Friday News Brief
Written by Doug Thompson on December 22, 2023
Todd Weigert
A Perry man is in serious trouble for supplying drugs to a woman who then died of an overdose. 28-year-old Todd Weigert has been indicted for criminally negligent homicide, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminally using drug paraphernalia. Weigert is alleged to have supplied a narcotic drug to a 34-year-old woman who then overdosed and died as a result. If convicted, he faces significant prison time.
As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: Residents in the Town of Bethany will only have one more opportunity to fill up their water totes at the Town Hall as the 6700 gallon tanker will be leaving after Tuesday. Bethany and other towns have been suffering under a drought for the past several months with many families reporting their wells running dry. People have been driving to neighboring towns and even counties to fill up on water so they can cook, clean and bathe. A tanker truck was supplied by the state for filling up a few gallons at specific times. And it hasn’t always been easy with the spigot freezing over on cold days. The Office of Emergency Management is taking the tanker back after turning the town down for an extension. For the moment there is no plan in place for after the tanker leaves.
Jushawn Rucker school safety officer and Dave DiPasquale athletic trainer at East High helped save student
Two men are being called heroes for helping save the life of a teenager who collapsed during a basketball game. The 15-year-old went into cardiac arrest on Wednesday night at John James Audubon School Number 33 in Rochester. A school resource officer and trainer worked quickly to use automated external defibrillator on the teen until first responders arrived. The boy was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
It’s one of the busiest travel times of the year, and that means big crowds can be expected at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. The TSA recommends people get to the airport at least two hours before their scheduled flight. That’ll allow them enough time to go through security, and folks can save time while in line by getting out their ID and boarding pass. Any suspicious activity at or near the airport should be reported immediately.
Wow, Fred. Where did you find a full service station these days?
Drivers who hit the road in the coming days will be seeing increased police patrols and lower gas prices. Through New Year’s Eve weekend, police statewide will be cracking down on people who get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Meanwhile, the average cost for a gallon of regular gas in Western New York is $3.48. In Batavia, we’re paying $3.47, which is down 16 cents from a month ago today.
Orchard Park police are continuing to investigate an assault that happened after last weekend’s Buffalo Bills game. They say the attack occurred Sunday on Abbott Road near Highmark Stadium. The victim, whose name has not been released, needed treatment for several broken bones. Police are asking anyone who saw the incident to contact them at 716-662-6444.
Jeff Skinner celebrates his goal with Alex Tuch during the first period last night (Associated Press Photo)
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 9 to 3 last night on their home ice. Jordan Greenway scored first for the Sabres and his goal was followed by goals from Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn, with Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo putting in 2 each. Devon Levi stopped 25 shots in the goal. The Sabres are in second to last place in the division with 14 wins and 17 losses. They travel to play the New York Rangers on Sunday who are number 1 in their division. The puck drops at 7:30
The Bills are off to California.
The Buffalo Bills are going to be on the West Coast tomorrow as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bills are set to battle the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in the Golden State. Buffalo is coming off of back-to-back wins, including a victory last Sunday over the Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff for tomorrow night’s contest is set for 8:00.
ELSEWHERE…
Still shot of Taters the Cat taken from a NASA video, from space
Taters the cat is the star of a live stream video that’s way out of this world. NASA featured the orange tabby cat in its first-ever video streamed from deep space by way of a laser. The video beamed from 19-million miles away on December 11th took more than 100 seconds to reach the Earth. The space agency said NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment was designed to boost the capabilities of streaming data from long distances.
The Christmas holiday season can be deadly for some. Research shows more people die of heart attacks in the last week of December than any other time of year. Doctors say it’s usually due to a number of factors, including cold weather that can restrict blood flow, added stress and overindulgence in rich food and alcohol. Heart attacks increase 37% on Christmas Eve. It happens most with people who are over the age of 75 and those with diabetes or who have prior cardiovascular disease.
Please play responsibly.
It would be a very happy holiday season for whoever wins the big Powerball jackpot that’s up for grabs. The prize for tomorrow night’s drawing has risen to $620 million, making it the fourth jackpot to surpass a half-billion dollars this year. No one has correctly picked all six winning numbers since back in mid-October. Anyone who wants to watch the drawing live online can do so at powerball.com. Please play responsibly.
Santa will be dropping off toys to kids all around the world this weekend and NORAD is going to be tracking his global journey. Starting on Sunday, children can call 1-877-446-6723 or visit noradsanta.org to get the latest updates on Saint Nick’s trip. Until then, kids can download the NORAD Tracks Santa app where they can play games and listen to music. NORAD has been tracking Santa on Christmas Eve for decades.
Today is Friday, Dec. 22, the 356th day of 2023 with 9 to follow.
The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.
December 22 in history…
The Navy is formed, today in history.
…In 1785, the American Continental Navy fleet was organized, consisting of two frigates, two brigs and three schooners. Sailors were paid $8 a month.
Tina and Ike Turner in Paris, 1975.
…In 1975, Ike and Tina Turner were robbed of $86,000 when a suitcase was stolen containing concert.
John and Cynthia’s marriage certificate, from 1962. Paul McCartney was their witness.
In 1981, a rock ‘n’ roll auction in London brought in $2,000 for a letter of introduction from Buddy Holly to Decca Records. John and Cynthia Lennon’s marriage certificate was sold for $850 and an autographed program from the world premiere of the Beatles film Help! brought in $2,100.
Unidentified Walmart employee stocking shelves in this undated file photo.
…In 2005, Walmart was ordered to pay more than 100,000 California employees $172 million for depriving them of breaks to eat.
A familiar, old story.
…In 2018, the U.S. government began a record 35-day partial shutdown after the Senate was unable to agree on a funding bill.
