Monday News Brief

“The Joy of Christmas,” it’s a project that LeRoy resident and former mayor Jim DeLooze is working on; his plan is to bring a diorama to St. Marks, based on an old-time radio show called, “The Cinnamon Bear,” and also involves setting up exhibits that will bring to mind, for example, what was once displayed in Sibley’s Department Store in Rochester. But to do this, he needs volunteers. If you’d like more information, email Jim at jim@delooze.com Howard Owens spoke at length with Mr. DeLooze and you’ll find the detailed article online at thebatavian.com

 

The City of Batavia Police competed against the City of Batavia Firefighters in the Battle of Badges charity hockey game. Last year, the event raised more than $3000 for the David McCarthy Memorial Foundation, which helps families in the community. Yesterday, City Police won the game for the second consecutive year, with a final score of 11-4.

 

Multiple law enforcement agencies across the country continue their search for a man charged with murder in Warsaw. 41-year-old Michael Bellaire is charged with murder, strangulation, tampering with evidence, and grand larceny in relation to the killing of 53 year old Warsaw resident Cheryl Cook who was discovered strangled to death in her home on November 7th. Bellaire’s last known location was crossing the border into Mexico in Cook’s 2012 Toyota Corolla. The US Customs and Border Protection and Homeland security are assisting.

 

 

An investigation is underway into what sparked a fire at a homeless encampment in Rochester. When crews got to the scene in the area of West Broad Street and Industrial Street yesterday, they found a building engulfed in smoke and flames. They worked quickly to try and contain the blaze, but the encampment suffered significant damage. There were no injuries reported.

 

According to Triple A this morning, the national average cost for a gallon of regular fuel is now $3.26. The state average is $3.30. Currently in Batavia, our average price figures out to $3.23; that’s the same as it was a week ago, down a nickel from a month ago and 14 cents lower than it was a year ago today.

 

The suspect arrested in connection with a murder in Rochester is expected to be back in court this week. Reign Tapiato is due to face a judge on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Tapiato is accused of shooting and killing 16-year-old Jakarah Lopez-Moore after she left her home on Weld Street back in August. Tapiato was captured on Friday and has been arraigned on murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges. Right now, he’s behind bars without bail.

 

 

The deadline to apply for the upcoming New York State Trooper entrance exam is just days away. Applications are being accepted through March 4th and the final day to take the actual test is on March 17th. Some of the qualifications to be a Trooper include being a United States citizen, being between 20 and 34 years old and having a high school diploma. The starting salary for a Trooper is over $59,000 a year.

 

The Buffalo Sabres have extended their winning streak to three games after picking up a shootout win at home. Jeff Skinner and Owen Power scored a goal each as Buffalo beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 at KeyBank Center last night. Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was outstanding in net and stopped 30 of the 32 shots he faced in the contest. Buffalo’s next game is tomorrow night in Florida against the Panthers.

 

AT&T is going to provide customers affected by Thursday’s network outage a $5 credit. In a statement on its website, the cellular provider said that customers will receive it within two billing cycles. AT&T says a software update is to blame. The service disruption started early Thursday, and was a major headache for many, with phone services limited. GPS maps failed and some 9-1-1 calls did not go through. AT&T serves more than 100 million customers, according to the company’s website.