Friday News Brief

Sentencing for 40-year-old Joe Cortez of Batavia has now been delayed twice; this time, Cortez will have a psychological evaluation. His attorney observed that such an assessment might determine Cortez to be incompetent. He faces up to nine months in county jail for second-degree criminal contempt for violating an order of protection. Cortez is currently in Genesee County Jail. He faces multiple rape charges in Genesee County for allegedly having forcible sexual intercourse with a juvenile victim under the age of 17.

 

 

32-year-old Kreisandra Colon of Lyndonville has been sentenced to 364 days in county jail for endangering the welfare of a child. She allegedly had been using drugs in front of the child. Colon was terminated from a treatment court option after failing to meet conditions of the court. She acknowledged she used cocaine and attempted to bring in urine for a drug test that wouldn’t show substance use. Colon said in court that she wants to stop using drugs but has struggled.

 

 

An Air Quality health advisory is in place for the entire Western New York region due to high levels of ozone. Children, the elderly, and anyone with a health condition such as asthma, should be especially careful if they’re spending time outside today. Residents are urged to take the following energy-saving and pollution-reducing steps:
• use mass transit or carpool instead of driving, as automobile emissions account for about 60 percent of pollution in our cities;
• conserve fuel and reduce exhaust emissions by combining necessary motor vehicle trips;
• turn off all lights and electrical appliances in unoccupied areas;
• use fans to circulate air. If air conditioning is necessary, set thermostats at 78 degrees;
• close the blinds and shades to limit heat build-up and to preserve cooled air;
• limit use of household appliances. If necessary, run the appliances at off-peak (after 7 p.m.) hours. These would include dishwashers, dryers, pool pumps and water heaters;
• set refrigerators and freezers at more efficient temperatures;
• purchase and install energy efficient lighting and appliances with the Energy Star label; and
• reduce or eliminate outdoor burning and attempt to minimize indoor sources of PM 2.5 such as smoking. A toll-free Air Quality Hotline (1-800-535-1345) has been established by DEC to keep New Yorkers informed of the latest Air Quality situation.
Additional information on ozone and PM 2.5 is available on DEC’s website and on DOH’s website. To stay up-to-date with announcements from DEC, sign up for DEC Delivers: DEC’s Premier Email Service. Friday, June 2 Air Quality Health Advisory regions consist of the following: New York City Metro, which includes New York City, Rockland, and Westchester counties; Eastern Lake Ontario, which includes northern Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Oswego, and Wayne counties; and Western New York, which includes Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.

 

Three people have now been arrested following an assault at a Niagara Falls Tim Hortons that was caught on camera. Footage that circulated on social media showed 37-year-old Brittny Robinson, 30-year-old Brionna Harris, and a teenager carrying out the violent attack against an employee at the chain’s store on Pine Avenue last weekend. The worker went to the hospital but has already been released. All three suspects are charged with gang assault.

 

 

A Webster woman could be spending a lot of time behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Wegmans. Prosecutors say 47-year-old Alicia Torres, a former Wegmans employee, used a program that’s used to fill prescriptions to process over $568,021.69 in fraudulent refunds. The money was taken between 2014 and February of this year. Torres is facing up to 20 years in prison when she’s sentenced in September.

 

 

State Police have released the results of their latest Memorial Day Weekend enforcement campaign. From Friday, May 26th through Tuesday, May 30th, there were over 13,400 tickets handed out for offenses like speeding, DWI, and distracted driving. Troopers also responded to more than 830 crashes but no deaths were reported. Last year, just under 14,000 tickets were issued during the Memorial Day Weekend enforcement campaign.

 

Rochester police are now investigating a homicide after the victim of a drive-by shooting died of his injuries. On Wednesday, 21-year-old Eric Martin had dropped a family member off at work on Dewey Avenue when he was hit by gunfire that came from a person in a vehicle. Martin was brought to a nearby hospital but later died. Police aren’t sure if the shooting was random or if Martin was targeted and are asking witnesses to come forward.

