Thursday News Brief

The Genesee County Sheriffs Office is investigating a one-car motor vehicle accident that occurred on Route 19 in the Town of Le Roy. A little after 7:00am this morning, a car driven by 58-year-old Judith Purdy of Le Roy, was driving northbound. A deer entered the roadway from the east shoulder of the road and her vehicle struck it. As a result of the collision Purdy suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that New York will honor veterans on the year’s sixth and final Free Fishing Day of 2023 this Saturday, November 11. On Free Fishing Days, the state waives the requirement for a freshwater fishing license, offering the perfect opportunity for beginners to try out the sport for the first time or for skilled anglers to bring along friends and family to experience the sport and the state’s waterways.

 

47-year-old Brian Kennedy of Batavia has been arrested. He’s charged with petit larceny, possession of burglar tools and conspiracy. It’s alleged he entered Dick’s Sporting Goods and removed a security tag from a coat and exited the store passing all points of sale without paying. Sheriffs later located Kennedy in Walmart. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court for a later date.

 

UPDATE: KAMELA HAS BEEN LOCATED IN ROCHESTER AND IS SAFE. BATAVIA POLICE THANK THE ROCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC FOR THEIR HELP. The Batavia Police Department continues to seek public assistance in locating a missing 14-year-old girl. Kamela Lockhart was last seen on November 6 in Batavia. She was wearing a thin black sweatshirt, a red t-shirt, red pants, and multi-colored crocs. Kamela is about 5’04” and 180 pounds with black hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350 or the NYS Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-346-3543.

 

The widow of a Buffalo firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The legal action taken by Sarah-Elizabeth Tierney names four defendants including the City of Buffalo, the fire department and the owner of the Main Street building where her husband Jason Arno died while battling a blaze back in March. Investigators say the fire was started by a blowtorch that was being used by workers before it ignited combustible materials. No criminal charges were filed.

 

 

New York State Attorney General Letitia James says she’s been able to secure $450,000 from a medical company that failed to protect the personal data of patients. James says US Radiology Specialists, which has six offices in Western New York, did not make the proper upgrades to keep its network secure. That ended up causing a cyberattack that affected over 92,000 people. The AG says the company has promised to take action to prevent something like this from happening again.

 

 

As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: If two state lawmakers get their way, no one will be doing any kind of vaping at school. They are proposing a bill that would ban all vaping at all schools – including colleges and universities. Right now, the state’s Public Health Law prohibits smoking and vaping in several indoor areas, like educational buildings. This bill would expand those guidelines to include “outdoor areas contained within a public or private school.” Republican Assemblymen Scott Gray and Ken Blankenbush introduced the legislation requiring a complete ban of e-cigarettes on public and private school and college campuses and for schools to educate communities about the health risks associated with vaping while posting no-vaping signs.

 

The Niagara County legislator accused of slashing a person’s tire has surrendered to police. William Collins turned himself in yesterday after allegedly slashing the tire at the Attitudes Bar and Grill in Lockport October 26th. The incident was caught on surveillance camera and Collins faces up to a year in jail if convicted. Collins has been given an appearance ticket and is set to be arraigned November 29th. By the way, Collins’ challenger for the Niagara County Legislative post, Democrat Carla Speranza, came out on top but by a very slim margin over Collins.  Because the race shows she won the election by only 19 votes (1027 to 1008), today there is a recount.

 

For the sixth time since the start of the year, a loaded weapon has been found at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The gun was spotted in a carry-on bag while it was going through an X-ray machine on Tuesday. The weapon had 10 bullets inside and there was also an additional magazine discovered with 10 more bullets. The owner had a valid permit for the gun and turned it over to security. He now could be fined up to $15,000.

 

 

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is reminding snowmobile enthusiasts to make sure that their snowmobiles are registered for the season. Registrations must be renewed annually and the process can be completed either online through the DMV website or by visiting a DMV office. Snowmobilers are required to carry their registration and proof of insurance when they ride. There are over 10,000 miles of trails in the Statewide Snowmobile Trail System.

 

ELSEWHERE…

 

The Hollywood actors strike is over. SAG-AFTRA says the strike officially ended today after union members unanimously approved a deal. The deal now has to be approved by the SAG-AFTRA national board. The strike lasted 118 days, making it the longest actors strike in U.S. history.

 

 

 

The largest blue diamond to hit the auction block is being sold. It sold for more than $44 million at Christie’s Auction House. The more than 17-carat blue royal ring is now the most expensive jewel sold at auction this year. It had been part of a private collection for 50 years and will now be handed over to another collection.

 

 

The three National Zoo giant pandas are headed back to China. Today marks the end of more than five decades of pandas calling the Washington, D.C. zoo their home. Zoo Atlanta will now be the only zoo in the country to feature Chinese pandas — and they may be gone soon too. Atlanta’s contracts for their four bears are up next year and there hasn’t been any word about an extension. China first gave two giant pandas two the U.S. in 1972 as a symbol of diplomacy after President Nixon visited the country.

 

Today is Thursday, November 9th, the 313th day of the year.

November 9 in history…

 

…In 1961, the Professional Golfers Association eliminated their “Caucasian only” rule and opened its door to all races. Charlie Sifford became the first African American member of the PGA Tour.

 

 

 

…Also in 1961 Brian Epstein saw The Beatles playing live for the first time during a lunchtime session at The Cavern Liverpool. He later went on to be the groups manager.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1965, the great northeast blackout shut down several states and parts of Canada. The largest power failure in U.S. history left more than 30-million people in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and parts of Ontario without power for most of the night.

 

 

…In 1967, the first issue of “Rolling Stone” magazine was published.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1973, Billy Joel released his breakthrough album, “Piano Man.” The title song became his first hit single.

 

 

 

 

…In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down after communist East Germany opened its borders to allow its citizens to travel to West Germany. This historic event signaled the end of The Cold War for American people.

 

 

 

…In 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America declared the Eagles’ “Greatest Hits 1971-1975” the best-selling album of the century. “Candle in the Wind 1997,” by Elton John was declared the 20th century’s biggest single.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 2020, drug makers Pfizer and BioNTech announced their COVID-19 vaccine is over 90% effective in a first review of their phase three trial results that involved about 44,000 people. On the same day, the U.S. recorded its 10,000,000th COVID-19 case, with the death toll at the time at roughly 237,000.