Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on June 13, 2023
The Batavia Police Department is seeking public assistance in locating a 16-year-old girl. Erica Gibbs was last seen on 06/08/2023 at approximately 7:30 AM in Batavia. She was last seen wearing a black Nike Hoodie, a red hoodie, and black sweatpants. Erica is about 5’05” and 115 lbs with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350 or the NYS Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-346-3543
1 person is dead and many were injured after a boat capsized on the Erie Canal in Lockport. The boat wasn’t on the canal proper but was in the underground tunnel that is part of the cavern system used to transport water for the old industries in Lockport, now part of the Lockport Cave and Underground Tour. The flat bottom boat which travels a few hundred yards up and back slowly in the tight cave lit by small electric lights went over Monday with 28 passengers and 1 staff member. A 60 year old man was trapped under the boat and drowned while many people clambered onto the bottom which was now out of the water. The Lockport Fire Department said it took over an hour to get everyone out of the water after the incident.
Leaders in Rochester and Western Regional Off Track Betting Corporation responded to news of Seneca Nation planning a casino for Downtown in the City of Rochester. Mayor Malik Evans said it’s unacceptable that neither city leadership nor local state lawmakers have been involved in any conversations with the Seneca Nation about the possibility of a casino license being granted in Rochester. Bob Duffy, president and CEO of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, expressed his disbelief that a new gaming compact would permit the establishment of a casino in the city without the involvement and consent of local officials. Henry Wojtaszek, President of WROTB, said in a press release that the casino idea was a non-starter, the area around Rochester is already saturated with casinos, and that a new casino in Rochester would cost counties money and jobs.
There was a power outage ranging from Batavia to Byron on Monday after a wire came down on Bank Street Rd around 7:30 in the evening. At 8319 Bank Street Rd someone called in that there was an electrical wire sparking in a tree. National Grid reported 2,471 customers without power in an area that stretched from East Main Street and Clinton Street in the City of Batavia up to Starowitz Road near Edgerton Road in Byron. By 9:30 power was restored for nearly all customers with crews still at work to bring it back for the last couple hundred.
The Genesee Country Village and Museum is inviting father’s out to the ballgame, 1868 style. Dad’s are invited to a double header baseball game at Silver Baseball Park on Father’s Day June 18th. Come watch how players played the sport before modern rules and equipment such as gloves were introduced. The games start at 11AM with doors opening at 10. Dads get in free. When you aren’t watching the game you can check out the historical exhibits, go to the pub or restaurants, or visit with the people of the village as they go about their day in the 1800s.
Ed Oliver has been signed for another 4 years for the Buffalo Bills. The defensive tackle reportedly agreed to an extension with the Bills worth $68 million, including $45 million guaranteed. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. Oliver was a first-round pick out of Houston in 2019, and is the only player in the NFL to record both a safety and a forced fumble in a single game last season.
