Afternoon News Brief

The Kutter’s Cheese Factory Retail Store is closing, after 75 years in business. The owners cited high shipping costs, discontinued cheeses, labor shortages and rising costs in general, the combination of which made it impractical to remain open. The manufacturing business of Yancey’s Fancy will continue to operate, as they are under separate ownership. Photos by Doug Thompson, WBTA News.

 

 

A South Main Street fire has sent one person to the hospital. Around 7:20 on Saturday evening the City of Batavia Fire Department was alerted to a fire at 44 South Main Street. Upon arrival, they found the 2-1/2 story home with a fire in the kitchen and an occupant trapped on the second floor. Fire crews quickly brought a female occupant to safety, and then extinguished the fire. Fire damage was confined to the kitchen area with smoke damage throughout the upper apartment. Two other occupants were in the home at the time of the fire and one was transported by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. No firefighters were injured. The fire was determined to result from a cooking accident.

 

 

Governor Hochul has announced the results of the recent Super Bowl weekend STOP-DWI enforcement campaign. The governor says State Police arrested 183 people for DWI between Friday, February 10th and Monday, February 13th, including 20 in our region. There were more than 11,800 tickets handed out during this same time period for violations such as speeding and distracted driving. During last year’s Super Bowl enforcement initiative, just under 11,000 people were ticketed.

 

 

Tesla Workers United is asking for assistance from the National Labor Relations Board as employees at the gigafactory in Buffalo attempt to unionize. Dozens of workers were fired at the facility last week after it was reported that employees were trying to form a union. Tesla claims the reason workers were let go was due to performance issues, but other employees believe the move was retaliation. Tesla Workers United wants the NLRB to file an injunction to get the fired individuals back on the job.

 

 

A 35-year-old Buffalo man has been identified as the victim of a deadly weekend shooting in Rochester. Police say Jermaine Wilkins was found suffering from a gunshot wound on Parsells Avenue Saturday night and was pronounced dead shortly after first responders got to the scene. Wilkins was in Rochester to visit family members. So far, an arrest has not been made in connection with this case.

 

 

According to Triple A, the national average cost for a gallon of regular fuel is now $3.41. The state average is $3.49, and in Batavia, we’re paying $3.37; that’s down a penny from a month ago and down 29 cents from a year ago today.

 

 

The Buffalo Sabres won their Saturday night game against the San Jose Sharks with a final score of 4 to 2. Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, and Owen Power each scored for the Sabres. Their west coast road trip ended with 2 wins and 2 losses. Next up for Buffalo is a home game on Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs; the puck drops at 7:30.

 

The lack of ice coverage on the Great Lakes has reached a new record low. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the observed ice coverage on the Great Lakes as of Feb. 13 was only 7 percent. That’s the lowest it’s been since records started being kept back in 1973. The average ice coverage across the Great Lakes for mid-February is around 35 to 40 percent. The reason for the lack of ice is due to the above average temperatures that have been present across the region. While there have been a few cold snaps that lead to ice development, fluctuating air temperatures allowed for ice to fade away. And when ice did develop, it wasn’t able to grow or thicken due to the relatively warmer winter temperatures.

 

The New York State Department of Health is urging residents to sign up to become an organ donor. Right now, there are roughly 8100 New Yorkers on the national transplant list and some people may have to wait years before getting the organ they need to survive. Over 750 people died or were removed from the waitlist last year because they weren’t healthy enough to undergo a transplant procedure or passed away because an organ wasn’t available. To join the donation registry, go to donatelife.ny.gov.