Morning News Brief
Written by Michael Baldwin on July 5, 2021
Batavia police have charged a man with two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and strangulation. 48-year-old Jason Armstrong was taken into custody following an incident on Hutchins Place. According to police, Armstrong forcibly raped someone in front of their children. He was arraigned and remanded to jail without bail.
Batavia police report the arrest of 46-year-old Melton Chisom. He was charged with felony second-degree assault, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd Degree, and Menacing 2nd Degree. Police allege that Chisom engaged in a physical altercation with another person and held a knife to the victim’s face causing injury which required stitches. He was arraigned in city court and remanded to jail without bail. Further court action is scheduled for July 21st.
A recent state audit raised some concerns with the Town of Albion. According to the audit summary, the board generally developed realistic budgets. However, the budgets were not structurally balanced. The board used fund balance to finance operations. This resulted in the four main operating funds’ combined unrestricted fund balance to decline 65% as of Dec. 31, 2020. The reports says if the board continues to use fund balance at the current levels, it could deplete fund balance in the general town-wide fund by the end of 2024. The board also did not adopt a written multiyear financial plan and written fund balance policy, which limits transparency.
New York officials say two more have died from COVID-19, the fewest since last September. New York’s seven-day average positivity rate is 0.51%. 340 people spent the July 4th holiday in a hospital…79 were in the ICU. Nearly 70% of all New Yorkers 18 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. 64% have completed the series.
A truck loaded with fireworks exploded over the weekend in Pembroke. It happened on South Lake Road. The driver was able to safely escape moments before the truck was consumed. Flames soared into the sky. No word on what caused the fire.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Saturday that Tyson Foods Inc is recalling nearly 8.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products due to possible Listeria contamination. The frozen, fully cooked chicken products were produced between December 26, 2020, and April 13, 2021. An investigation revealed three listeriosis illnesses, including one death.
Batavia police say 32-year-old Christopher Wiegman surrendered to authorities on two arrest warrants charging five counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance stemming from a traffic stop in April. He was arraigned and remanded to the Genesee County Jail without bail pending his next court appearance on August 5th.
