Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on August 4, 2023
Rochester has three shootings and a hit and run overnight with multiple people injured. In total, five people were shot and one was struck by a vehicle. The first incident happened just before 11 in the area of North Clinton Avenue and Siebert Place. Officers say there were reports of several dozen gunshots, and they arrived within seconds to what they call a “chaotic scene with a large crowd.” They found a 20-year-old man who had been shot at least once in the upper body at that intersection. He’s listed in critical but stable condition. A 37 year old woman and a 26 year old man were also shot at this location and are expected to survive. Also at this location was the 32 year old man who was hit by a car as it sped away from the shooting. He is expected to survive. There was a shooting on Colvin Street around 12:40 with a 28 year old woman going to the hospital with non life threatening injuries and another shooting on Pennsylvania Ave with a 31 year old man shot and taken to the hospital. Police don’t know if these shootings were connected.
Buffalo police are asking for help from the public as their search continues for two missing teenagers. They say 14-year-old Istahil Ahmed was last seen on Franklin Street. She is about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 153 pounds. She was last seen wearing khaki pants, a navy blue long-sleeve shirt and white sneakers. And 13-year-old Sincere Vines was last spotted on Bailey Avenue. He is about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds. He was last seen wearing black pants, a black hoodie and black and tan Adidas sneakers. Officials say there’s no connection between these two cases. They are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the teens to contact them immediately.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday that United Food and Commercial Workers Local One, with more than 19,000 members and their families across Upstate New York, will receive a $764 million pension-fix payout from the American Rescue Plan. Employers like Tops Friendly Markets were victims of a pension system that collapsed after the 2008 economic crash. Without action, after a lifetime of hard work, many could not retire or would have paltry or zero pension benefits remaining, according to Schumer.
Governor Hochul has announced over 100-million-dollars in funding to help out schools across New York State. The money will be used to assist schools with addressing pandemic learning loss and offering additional mental health resources to students. The governor says the COVID-19 crisis had a devastating impact on kids and she believes this money will allow them to get back on a path towards success. Districts have until August 18th to request financial assistance.
In June Bills fans received a new license plate from the DMV and now Giants and Jets fans can get theirs. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has released redesigned New York Jets and New York Giants license plates ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Jets and Giants fans can visit the DMV website to order NFL plates for passenger and commercial vehicles. The plates feature a background of helmets from the chosen team.
A brand-new cannabis cultivation facility is currently under construction in Buffalo. The 68-thousand-square-foot building will be located in the Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park. It’s going to feature manufacturing space, offices, and also 13 indoor grow-rooms. Officials say they are excited about how this facility is going to help expand the cannabis industry in the city. The hope is construction will be done sometime early next year.
