Afternoon News Brief

31-year-old Nicole McDougall of Niagara Falls, who once snuck balloons filled with marijuana to her street gang member boyfriend in 2014 in jail, has pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs to him at Attica Correctional Facility. She was also arrested in October on charges of hindering police who were arresting her boyfriend in Niagara Falls — a man police say murdered a barber. McDougall pleaded guilty to the felony drug charges and will be sentenced in September.

 

44-year-old Aaron Gaylord of Batavia has been arrested for petit larceny. It is alleged that while he was at Home Depot, Gaylord removed price tag stickers from one item, and placed them on another item, in an effort to pay a lower price. He then used the self-checkout, scanning the incorrect barcodes. Gaylord was transported to Genesee County Jail for fingerprinting and photos. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due back in court next month.

 

35-year-old Cordero Royes of Batavia is charged with DWI and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle, reckless driving and speeding in a zone, with no seat belt on. He was allegedly traveling eastbound in the Village of Corfu at speeds in excess of 120mph, while allegedly intoxicated by alcohol. Royes was released with an appearance ticket and returns to court in Pembroke next week.

 

A new COVID-19 public awareness campaign has been launched to educate New Yorkers who test positive for the virus about their treatment options. It also encourages people who have contracted the illness and are experiencing symptoms to contact their health care provider right away to see which treatment is best for them. The emphasis is, the sooner treatment begins the better it works, and the best way to be protected against COVID-19 is to be vaccinated and boosted. The nearly $1,000,000 campaign will run in English and Spanish across radio, TV, and digital media.

 

A funeral service is taking place today for a local doctor and his two daughters who died when a fire tore through their Buffalo home. Family and friends are going to gather to mourn 53-year-old Doctor Jonathan Daniels, 27-year-old Jordan Daniels, and 23-year-old Jensen Daniels at Friendship Baptist Church on Clinton Street in Buffalo. The July 4th fire at a residence on Huntington Avenue also seriously injured Doctor Daniels’ wife Janessa Givens-Daniels but she survived. There’s no word yet what caused the blaze.

 

New York is giving grant money to abortion providers throughout the state following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Governor Hochul says $10,000,000 from a newly created Abortion Provider Support Fund is being sent to 13 organizations that have dozens of abortion clinics across the state. The money will be used to expand abortion clinic operations with out-of-state residents expected to come to New York seeking abortion services. New York will also soon give $15,000,000 to independent abortion clinics in phase two of the grant funding.

 

The Batavia Muckdogs shut out the Jamestown Tarp Skunks last night 4-0…the ‘Dogs record is now 19-10. They’re in second place in the West Division, behind the Utica Blue Sox (22-11). The Muckdogs saddled up the horse this morning to travel to Elmira; they’ll take on the Pioneers at 7:00 tonight.

 

 

Services have been announced for a Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office captain who drowned over the weekend. Family and friends will gather to mourn the death of 62-year-old David Bentley from 2:00pm until 8:00pm tomorrow at Lind Funeral Home on West Third Street in Jamestown. His funeral will be on Friday at First Lutheran Church on Chandler Street in Jamestown. Bentley ended up in the water at Chautauqua Lake in Ellery on Saturday while he was trying to board a boat and was pronounced dead shortly after he was rushed to the hospital. He’d been with the sheriff’s department since 1985.

 

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be making a stop in Western New York next year. The group is going to be performing at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday, March 23rd, 2023. The 72-year-old Springsteen is known for hits such as “Born to Run,” “The River,” “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Glory Days.” Folks can sign up for the chance to get tickets through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program and seats will be available later this month.

 

Organizers of the National Buffalo Wing Festival say the popular event is going to return to Highmark Stadium this September. It’s scheduled to run Labor Day weekend at the stadium. The event will feature the chance to taste a wide variety of wings and there are also going to be eating competitions and cook-offs. Tickets cost $20 each and include free parking. More information can be found online at buffalowing.com.

 

Today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the successful implementation of 9-8-8 in New York State as the new three-digit number to call or text to be connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. All 62 counties in New York State will be covered for the launch of the new 9-8-8 Lifeline, which will ensure that anyone with a New York area code will be connected to one of New York’s 9-8-8 crisis centers. Calling 9-8-8 provides a direct connection to compassionate, accessible care and support for anyone experiencing mental health or substance abuse related distress. A chat feature will also be available through the Lifeline’s website (988lifeline.org). There are currently 13 operating 9-8-8 crisis contact centers in New York State and two in the development stage.  The 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will be able to:

• Connect people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis to a trained counselor who can address their immediate needs and help connect them to ongoing care.
• Reduce health care spending with more cost-effective early intervention.
• Reduce use of law enforcement, public health, and other safety resources.
• Meet the growing need for crisis intervention.
• Help end stigma toward those seeking or accessing mental healthcare.