Afternoon News Brief

32-year-old Joshua Schohn of Akron has been convicted of two counts of possession and production of child pornography. He’s been sentenced to serve 30 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release. The investigation started three years ago, during which the FBI found videos of Schohn’s girlfriend’s daughters. Upon his arrest, Schohn admitted to State Police that he had been collecting child pornography for five years.

 

 

A $5,000,000 federal funding grant will help to pay for upgrades for Attica’s water treatment plant. The funding was announced last month as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, and will cover half of the estimated $11.1 million project planned for the Dunbar Road location. Upgrades will include new treatment units, disinfection and chemical feed equipment. New pumps, piping and valves are also planned, along with structural and mechanical improvements. The equipment is generally meant to last for about 20 years.

 

Negotiations resumed today between representatives of Buffalo Public Schools and the Buffalo Teachers Federation. Both sides have been working to reach an agreement on a new contract but say that little progress has been made during recent discussions. Teachers have issued a vote of no-confidence in Superintendent Doctor Tonja Williams and also the school board. Issues that still need to be resolved include teacher salaries and adjusting school start times to help out with an ongoing bus driver shortage.

 

 

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take the proper steps to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19, the flu, and RSV. Hospitals across the Empire State are very busy right now dealing with a surge in illnesses and data shows a lot of people who are eligible for the latest COVID-19 booster shot haven’t gotten it. The governor recommends residents who have symptoms of the coronavirus or flu get tested immediately. The state has a stockpile of coronavirus test kits and ventilators that can be made available if necessary.

 

A Newfane resident is facing up to 11 years behind bars after pleading guilty to multiple charges including criminally negligent homicide. The Niagara County District Attorney’s Office says 20-year-old Sean Kelahan admitted to hitting and killing 25-year-old Richard Howes, III with his car on Transit Road in Lockport March 18th. Kelahan is going to be sentenced in February. His co-defendant, Tyreek Wolfe, is also awaiting sentencing.

 

The Buffalo Bills are going to be without star defensive player Von Miller for the rest of the season. Miller underwent exploratory surgery on his knee earlier this week and it was discovered he has a torn ACL. Miller was hurt back on Thanksgiving Day when the Bills played the Lions and was placed on the injured reserve list last week. Buffalo signed the 33-year-old Miller to a six-year, 120-million-dollar contract this past off-season and he leads the team this year with eight sacks.

 

 

Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza and two of his college teammates will not face criminal charges after being accused of gang raping a 17-year-old girl while Araiza attended San Diego State University. The alleged assault happened at an off-campus party in October 2021, six months before the Bills drafted Araiza. The decision to not pursue charges came following a four month investigation involving more than 35 witness interviews and evidence derived from 10 search warrants that included cell phone data and video from the night in question. A still-pending civil lawsuit was filed August 25th; the Bills released Araiza two days later.

 

 

The Buffalo Sabres have picked up their second straight victory after a dominant effort on the road. Tage Thompson scored five goals and Dylan Cozens, Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, and Rasmus Dahlin also had a goal each as the Sabres smashed the Columbus Blue Jackets nine-to-four last night. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was able to stop 20 of the 24 shots he faced in the contest. Buffalo’s next game is tomorrow night when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Face-off is at 7:00.