Morning News Brief

What is the leading cause of death for people 18-45.  Guns? Car accidents? COVID?  None of the above.  Fentanyl kills more people every year than the rest.  58 people have died in Genesee county from overdosing on fentanyl since 2018 with 10 more still under investigation.  There is something people can do about it.  While it is very difficult to stop the drug, the public can combat overdose deaths by learning how to use and administer Naloxone, an anti-overdose drug.  If someone is unresponsive and you think they are overdosing, giving them naloxone can save their life.  To learn more, visit healtogetherny.gov/genesee or the gowopiodtaskforce.org. 

A homeless woman has been arrested for entering the Genesee county Jail with the intent to sell drugs.  40 year old Beth Ann Jeffres of Batavia is accused of going into the Genesee County Jail with narcotics on her person hoping to sell them to the inmates.  She is charged with criminal possession of a narcotic drug, 2 counts of criminal possession with intent to sell, promoting prison contraband in the first degree, and criminal possession of a controlled substance.  She is being held on bail till her court date of December 15th. 

The New York State Thruway Board of directors is meeting next month to discuss the toll prices and here is what they are going to vote on.   The difference between EZPass and toll by mail is going to increase to 75 percent, meaning that ezpass customers will pay 75 percent less than those who don’t have it.  The price across the board on tolls will go up by 5 percent.  Commuters who get the discount will keep seeing a 60 percent discount on their tolls.  The 2 dollar administrative fee for non ezpass drivers and anyone who gets their tolls processed by license plate image will stay in place.  Any changes go into effect January of 2024.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center claiming years of fraud and resident neglect.  This comes after gathering enough evidence of the alleged horrific neglect several loved ones have faced.  James says the owners of the nursing homes misused more than $18 million in government funds.  The Nursing home is also facing a lawsuit from families of those who died during the COVID outbreak of 2020 who allege that the facility did not take precautions to prevent the deaths and also neglected people who were in their care.  

Batavia High School is putting on the Trial of Robin Hood play Friday through Sunday this weekend.  25 students and a crew of six are putting on the play for Director Caryn Leigh Wood’s 20th season at the High School.  The self referential comedy has Robin Hood defending his actions of robbing from the rich to feed the poor in a trial.  And the twist is, the play can finish in 3 different ways and the audience gets to decide the ending.  Come see the hero, Maid Marian, the sheriff of Nottingham and others Friday and Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday at 2.

One of the most popular basketball teams on the planet is going to be taking the court in Western New York next year. The Harlem Globetrotters are going to be playing against the Washington Generals at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Friday, February 3rd. Since being founded in 1926, the Globetrotters have played in over 120 countries and been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Tickets are available at the box office and through Ticketmaster.