Afternoon News Brief

 

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced that Brian Cousins has been selected as their new President. Cousins will succeed Erik Fix, who left to take a position with the City of Batavia. Cousins is currently the Director of Accommodations at Six Flags Darien Lake. He has over 25 years of experience there and has held various roles in marketing, operations, entertainment and accommodations.

 

 

 

25-year-old Michael Salamone of Perry has been sentenced to a five-year prison term in Wyoming County Court. He broke an infant’s leg and earlier this year was seen on video throwing a puppy. Salamone will also be on 3-years post-release supervision.

 

 

33-year-old Katelyn Kubala of Attica has been sentenced to 364 days in jail for offering a false instrument for filing and felony failing to register as a sex offender; this is her second conviction on the latter charge. Kubala is a Level 1 offender, considered the lowest. She had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy and was convicted of attempted rape in 2013 while she was serving a state prison term for burglary. The relationship happened before she was sent to prison.

 

State Police tell us that a former Pavilion man now faces 42 charges after holding police at bay for 8 hours in a house loaded with guns and possible explosive devices. 39-year-old Jacob McCowen, now of Centerville, was eventually taken into custody without incident after he exited the house and tried to leave in his car. He was arraigned in Town Court and committed to Allegany County Jail, with bail set at $25,000.

 

 

39-year-old Nicholas Mruczek of Batavia has been arrested and charged with harassment. He allegedly harassed a person during a domestic incident. Mruczek was issued an appearance ticket and is due back in Batavia City Court tomorrow.

 

 

 

According to a regional appellate Judge, police have to make disciplinary records public, even if the charges aren’t substantiated. The ruling came down that the public has a right to know about accusations against police departments and their officers irrespective of whether or not internal reviews found the accusations true. The New York Civil Liberties Union had been pursuing the suit against New York’s law enforcement since 2020 and this ruling overturns lower court’s rulings.

 

 

Tributes are being held throughout the day to remember the ten victims who lost their lives in that mass shooting at Tops in Buffalo six months ago today. One of those events will be at the Jefferson Avenue location at 2:30 p.m., which is where the attack happened May 14th. The top of Buffalo City Hall will be lit orange, the color associated with the gun violence prevention movement, until dawn tomorrow. The suspect who allegedly carried out the shooting, Payton Gendron, remains behind bars without bail.

 

Friday night, the Batavia Blue Devils football team scored against Monroe with just one second remaining in the game… that gave the defending champions a come-from-behind win; the tournament final score at SUNY Brockport was 14-8 that made them the Section 5 Class B champions again. Congratulations guys on the incredible comeback.

 

 

 

After a couple of weeks of dealing with increases, regional drivers are finally starting to see some consistent prices at the gas pump. According to Triple A, the average cost for a gallon of regular fuel in our region is now sitting at $3.82. That’s the same as it was one week ago but still 12 cents higher from this time last month. Right now, the state average is $3.90 per gallon and nationally it’s $3.77. In Batavia this morning, we were paying an average of $3.78 per gallon, the same as it was a week ago and 4 cents higher than it was last month.

 

The Buffalo Bills are now on a two game losing streak after suffering a tough loss at home. Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 330 yards and a touchdown but also tossed two interceptions as the Bills were beaten in overtime 33 to 30 by the Minnesota Vikings at Highmark Stadium yesterday. Devin Singletary had a pair of rushing scores for Buffalo whose record this season is now 6 and 3. Up next for the Bills is a home game against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday with another 1:00 kickoff.