Morning News Brief

An amber alert for a 4 year old boy and his mother who were abducted on Fulton Ave in Rochester on Saturday morning around 1:30 has been canceled after they were recovered by Rochester Police on Reynolds Street.  They had been abducted by force by 24 year old Daniel Ponder.  Ponder was taken into custody by US Marshals after a short foot chase.  Ponder is charged with 2nd degree kidnapping, 1st degree burglary, 2nd degree assault, 2nd and 3rd degree criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd degree reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child.  Police were originally alerted to the abduction because of reports of shots fired where a man was chased out of a home while being fired at.  Police then found the home empty with the mother and child missing.

Roughly 39,000 people in Western New York were without power from Saturday night into Sunday because of the high winds.  By Sunday night National Grid power crews had restored electricity to 94 percent of customers.  The windstorm had gusts up to 70 miles per hour in some areas.  In preparation for the storm, the company increased weekend staffing and work shifts, and pre-positioned crews and materials in areas anticipated to be hardest hit by incoming weather.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Girl Scouts, partnered with LeChase Construction, to teach the girls about Careers in Construction on Saturday.  Scouts from Kindergarten to the fifth grade were invited to tour the Strong Museum’s new expansion project and learn more about women in construction jobs.  Nearly 60 girls earned a Construction Fun Badge through interactive presentations and hands-on activities throughout the museum.

The American Legion Auxiliary Unit #576 of Le Roy has selected a local High School Junior girl to attend this year’s Empire Girls State the week of July 3rd at SUNY Brockport.  Victoria Rogoyski of Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School has been selected to attend. As part of the premier ALA program, citizens of the New York Girls State will study local, county, and state government processes during this five-day nonpartisan political learning experience.  Victoria was selected to attend Girls State based on selection criteria through the Auxiliary unit and/or high school, which includes being in the top 1/3 of her class, along with consideration given to scholastic achievements, leadership, character, honesty and physical fitness.

Families in the Batavia area are invited to attend the annual Kiwanis Club of Batavia Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8 at 9 AM sharp.  The event will take place at Centennial Park with three age categories: birth-3, 4-7 and 8-10.  Along with the thousands of eggs hiding in the park, there will be nine golden eggs.  The nine lucky children who discover the golden eggs will be able to exchange them for a chocolate bunny from Oliver’s Candies.  There will also be one golden egg hidden each day in Centennial Park beginning on Saturday, April 1 through Thursday, April 6 to be found by kids 12 and under.  The winning golden eggs must be turned in at the Easter Egg Hunt on April 8th to receive an Oliver’s Candies chocolate bunny.

The Buffalo Sabres pulled out another surprise victory on Sunday afternoon less than 24 hours after beating the New Jersey Devils.  They won against the New York Islanders in a 2 to 0 shutout.  Eric Comrie was a brick wall stopping all 26 shots on goal.  Kyle Okposo and Jeff Skinner scored for the Sabres.  They’ll be back tonight to play the Montreal Canadiens at 7 at the Keybank Center.