Monday News Brief

There will be a high wind warning in effect starting starting Tuesday morning and will remain in place until 4:00am Wednesday morning. Sustained southeast winds at 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are expected across the entire GLOW region, as well as Niagara and Monroe Counties. Potentially damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

 

Today the Jackson Street water project continues as workers connect the new pipes starting on Cone and Ganson. Tomorrow they’ll move on to Cherry; and then on Wednesday, the work starts on Morton. Water may be shut off on each street as connections are being worked on. And you may notice some discoloration. If that’s the case, do not do laundry or cook with it. It’s best to wait until the water once again runs clear.

 

According to Triple A, the national average price for a gallon of regular fuel is now $3.08. The state average is $3.32. In Batavia, the average price calculates out to $3.38, about the same as it was a week ago but 16 cents cheaper than it was a month ago today.

 

A tractor-trailer driver has been ticketed after being accused of causing a crash on Interstate 490. Authorities say there was an accident on the highway in Brighton Saturday night. That’s when the tractor-trailer driver hit two cars and a Monroe County sheriff’s department vehicle. Two people suffered minor injuries. The driver was cited for speeding.

 

 

A Buffalo man has been arrested after being accused of holding two women captive. One woman jumped from the second floor of a home on Moselle Street back on January 1st and told officers she was held by 36-year-old Jamar Harris and sexually assaulted at knifepoint. A second woman was later found at a convenience store in the area. Both women were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Harris is facing multiple charges.

 

The man who led police on a manhunt for several weeks after escaping jail in Pennsylvania has been sentenced. Michael Burham has been sentenced in connection to the kidnapping of a couple in Pennsylvania in May 2023 and his escape from Warren County Prison in July. Burham was sentenced to 3-1/2 to 7 years for his escape from Warren County Prison and also sentenced to up to 43 years in the kidnapping case.

 

The New York State Department of Labor says a workplace violence prevention law has been expanded. It requires elementary and secondary public education facilities to complete a workplace violence policy statement and violence prevention program by May 3rd. The law has been in effect since 2009 but now includes schools and BOCES programs. Any employee who files a complaint and believes it hasn’t been handled appropriately can reach out to the labor department.

 

 

Governor Hochul is announcing a new program to get New Yorkers swimming and keep them safe in, on and around the water. Joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams today at a press conference in Upper Manhattan, Hochul unveiled NY SWIMS, the fourth proposal of her 2024 State of the State. It will invest millions of dollars to build new pools and swimming facilities throughout the state, especially in low-income communities and those dominated by people of color. Hochul called the pool construction plan unrivaled since the FDR administration. The program also calls for more lifeguard training due to the lifeguard shortage, as drowning deaths in the state have reached record highs in the past couple years, with children particularly vulnerable. In addition, there’s a plan to build the first-of-its kind floating pool in the East River underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

The Buffalo Bills have won the AFC East for the fourth year in a row after picking up a big win on the road. Quarterback Josh Allen tossed two touchdown passes as his team beat the Miami Dolphins 21 to 14 at Hard Rock Stadium last night. Deonte Harty also returned a 96-yard punt and scored for the Bills who wrapped up their regular season with a record of 11 wins and six losses. Buffalo will host a playoff game this Sunday at 1:00 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

ELSEWHERE…

 

Rumors of aliens at Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami are going viral on social media. This comes after a large fight involving 50 juveniles drew a heavy police presence to the area a week ago. Many online conspiracy theorists are suggesting that the police weren’t there to handle teenagers but rather “eight to ten foot tall shadow aliens.” Officer Michael Vega with Miami Police is reiterating that there were no aliens, UFOs or ETs. No airports were closed and no power outages occurred. The phrases “Miami Mall” and “Aliens In Miami” were among the top ten searches on X’s trending tab Friday.

The CDC says a new COVID variant is now accounting for more than half of the cases in the U.S. As of January 5th, the strain JN.1 makes up more than 60% of U.S. cases and is the most widely circulated COVID variant globally. It is also the dominant variant in Europe and is on the rise in Asia.

 

Which leads us to this next story… Hospitals across the country are telling people to mask-up as flu and COVID-19 cases are on the rise. The viruses have been on the rise for weeks, and health officials are predicting infections will increase this month.

 

 

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Abby Zwerner in Virginia. The Newport News teacher was shot in her classroom at Richness Elementary School by a six-year-old student on January 6th of last year, leaving her with a wounds to her arm and chest. In a round of media interviews, Zwerner said the shooting is always in the back of her mind and she’ll never forget the look on the child’s face as he pulled the trigger.

Today is Monday, January 8, the eighth day of 2024 with 358 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus.

January 8 in history…

…In 1938, game show host Bob Eubanks was born (happy 86th!)

 

 

 

 

…In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a legislation called “War on Poverty” during a State of the Union.

 

 

 

…In 1993, thousands of people gathered at Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion in Memphis to purchase the first issue of a stamp honoring the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” on what would have been his 58th birthday.