Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on January 25, 2023
A winter weather advisory has been issued for Wednesday for Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties, starting at 7 a.m. and lasting until 10 p.m. The National Weather Service anticipates mixed precipitation, changing to mainly light rain by Wednesday evening. Total snow accumulation could be 2 to 4 inches. Wind gusts of 30 mph expected. Travelers are advised of potentially slippery road conditions.
A local pastor is suing the State Attorney General over a civil rights violation. Reverend Paul Doyle, pastor of the Cornerstone Church in Batavia that hosted the ReAwaken America Tour in August, alleges that Letitia James violated his and his church’s civil rights by attempting to intimidate the church into canceling the event. Doyle is joined in the lawsuit by the event organizer, Clay Clark. 2 weeks before the event James sent a letter to the church warning them of the state having to take action against them if there were any racism or violations of New York’s Civil Rights laws or if any violence occurred. The letter details penalties and concerns the AG had over the event and linked it to violence such as the Tops Shooting in May and the Charlottesville Rally in 2017. A spokesperson for James’ office said that the letter was simply to remind them of New York State’s Laws. No violence or civil rights violations were forthcoming at the event or after. Antifa, a group linked to dozens of deaths, hundreds of injuries among civilians and police and billions of dollars in property damages in 2020, also had a rally in Batavia at the same time as the ReAwaken America event, it is unknown if they received a letter as well.
A motorcyclist who was involved in the death of their teenage passenger at the roundabout on Oak Street in Batavia has been indicted for Manslaughter and other crimes. Christopher Scinta is accused of killing Jasmyne Rubel by driving recklessly into the roundabout causing her to fall off the Kawasaki they were both riding and die. He is also accused of reckless driving, criminal mischief, obstructing governmental administration, obstructing emergency medical personnel, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. On November 4th Scinta allegedly drove his motorcycle over the curb of the roundabout at high speed causing Rubel to be thrown off. He then fought the EMTs and tried to prevent them from helping her before mounting his bike and riding away. After being caught by police he attempted to escape and then damaged the window in the police station in another attempt.
It’s not even February yet and the police in Rochester are saying crime has hit a milestone. Over 200 cars have been stolen in the city in just the first 25 days of the year. 147 in the last 2 weeks. Rochester Police Lieutenant Greg Bello says most of the arrests in the car thefts are minors who are being arrested multiple times and then released. He also says that most of the cars stolen are Hyundais or Kias. He says the City is working with town and village police departments who are also experiencing a rise in car thefts to figure out what they can do to stop main suspects from stealing more cars in the future.
The Batavia Save-A-Lot recently conducted a holiday food drive in support of local Catholic Charities’ clients needing emergency assistance. Catholic Charities is planning a parish pop-up event at one of the local churches in the near future to distribute the 72 bags of groceries generously donated by Save-A-Lot to help those in need in Genesee County.
The Batavia Police Department has closed out the Movember / Don’t Shave December campaigns for 2022. The department was able to raise $1,560 for Genesee Cancer Assistance. Department members would like to thank the community for their support and donations. The Movember Worldwide Campaign started in 2003 in Australia and has since grown. Movember was created to bring awareness to Men’s Health, specifically, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.
The Buffalo Sabres continue their 4 game road trip with another win, this time against the Blues 5 to 3. This is their 4th win in a row. Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Owen Power and Dylan Cozens all scored 1 goal each for Buffalo. At the net, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves. Buffalo plays against the Winnipeg Jets for the second time in just 2 weeks on Thursday at 8pm. The Jets beat the Sabres 4 to 2 on January 12th.
Fans of Dave Matthews Band now have a date they can circle on their 2023 calendars. The group has announced it’s returning to the Darien Lake Amphitheater on Wednesday, June 14th. The tour will coincide with the band’s new album titled “Walk Around the Moon” which will be its latest studio album release. Tickets for this show go on sale February 17th.
