Afternoon News Brief

A High Wind Watch has been issued for Genesee, Wyoming, and Orleans county for Wednesday into Wednesday evening.  Look for westerly winds 20 to 30 mph that could gust as high as 60mph.  Unsecured objects could be blown around and end up in the roads.  High profile vehicles could find travel dangerous when in exposed locations going north or south.  There may also be a flash freeze as temperatures drop into the 20s in the afternoon tomorrow so be careful of ice on the roads.

A Castile man plead guilty to owning and promoting Child Pornography last Friday.  72 year old William Wallace plead guilty to 9 counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child and 3 counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child.  State police executed a search warrant September 10th at Wallace’s residence after an investigation. He was indicted the following month.  He could spend decades behind bars.  Sentencing is May 20th.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced steps to combat the youth mental health crisis, following a convening of students, faculty and mental health professionals at Mohonasen Central School District. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 4 teens have considered suicide, a significant increase from a decade ago, and for teenage girls, that number rises to 1 in 3. In response to this crisis, the Governor said today that New York will expand mental health support for children across the state and protect them from harmful social media features.  The state will establish a 20 million dollar fund for School Mental Health Clinics, and start an application that schools can use to apply for the funding.  

As Rochester prepares to get a front row seat for the total solar eclipse on April 8, something exciting is on tap at three local breweries.  Rohrbach Brewing Company, Three Heads Brewing and Strangebird are teaming up to fashion a trio of specialty beers to celebrate the celestial event.  Each beer will represent the three phases of the eclipse: the lighter side, the darker side and totality.  The drinks will be released March 11 and will be on tap around Rochester.

A third-grade student with vision loss at Pine Brook Elementary School is inspiring others through his incredible achievement.  Zuabari “ZuZu” Sampson recently published his first book, “Braille Boy,” which is now available on Amazon.  It tells the story of a young boy with blindness who fights off “Braille Alien,” a villain who seeks to confuse Braille readers. Through his mission, Braille Boy teaches valuable, positive life lessons while introducing the basic concepts of Braille.

Crossroads House has hired a new executive director after the gap was temporarily filled by interim director Tom Staebell in July 2023.   The nonprofit’s leaders happily announced the news Monday that they have found Tracy Ford, who “stood out from a pool of excellent candidates.”  Ford is to take the helm on March 4.  She was on WBTA Radio this morning to talk about taking the position.