Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on July 19, 2023
Kids damage police cars in Rochester. While police were responding to a call at School no 2 in Rochester a group of teens and tweens began attacking the police cars. It started when an 11 year old ran up to a police cruiser and kicked it. While police apprehended the child a group of teens began jumping on several police cars and attacking the lights and mirrors and smashing windows. Two teenage boys, ages 14 and 16, were taken into custody and transported to the Monroe County Children’s Detention Center. The 11-year-old was issued an appearance ticket for family court.
Residents in Henrietta were given a shelter in place order while deputies responded to a person having a mental health crisis in the area of Calkins Rd and South Farnsworth Rd around 9:45 Tuesday night. Deputies say they were able to make contact with the person inside the home, who peacefully came outside, and was taken to the hospital to get help. The shelter-in-place has since been lifted. While deputies were on scene, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says a passing vehicle struck a patrol car. No one was injured and deputies say there was no criminal activity involved.
25 year old Tyshon Taylor of Batavia has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he attacked a man with a knife on Jackson Street in October. His lawyers defense centered on Taylor’s mental health struggles and how healthcare providers had failed him by not demanding he be involuntarily committed due to his threats of violence against himself or others. Frederick Rarick argued that the system had failed Taylor. Taylor had an obsession with killing someone or himself according to his defense. He had recently left treatment at U of R emergency when he decided to walk through Batavia looking for someone to kill. The victim of the stabbing now lives in fear of walking outside and has been unable to return to work full time because of his injuries. Taylor was in court on Tuesday to be sentenced on his conviction on a charge of attempted murder, a Class B violent felony. He entered a guilty plea on March 28. Judge Melissa Cianfrini sentenced him to 20 years in prison with 20 years of parole.
The Interpretive Center at Genesee County Park and Forest needs a new roof after the wildlife decided to eat the old one. The bees and woodpeckers took a liking to the roof of the building and drilled holes through the cedar lap siding. The price tag on fixing it is around 250 thousand dollars. The cedar siding would be replaced with a fiber cement siding. And the bees and birds should leave it alone since it’s almost like concrete, similar to what’s used at the airport terminal.
The Batavia Business Improvement District has canceled the Italian Festival that was scheduled for July 29th. The festival was scheduled to coincide with a classic car cruise but it was decided, according to BID director Shannon Maute, that the BID would focus on other things. August 26 there will be a boxcar derby on Ellicott Ave and the annual wine walk will take place in October.
The first official licensed cannabis dispensary has opened in western NY. Dank 716 opened at 4:20 pm on Main Street in Downtown Buffalo. Batavia’s Chris Vandusen, CEO of Empire Hemp, was on hand to talk up their products which will be sold there. Dank 716 is the first of shops owned by those who were arrested and did time in prison for marijuana charges. Aaron Vancamp was arrested for dealing marijuana in 2010 and released in 2017. The Cannabis Control Board is slowly allowing pot shops owned by formerly incarcerated individuals to open first as a reparation to those prosecuted for marijuana related offenses.
