Monday Afternoon News Brief

29-year-old Brandi Hough of Batavia has been arrested by the Genesee County Sheriffs. She’s charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Following an investigation after a probation home visit, it’s alleged Hough possessed methamphetamine. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due back to the Town of Batavia Court on March 20^th.

 

A three-week wildcat strike by corrections officers at New York State prisons may be over. The Department of Corrections announced over the weekend that a new agreement was reached with the union representing employees. The terms require that 85% of the striking workers to return to work today in order for the agreement to take effect.

 

State Attorney General Letitia James has an update on the findings from an investigation into the death of Daevon Roberts, who died last July following an encounter with members of the Buffalo Police Department in Buffalo. The investigation concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s use of deadly physical force was justified under the law. A final investigation report will follow at a later date.

 

A Dansville native who was held captive for nearly 900 days by the Taliban makes a return to the region. Ryan Corbett was welcomed home by community members over the weekend after spending more than two years in Afghanistan. Corbett shared stories of his captivity after he ended up being wrongfully detained while visiting the Middle East for business in August 2022.   He was released by the group earlier this year as part of a prison exchange between the United States and Taliban.

 

An investigation is underway into what caused a fight at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. The brawl happened Saturday night following a sectional high school basketball game that was taking place there. Video shared on social media showed a group of between 10 and 12 people involved in the incident and they were all escorted out of the arena. There were also fights reported outside the venue but no one was hurt.

 

A former Wyoming County correction officer has been sentenced to over eight years in prison for a child pornography charge, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. 40-year-old James Sutton of Depew was sentenced to 100 months in prison, which works out to a little over eight years. Prosecutors said Sutton used his cell phone to upload nearly two dozen video files containing child pornography from the internet to the social media platform Kik. The videos included minors under the age of 12, and depictions of violence. The uploads happened in October 2021. Sutton worked at the Wyoming Correctional Facility, a state prison in Wyoming County. He was convicted of distribution of child pornography. Upon release, he will be subject to 30 years of post-release supervision.

 

A man is facing charges in connection with a double homicide in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood. Thirty-four-year-old Bryan Chiclana is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder in the deaths of 40-year-old Michael Harmon and 37-year-old Jorden Celotto. Both men were found dead in a home along St. Louis Place last Tuesday. An autopsy shows they died of blunt force trauma. Chiclana is being held without bond.

 

A Canandaigua man faces charges after allegedly assaulting a five-week-old child. Troopers on March 1 received a report from Ontario County Child Protective Services regarding an injured infant at Strong Memorial Hospital, where hospital staff found the infant had significant bruising. An investigation found that 25-year-old Jayden Q. Mendez, Sr. of Canandaigua had allegedly assaulted the infant. Mendez, Sr. was arrested and taken to Ontario County Cap Jail, where he is facing endangering the welfare of a child and assault charges.

 

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara has introduced a bill aimed at addressing the current air traffic controller shortage. Some of New York’s key air traffic control facilities are operating with nearly 40% of positions unfilled, meaning controllers have to work extended shifts and mandatory overtime. Santabarbara’s measure is calling for signing bonuses for new controllers, retention bonuses for controllers who stay in the state and relocation assistance.   The bill is now in committee for consideration.

 

This summer Cyndi Lauper will be coming to Darien Lake on her final leg of her ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour’.  Lauper will be at Darien Lake Amphitheater, Tuesday, July 15. Tickets will be available beginning on tomorrow at 10 a.m. for presale and this Friday, March 14 at 10 a.m. for general sale. Along with her popular song Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Lauper is also known for songs such as Time After Time, True Colors, All Through the Night, and more.

 

The Buffalo Bills will have their star quarterback under center for at least the next few seasons. The defending AFC East champions have reached a six-year contract extension with league MVP Josh Allen that’s worth $330 million, including a record $250 million guaranteed. Allen played a role in 41 touchdowns last season and had a career-low eight turnovers.   Allen’s previous annual contract value was $43 million per season, which was 14th among quarterbacks.

 

The Buffalo Sabres are looking to avoid a seventh straight loss tonight, but in their way is one of the top teams in the NHL. The Sabres are hosting Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers at KeyBank Center. Buffalo last played on Saturday when the Florida Panthers defeated them by a final score of 4 to 0. Face-off for their contest this evening is set for 7:00.

 

A new national poll shows more than one-in-three parents say their child has had dental problems in the last two years. The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health found poor hygiene habits were mostly to blame, mainly in kids who didn’t follow recommended brushing, flossing and rinsing practices.   Researchers polled 1,800 parents with children aged 4 to 17 and found that 64% of parents say their child brushes twice daily and 60% say they brush for at least two minutes. A majority of parents said their child last saw a dentist within the past year, but over 10% said it’s been longer than that. The American Dental Association recommends children have a check-up every six months for early detection of tooth decay and learn about how to protect their teeth.

 

A new study from the University of California, San Francisco found a link between screen time and manic behavior in pre-teens. The study specifically looked at thousands of ten and eleven year olds who used smart phones. They found that the children who spend more time on screens were more likely to have manic episodes. The study’s co-author says their findings “underscore the importance of cultivating healthy screen use habits early.”

 

A federal judge is siding with the state of Missouri in a $24 billion judgment against the Chinese Communist Party for hoarding protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, accused China of worsening the pandemic by hindering the production, purchase and import of personal protective equipment. The state says it spent millions more or PPE that it otherwise would have and lost billions in tax revenue.   China didn’t show up in court and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey says the state plans to collect what they can by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including farmland. The decision was handed down Friday.