Morning News Brief
Written by WBTA STAFF on December 6, 2023
Rochester Police are looking for whoever shot a 19-year-old man early Tuesday morning in the 19th Ward. Officers were called to Judson Street around 3:30. On their way, they discovered the victim had driven himself to a location on West Avenue. Police found the victim had been shot multiple times. Officers also found an SUV riddled with bullet holes. The victim was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not released his identity. Investigators are processing two crime scenes.
A man faces charges following a carjacking at the RTS Transit Center around 9 p.m. Monday. The victim told officers she was waiting for a friend to get off the bus when a man approached her vehicle, displayed what appeared to be a handgun and demanded her vehicle and cell phone. Police said the victim exited the vehicle before 30 year old Tramieke Austin stole it and fled the scene, also taking the victim’s phone. Officers found the vehicle in a parking lot on North Clinton Avenue. New York State Police helped Rochester police take Austin into custody. He was taken to Monroe County Jail, charged with robbery and grand larceny. The victim recovered all the stolen property.
LeRoy, Stafford, Pavilion, Bergen and Batavia Fire Departments responded to a Fire on North St in LeRoy Tuesday night. A home at 26 North Street had flames coming up through the roof according to a caller. The firefighters were able to get everyone out and defeat the blaze. The fire reportedly started on the first floor and climbed through the wall into the attic. There is heavy smoke damage.
The Tonawanda Seneca Nation has filed a lawsuit against the federal government in U.S. District Court over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s approval of a right of way for an industrial wastewater pipeline through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. The lawsuit asserts that the Nation has standing to sue because the refuge is historically and culturally interrelated with the Nation’s ancestral territory, even though it is outside the boundaries of the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. Orleans County has also sued to stop the pipeline.
Artificial Intelligence may save Genesee County valuable time says Highway Superintendent Tim Hens. He is proposing that the County contract with the AI company Dynamic Infrastructure to analyze all the reports on the 374 bridges and culverts in the county to find which ones need work. He says the work would take over a year for his department as each bridge and culvert has a 20 plus page report attached to it and the AI can sift through the thousands of pages of reports and pictures in a short amount of time where a human would have to sit and read it for hours or even days and they have other projects they are working on at the same time. The contract costs 30,000 dollars and the proposal has been approved and moved to the Ways and Means Committee before going before the legislature for a vote.
The FDA is proposing a ban on a product that’s been popular in the Black community for years, used both at home and at salons: chemical relaxer with formaldehyde. Chemical relaxer is a cream applied to curly hair textures that changes the chemical bonds to make hair straight. It’s known to tingle and give burning sensations when applied. The FDA says the formaldehyde can cause cancer. People who have used hair relaxers say that over years of use their hair will slow and stop growing, their scalps become damaged, and their hair becomes brittle. They say they notice an immediate bounce back as soon as they stopped using it. This is still a proposal, so after public comment, the FDA will make a decision. If the proposal becomes a rule, it will take effect in April 2024.
The City of Buffalo and Buffalo Public Schools have partnered with “Bus Patrol America” to hold drivers accountable when passing a school bus with stop lights flashing and arms extended. Hundreds of buses in Buffalo will soon have stop-arm artificial intelligence cameras installed. Software like artificial intelligence named “Ava” will be installed on more than 600 school buses. Bus Patrol America says the cameras will be up and running in a few months.
The Sabres were defeated by the Red Wings last night 5 to 3. This was the Red Wings 3rd straight win and the Sabres 4th straight loss. Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt and Jeff Skinner scored for Buffalo and Eric Comrie made 22 saves. The Sabres will be out to Boston to take on the Bruins Thursday night. Puck drop is at 7pm.
