Afternoon News Brief
Written by Doug Thompson on July 12, 2022
Some temporary changes to the traffic pattern near Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel are now in effect: Anyone visiting Batavia Downs will have to enter by heading south on Park Road and using the access road just past Alex’s Place. Traffic leaving the parking lot must also exit there. Park Road is now closed between Lewiston Road and Richmond Avenue but is open to two-way traffic north of the Downs. By the way, if you’d like the free valet parking offered at Batavia Downs, you’ll have to enter through the parking lot entrance. Valet parking will not be accessible from the Kmart lot. It’s anticipated the project will be completed by late August.
New York State is starting to treat COVID-19 by telephone. Governor Hochul says a new free hotline will serve New Yorkers who test positive for coronavirus but do not have a healthcare provider. Residents across the state can call 888-TREAT-NY 24 hours a day to connect with professionals who have clinical training and can provide treatment or referrals if needed. Patients with insurance will have a co-pay based on their plan and the state Department of Health will cover the costs of the service for those without health care coverage. More information about COVID-19 treatment options can be found at health.ny.gov/CovidTreatment.
Six people that range in ages from 18 to 26 now face charges following the discovery of a body in a wooded area in Lake View. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a press conference that three females drove the victim, 26-year-old Brenden Benoit to that location where the three male defendants were allegedly waiting to cause physical harm to him. Flynn says the victim was allegedly punched by one of the male suspects and when Benoit tried to get back into the vehicle, 26-year-old Jared Adamski got into an altercation with the victim and allegedly stabbed him multiple times in the leg. Benoit died from his injuries. Adamski is charged with manslaughter while everyone else who was arrested is charged with assault (Harrison Drozen, 20, Conner Krone, 22, Kayleigh Skybyk-Schuh, 19, Larissa Smith, 18 and Elexus Dean, 20). The suspects were all arraigned in Hamburg Town Court yesterday afternoon. Adamski is being held without bail. The Erie County District Attorney’s Office hasn’t commented on a motive for the incident. The other five co-defendants are being held on $100,000 cash/bond or $200,000 partially secured bond.
The Muckdogs were victorious over the Niagara Power last night 11-2. With that ‘W’, Batavia improved their overall record to 18-10. They play again tonight at home against the Jamestown Tarpskunks. Game time, 7:00.
The Tops store that was the scene of a mass shooting in Buffalo nearly two months ago is expected to reopen on Friday. The Jefferson Avenue supermarket has been shut down since May 14th, which is when Peyton Gendron allegedly opened fire in a shooting that left 10 people dead, and three others injured. Thursday will mark two months since the shooting and there will be a moment of silence and prayer at 2:30pm to honor and respect all victims and impacted associates and community members. Gendron is behind bars without bail and faces decades in prison if convicted.
Wegmans is holding a hiring event today as the supermarket chain looks to fill hundreds of positions at its Rochester area stores. It’s happening from 2:00 until 6:00pm at the Pittsford Wegmans located on Monroe Avenue in Rochester. Among the jobs that are available include food service workers, pharmacy techs, cooks and management opportunities. Anyone who wants to apply can do so by visiting jobs.wegmans.com.
If you happen to see long lines of people waiting to get into stores today, they’re probably also holding $2.00 in their hands. That’s the cost of a ticket to take a shot at winning the largest Mega Millions jackpot in almost 14 months. The jackpot for tonight’s drawing will be at least $440,000,000. No one has claimed the top Mega Millions prize since someone picked all the winning numbers back in April. The drawing will be streamed live at megamillions.com. Please play responsibly.