Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on October 4, 2023
A man convicted of producing child pornography received his sentence. 48 year old Israel Rivera-Reyes of Rochester will serve 24 1/3 years in prison, according to prosecutors. It was determined Rivera-Reyes had sexual intercourse with a minor victim on a near-daily basis between August 2021 and February 2022, making several videos of himself having sex with the victim. Prosecutors said Rivera-Reyes was on parole at the time for a 1995 murder conviction.
Rochester Police are investigating a shooting on Shetler Street Tuesday night. At 6:13 p.m., officers responded to a report of a male shot in a vehicle. When officers arrived on scene they located a man in his 40’s who was shot at least once in the upper body. Police said the man was rushed to Strong Hospital with life-threatening injuries. There’s no word yet if any suspects are in custody. Shelter and Schwartz streets were closed for some time while police investigated.
GO Health is holding a Vaping Summit in Orleans County on October 17th. This is an informational meeting for parents and community members to hear from a panel of experts on the controversial subject. GOHealth Director Paul Pettit says that “Vaping is a serious public health issue facing the youth in our community. We look forward to providing community members with information on vaping as well as an opportunity for attendees to ask questions of experts in the field.” The event will be held at the Albion Middle School Auditorium from 6 to 7:30pm.
After being at the job for nearly 3 years, collecting millions of dollars in salaries, and having tumultuous infighting, firings, resignations and producing no reports, advice or responding to oversight, Rochester’s Police Accountability Board released its inaugural report Monday, giving the public a closer look at the group’s progress and activities between June 2022 and June 2023. The PAB said it received 275 reports from community members alleging police misconduct during that period, and 150 of them were placed under investigation. The board said 72 of the cases were closed because they were non-investigable, and four of them were closed by panel review. It’s important to note that the PAB still has no disciplinary powers per a court ruling.
The Jerome Foundation is seeking nominations for the Health and Humanitarian Award of Genesee County. This will be the 38th year the award has been presented. The first award was presented to Dr. Sydney McLouth. Award winners for the past four decades have included healthcare workers, builders, teachers, and many community volunteers. The award recognizes outstanding men and women whose volunteer efforts have improved the physical, emotional or spiritual well-being of the greater Genesee County area. Nomination forms are available online at www.thejeromefoundation.org or by calling 585-356-3419.
Richmond Memorial Library is having an eclipse watching party on Saturday, October 14th to watch the partial Annular Eclipse. The moon will be obscuring all but the outer ring of the sun. The eclipse party goes from 11am to 2pm. The library’s Sun Spotter telescope will be available for viewing. The event will also include lawn games and Genny the Cow from the Chamber of Commerce will be on hand for pictures. Each registered participant will receive a free pair of eclipse glasses. GeneSEEtheEclipse commemorative ISO certified-safe eclipse glasses will be given to each participant. When you look up, do NOT remove eye protection at any point. The moon will partially cover the sun. Looking directly at the sun can cause serious damage to your eyesight or blindness.
