Thursday News Brief

State residents are going to be able to get some help with paying their energy bills during the cold winter months. The Empire State is set to receive $360 million from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. These funds can be used to help cover the cost of monthly heating bills and also to make cost-effective home energy repairs. Households can apply for assistance by going to myBenefits.ny.gov.

 

 

National Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, October 28th, from 10am to 2pm. There are 3 locations across Genesee County where the public has the opportunity to safely dispose of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The Batavia Police Department will be accepting prescription drugs and sharps in the Alva Place parking lot across the street from Batavia Showtime. The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office will accept prescription drugs ONLY at the Pembroke Town Hall, 1145 Main Road Corfu. The LeRoy Police Department will also be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at their headquarters located at 3 West Main Street, LeRoy.

 

As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: Members of the Rochester Union of Nurses and Allied Professionals working at Rochester General Hospital have voted to ratify the new 42-month contract with the hospital. Approximately 95 percent of the nurses voted in favor of the deal, which is said to increase wages and improve staffing levels. Both were major sticking points during negotiations. The two sides came to an agreement last week, averting a five-day strike. A strike that lasted two days was held back in August.

 

Niagara Falls police have identified the suspect who they say was involved in a recent sexual assault. According to authorities, Alexander Bryant approached a 31-year-old woman while being armed with a gun in the parking lot of the Pine Plaza September 19th. Bryant then allegedly forced the woman to go behind a building where she ended up being assaulted. Bryant is now facing multiple charges and is in the county jail without bail.

 

 

 

The Rochester Institute of Technology is mourning the passing of a 22-year-old student. Authorities say Ethan Sulik-Doty was riding a motorcycle on Scottsville Road near Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport Tuesday when he collided with a van. Sulik-Doty was taken to a hospital but couldn’t be saved. He had been at the school since 2019 and was working on a degree in electrical engineering. The cause of the tragedy is being looked into.

 

 

Genesee County law enforcement agencies will be participating in a coordinated effort with the STOP-DWI program to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving. The High Visibility Campaign is in place starting tomorrow, October 27th and will run through Halloween night. This all means that more police will be on the roads during this time. Law enforcement suggests planning ahead; designating drivers or taking ride shares or taxis if planning to drink while celebrating the holiday.

 

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee is now taking part in a national campaign to improve safety on the roads. The Buckle Up, Phone Down challenge is aimed at reminding drivers to stay off their mobile devices while behind the wheel, and to ensure they are wearing a seatbelt. Data shows from January 2022 through mid-September, there were nearly 23,000 crashes statewide where people weren’t wearing a seatbelt and 334 individuals died. Over 1,400 accidents had phone use as a contributing factor.

 

The New York State Department of Transportation is reminding drivers about a closure on the Kensington Expressway. The highway will be shut down once again from 11 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow. This closure is needed so crews can safely install signs above the Dodge Street overpass. A detour is going to be in effect from Best Street to East Delavan Avenue to help travelers get to their destinations.

 

The Buffalo Bills are home tonight as they look to get back on the winning track. The Bills are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park for Thursday Night Football. Sunday, the Bills fell to the New England Patriots 29 to 25. The Buccaneers have lost three of their last four games to sit at 3-and-3 on the season. However, Tampa has won three of its last five against Buffalo dating back to 2005. The Bills are in second place in the AFC East with their 4 wins and 3 losses. Kickoff tonight is 8:15.

 

ELSEWHERE…

 

(As of 2:40 pm this afternoon, according to NBC News – 10/26/23): Law enforcement in Lewiston, Maine has released more information about the person of interest in a mass shooting Wednesday night. Authorities have identified the person of interest as Robert Card from Bowdoin, Maine, who allegedly worked as a firearms instructor and was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this summer. At last count, 18 people were reportedly shot and confirmed dead, with 13 more individuals injured, across multiple locations in the city of Lewiston. Lewiston is about 150 miles north of Boston and is the second most populous city in Maine with nearly 38,500 people.

 

 

The Beatles are announcing the release of their last song. Titled “Now and Then”, the song was written and sung by John Lennon with help from Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The song was originally recorded by Lennon in the 1970s and completed using AI technology by McCartney and Starr last year. The song will debut on November 2nd. Click the audio link below for more information:

 

 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is in Florida for her father’s funeral this week. Hochul’s father, Buffalo native John Courtney, died last week at the age of 87 while she was visiting war torn Israel. Hochul has said numerous times that her father heavily influenced her life, crediting him with her dreams of becoming a congresswoman. Courtney leaves behind six kids, 20 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren.

 

 

 

McDonald’s is getting rid of its McFlurry spoon. The fast food chain says it’s looking into more sustainable alternatives. The hollow plastic spoon, which confused many for its shape, doubled as a spindle. It could be inserted into the machine to mix the ice cream toppings in. Now, the shakes will have a smaller spoon using less plastic.

 

 

 

The United Auto Workers union is celebrating a tentative agreement with Ford. CNBC reported the potential deal Wednesday afternoon. The agreement could signal the beginning of the end of the strike against Detroit’s Big Three automakers that’s been ongoing since September.

 

 

Today is Thursday, October 26th, the 299th day of the year.

October 26 in history…

…In 1825, the Erie Canal was opened. America’s first man-made waterway linked the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

 

 

…In 1958 Bill Haley and his Comets were touring in Germany when over 7,000-rock ‘n’ roll fans turned the show into a riot.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1970, Garry Trudeau’s comic strip “Doonesbury” debuted in 28 newspapers around the U.S. A better view of the first strip is available here: https://www.npr.org/2010/10/26/130815184/trudeau-reflects-on-four-decades-of-doonesbury

 

…In 1973 Paul McCartney and Wings released the song, “Helen Wheels.” It was named after Paul and Linda McCartney’s Land Rover, which they nicknamed “Hell on Wheels”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1981 David Bowie and Queen collaborated on the single “Under Pressure.” The song was listed at number 31 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s, and voted the second best collaboration of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine.

 

 

 

…In 1984, “Baby Fae” was given the heart of a baboon during an experimental transplant in California. A severe heart defect prompted the operation. “Baby Fae” lived for 21 days with the baboon heart.

 

 

 

…Also in 1984, “The Terminator” opened in theaters across the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…And still more in 1984, 19-year-old John D. McCollum killed himself with a gun after spending the day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records, touching off the now infamous lawsuit. McCollum’s parents would take court action against Ozzy and CBS Records one year later, alleging that the song “Suicide Solution” from the album “Blizzard of Ozz” contributed to their son’s death. The case was eventually thrown out of court.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 2004 Elvis Presley came at the top of a list of the highest-earning dead celebrities. Forbes.com listed the ‘Top 5 dead music earners.’ At number one was Elvis Presley at $40 million, number two was John Lennon at $21 million, then George Harrison and Bob Marley at $7 million, with George and Ira Gershwin taking the fifth spot at $6 million.

 

 

 

 

…In 2015, meat becomes classified as a carcinogenic by the WHO.