Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on November 28, 2023
Monday marked one week since anyone has seen or heard from Matthew Grant, a fourth-year student at Rochester Institute of Technology. He left his home near RIT’s campus Nov. 20 around 10 p.m. after his family said he searched maps in the Adirondacks, North Country and Appalachian Trails. He told his roommates he was going to meet a friend, but he instead went east. His car, a 2014 Jeep Cherokee with a Michigan license plate, ESR-8141, was last tracked to Exit 36 just outside Syracuse. From there, it is unclear if he went north or south. Grant is co-captain of the wrestling team at RIT. His family was hoping that if he went off somewhere, he would be back for wrestling practice on Monday. He has a big tournament coming up this weekend and his family can’t think of any reason he would not be here to get ready for it. Deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office are working with law enforcement in Syracuse and other areas. A tip over the weekend to search outside New York state did not go anywhere.
A 12-year-old boy is in critical condition after a crash Monday in the Town of Wales that involved 10 vehicles and 18 people. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident on Route 20A around 4:40 p.m. Deputies reported near-whiteout conditions and heavy snow at the time of the crash. After the crash, authorities say people were leaving their cars to get off the road due to oncoming traffic striking their vehicles. Investigators say the 12-year-old boy who was traveling with his family was then hit by another vehicle as he was trying to get off the road. The boy was taken to Oishei Children’s Hospital where he is listed in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon.
If you took advantage of a COVID policy to renew your drivers license you may be running out of time to avoid suspension. New York drivers who renewed their licenses between March 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2021 and self-certified their vision test must provide proof their vision meets state DMV requirements by Friday or they could have their license suspended. It is estimated that over 50,000 drivers in NY need to do this or lose their license. There are three ways to provide proof your vision meets the DMV’s requirements: Visit a local vision registry, eye care provider or use an online test provider, Have your vision screened by a doctor and have them complete a MV-619 form, or Visit a DMV office and have a vision screening performed.
A typical snowfall for this time of the season would be 7 inches so far. But officially Western NY has only had 1. The drought conditions and waffling temperatures have kept the snow away until this week. The Town of Wyoming was hit the hardest in our area with an average of 9 inches of snowfall Monday and Tuesday. Warsaw and Attica were next with 6.5 inches each when it was measured Tuesday afternoon. Any new snow will likely fall north or east of Rochester.
A little girl in Ogden is using her platform to raise money for the Pirate Toy Fund. Mariana Lippincott-Diaz has raised over a thousand dollars for them so far and wants to keep going. The 7 year old’s platform is selling beverages outside her house. Over the summer she raised money by selling lemonade but now has switched to hot chocolate. The Pirate Toy Fund came to visit Mariana when she was sick, so she knows all about the joy the toys bring.
The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments are alerting residents to rising cases of syphilis and congenital syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is most often spread through sexual contact. Congenital syphilis is a preventable disease that occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to the baby during pregnancy. In 2020, there were 12.1 confirmed cases of syphilis per 100,000 population and to date in 2023, there have been 33.3 cases per 100,000 population, which include confirmed cases and probable cases pending investigation. With a rise in cases, particularly among women, GO Health has also seen a rise in congenital syphilis cases. It is a bacterial infection that can be treated if it is detected. Many people do not notice any symptoms but can still be contagious and develop serious issues later when it is harder to fight. For more information on Syphilis and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, visit the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention website.
On Friday, Dec. 1 the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association Ramparts Mite Division will host their first annual “Merry Mitemas Tournament at the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Evans Street, Batavia. The Opening game will begin 5 p.m. Eighteen teams from the Rochester and Buffalo area are participating. Also featured during the Tournament will be a Basket Raffle and 50/50 Drawing on Saturday along with donut sales, and T-shirt sales on Saturday and Sunday (until sold out). The teams participating in this Mite Tournament will be playing half-ice; there will be two games played at the same time. Volunteers are still needed. If you’d like to volunteer please contact Allyson Valyear at Avalyear5@gmail.com.
Do you have 15 million dollars burning a hole in your pocket? That’s what you would need to buy the most expensive house ever sold in Erie County. The Cabin is a 17,000 square foot home sitting on 180 acres of land with its own 4 acre private lake, an indoor basketball court, 26 horse stables, an indoor equestrian arena, six luxury bedrooms and 7 full baths. It is located on Warner Hill Rd in South Wales. It is being sold by Canaan realty.
