Afternoon News Brief

The man known as the mayor of Redfield Parkway, passed away yesterday. Jim Owen was well known in the community and WBTA has devoted the next Genesee Life program with Lucine Kauffman as a tribute to Jim Owen. The program airs this Sunday morning at 8:30 and can be streamed anytime on the Genesee Life page here, on our website.

 

 

 

Wyoming County is under a winter weather advisory until 1:00am tomorrow morning with the national weather service predicting 4 to 7 additional inches of snow accumulation. Periods of snow will result in snow covered roads and occasional limited visibility.

 

 

The fundraiser for a new ambulance in LeRoy continues. To date, they have raised a little over $28,000 and they continue to accept donations. The anticipated cost of the new ambulance is roughly $182,000, which is likely to increase as costs continue to rise. They are also exploring grant and financing options. To find out how you can donate, call 768-8612.

 

 

City Manager Rachel Tabelski tells us that the City of Batavia is considering a raise in the tax cap. She noted the rising prices of diesel, health care, and wages as reasons for asking the City to override the state regulated tax cap this year. Batavia City Council members voted to override the state’s 2 percent property tax cap just two years ago, passing a 7.5 percent property tax increase as part of the City’s 2020-21 budget. Tabelski will provide a budget presentation and Council is expected to review and discuss her recommendations during its conference session next week. The session is set for 7:00pm, Monday January 23rd, in the Council Board Room at City Hall.

 

34-year-old Raymond Girard of Rochester has been charged with numerous felony thefts in Livingston County. He is also a felon caught in possession of ammunition, that’s the most recent charge and stems from alleged death threats Girard made to Monroe County executive Adam Bello. The thefts included credit cards, several vehicles, money, tools and a drum set. Girard remains in Monroe County Jail with bail set at $5000.

 

 

 

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the number of people who lost their lives during the recent blizzard has increased by three. That means the death toll due to last month’s weather disaster is now sitting at 47. There were 46 deaths in Erie County and one in Niagara County. Poloncarz said yesterday a medical examiner is trying to determine if three more deaths are connected to the storm.

 

An investigation is still underway into what started a fire in Niagara County that left a father and his young child injured. The blaze happened late Wednesday night at a home on Harbor Street in the Village of Wilson. When the first crews arrived, the residence was engulfed in flames and a five-year-old boy ended up being taken to Oshei Children’s Hospital, and then transferred to Strong and remains in critical condition. His 35-year-old father is at Erie County Medical Center and early this morning was listed in serious condition in the burn unit. No one else at the house was hurt.

 

There’s still a couple of months left of cold weather, and the Firefighters Association of the State of New York is providing tips to make sure folks heat their homes safely. The agency recommends keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from a heating source, never using your oven to heat your home and having your chimney inspected by a qualified professional. Also, test smoke alarms at least once a month and turn portable heaters off before leaving a room. Studies show heating equipment is the third leading cause of home fire deaths.

 

The Buffalo Bills will be back in action this Sunday as they look to keep their season alive against the defending AFC champions. The Bills are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. These two teams played in the regular season, but that game ended up being canceled after Damar Hamlin of the Bills collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Kickoff for Sunday’s contest is scheduled for 3:00.

 

 

The Buffalo Sabres have snapped their two-game losing streak after picking up a much-needed win on home ice. Dylan Cozens scored in overtime as the Sabres beat the New York Islanders 3-2 at KeyBank Center last night. Alex Tuch and Victor Olofsson also had a goal each for the Sabres and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 24 of 26 shots. Buffalo’s next game is tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks; the puck drops at 12:30.

 

 

 

The American Red Cross is offering blood donors the chance to watch Super Bowl 57 in-person next month. Anyone who donates blood until January 31st will be entered to win roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations and tickets to see the game, which is happening on Sunday, February 12th at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Winners also get a 500-dollar gift card for expenses. An appointment to donate can be set up by visiting redcrossblood.org. Locally, the next few blood drives will be held at Northgate Free Methodist Church on Saturday, January 28th from 8am until 2:00pm and Thursday, February 2nd from 1:00pm until 6:00pm. And also on Thursday, February 2nd, at the New York State School for the Blind, from 10am until 3:00pm. Additional information is available by following this link:

https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?order=DATE&range=10&zipSponsor=14020

 

Wireless carrier T-Mobile announced that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network late in November, and stole data on 37 million customers; including addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. Based on information gathered through their own internal investigation, the theft did not include passwords, personal identification numbers, bank account or credit card information, Social Security numbers or other government IDs. The company has been hacked multiple times in recent years. Executives at T-Mobile said it’s not expected this latest breach will have material impact on its operations but does raise questions about management’s cyber governance and could alienate customers in addition to invite scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission and other regulators.

 

The Powerball jackpot just keeps growing and lottery players are going to be lining up to buy their tickets so they can have a shot at winning a big prize. Because no one won on Wednesday, the jackpot for tomorrow night’s drawing will be at least $473,000,000 (million). The drawing will be streamed live online at powerball.com. Please play responsibly.