Morning News Brief
Written by Michael Baldwin on June 18, 2021
The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate a drowning in the Tonawanda Creek at Indian Falls in the Town of Pembroke. It happened shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon when calls to 911 reported a person jumped into the water and did not resurface. Several bystanders jumped into the water in an effort to locate the individual but were unsuccessful. The Water Rescue Team from the City of Batavia Fire Department and the Dive Team from Alden Fire Department eventually located the body. The victim was identified as 18-year-old Jacob Minnick of Lockport. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Genesee County officials continue to ask residents to conserve water, especially on hot dry days. According to county officials, there are two driving factors behind the conservation efforts. The first is that the water infrastructure improvements the County planned to have in place by the summer of 2020 still have not been completed due to complications with the pandemic. Second, and more recently, the water level in the aquifer that feeds the City of Batavia Water Treatment Plant is approaching historic lows. The County stressed it has plenty of water on average days, but without conservation efforts, producing enough water on hot, dry days will be challenging as groundwater levels will continue to drop through the summer.
An Albion man now faces multiple felony counts. State Police arrested 32-year-old Kenneth martin. He was charged burglary and grand larceny following an incident in Ridgeway. He was initially detained. A second suspect was previously arrested on the same felony counts. His bail was set at $50,000.
Batavia’s Juneteenth celebration is tomorrow at Williams Park from 12-7 pm. There will be vendors, food, horses, & more. More information has been posted on the Batavia City School District website.
Watkins Glen International has announced that former IMSA President Scott Atherton will give the command to fire engines for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 27, to kick off the return of the prestigious IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance race following a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Atherton’s nearly 35 years of leadership in motorsports spans the industry. WGI President Michael Printup said “His leadership in motorsports helped this race rise to the level of prominence it currently enjoys and we’re excited to honor that dedication.” Atherton said he is honored to serve as the Grand Marshal.
According to preliminary figures just released by the New York State Department of Labor, the number of private sector jobs in New York increased over the month by 17,500, or 0.2%, to 7.4 million in May. By comparison, the number of private sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 0.4% last month. New York State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 8.2% to 7.8% last month.
From Wyoming County…Beth Russell was honored this week as she retired after 22 years as an Attica Police Department School Crossing Guard. Police Chief Dean Hendershot said Russell performed her duties at the intersection of Exchange and Main Street. He thanks her for her devoted service to the community, the children, and the parents of the Village of Attica.
