Thursday News Brief
Written by Doug Thompson on October 19, 2023
59-year-old Debra Stanley of Rochester has been arrested in Batavia. She’s charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of a controlled substance. It’s alleged Stanley stole merchandise from Ulta Beauty and police search revealed possession of a controlled substance. She was issued appearance tickets and is scheduled for arraignment in Batavia Town Court on November 14th.
As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: An investigation is underway after a series of threats were made against schools in Western New York and other parts of the state. Yesterday, Governor Hochul announced 10 school districts in WNY, the Capital Region, Central New York, Long Island, the Southern Tier and the North Country received swatting threats, which are hoax emergency calls intended to cause a scare by getting a SWAT team to respond to a location. State police are investigating these threats, and the NYS Intelligence Center is also keeping a close eye on the situation. A series of similar threats were made to school districts in the Rochester area earlier this year.
February 7, 1977 file photo of car attempting to navigate a Buffalo street.
With the start of winter weather around the corner, first responders are preparing for the possibility of another catastrophic storm in the region. Yesterday, a seminar was led by FEMA on how crews can respond to a blizzard that was even worse than the one last year that killed 47 people in the Buffalo area. The event went over a variety of issues that emergency agencies could face and how to address them. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the city will release its snow plan for the season soon.
Unidentified nurses in undated file photo
A five-day nurses strike at the Rochester General Hospital has been averted. Rochester General Hospital and a nurses union have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract. The deal was reached following another negotiating session between the two sides, which was the 25th over the past year. This agreement means that a five-day strike that was scheduled to begin on Monday has been averted. There’s no word yet on when union members will hold a final vote.
New legislation has been signed that’s aimed at supporting STOP-DWI programs across the Empire State. The measure requires surcharges that are assessed to drivers who are caught being impaired behind the wheel to be used towards funding local drunk driving prevention programs. Officials say that in turn will help protect New Yorkers from dangerous drivers. Since 1981, the STOP-DWI program has provided thousands of intervention and training programs.
Election Day is under three weeks away, and the deadline for voters to request an absentee ballot is coming up soon. The last day for the Board of Elections to receive an absentee ballot application by letter, telefax or online is this Monday, October 23rd. The final day to apply in-person for an absentee ballot is November 6th, which is one day before Election Day. More details can be found on the state Board of Elections website.
Aerial view of KeyBank Center
The Buffalo Sabres will be back on home ice tonight as they look to pick up a second straight win. The Sabres are hosting the Calgary Flames at KeyBank Center. Buffalo is coming off of a 3-2 overtime win on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning and have earned two points so far this season. The puck drops at 7:00.
ELSEWHERE…
Oil pipeline in Alaska is idle.
Alaska is suing the Biden administration over canceled oil and gas leases in the North Slope, an enormous reserve of mostly untouched federal land. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state agency, held the leases before the Department of the Interiors move in September to revoke seven leases in the 19-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
etflix is raising prices. The company announced that its premium ad-free plan will jump by three-dollars a month to 22-99, starting this week. The basic plan will increase to $11.99 in the U.S., while other plans will stay at the same price. The company also reported Wednesday that third-quarter subscription numbers show a 9% increase in paid accounts.
2023 Tesla Roadster
Tesla saw a drop in third quarter earnings that fell below Wall Street expectations. The electric carmaker yesterday reported earnings of $2.3 billion, down 37% from a year earlier. It’s the smallest profit the company has seen in two years.
I-590 overnight closure (13WHAM Photo)
The New York State Department of Transportation is reminding drivers about an overnight closure on Interstate 590. The highway northbound between Highland Avenue and the Interstate 490 interchange will be shut down from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Crews are going to be out working on overhead signs in that area. There will be a detour so travelers can get to their destinations.
Today is Thursday, October 19th, the 292nd day of the year.
October 19 in history…
Marlon Brando in 1944 as “Nels”
…In 1944, Actor Marlon Brando made his stage debut in the Broadway hit, “I Remember Mama,” playing Nels, the teenage Norwegian son of a family living in San Francisco.
Maurice “The Rocket” Richard (center)
…In 1957, Maurice “The Rocket” Richard of the Montreal Canadians became the first NHL player to score 500 career goals.
John DeLorean with wife and model Christine Ferrare during happier times.
…In 1982, carmaker John DeLorean was arrested in Los Angeles and charged in a $24 million cocaine scheme aimed at salvaging his bankrupt sports car company. DeLorean was tried and acquitted.
The first Blockbuster store in Dallas, Texas opened today in history
…In 1985, the first Blockbuster store opened.
