Morning News Brief

Nearly 150,000 UAW members across the country including thousands in Western New York are putting their foot down and teaming up to fight for better pay and benefits.  During a live-streamed announcement late Thursday evening, union leaders laid out the details of a strategic strike in which workers at different plants go on strike at different times.  According to previous reports by the Associated Press, the union is demanding a 36% boost in pay over four years, and the automakers, General Motors, Ford and Stellantis — formerly Fiat Chrysler — countered with offers that are roughly half of that increase. Ford and GM have both offered a 20% increase, and GM is offering 10% in the first year. Stellantis’ last known offer was 17.5%, but the company has since made another offer.  In western NY there are 3 plants employing roughly 3500 people in Buffalo, Tonawanda and Lockport.  It’s unclear how long the strike could last, but supply chain experts warn that a strike similar to the one in 2019 that lasted nearly 40 days would have drastically worse consequences, including a 30% decrease in vehicle production.

Two men, 18 year old Keyvin Miller and 26 year old Kirsean Chatfield, have been indicted for murder in connection to a fatal drive-by shooting and another incident that happened later the same day.  21 year old Eric Martin had just dropped off a family member at work May 31 on Dewey Avenue when a passenger in another vehicle fired more than a dozen shots toward him and hit him at least once, according to police. He later died from his injuries.  Nearly an hour later, two vehicles were struck by gunfire as a passenger in a stolen vehicle fired shots toward a group of people standing outside on Parsells Avenue.  Investigators determined the same suspects were responsible for both incidents and had ditched one stolen vehicle for another between the two incidents. Chatfield was arrested once for attacking his girlfriend with a knife in front of officers and then again for firing a gun at a home on Barton Street from a stolen vehicle.  Both times he was released and issued appearance tickets.  Miller was arrested Aug. 17 after police said gunshots were fired into a home on Roycroft Drive.  Both are now being held without bail.

State Police have arrested a Western New York man after accusing him of sexually abusing multiple children. Troopers say they received a complaint about the alleged abuse of kids who were under the age of ten years old. An investigation led to 21-year-old Carry Keyser of Allegany County facing several charges. After being taken into custody, Keyser was sent to the county jail.

Corrections Officers and community members held a remembrance ceremony for the Attica Prison Riot on Wednesday.  It has been 52 years since the deadly riot where prisoners took over parts of the facility and held hostages.  The riot went on for 4 days and ended when state police retook the prison by force.  43 men died including 33 inmates and 10 officers.  Every year, on Sept. 13, there are two ceremonies on prison grounds in remembrance of the riot, which started on Sept. 9 and ended on Sept. 13. The first service focuses on victims and families of victims who died. The second is a state service remembering the riot.

The Buffalo Zoo announced it has welcomed a new red panda named Mogwai from the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado.  The zoo said Mogwai is a year and a half old and was moved to Buffalo based on a recommendation from the Species Survival Plan for Red Pandas from The Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  The zoo’s other male, Scout, will move to the Pueblo Zoo where he will be paired with a female.  According to the Buffalo Zoo, it hopes to bring a female in to be a mate with Mogwai in a year or so based on the SSP recommendation.  The zoo said Mogwai is out in the red panda exhibit and can usually be seen sleeping in the trees or above the glass viewing window.

The Anna Ingalsbe Lovell chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution is pleased to provide Patriotic material in the Genesee County Libraries and in all 6 school districts and the Genesee Region Teacher Center in celebration of Constitution Week September 17-23.  Each bag includes color informative posters, a laminated copy of the Pledge of Allegiance in American Sign language, Braille, and a copy in tri-fold format, DAR membership information, pocket-size copies of the U.S. Constitution, and a packet of bookmarker “Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America”.  The Dar is made up of members who can trace their lineage directly to someone who fought in the American Revolutionary War and they work to make a difference in their community and honor their legacy.