Friday News Brief
Written by Doug Thompson on October 13, 2023
New York State is making progress to fulfill Governor Hochul’s one billion dollar mental health support plan. The state lost hundreds of psychiatric beds so hospitals could fill them with COVID patients, but Governor Hochul says there’s a renewed effort to bring them back. The state has started issuing fines to speed up the process. Since 2022, state funded teams have helped nearly 200 people secure permanent housing, many of whom were living with mental illness.
Officials at Rochester General Hospital have released a statement on an upcoming strike planned by members of a nurses union. Leaders say they’re extremely disappointed those workers are planning to walk off the job for five days beginning October 23rd. They also say the last strike in August cost over $6 million to keep the hospital running with limited interruption. Hospital administrators and nurses have been trying to work out a new labor contract since last year.
Salman Rushdie
Author and Jihad target Salman Rushdie has a memoir coming out about the attack that left him blind in his right eye and with a damaged left hand. “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder” will be published next April. In August 2022, a man who rushed the stage, as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York, stabbed Rushdie repeatedly in the neck and abdomen. The attacker, Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and attempted murder. For some time after Ayatollah Khomeini called for Rushdie’s death over alleged blasphemy in his novel “The Satanic Verses,” the writer lived in isolation and with round-the-clock security. But for years since, he had moved about with few restrictions, until the stabbing at the Chautauqua Institution.
Governor Hochul during her visit to Buffalo in May 2023
Governor Hochul says law enforcement across the state is on high alert today. That’s because the ex-chief of Hamas has called for a global day of Jihad. The governor says the safety of the Empire State’s Jewish communities is not up for debate and that she has zero tolerance for any hate directed towards Palestinian New Yorkers. It’s important to note there are currently no active threats that have been directed towards the state. However, suspicious activity should be reported immediately.
Kelvin Vickers, in court (10/12/23) – 13WHAM Photo
Deliberations resumed today in the murder trial of Kelvin Vickers. He’s accused of killing Rochester police officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz and seriously injuring his partner, Officer Sino Seng last year. During deliberations yesterday, jurors agreed on all the charges filed against Vickers except two. They also asked for testimony read-backs before being sent home. Vickers faces decades in prison if convicted.
The Bills will be back in front of their home fans as they try and get back on the winning track Sunday night. The Bills are set to host the New York Giants at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Buffalo is coming off a disappointing 25-20 defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and the team has a record of three wins and two losses this season. Kickoff is set for 8:20pm.
J.J. Peterka (Associated Press Photo)
The regular season of the Buffalo Sabres is off to a tough start after an opening night defeat. JJ Peterka had the lone goal as the Sabres fell to the New York Rangers 5-1 at KeyBank Center last night. Buffalo goaltender Devon Levi struggled in net and only stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced. Up next for the Sabres is a road game tomorrow against the New York Islanders.
ELSEWHERE…
Steve Scalise (NBC News Photo)
Steve Scalise is withdrawing from the race to become the next Speaker of the House. He announced at a conference meeting Thursday night he would be pulling out of the race following a day full of meetings with fellow Republicans. It appeared unlikely he would get the needed 217 members of his own party to vote for him on the floor.
Elijah Blue Allman with his mother, Cher
Cher is insisting that she did not plan the abduction of her son, Elijah Blue Allman. The pop legend told People magazine in an interview out Wednesday that the allegations just aren’t true. In court filings last year, Allman’s estranged wife claimed Cher arranged for her son to be taken from a New York hotel room on the night of his wedding anniversary.
Today is Friday, October 13th, the 286th day of the year.
October 13 in history…
President Roosevelt changed the building’s name to “The White House”
…In 1792, George Washington laid the cornerstone to “The President’s House” at 16-hundred Pennsylvania Avenue. It later became known as “The White House.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, your 1903 Boston Americans!”
…In 1903, Boston wins baseball’s first World Series.
Garrett Morgan with the gas mask prototype he developed
…In 1914, the gas mask was patented by Garrett Morgan.
A brand new, 1958 Edsel! (Photo: ABC Television)
…In 1957, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra teamed on ABC Television to introduce a new automobile known as the Edsel.
Martin Cooper talks on the DynaTec he developed in 1973. It became the first commercial cell phone to hit the market on October 13, 1983.
…In 1983, the first cellular telephones were introduced.
…In 1994, the first Netscape Navigator web browser hit the world wide web. Before Microsoft’s Internet Explorer became the dominant browser, Netscape Navigator was the most popular way to connect to the Web. The source code history of Netscape Navigator continues today with Mozilla Firefox.
