Afternoon News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on January 5, 2024
Rochester Police arrested the driver of a vehicle that was involved in a shooting after an early morning chase. Officers identified the vehicle while on patrol just after 1:30 this morning. Police say they attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not comply. A brief chase ensued, with the vehicle coming to a stop on Ellison Street and the driver continuing to flee from police on foot. Several officers joined in searching the area, eventually locating the man and taking him into custody. The driver of the vehicle was not identified to be the same individual suspected of the shooting.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday that she will push for schools in the state to reemphasize phonics in literacy education programs, a potential overhaul that comes as many states revamp curriculums amid low reading scores. Fewer than half of third grade students in New York read at proficient levels in state tests. The proposal would require the state education department to draft guidelines centered on the so-called science of reading, a phonics-based approach to literacy education, that school districts would have to follow by September 2025. The Legislature would need to approve the plan before it could go into effect. More than 30 other states have also transitioned toward science of reading programs.
A mother who had been charged with murder in the death of her 1-year-old son has been found mentally unfit to stand trial. 34 year old Passion Anderson will enter a mental health program, and her case will be reviewed again next January, according to prosecutors. Her son, William Nichols, was found dead in a closet at the Manhattan Square apartments in November, according to police. Investigators believe he died from severe malnourishment and dehydration, and said Anderson was reportedly in the apartment at the time his body was found.
The Seneca Park Zoo announced Thursday that Gretzky, a Canada lynx at the zoo, has died. Zoo staff noted a “sudden and rapid decline” Saturday, with “severe neurological changes, causing him to be unaware of his surroundings.” An examination determined Gretzky’s “sudden decline was caused by disease within the brain.” Gretzky was born in 2012 and came to the zoo in 2013. His death leaves the zoo with one Canada lynx, a female named Bianca who was born in 2013 and arrived in Rochester in 2014. Gretzky and Bianca had a son named Stanley who was born in 2022 and recently transferred to Trevor Zoo in Dutchess County.
