the Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed the $1 billion mark. The top prize that’s available tonight is $1.5 billion after no one was lucky enough to win Friday’s drawing. The record Mega Millions jackpot of over $1.5 billion was claimed in October of 2018. The drawing will be streamed live at megamillions.com. Please play responsibly.

 

A Southern California man is facing charges for allegedly prank calling his local sheriff’s office thousands of times. Luke Dumas was arrested after San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials said he called the sheriff’s office over 7,000 times in the span of four months earlier this year. Deputies say Dumas’ calls would always come from an unknown number and were harassing and annoying. They say the prank calls also kept staff from attending to actual emergency calls as quickly as they would like.

 

 

A federal judge in South Florida is putting an end to a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the Kraft Heinz Food Company. A Miami-Dade County woman filed the suit late last year claiming the company was misleading customers about how long it takes to prepare its Velveeta microwavable mac and cheese. The company was accused of violating federal law by saying the food takes 3-1/2 minutes to prepare, arguing it did not include the time it takes to remove the lid and add water. A Miami district judge tossed out the case last week saying the woman did not have enough standing to follow through with the $5 million class action lawsuit.

 

Police are investigating rapper Cardi B for battery after she threw a microphone at an audience member who threw a drink on her during a show. That’s according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department statement to the New York Post. Videos from the event show the 30-year-old rapper throwing the microphone toward the audience after a person splashes liquid from a cup at her. TMZ reports that before the incident happened, Cardi B and her DJ allegedly told the crowd to cool the singer down with water in the hot weather.

 

Today is Tuesday, August 1st, the 213th day of the year.

August 1 in history…

…In 1893, Henry Perky and William Ford received a patent for shredded wheat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1936, the Summer Olympic games opened in Berlin. Adolf Hitler presided over the opening ceremony.

 

 

…In 1941, “Parade” magazine did a three-page feature on the United States Army’s newest gadget, the Jeep.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1944, 13-year-old Anne Frank made the last entry in her famous diary. The young Jewish girl and her family were captured by Nazi troops three days later. They had been in hiding for two years.

 

 

 

…In 1971, the Concert for Bangladesh was held at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The show was recorded and sold as a multi-record set. The concert and the album raised more than eleven-million dollars for the starving people of Bangladesh.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1981, the rock video cable channel MTV debuted. The first video shown was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.