Morning News Briefing

Stand off on the thruway with a possibly suicidal suspect ends without injury.
A dangerous police pursuit that shut down the Thruway in Batavia for nearly five hours ended with the arrest of an emotionally disturbed Amherst man.
Shortly after one yesterday afternoon State Police were called to the I-90 in Stafford for a BOLO or (be on lookout) alert for an emotionally disturbed person that was possibly operating an SUV in the area.
Police located and attempted to stop the vehicle however the male occupant refused to pull over.
The suspect crossed over the median avoiding roadblocks that were put in place at the interchanges in LeRoy and Batavia.
The male subject surrendered peacefully after lengthy negotiations, and was taken into custody.
He was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for evaluation with no injuries reported.
The Thruway was shut down between LeRoy and Pembroke causing massive traffic jams on Routes 55 and 33 in and around Batavia.
The Thruway was reopened around 6 p.m.

Council approves hiring recommended search firm from Cincinnati.
During their Special Business Meeting last night, council voted unanimously in favor of hiring the Novak Consulting Group to conduct the search for a new city manager.
The city’s search committee tasked with filling the vacant position recommended the Cincinnati based firm because they had more experience recruiting in New York than other service.
It’s estimated to cost around $26,200 to conduct the search, an expenditure that is offset because there is no salary currently being paid to a city manager or an assistant.
One guarantee provided with the Novak deal is that the company would conduct a new search for free should the new hire leave the position within two years.

Mayors from across Western New York are standing behind Governor Cuomo on his campaign to change tax law.
Cuomo wants to sue the federal government for eliminating the ability to fully deduct state and local taxes.
The mayors of Rochester, East Rochester, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Honeoye Falls and Warsaw are all onboard.
Cuomo says he’s proud to have mayors from across the state working with him on this.

It isn’t known if a woman accused of making a terroristic threat against a Rochester school will be deported.
Rochester police arrested 21-year-old Abigail Hernandez on Friday for allegedly threatening East High School, where she had been a student.
WROC reports her dad says she’s special-needs and isn’t capable of making this type of threat considering she isn’t capable of finding her own way to school.
Hernandez doesn’t have legal status in the U.S. and is in federal custody waiting for an immigration judge to decide if she stays.

The Buffalo Bills are picking up a veteran cornerback.
Last night, they announced they signed Vontae Davis, who most recently played for the Indianapolis Colts.
Davis and the Bills have agreed to a one-year contract.
“The Buffalo News” reports this could mean cornerback E.J. Gaines would go on the market as a free agent next month.