Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on March 12, 2023
Main Street Armory has issued a statement for the first time since the deadly stampede at a concert 2 Sundays ago. The Armory’s attorneys put out a press release saying that the Armory had followed every code, regulation, and law. They also said that the city took action to not renew the Armories license after scheduling a meeting when Scott Donaldson, the owner of the armory, was unable to appear because of another legal matter and then put out their own press release saying he had simply failed to appear. They said that the Armory would continue to cooperate fully with the investigation into the stampede.
University At Buffalo has fired their men’s basketball coach, Jim Whitesell, after losing his first season after 4 years on the job. Whitesell was under contract through the 2024-25 season and is due to receive a $500,000 buyout under terms of his deal for being fired before April 5. The move comes two days after the sixth-seeded Bulls were routed 101-77 by third-seeded Akron in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. It marked the Bulls’ third quarterfinal loss under Whitesell. He finished with a 70-59 record at Buffalo and led the team to one postseason appearance, a 2021 NIT berth, which ended with a first-round loss to Colorado State.
Rochester Police are investigating an alleged attempted robbery on the city’s northwest side on Saturday afternoon. Officers responded to Primrose Street and Flower City Park for the call around 5:15 p.m. Police say an elderly couple was leaving a church parking lot, when three suspects on foot blocked the couple’s car, and began hitting it. A bystander that was leaving the church parking lot observed the incident and intervened. Officers say the three suspects then attempted to rob the helpful individual, before fleeing the scene. No injuries were reported from the incident. Three suspects have been located by police, but no charges have been filed at this time, as the investigation continues.
Gas prices are up by a few cents this week in Batavia. According to AAA the average price for a gallon of regular in Batavia is 3.37 which is up a penny from a week ago and down a dollar from last year at this time. The State average is 3.46 which is up 3 cents from last week. The US average is 3.47
The Buffalo Sabres marked down their 4th straight loss. Despite an overall complete game from start to finish, including solid goaltending from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen the Sabres fell 2-1 to New York. The Sabres lone goal of the evening was scored by Jeff Skinner. His 29th of the season. They’ll head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs Monday. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
The Bills are locking up a key piece of their defense. Buffalo announced it signed linebacker Matt Milano to a two-year extension on Sunday. The deal is reportedly worth 14-million dollars per season. Milano had previously been under contract through 2024, but now will stay with the Bills through the 2026 season. The 28-year-old racked up 99 tackles, one-and-a-half sacks and three interceptions last season. Milano was originally drafted by Buffalo in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