 

The Rochester Americans will be back on their home ice tonight as they look to keep their Calder Cup playoffs series alive. The Amerks host the Hershey Bears at Blue Cross Arena. Wednesday, they beat the Bears 4-1 and trail in the best-of-seven series 3 games to 2. Face-off this evening is set for 7:05.

 

 

The Buffalo Bandits will be back in action this weekend as they try and secure a National Lacrosse League championship. The Bandits are hosting the Colorado Mammoth in Game Three of the NLL Finals at KeyBank Center. Monday, the Mammoth defeated the Bandits in Colorado and tied the best-of-three series at one game apiece. There are still tickets available for the contest, which starts at 7:30 tomorrow night.

 

One of the largest fine arts festivals in the Northeast is going to be happening in the Finger Lakes this weekend. The Fairport Canal Days event gets underway today and runs through Sunday. It will feature over 200 artists, dozens of food vendors, bands, and merchants. The Fairport Perinton Merchants Association puts the nonprofit festival on each year. For more information, go to fairportcanaldays.com.

 

ELSEWHERE….

The handwritten lyrics of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” are on display at Sotheby’s in New York. An early draft appears to show lead singer Freddie Mercury was considering calling it “Mongolian Rhapsody” before crossing it out and renaming it. It’s part of thousands of Mercury’s personal belongings on display. They hit the auction block in September.

 

 

 

Today is National Doughnut Day. Some of the nation’s biggest chains will be dishing out free doughnuts, while supplies last. Freebies are on the menu at Dunkin’, Krispy Kreme, Duck Donuts, among others and a number of places will have buy one, get one free promotions. National Doughnut Day dates back to 1938 when the Salvation Army established it to honor the organization’s Doughnut Lassies. Those were women who traveled to France during World War One to serve up snacks to soldiers.

 

A new accuser is suing Bill Cosby over an alleged sex assault. A former Playboy Playmate says the comedian drugged and raped her in 1969. Victoria Valentino seeks unspecified damages for sex assault and battery. She says Cosby attacked her in Los Angeles while he was starring in the TV show “I Spy.”

 

 

Scientists say a small asteroid has been following the Earth in its orbit around the Sun for over 2,000 years. The asteroid was discovered in March at an observatory in Hawaii, and is estimated to be about 50 feet in diameter. Scientists are calling it a “quasi-moon” because it orbits the Sun in a similar time frame as the Earth, though it’s roughly 9,000,000 (million) miles away.

 

 

The jackpot for Mega Millions tonight is $203,000,000 (million), and the top prize for Powerball tomorrow evening is $262,000,000. Both drawings will be streamed live on their respective websites. Please play responsibly.

 

 

 

Today is Friday, June 2nd, the 153rd day of the year.

June 2 in history…

…In 1835, P.T. Barnum kicked off his first U.S. circus tour.

 

 

 

 

…In 1886, Grover Cleveland became the first sitting President of the United States to get married in the White House.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1941, baseball’s “Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig, died in New York of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1953, 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth the Second was crowned. The crowning became one of the first international news events given complete television coverage in England and the United States.

 

 

 

…In 1974, The Heimlick maneuver was introduced. While Dr. Henry Heimlich is credited with developing the technique using abdominal thrusts to stop choking, his uncredited co-creator was the same man who invented the first artificial heart? We know him best as ‘the man behind a dummy’ and the creator of “Winchell Mahoney Time.” The genius inventor and innovator was ventriloquist Paul Winchell.

 

 

 

 

…In 1999, South Africans went to the polls in their second post-apartheid election, giving the African National Congress a decisive victory. Retiring president Nelson Mandela was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki.

 

 

 

…In 2004, Ken Jennings began his 74-game winning streak on “Jeopardy!,” that ended with a total of $2,520,700. In total, including special appearances and competitions such as the “Ultimate Tournament of Champions,” Ken cleared approximately $4.5 million from the show. Not to mention, of course, the start of a brand new career for him.