Monday News Brief

36-year-old Andrew Taylor of Batavia has been arrested. He’s charged with petit larceny, after it was alleged he stole items worth nearly $40 from WalMart in Batavia. Taylor was released on an appearance ticket for Batavia Town Court at a later date. ALSO: 35-year-old Shandell Lissow of Albion and 52-year-old Philip Mayberry of Syracuse have been arrested in Batavia, following an investigation into a prior incident at the Quality Inn. They’re charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. Both were released on appearance tickets for Town of Batavia Court.

 

According to Triple A this morning, the national average price for a gallon of regular fuel is $3.15. The state average is $3.28. In Batavia, the average figures out to $3.24 per gallon; that’s down a nickel from a week ago and down 19 cents from a year ago today.

 

A Wayne County woman has been charged after being accused of abandoning her child. The three-year-old was left alone in a vehicle and 32-year-old Rachel Tari of Sodus was taken into custody. The child was sitting in temperatures that were below freezing and had been without supervision for some time. Tari was brought to the Wayne County Jail ahead of her arraignment.

 

 

 

 

The yearly Rochester Polar Plunge is once again being called a success. People entered the cold water of Lake Ontario at Ontario Beach Park in Rochester yesterday to help raise funds for Special Olympics New York. That agency provides help for people who are living with developmental disabilities and want to compete in sports. Anyone who is interested in donating can still do so at polarplunge.net.

 

A judge has dismissed the most-serious charges against three varsity football players from Clyde-Savannah High School who were accused of sexually assaulting a boy in a locker room last fall. The incident happened Oct. 31 at the school. Police said the incident was recorded and shared on social media. Judge Richard Healy dismissed felony charges for aggravated sexual abuse against the three defendants, following a review of grand jury minutes. They still face misdemeanor charges for hazing and forcible touching. If convicted, the defendants — ages 15, 16 and 17 — could face jail time, probation or conditional discharge, but no prison time.

 

A new piece of safety gear will soon be required for youth hockey players. USA Hockey, the national ice hockey association in the United States, has mandated neck protection guards for players under 18; a policy that will go into effect August 1st. Some players say they’re on board, with many already starting to wear them ahead of the policy change. However, not everyone agrees. Some players say the guards can be irritating. While players 18 and up will not be required to wear neck guards, they are highly encouraged.

 

Older New Yorkers are being urged to roll up their sleeves and get themselves vaccinated against three potentially dangerous viruses. Experts say the flu, COVID-19 and RSV can pose a serious threat to people who are 60 and older. Folks in that age group have ended up in the hospital or even lost their lives after getting infected. Medicaid can be used to cover the cost of these vaccines. A list of immunization sites can be found online.

 

The Buffalo Sabres will be without one of their young stars for the rest of the regular season. It was revealed yesterday that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson needs surgery to repair an upper body injury. The 23-year-old played in 41 games this year, scoring one goal and adding six assists. Samuelsson was Buffalo’s second round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

 

 

 

 

ELSEWHERE…

The New York State Fair has announced a significant change to this year’s concert schedule. There will no longer be any free afternoon shows at Suburban Park due to the cost of running them and low attendance. However, the eight p-m concerts will remain, as will the one p-m and six p-m performances at Chevy Park. This year’s state fair starts on August 21st and runs through September 2nd.

 

A giraffe in Florida is predicting who will win this year’s Super Bowl. A prediction ceremony was held Friday at the Gulf Breeze Zoo, where Kenya the Giraffe was offered two buckets of food, one labeled Kansas City Chiefs and the other labeled San Francisco 49ers. After a moment of deliberation, Kenya chose the Kansas City bucket of food. The giraffe also predicted an early spring.

 

 

 

 

 

A standardized test that’s widely used for college admissions will look different this spring. Starting next month, the SAT will only be available digitally. The new test will also be shorter and adaptive, so questions will change depending on how a student performs as the test progresses.

 

Today is Monday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2024 with 330 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus.

February 5 in history…

…In 1998, Pearl Jam released the album “Yield.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 2002, U2 performed the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI. Paul McCartney and Barry Manilow sang at a pre-game concert before the game.

 

 

 

…In 2003, Phil Spector was arrested in connection with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. He was later released on $1 million bail.