Thursday News Brief

46-year-old John Gronowski of Cheektowaga has been arrested in Batavia. It’s alleged he trespassed by entering Batavia Downs Casino after being advised he was not allowed on the property. Gronowski was released on an appearance ticket for Town Court on October 10.

 

 

65-year-old Larry Delre of Pembroke has been arrested. He’s charged with grand larceny for issuing a bad check. It’s alleged Delre wrote a bad check after purchasing mulch and was given multiple opportunities to pay for it but refused. He was released on an appearance ticket for Batavia Town Court on October 10th.

 

Sheriffs in Orleans County have arrested 41-year-old Kevin McEwen of Kendall. It’s alleged he displayed and discharged two rounds of a firearm at the time an individual arrived at his home to retrieve their property. McEwen faces multiple charges, the most serious of which include criminal possession and criminal use of a weapon. He was held in Orleans County Jail and has an appearance scheduled in Kendall Town Court on October 16th.

 

Negotiations are scheduled to resume today between nurses at Rochester General Hospital and Rochester Regional Health. The two sides have been trying to work out an agreement on a brand-new labor contract for months. Some of the key issues getting in the way of reaching a deal include pay and staffing levels. Nurses decided to go on strike for a few days back in August. There’s no word if they’re planning to walk off the job again if a new contract isn’t in place soon.

 

Governor Hochul has a solution to the migrant crisis, which includes finding them employment. She has directed the New York State Department of Labor to connect employers with asylum-seekers and migrants who are on the path to receiving work authorizations to allow them to get job offers. This comes after White House officials announced that certain asylum seekers who had been staying in the United States on or before July 21, 2023 were eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status. People with TPS can be authorized to work in the United States 30 days after filing their application while those who do not have TPS would have to wait 180 days. The state is ready to assist asylum seekers and migrants with submitting paperwork needed for legal work status. Between 4000 and 15000 migrants are crossing the southern border into the United States every day.

 

Western NY is a tourist destination. Tourism spending in Western New York has hit $2.2 billion, surpassing pre-pandemic era numbers. Visit Buffalo Niagara follows the money that comes to WNY through tourism. Analysis of money spent by tourists shows that it primarily came from sporting events and leisure travel, which includes things like Bills games and March Madness. A little over a third of the money spent went to restaurants.

 

Now that a jury is in place, opening statements are scheduled for today in the murder trial of Kelvin Vickers. He is the person prosecutors say killed Rochester police officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz last year. Mazurkiewicz’s partner, officer Sino Seng, was also wounded by gunfire but survived his injuries. The officers were working as part of an undercover investigation into illegal marijuana transactions when they were shot. The trial is expected to last several weeks.

 

Amazon has announced the grand opening of its brand-new career center in East Buffalo. The goal is to help people apply for jobs that the retail giant is trying to fill. The center is located on Broadway between Mortimer Street and Spring Street and it’s going to be open year-round. Among the positions that are open include customer fulfillment and transportation. For more information, go to hiring.amazon.com.

 

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the team’s 38-10 win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Allen completed 31 of his 37 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns as the team bounced-back from a stunning season-opening loss to the New York Jets six days prior. The sixth-year quarterback has now won the award 12 times in his career, breaking Jim Kelly’s team record.

 

Country music superstar Kane Brown is going on tour, and he’ll be making a stop right here in Western New York. Brown is set to perform at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo on April 6th. He’ll be joined at the show by special guests Parmalee and also Tyler Hubbard. Brown is celebrating the release of his new single “I Can Feel It” and tickets for the concert go on sale October 5th.

 

 

 

ELSEWHERE…

 

A Michigan woman is safe after a daring rescue — from an outhouse toilet. State Police said in a statement a woman got stuck while trying to retrieve her Apple Watch she had dropped in the toilet at a park in the town of Gaylord. In addition to state troopers, first responders from the state Department of Natural Resources and the Ostego County E-M-S were on the scene. The woman was flushed out after the toilet was removed and a strap was used to lift the woman to safety. State Police are urging park-goers not to climb into outhouse toilets.

 

A rare Bob Ross painting is expected to sell for nearly $10 million. The late host of the PBS show “The Joy of Painting” made the piece in less than 30 minutes on the show’s very first episode in 1983. The piece titled “A Walk in the Woods” shows a stone path winding through a serene forest, and was originally purchased by a PBS volunteer at a benefit auction, likely for under 100 dollars. Bob Ross and his show have enjoyed resurgence in popularity in recent years, and now millions subscribe to his YouTube Page. “A Walk in the Woods” is on sale for $9.85 million.

 

A fish that is at a San Francisco aquarium is believed to be the oldest fish under human care in the world. Scientists at the Steinhart Aquarium inside the California Academy of Sciences say the Australian lungfish named Methuselah is 92 years old, plus or minus eight years. Methuselah was brought to the museum way back in 1938. Scientists recently were able to use DNA from her fin to determine her age. Aquarium officials say despite her advanced age, Methuselah is active in her tank, which is sure to get a few more visitors in front of it now.

 

The head of the Federal Reserve says they are holding off on raising interest rates. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell made that announcement on Wednesday, but added there could be another rate hike before the year is over. Powell said inflation is still well above the central bank’s goal of 2%.

 

Americans will have access to more free COVID-19 home tests. The US Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that the government is re-launching a program to provide free tests. Households can order four tests from covidtests.gov starting September 25th. The government has already shipped more than 755,000,000 free tests to those who’ve requested them.

 

Today is Sunday, September 17th, the 260th day of the year.

September 21 in history…

…In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was signed at the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

 

 

 

 

…In 1796, to announce his decision not to seek a third term as President, George Washington presented his Farewell Address to Congress in a newspaper article.

 

 

 

…In 1862, Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee were crushed by Union forces at the Battle of Antietam in Maryland. At least 22000 men were killed, wounded or missing. It remains the deadliest one-day battle in all of American military history.

 

 

…In 1955, actor James Dean filmed a television commercial for the National Highway Safety Committee urging Americans to drive safely. He would later die in a car accident at the age of 24, just under a month before “Rebel Without A Cause” premiered in New York. (Pictured: James Dean gives a thumbs-up sign from his Porsche 550 Spyder, which he nicknamed ‘The Little Bastard’. Dean owned the car only nine days when he lost his life in a fatal highway accident while driving it. It was speculated had Dean been wearing a seat belt, he most likely would have survived the crash. James Dean’s death help to raise the public’s awareness over seat belt use and ushered in the age of automotive safety.

 

…In 1972, the classic sitcom, “M*A*S*H,” debuted on CBS. The show stayed on the air eleven years and is widely regarded as one of the top comedy programs in history. The finale titled “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” became the most-watched and highest-rated single television episode in U.S. television history at the time, with a record-breaking 125 million viewers.

 

 

 

 

…In 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. She was later forced to surrender her crown after “Penthouse” magazine published nude pictures of her.

 

 

 

 

…In 1991, the sitcom, “Home Improvement,” made its debut on ABC. It was one of the highest-rated sitcoms for almost the entire decade.

 

 

 

 

…In 2001, David Letterman hosted the first late-night talk show since the terrorist attacks on September 11th. Letterman opened the show with his thoughts on the matter. Guests included talk show host Regis Philbin and an emotional Dan Rather who was moved to tears while discussing the tragedy with Letterman.

 

 

 

…In 2022, Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, three of his children, and their company of large-scale business fraud. James alleged that the Trump Organization inflated the values of its properties when seeking loans and deflated them to pay less in taxes.