Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on May 31, 2022
RG and E and NYSEG customers could see a hike in their bills if the Public Service Commission approves it. Both organizations said an increase of 10 to 18 dollars per billing cycle is needed to cover the cost of replacing aging infrastructure to prevent outages, and to make the transition to clean energy. Another issue customers have been dealing with is extremely high bills, sometimes 5 to 10 times higher than normal, which RG and E says are because they don’t have enough meter readers and have been estimating people’s bill and then sending one big one with the missing kilowatts charged once they get a read. Most customers say that the bills are fantastically over anything that may have been missed. RG&E and NYSEG are asking the public service commission to approve a proposal to increase rates by 13 to 22 percent starting in May of 2023.
10 new bills have come up for approval in the NY State Assembly and Senate that have to do with guns and stopping shooters before they can hurt others. Among the bills is one requiring a person to have a license to purchase a semi automatic rifle. Another restricts body armor to law enforcement professionals. On the side of stopping shooters who have mental health issues a bill that would allow health care practitioners to file Extreme Risk Protection Orders if they examine someone and think they could be a risk to themselves or others. This would also restrict that person from purchasing a firearm or getting a license. Social media also made it into the bills with one creating a task force to study how social media could lead to shootings and another making social media platforms create and maintain clear rules about hateful conduct or threats. Threats would become a criminal offense under the proposed bill.
Anyone driving in Buffalo has probably heard them long before they saw them. Dirt Bikes and ATVs driving down city roads late at night, blowing through red lights and swerving around traffic. Buffalo Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski says they have become “brazen and inconsiderate of residents in the
City of Buffalo.” Riders use social media to form massive groups to meet up. The Buffalo Police Department has a safety policy not to chase ATVs or dirt bikes because chases can be dangerous for civilians caught in the middle between fleeing riders and police. Police are able to seize bikes and atvs if they find them sitting still though. Common Council Members said the key to ending the illegal use of dirt bikes and ATVs is community members coming forward with information. They said community members can report on illegal dirt bike or ATV activity using the police non-emergency number or by calling 311. In Rochester a task force has taken 12 ATVs, 21 Dirt Bikes, 4 mini bikes and 1 golf cart off the road.
Batavia Downs donates concert tickets to veterans. The Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel donated 3300 tickets to the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency. Ricky Palermo, president and CEO of the Palermo Foundation, works with many veterans agencies. The concert tickets are good for the 11 concerts in the Rockin The Downs series starting on June 17th and the June 10th Bruce in the USA charity concert.
The Buffalo Sabres have signed another 2021 NHL Draft pick, inking forward Isak Rosen to a three-year entry-level contract on Tuesday. Rosen, the 14th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, comes to the Sabres from Sweden in which he played for Leksands’ senior team during the 2021-22 season. In 28 games with the team, he recorded two goals and two assists. Rosen played in the World championships in 2021 and is in the Junior World Championship this year.
