Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on May 8, 2023
The man who is accused of firing a shotgun at 2 people on August 12th of last year will be in court today. Jeremy Ives was indicted in September on two counts of attempted assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, criminal use of a firearm in the first degree, two counts of criminal use of a firearm in the second degree, and menacing in the second degree. Ives is accused of attempting to cause serious physical injury to a person using a shotgun in the City of Batavia on Aug. 12. He is accused of abducting another person on that same day. If convicted at trial, Ives faces a sentence of nine to 25 years in prison.
A LeRoy man who fired a gun at police during a foot chase on Rt 33 in September of 2021 is going to prison for 10 years. 45 year old Arthur Brown pleaded guilty to charges of 2nd degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd degree attempted criminal possession of a narcotic drug with intent to sell, and violating sex offender registration act. He also had 4 drug task force investigations pending against him which were satisfied by the 10 year sentence. Judge Melissa Cianfrini cited Brown’s extensive history of convictions from when he was a juvenile to just before this most recent arrest and said he had spent more time in prison than free in his life. She gave him the longest sentence for the crimes saying she hoped he would spend the time thinking and changing his life.
A new apartment complex had been proposed to be built right next to GCC by a Grand Island developer. The new complex would have 80 apartments and be right next to the Medtech center and would comprise 6 buildings with 12 apartments each. 42 2 bedroom, 14 1 bedroom and 36 garages would be built for 12 million dollars. The project is up for review on Thursday by GCEDC.
The New York State Thruway Authority is holding a public hearing in Western New York today to get feedback on proposed toll hikes. The meeting is set to run from four p-m until seven p-m at the Buffalo division headquarters on Cayuga Road in Cheektowaga. If approved, E-ZPass holders would see a five-percent toll increase next year followed by another five-percent hike in 2027. People who can’t make the hearing can attend a virtual one that’s happening on June 5th.
A Rochester man is attempting to hike the entire Appalachian trail to raise awareness of drug addiction and people who have lost loved ones to addiction. Vinny Raia lost his son to a fentanyl overdose in 2018. To help himself grieve and heal, he began hiking. Raia says that started hiking because he thought it would help him reconnect with his son, and it inspired him to keep going. Now, he is on a mission to complete a thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. The trail is about 2,190 miles long and goes from Georgia to Maine.
Batavia drivers are saving a little bit of money at the pump these days according to AAA thanks to a drop in prices. The average cost for a gallon of regular fuel is now 3.64. That is down by a penny in the past week but is still 14 cents more than this time last month. The state average is sitting at 3.68 a gallon and nationally it is 3.54.
