Afternoon News Brief

The owner of Pharoahs Strip Club in Cheektowaga is Peter Gerace, Jr. and he’s behind bars. Federal prosecutors say he was paying bribes to a former federal agent to avoid criminal investigations and prosecution. He has also just been charged with witness tampering and distributing cocaine. The prosecutors say he intimidated, threatened and corruptly persuaded a witness by using Facebook to send messages to them. Gerace is being held in jail until his June trial.

 

 

 

For the third time in less than a week, the Hilton Central School District has been the target of a bomb threat. The latest message was received yesterday and parents were notified that it was similar to the threats last Wednesday and Friday that claimed there were bombs placed in multiple district buildings. Law enforcement says this threat was also a hoax and schools didn’t have to be evacuated. Officials are still trying to track down who is responsible for these threats. (Photo: 13WHAM)

 

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation is now looking into a deadly officer-involved shooting in Rochester. Last week, police were looking into two shootings when they were involved in an encounter with 35-year-old Brendon Burns on Barrington Street. Burns allegedly threatened officers with a gun and refused to put down the weapon before he was shot. Both a gun and knife were recovered at the scene.

 

 

 

The Buffalo man who pulled the trigger in a deadly shooting then opened fire towards police officers has found out the punishment for his crimes. A judge has ordered 28-year-old Nakeem Haynes to spend 30 years to life in prison. Last June, Haynes killed 63-year-old Atlas Johnson near Broadway Avenue and Sears Street in Buffalo. There were two officers on patrol in the area of the shooting, and Haynes fired a gunshot that struck the window of a police cruiser before he was shot and taken into custody. The officers who shot Haynes were cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident.

 

The updated data from the New York State Flu Tracker shows that the spread of the virus has once again slowed down in our region. For the week that ended March 18th, the area with the highest number of cases was Erie County with 30; Monroe County had 22; Chautauqua County had 2 cases; and Wayne, Livingston, Niagara and Cattaraugus Counties had one each. Genesee had no cases reported. Because flu season can last into May, County Health Departments continue to recommend that people who haven’t received their flu shot yet should still get one.

 

 

A five-planet alignment of Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Mars, and Mercury will be visible in the night sky tonight. Here in Western New York skies are expected to be clear for viewing. After sunset near the western horizon will be Mercury and Jupiter. The brighter of the two will be Jupiter. Venus will be the brightest planet to spot while Uranus will look like a green star and will be hard to see. Mars will be on top of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and the moon. The best time to go outside is soon after sunset as Jupiter and Mercury will disappear about 45 minutes after sundown. The next five-planet alignment won’t occur until 2040.

 

According to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Buffalo Bills will sign former Los Angeles Rams safety Taylor Rapp to a one-year deal. The Rams drafted Rapp in the second round, 61st overall, in the 2019 NFL Draft. In four years with the Rams, he played in 57 games and had 330 total tackles, nine interceptions, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.

 

 

The projected cost of building a brand-new stadium for the Buffalo Bills has crossed the $1,500,000,000 (billion) mark. The executive vice president of the NFL franchise told The Buffalo News yesterday this new estimate is $140,000,000 (million) higher than the initial one. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says taxpayers will not need to pay more towards the stadium because there is a cap on public contributions. The facility would be located near Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Photo from the Buffalo Bills website.

 

The two-game winning streak of the Buffalo Sabres has been snapped after the team suffers a disappointing defeat at home. JJ Peterka, Lukas Rousek, and Riley Stillman had a goal apiece, but the Sabres were defeated in a shootout by the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 at KeyBank Center last night. Sabres goalie Eric Comrie faced 41 shots in the contest and was able to stop 38 of them. The next game for Buffalo is on Friday against the New York Rangers with face-off at 7:00.

 

 

Businesses from all around the region are now taking part in the first-ever Healthy Options Restaurant Week. The event officially kicked off yesterday and will run through April 1st. Restaurants will be offering menu items to customers to show them how easy it can be to have a healthy dining experience when eating out. To find the list of businesses that are participating, go to healthyoptionsbuffalo.com.

 

A study published Monday found a connection between having strong friendships and better physical health outcomes. Positive social interactions were found to decrease blood pressure and heart rate, and increase a person’s ability to cope with stress. Negative interactions, however, had an even stronger adverse effect on the body. The study’s author said it’s these ups and downs that can have the strongest impact. One researcher stressed the importance of scheduling time with friends and providing mutual support in times of trouble.