Thursday News Brief

A Medina man has been sentenced to six months in the Orleans County Jail and five years probation for driving recklessly and drunk last May, that ended in a crash and the death of his brother. 57-year-old Todd Sands was apologetic and remorseful in court, and accepted full responsibility. Sands was driving up to 94 miles per hour on Route 31A when he went off the road and struck a tree. Both he and his brother were ejected from the vehicle; his brother Timothy died at the scene.

 

 

 

The regional economy is going to be impacted by Xerox’s plans to make major job cuts. The company said yesterday it’s going to be reducing its workforce by 15% as part of a brand-new operating model. Xerox said in a statement workers at its facility in Webster will be affected, but the exact number of people who will end up losing their jobs hasn’t been determined yet. The company did say transition support would be provided for employees who are let go.

 

Police have released the identities of two victims killed in the fiery New Year’s Day crash outside the Kodak Center. 28-year-old Justina Hughes of Geneva and 29-year-old Joshua Orr of Webster, were passengers of an Uber vehicle that was struck by Michael Avery, the 35-year-old suspect from Syracuse. Police say Avery was driving a rented vehicle full of gas cans when he sped up toward pedestrians who were just leaving a concert at the Kodak Center, causing the collision that caused an explosion and a large blaze that took crews more than an hour to extinguish. Avery died from his injuries, while nine other pedestrians were hurt, including one person with life-altering injuries. Police have not been able to find a motive for the crash and said he did not leave a suicide note.

 

The Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office has released information about their investigation of a deadly crash in the Town of Perry. The crash occurred late in the afternoon on December 29 at the intersection of State Route 20A and Silver Lake Road. The sheriff’s office said it was determined that 78-year-old Carolyn Robb of the Town of Perry was driving east on State Route 20A when she drove into the rear of a stopped vehicle that was waiting to make a left turn. According to the sheriff’s office, passing motorists and first responders performed CPR on Robb. She was then transported to Strong Memorial Hospital and later died from her injuries.

 

Governor Kathy Hochul is being forced to ditch her New Year’s resolution. The governor showed up to Wednesday’s news conference with her right arm in a sling, saying she tore her pectoral muscle at the gym after resolving to increase her weight. Hochul says the muscle was already torn and the tear got worse she wasn’t taking proper care of it. The last time Hochul was in a sling was in 2015 when she was Lieutenant Governor and she got injured while skiing on Whiteface Mountain, leaving her right arm in a sling and her left arm in a brace.

 

The trial of the man who is accused of attacking author Salman Rushdie has been postponed. Jury selection in the Hadi Matar case was supposed to start next Monday, but has now been pushed back so his lawyers can subpoena materials from Rushdie’s upcoming book where he discusses the 2022 assault. Rushdie was wounded on the stage of the Chautauqua Institution and was left blind in his right eye in addition to suffering other injuries. Matar remains in custody.

 

A Myrtle Beach hotel is disputing a claim made by the family of murdered Chili teenager Brittanee Drexel. A lawsuit filed against the hotel says that Drexel didn’t have permission to stay there and therefore shouldn’t have been allowed to check in. But the hotel says Drexel was never a registered guest and she may have known a person who was staying there. Drexel was kidnapped and killed by Raymond Moody in 2009. Moody is currently spending the rest of his life in prison.

 

Bills head coach Sean McDermott says it’s likely that quarterback Josh Allen will be able to play this weekend. Allen has been dealing with neck soreness after suffering a stinger in Buffalo’s win over the New England Patriots last weekend. The Bills will take on the Miami Dolphins this Sunday and the winner will clinch the AFC East. Buffalo has beaten Miami in 10 of the last 11 games where the two teams have faced off.

 

An 8-year-old boy in Buffalo got a second Christmas Tuesday morning when his favorite Bills player came to meet him. Thaddeus Rathke’s Christmas morning reaction to opening a Bills helmet signed by Hall of Fame Running Back Thurmon Thomas went viral online and was seen by the player. The boy also said that meeting Thomas was at the top of his 2024 goals for the year. Thomas surprised Rathke while he was shopping at a Bills clothing store and signed many other items for him. Thomas also told Rathke that he is the “best ever” and gave him some life advice for meeting his other goals.

ELSEWHERE…

 

Scientists say they developed a new kind of antibiotic to treat dangerous bacteria resistant to most current medicines. The bacteria can cause serious lung, urinary tract and blood infections, according to the CDC. It kills a large fraction of people with an invasive infection and is resistant to a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The researchers from Harvard University and Swiss health care company Hoffman-La Roche says the new antibiotic, Zosurabalpin, can effectively kill the bacteria.

 

A 13-year-old from Oklahoma is reported to be the first person ever to beat Tetris on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The teen, who goes by the nickname Blue Scuti on social media, posted a video on YouTube showing him appearing to defeat the famous falling-block puzzle game. The record was previously held by an AI bot. He was about 38 minutes into playing the game when he realized he was close to beating it and finally reaching the “kill screen.”

 

Governor Hochul has unveiled a new proposal to help boost reading proficiency in schools in New York State. The Back to Basics plan is part of her upcoming State of the State address that she’ll be giving next week. It calls for students to be taught the foundational tools they need to improve their reading skills. The governor says that reading is the foundation of the education system but New York isn’t meeting basic reading proficiency levels. She believes that needs to change before kids fall further behind.

 

The New York State Department of Labor is reminding people that 1099-G forms will automatically be mailed out this year. In the past, residents have been able to opt out of getting those forms in the mail, but that’s no longer the case. A 1099-G is used to document the total amount of money a person received in benefits from the labor department during the year as well as any adjustments made to those benefits. The forms are expected to arrive in mailboxes by the end of the month.

Today is Thursday, Jan. 4, the fourth day of 2024 with 362 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus

January 4 in history…

…In 1903, The famous elephant called Topsy was executed at Luna Park, Coney Island, in New York. It’s believed that owners Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy used the electrocution as a publicity stunt. Topsy’s execution was advertised as a public performance where attendees paid an entrance fee to watch.

 

…In 1936, Billboard magazine published the first pop music chart. The Top 10 selling records (whatever they are) were: #1 Bing Crosby “Pennies From Heaven;” #2 Fred Astaire “The Way You Look Tonight;” #3 Benny Goodman “Goody Goody;” #4 Billie Holiday “Summertime;” #5 Benny Goodman “Glory of Love;” #6 Leadbelly “Goodnight, Irene;” #7 Robert Johnson “Cross Boat Blues;” #8 Shep Fields & his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra “Did I Remember?;” #9 Fats Waller “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie;” #10 Tommy Dorsey “Alone.”

 

…In 1970, The Who drummer Keith Moon accidentally ran over and killed his driver when his limo was attacked by a group of skinheads. The driver had gotten out of the vehicle to try to clear the way.

 

 

…In 2011, Gerry Rafferty died at his daughter’s home in Southwest England, following years of declining health related to alcohol abuse. He was 63. Some of his hit songs include “Baker Street,” “Right Down the Line,” and “Get It Right the Next Time.”