Morning News Brief

Ever see a trailer angled down on the road and wanted to jump it like one of the Duke Boys?  Well it turns out it’s not such a good idea.  At around 3pm Tuesday afternoon Stafford fire responded to a report of a car over a trailer at 6204 Main Road.  Multiple witnesses gave stories about exactly what happened when a large truck was eastbound on Main rd and made a wide turn which somehow forced a red sedan to go to the right onto the shoulder.  A Wyatt Van Buren Tree Service crew was working there with a flatbed trailer angled down to the road and the sedan went right up the trailer and onto the pickup truck.  There were several workers on the trailer at the time and they leapt off.  One suffered a broken leg and another a broken arm.  The whole crew was transported to Strong Memorial by Mercy Ambulance.  No other injuries were reported.  

As the City Council was meeting on Monday to discuss the farm animal law in the city a vandal was apparently suffering from having too much nail polish on hand.  They poured it on a vehicle that was outside the City Hall.  Acetone in nail polish contains chemicals that eat away at a car’s paint.  It takes about an hour to damage a car.  No word yet on the amount of damage suffered or who the car belonged to.  Batavia Police are investigating. 

The Batavia City School District has received 1.4 million dollars from the New York State office of Mental Health to assist with mental health issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The amount of learning loss suffered by students during the COVID lockdowns and because of anxiety and other mental health issues caused by COVID and the government response are still being studied.  Rates of suicide and mental health issues have markedly increased.  This grant will go to helping deal with these issues.  Batavia City Schools are reviewing their options and will make an announcement at a later date.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed an ethics complaint Tuesday against state Attorney General Letitia James, reiterating his oft-repeated concerns about a sexual harassment investigation that led to his resignation last year.  Cuomo questioned the accuracy and credibility of the investigation’s findings, alleging James, a fellow Democrat, used the probe to tarnish him and further her own political interests.  James, who briefly ran for governor after Cuomo resigned, “had her own politically motivated and self-interest driven agenda,” Cuomo said. James’ office declined comment

The New York State thruway Authority is reporting over 64 million dollars in unpaid tolls from between 2018 and 2021 and they are coming to collect.  The authority says drivers who owe toll money will receive 4 notices and then their registration will be suspended.  Enforcement has been paused since 2018 because of confusion over how to pay because of the tolls going cashless and then the COVID pandemic set collection back further.  Over the past few years the Thruway Authority has taken some steps to clear up some of the confusion such as, installing new signage, simplifying billing statements, offering an amnesty program to help customers get back into the black and enhancing technology and increased staffing at call centers.

Former New York State supreme Court Justice John Michalek was sentenced on Tuesday for taking bribes and offering a false instrument.   He was sentenced to pay 5000 dollars and spend 16 months in prison.  Michalek was originally sentenced in July, along with his co-conspirator former Erie County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon, but was allowed to walk free from court when the judge stayed the sentencing until September 9 following an oral motion made by his counsel.  Pigeon is facing a possible 25 years behind bars for allegedly raping a child and another 16 months for bribery and organizing illegal campaign donations to former Governor Cuomo’s 2014 election campaign.

The lowest price you would pay for a Monday Night Football Bill’s ticket for next week is 216 for an upper level seat and you’d be lucky to get that.  Stubhub says the tickets are selling out fast, they were under 500 left Tuesday night when usually there would be 1500 to 2000 tickets still available.  The Bills will be playing the Tennessee Titans.