Afternoon News Brief

Fire investigators know where the Baskin Livestock fire on Sunday started but have not yet determined what caused it. The fire appears to have ignited in a bay area of the facility where paper that contained waste food items is stored prior to shipment to a landfill. The company converts waste food into cattle feed. Since they are self insured, it’s unlikely fire investigators will return to the scene unless requested to by the company. A representative of Baskin Livestock said they plan to investigate a fire suppression system that was installed in the building but seems to have malfunctioned. Photo courtesy of Howard Owens and The Batavian.

 

 

Tonight at 5:30pm on FOX and 7:00pm on the CW you’ll be able to watch local Deputy and School Resource Officer, Jordan Alejandro and his family compete on Family Feud! He would not share whether or not they won. (Photos included with the press release)

 

The Batavia Police Department has received a grant of $5,667.30 that it can use toward the purchase of bulletproof vests. The City Council approved updating the department’s budget to include receiving the money. The award comes from the Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and will cover half the cost of each vest, which helps to offset the total cost of approximately $900 for each vest.

 

 

 

40-year-old Justin Cowell of Batavia is charged with four counts of criminal contempt of court for violating orders of protection. He is also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful dealing with a child for providing alcohol and selling tobacco to a minor.

 

With just two weeks left until Election Day, the two candidates in the race for New York governor will be holding their first and only scheduled debate tonight. It will be carried live on Spectrum News starting at 7:00. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger, Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin, are going to discuss issues important to voters. Recent polls have shown that while the governor is leading the race, Zeldin has gained some ground in the contest. Hochul is hoping to win a full four-year term in office while Zeldin wants to become the first Republican since George Pataki to be elected governor.

 

 

Following hours of deliberations, a jury has handed down its verdict in the trial of former Northwood Elementary School principal Kirk Ashton. Yesterday, Ashton was convicted on 46 of the 50 counts that were filed against him for inappropriately touching multiple students. During the trial, those victims and staff members at the school testified about Ashton’s actions, but he didn’t take the stand in his own defense. Ashton, who was principal at the school for 17 years will be sentenced late next month.

 

 

Buffalo police are continuing their investigation into a crash that resulted in the deaths of four teenagers. According to officials, there were a total of six people inside of the stolen vehicle when yesterday’s accident happened at the entrance to the westbound Scajaquada Expressway from the westbound Kensington Expressway. Three of the victims died at the scene and the fourth passed away at a nearby hospital. The two people who survived, including the 16-year-old driver, were also hurt. The driver was taken into custody but there’s no word what charges they’ll face. The theft may have been associated with a social media challenge, involving videotaping the theft of a Hyundai or Kia model vehicle. Following a joyride, the vehicle is abandoned.

 

The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to extend their current winning streak to four games tonight. The Sabres are finishing up their road trip with a contest against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Buffalo is coming off of a dominating five-to-one victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night and have only lost one game so far this season. Face-off for tonight’s contest is set for 10:00.

 

The snail jungle gyms at two parks in Medina will soon to be sold through an online auction site. The Village Board declared them to be surplus items after their insurance company recommended they be taken out because they don’t meet requirements for modern day safety of playground equipment. The snail at Pine Street Park is in better shape; the eyes had fallen off the one at Butts Park. The board also voted to declare the merry-go-round at one of their parks as surplus because it was in what they described as ‘rough shape’.