Morning News Briefing
Written by WBTA STAFF on October 30, 2019
Batavia’s Police Chief Sean Heubusch reported to City Council on the status of the recently acquired military grade MRAP vehicle reaffirming that the vehicle will be used exclusively as a rescue vehicle.
Heubusch said there are no firearms attached to it, the department is not going to patrol with it and assured it is not considered an assault vehicle.
The bomb resistant vehicle was obtained by the City on October 11th through a federal program and has cost relatively little to procure.
It cost $1,600 to transport the vehicle from Maryland and $900 was spent to replace a couple batteries which is already thousands under the $7,000 that was budgeted for its transportation.
The Chief also said a lighting package is being donated by a Buffalo business and that the vehicle will get a fresh paint job to remove the “military look” with lettering indicating that it is for rescue operations.
All costs of retrofitting the MRAP are being split equally between the City and Genesee County Sheriff’s Department.
Joint investigation leads to lock up for a Wyoming County man.
41 year old Dustin Ellwood of Genesee Falls, in Wyoming County was taken into custody by members of the State Police Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team, Troopers out of Warsaw and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office last Friday.
Ellwood was wanted on an arrest warrant for a violation of probation in Wyoming County and during his arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of a 9mm assault rifle, crystal meth and other drug paraphernalia.
He was hit with counts of Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance, Criminal use of Drug Paraphernalia, Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Felony Violation of Probation.
Ellwood was arraigned in Genesee Falls Town Court and remanded to Wyoming County Jail.
Howling high winds expected on Halloween evening.
The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Watch for Niagara, Orleans, Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, and Chautauqua counties beginning Thursday evening.
Winds are expected to pick up on Halloween night and last into Friday morning with gusts strong enough to knock down trees or create power outages.
New Yorkers with Autism Spectrum Disorder could get a special driver’s license.
A bill, introduced by Assemblymember Nader Sayegh, would help law enforcement and first-responders know if a person has autism so they can react appropriately.
It was recently introduced in the Committee on Transportation and would take effect immediately if passed.
New York lawmakers are exploring the idea of banning youth tackle football.
There was testimony from both sides of the debate yesterday.
CEO of USA Football Scott Hallenbeck said the sport is safe, while some doctors said it can cause brain damage.
There is currently no Senate version of the bill, and it sits in the Assembly Health Committee.
The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing and testing fire hydrants today through Friday, November 1st from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area of North of Main, West of Bank and South of Main, East of Jackson Street.
As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored due to the flushing and testing operations but instead run cold water for about 5 minutes or until clear
