Tuesday News Brief

The National Weather Service says a high wind warning is in effect through 4:00am tomorrow. Winds are likely to blow down trees and power lines, which will trigger outages. National Grid says it’s already prepared to help customers in need. Winds coming from the southeast at 30 to 40 miles per hour with 65 mile per hour gusts are predicted, especially later in the day. Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Officials at National Grid tell us they’re ready to help customers if outages occur. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Weather authorities advise that people should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.

 

38-year-old Tanisha Gibson of Batavia has been arrested. She’s charged with criminal mischief. It’s alleged she intentionally caused nearly $2700 in damages to a 2008 Pontiac G6. Gibson was held at the Genesee County Jail pending a CAP Court arraignment.

 

 

Governor Hochul will be outlining her agenda for the months ahead during her State of the State address today. The governor is set to speak to members of the Legislature at the State Capitol in Albany. She has already revealed some proposals over the last several days, including plans to boost reading proficiency in schools, making New York a leader in AI research and innovation, creating a plan for dealing with repeat shoplifters and taking on the maternal and infant mortality crisis. The governor will roll out her state budget at a later date.

 

A paramedic who was seriously hurt after responding to a fiery crash in Rochester on New Year’s Day is out of the hospital. Julie Purick was on a ventilator for days after a man intentionally crashed a Ford Explorer into a rideshare vehicle outside the Kodak Center. Three people, including the driver of the Explorer, were killed and multiple pedestrians were injured. The tragedy is still under investigation.

 

 

 

Governor Kathy Hochul says she plans to address shoplifting. She has heard the pleas of New York business owners plagued by shoplifting and will reveal her plan to deal with it in her State of the State address today. Lawmakers chose not to pass a bill last year that would have held more severe penalties for repeat shoplifters, but did pass a bill for a task force to study shoplifting, which Hochul vetoed. Statewide, stores lost more than $300 million dollars because of theft in 2022.

 

New York State Police have released the results of a holiday season crackdown on dangerous driving. There were more than 106,000 tickets given out between December 13th and January 1st. Over 3700 of those tickets were issued in the western New York region for offenses including speeding, distracted driving, and DWI. During last year’s national DWI crackdown, State Police handed out nearly 33,000 tickets and arrested over 450 people for DWI.

 

The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage. It’s urging people to sign up to donate by offering the change to win a trip to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The organization said in an announcement that the number of blood donors in the US dropped 40% over the last two decades. It was down 7,000 units alone between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Red Cross’s chief medical officer said in a statement that a blood shortage is “one of the most distressing situations for a doctor” and that it’s a “life and death” issue. The organization is working with the NFL to offer the trip, and said anyone who signs up to donate blood in January will be automatically entered.

 

Buffalo Bills fans that want to see their team in the playoffs this weekend are going to have to pay a lot of money to do so. That is because right now, seats are available through resale sites like StubHub and SeatGeek for hundreds of dollars each. And, they are going fast ahead of Buffalo’s showdown on Sunday at Highmark Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Buffalo punched its ticket to the postseason by beating the Miami Dolphins and winning the AFC East for a fourth straight year.

ELSEWHERE…

 

An iPhone sucked out of an Alaska Airlines plane that had a door plug ripped off survived the 16,000 foot fall. Washington resident Sean Bates posted on X over the weekend that he found the phone on the side of the road, still in airplane mode and open to a baggage claim email from the airline. He said he called the National Transportation Safety Board, which said it was the second phone from the plane to be found. The phone seems to be in good condition in the photo, and Bates said it was “still pretty clean, no scratches on it, sitting under a bush” when he found it.

 

Back on this day in 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the first generation iPhone at the Macworld 2007 convention in San Francisco. Using a touch screen, the new device combined the features of Apple’s iPod with a mobile phone, allowing users to field phone calls and play music and videos. It would be several more months before the game-changing phone officially went on sale in the United States in June of 2007, with a starting price of just under $500.

 

A lunar lander mission is being scrapped after suffering a critical malfunction less than a day after launch. Astrobotic Technology was trying to become the first private company to land on the moon. But the Peregrine spacecraft was hit with propulsion issues shortly after launch Monday, keeping the vehicle from charging its batteries and causing a fuel leak.

 

Tiger Woods is leaving Nike after a nearly 30-year partnership. In a social media post, the golf star thanked Nike founder Phil Knight for his passion and vision. Nike acknowledged Tiger’s contribution to golf in a social media post, saying he challenged his competition, stereotypes, conventions and the old school way of thinking.

 

 

A Grammy-nominated rock group that has sold millions of albums is coming to Western New York this summer. Third Eye Blind is set to take the stage at the Darien Lake Amphitheater on Wednesday, July 3rd. The band is best known for several hit songs including “Jumper” and “Semi-Charmed Life.” Tickets for the show go on sale Friday at 10:00am and can be purchased through LiveNation.

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2024 with 357 to follow.

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

January 9 in history…

 

…In 1913, the 37th president of the United States, Richard Nixon, was born.

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1951, Crystal Gayle was born (happy 73rd!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1967, Dave Matthews was born (happy 57th!)

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1973, Mick Jagger was refused a Japanese visa because of a 1969 drug bust. The event halted the Rolling Stones’ plan to tour the Orient.

 

 

 

…In 1992, Sting made a guest appearance on the series “The Simpsons” in the episode “Radio Bart.”