Monday News Brief

45-year-old Victoria Richards of Batavia has been arrested. She’s charged with endangering the welfare of a child, following an investigation at the Quality Inn. Richards allegedly provided a child with drugs. She was released on an appearance ticket and is scheduled for Town of Batavia Court on March 12th. ALSO: 37-year-old Rosemary Waters of Batavia has been arrested in Byron by Genesee County Sheriffs; this followed a traffic stop and roadside investigation. Waters is alleged to have trespassed on CSX Railroad property and been in possession of controlled substances. Waters was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal trespass. She was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled for Bryon Town Court this afternoon.

 

The Department of Environmental Conservation has revealed when its statewide burn ban will be going into effect. Starting March 16th, the burning of residential brush will be prohibited until May 14th. Because the winter has been drier than usual in most spots, officials say there’s an increased risk of wildfires during the spring. Anyone who is caught violating the ban could face charges and a fine of at least $500.

 

A Cheektowaga resident says she was almost kidnapped after getting home from a bar early Saturday morning. The woman managed to escape the man after he forced her into his SUV. When Kelly left the bar Lucky Day in downtown Buffalo, she says she had no idea someone could be following her. The 26-year-old says she tries to always be aware of her surroundings. But she was not expecting a stranger to be waiting for her in her driveway. Kelly says the man forced himself on her and she pushed him away. He then grabbed onto her arm and dragged her to his SUV. She put up a fight, scratching and hitting the man. At one point when the man hit the brakes, he also unlocked the doors. She made a run for it. Kelly still had her phone with her and called her parents, who then took her to file a report with Cheektowaga police. The investigation into the incident continues.

 

Albion Police are warning about another phone scam making the rounds throughout our region. This scam involves someone pretending to be a police officer calling people to say that there is a warrant out for their arrest or that they have pending criminal charges against them. During the phone call the scammer will usually ask the victim for money or some type of monetary gift card and even where they can purchase the cards to avoid being arrested. Scammers can be quite convincing: They’ll provide you with a badge number, names of law enforcement officials, judges and courthouse addresses. They’ll also spoof the phone number so it appears on caller ID as if it is coming from a government agency or the court. Law enforcement will never call asking for personal information, banking information or gift cards over the phone. If you get one of these calls, hang up and call the police immediately to report it.

 

The suspect accused of trying to stab a staff member at St. John Fisher University late last week is now facing new charges in Brighton. Shalom Mathews is accused of sending unwanted, harassing, and sexually explicit messages to multiple victims. According to police, he had been harassing a couple of woman over the course of a few years. An investigation followed after the victims reported the messages. Mathews was arrested and charged with two felonies after allegedly trying to stab a staff member at St. John Fisher University; after posting bail, Brighton Police arrested him again, this time, for stalking. Mathews now faces stalking charges in addition to the separate felony charges stemming from the incident at St. John Fisher. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in Brighton Town Court on March 11th.

 

According to Triple A this morning, the national average cost for a gallon of regular fuel is now $3.36. The state average, usually a little higher, is now a little bit lower at $3.32. In Batavia, the average price calculates out to $3.25 per gallon, that’s up a penny from yesterday; two cents from a week ago, but down a dime from a year ago today. By the way, this recent slight increase appears to have resulted from higher crude oil prices.

 

The two-game winning streak of the Buffalo Sabres is no more after the team suffers a defeat at home. JJ Peterka and Eric Robinson each had a goal for Buffalo as their squad fell to the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 at KeyBank Center last night. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was only able to stop 30 of the 33 shots that he faced in the contest. The next game for Buffalo is in Toronto on Wednesday night against the Maple Leafs. Face-off is at 7:00.

 

ELSEWHERE…

Governor Hochul is touting New York State’s thriving maple industry. She’s encouraging New Yorkers to support their local maple producers during this Maple Month. There are upcoming Maple Weekends events and activities March 16th – 17th and March 23rd – 24th when maple farms across the state welcome the public with a chance to taste pure maple syrup from the source and experience the unique family tradition of maple syrup making. New York continues to rank second in the nation in maple production and is also home to the largest resource of tappable maple trees in the US.

 

Alcohol-related deaths surged during the pandemic. That’s according to numbers from the CDC, which found that there were over 480 deaths per day from excessive drinking in the U.S. during the height of the pandemic. Officials say social isolation, stress, and delays in getting medical care could have been a factor. Alcohol carryout and home deliveries were also more available, officials added. The CDC says the spike in deaths could give states a reason to make alcohol less accessible.

 

 

Monarch butterflies are dwindling in numbers. The World Wildlife Fund led an annual survey of the species and tallied the second-lowest number of monarchs on record. According to this year’s estimate, the eastern monarch butterfly colonies took up two-point-two acres of regional forests, which is over 50% less than during the 2022 to 2023 winter season. Officials say monarch butterflies have a key role in sustaining plant ecosystems, but their habitat is depleting from heat and drought that has been brought on by climate change.

 

March 4, 1966, John Lennon’s controversial comment about the Beatles being, quote, “more popular than Jesus right now” was published in London’s “Evening Standard” newspaper.

 

 

 

March 4, 2015, Daryl Hall and John Oates sued cereal maker Early Bird Foods & Co. over the company’s use of the name Haulin’ Oates for their maple syrup granola bars.