Morning News Brief

A woman who participated in a brazen daylight kidnapping is now awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to charges.  27 year old Shuntiayana Sims pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assault charges in connection to a prostitution-related kidnapping at the Microtel on Lehigh Station Road in Henrietta on July 5.  Surveillance video reportedly shows Sims pulling the victim away from the front desk by her hair, punching her and dragging her toward a door before a man picked her up, carried her outside, threw her in a car and sped off.  Deputies believe the man involved was 27 year old Cordell Brooks. He pleaded not guilty to charges back in July, and is expected to go on trial Jan. 22 of next year.

UConnectCare was looking to get some money to help purchase the Attican Motel on Rt 98.  They approached the Genesee County Legislature Ways and Means Committee and asked for 100,000 dollars to go along with their own resources to buy the building to use it for drug addiction transitional housing.  The Committee said no.  Of concern to them was that the motel property is near several residences with small children, the mayor of Attica, Nathan Montford says his village doesn’t have the resources to take care of the people who would be using it, and that UConnectCare was planning on paying 3 times the value of the building.  They were prepared to pay 800,000 dollars when the motel is assessed at less than 300,000.  UConnectCare CEO John Bennett said that without the money from the county he would not pursue buying the building.  

There is good news for everyone who needs to heat their home in the winter. Which is nearly everyone.  National Fuel recently released its winter heating forecast and it anticipates a 30% decrease in home heating bills this winter compared to last winter.  According to National Fuel, the average residential customer is projected to pay $572, or $114 a month, to heat their home from November through March. Last winter total heating bills were an average of $816 or $163 per month.  National Fuel said natural gas prices have declined significantly since last winter and nearly half of the natural gas that customers will use this winter has already been purchased and placed into storage.  If you need help paying for heating gas you can contact National Fuel at (1-800) 365-3534. There are several programs available to help with the bill.

A man who died in prison after being convicted of ax murdering his wife in 1982 has had his sentence vacated by the NY Supreme Court but was not declared innocent, much to the chagrin of his family.  James Krauseneck was appealing the conviction for murder at the time of his death. According to state law the conviction would be dismissed but Krauseneck’s family wanted him exonerated.  This vacating takes the chance for them to have him found innocent or not guilty away. His late wife’s family was against having his appeal continued after his death. Maintaining that he had murdered his wife. 

3 GCC students were arrested for beating up another student on Sunday September 24th.  19 year old Dianatha Danish Diarha Quandt, 22 year old Idya Denira Ford, and 18 year old Evenshardeny Sealiah Domacasse are accused of hitting and kicking another girl just outside her dorm room.  Quandt accused the victim of texting her aunt on facebook and asked her to come out of the room before the three attacked her.  The victim reported sustaining a head injury and bruised ribs.  Quandt, Domacasse, and Ford were arrested the following day.  All three were arraigned and ordered held on bail.  The three suspects were all charged with assault in the second degree.  

The largest expansion of New York State’s legal cannabis market launched this week.  Gov. Kathy Hochul announced hundreds of cannabis licenses will be available to people and businesses interested in growing and selling legal marijuana. The application period started this Tuesday, and will remain open for two months.  Hochul also highlighted a recent crackdown on illegal sales. She said more than 8,500 pounds of illegal product, which is roughly $42 million in street value, has been seized. The expansion announcement comes after months of setbacks for the state’s cannabis industry, as the retail marijuana licensing program was continuously blocked in court.