Thursday News Brief

When students at D’Youville University graduate in a few weeks, they won’t be hearing a commencement address from a human being. Instead, the school says the speech will be given by an artificial intelligence robot named Sophia. The university president says one of the major roles of higher education is to prepare students for challenges and opportunities they may face in the future and that this event will combine technology and education. The graduation ceremony is May 11th at Buffalo’s Harborcenter.

 

 

 

Monroe County deputies are continuing their investigation into a shooting incident in a supermarket parking lot. Officers responded to a shots fired call at the Wegmans on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford yesterday. A man was in the parking lot waiting for a grocery delivery when a vehicle pulled up and someone opened fire. Thankfully no one was hit but the search for a suspect is still underway.

 

The federal raid of a Lockport spa business was related to a six-month criminal investigation into prostitution and commercial sex acts that allegedly occurred at a South Transit Road business. Papers filed in U.S. District Court revealed the FBI and Niagara County Sheriff’s Office investigation targeted Linian Song, the operator of New Elegant Shiatsu Spa. at 5714 S. Transit Rd. Federal agents arrested Song, who had her first appearance in federal court yesterday, on an interstate racketeering charge. Prosecutors allege that Song was a key figure in a prostitution scheme stretching from Rochester to Buffalo with links to China.

 

The numbers are in, and it looks like the recent solar eclipse provided a major tourism boost to this area. It’s estimated the eclipse generated nearly $15 million in revenue for the Buffalo-Niagara region. Most of that spending was done on hotels and restaurants between April 5th and the 8th. It is possible the final total could be even higher once people who made day-trips to the area and short-term rentals are factored in.

 

 

Seven parents have each filed a lawsuit against Sweet Angels Daycare and Preschool in Newfane, claiming negligence. The lawsuits claim that between 2022 and 2023, the children suffered severe personal injuries as a direct result of negligence, carelessness and recklessness. Last year, New York State Police arrested three daycare employees on charges of endangering the welfare of a child. In September, Victoria Stanton, 22, of Lockport was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Karon Anterline, 66, of Newfane was also charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Police say the charges came from a complaint about “possible abusive treatment” at Sweet Angels Daycare in Newfane. Following up on the complaint, investigators concluded that the suspects used “excessive force” with children at the daycare.

 

Journalists at the Democrat and Chronicle are ending their strike against parent company Gannett and heading back to work today. They have been pushing for higher wages and projections from layoffs and artificial intelligence. Gannett has said the company is bargaining in good faith.

 

There is a brand-new development in the legal case involving three football players at Clyde-Savannah High School. Yesterday the members of the varsity squad pleaded guilty to crimes including forcible touching and hazing. The individuals had been charged with felonies but those counts were later dismissed. As part of their plea deal, the players will be on probation for two years and must stay away from the victim.

 

The NFL Draft is taking place tonight, and the Buffalo Bills will need to wait a while to make a pick. The Bills have the 28th overall selection in the first round of the draft, which is being held in Detroit, Michigan. Buffalo is coming off of a season where they won another AFC East title, but were beaten in the playoffs again by the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The draft begins at 8:00pm.

 

It seems New York State leads the charge in keeping their landline phones. A new survey by the Chamber of Commerce shows New York state leads the country in percentage of landline phones with The National Center of Health Statistics reporting that over 52 percent of New Yorkers say they still own a fixed line phone. New Jersey is a close second because, as the study concluded, the population in these states is a bit older than in the rest of the country, and seniors are the most likely to still keep a landline phone in their homes.