Afternoon News Brief

Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Counties continue to be under a Wind Advisory until 7pm tonight.  Winds coming out of the Southwest at 30-40 miles per hour and gusts of up to 50 mph are expected.  Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.  Electrical crews are still out and about from the wind over the last 24 hours.  Wyoming County is now under a winter weather advisory till Thursday at 7pm.  Weather experts are expecting 4 to 8 inches of snow along with the high gusts of 50 miles per hour.  The wind could cause white out conditions and hazardous driving conditions. 

28 year old Nicholas Laffin of Rochester was charged Tuesday with production and possession of child pornography which, if he is convicted, would carry a sentence of at least 15 years behind bars.  On December 27th Police responded to a home in Albion after a report that a man had been found in a bedroom with a 13 year old girl.  The man fled but left his cell phone behind.  Laffin was found nearby and said his cell phone had been stolen the day before.  Laffin was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child. On January 3 seven items of digital evidence were turned over to the FBI. An initial review of Laffin’s cell phone located in the Minor Victim’s bedroom recovered multiple images and video files of child pornography involving the Minor Victim. 

If you’re a Spectrum customer you may soon have a higher bill as rates are set to increase for some services.  Spectrum has confirmed several increases effective with billing cycles beginning January 30th.  What’s going up?  The mandatory broadcast tv surcharge is going up 2 dollars, the HD box fee is going up 2 dollars, the advanced wifi charge is going up 2 dollars the same for Entertainment View and Latino View.  TV Essentials is going up by 5 dollars and the same amount for Internet Assist.

MedTech Landing LLc is hoping to build an 80 unit apartment complex across the street from Genesee Community College.  They have submitted a proposal for the 15 million dollar project to the Genesee County Economic Development Center.  The project is comprised of five buildings with a dozen one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and one 8-unit building, along with 6 six-car garages.  The company is looking for about 4 million dollars in tax abatements.  

St. John Fisher University announced Wednesday it plans to add ice hockey to its intercollegiate sports lineup.  The university will add men’s and women’s hockey teams in fall 2025, bringing its total number of athletic teams to 26.  The hockey teams will compete in NCAA Division III and will play at Rochester Ice Center in Perinton.  The school is now working to recruit players, anticipating rosters of 25-30 student-athletes on both teams. Next steps include hiring a coaching staff and finalizing a conference affiliation.  Fisher joins RIT, Hobart, Nazareth, Brockport and Geneseo as colleges in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region offering NCAA hockey.  The school’s club hockey team won a national title last season.

According to studies, Americans are facing an epidemic of loneliness.  So why not go to a bar that forces you to interact with other people over board games?  Dice Versa is a board game bar on East Broad Street in Rochester and on Monday it celebrated its grand opening.  Customers pay a small fee to access the extensive board game library for as long as they want. There’s also a kitchen with small plates along with a full bar with themed cocktails and a “potion shop” that allows you to roll a dice to choose a themed shot.  Dice Versa will be open every day of the week except on Mondays and starting next week, they will be launching Trivia Night Tuesdays.