Tuesday Afternoon News Brief

Corrections officers are on a historic strike at male prisons around the state today, including Attica and the two correctional facilities in Orleans County. Generally speaking, officers are demanding the HALT Act be rescinded. That state law has limited how inmates can be put in solitary confinement. It has taken punishment and deterrents away from officers in trying to keep the facility safe for both staff and other incarcerated people. The union representing the corrections officers, the New York State Correction Officers Police Benevolent Association, is not sanctioning the strikes.

 

One person is dead and two are injured after a crash on Alexander Road. Officials say 54-year-old Anya Rambuski of Batavia was traveling northeast on Route 98 in the town of Alexander when she lost control and went into the southwest lane, striking a Jeep. Rambuski was pronounced dead at the scene. The occupants of the Jeep sustained minor injuries.

 

In case you’re heading in either direction, a lake effect snow warning remains in effect for Orleans and Monroe Counties until 1:00 Wednesday afternoon; heavy lake effect snow is predicted, with additional accumulations of 8 to 16 inches possible in the most persistent lake snows. Winds could gust to 35 mph. Travel will be very difficult in the areas of blowing snow. If driving through these areas, be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions and visibilities.

 

After rising the last few weeks, the number of flu cases is holding steady in Western New York. During the week ending February 8th, the area with the highest number of infections was Monroe County with 1,920. That was followed by Erie County with 841; Niagara County reported 225 and Livingston County, 143. Genesee County documented 81 cases and Wyoming County, 52.   New York State is in the midst of its worst flu season in more than a decade with over 335,000 confirmed cases since October and it isn’t too late to get a flu shot.

 

We aren’t seeing much of a change in the price of gas when it comes time to fill up. Triple A says the national average cost for a gallon of regular fuel right now is $3.16. The state average is $3.18. In Batavia, the average price is also $3.18; that’s the same as it was a week ago, down a penny from a month ago and it’s a nickel lower than it was a year ago today.

 

A former City of Buffalo sanitation worker has been arrested and is in custody at the Erie County Holding Center. 47-year-old Sasiya Malika Davis-Johnson was arrested on Sunday; she is charged with assault and being reckless. Davis Johnson was driving the garbage truck that hit 17-year-old Klaw Rey who was headed to school in October 2024.  Rey remains hospitalized today at ECMC and is paralyzed from the waist down. The day the family filed a notice of claim to sue the city, it was learned that Davis-Johnson was no longer employed. Davis Johnson appeared before a State Supreme court judge this morning. The injured teen is a student at Leonardo Da Vinci in Buffalo. He was hit on Rhode Island and 14th Street, not far from his home.

 

At least nine employees of Marcy Correctional Facility are scheduled to face a judge later this week. All of those individuals are going to be arraigned Thursday after being accused of having a role in the brutal beating death of inmate Robert Brooks in December. Multiple corrections officers punched and kicked Brooks while he was in the prison’s infirmary, and he passed away hours later. Brooks’ death was later ruled a homicide.

 

A potential safety hazard has led to a voluntary recall of granola bars, some of which are sold locally at Walmart. There is a very small risk that some of the MadeGood brand granola bar products made between January and November 2024 may contain a piece of metal. The source of the issue has been identified and corrected. There have been no reports of injury. Please check your pantry and return recalled products to the store for a full refund. If you believe you have one of the recalled products, and want more information, call 855-215-5695 between 8am and 5pm.

 

Ontario County District Attorney says Sam Nordquist’s is the most horrific case his department has prosecuted. “It is absolutely without question the worst thing that we have ever seen,” he said. Authorities said the 24-year-old Nordquist of Oakdale, Minnesota, endured unthinkable torture before he was murdered. All five suspects are charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference, which carry potential sentences of 15 to 20 years if convicted.

• Precious Arzuaga, 38
• Kyle Sage, 33
• Patrick Goodwin, 30
• Emily Motyka, 19
• Jennifer Quijano, 30

Ritts said three out of the five suspects have previous criminal convictions. Sage and Goodwin are both currently on parole. Sage was convicted of larceny and disseminating indecent material to a minor. Goodwin was convicted of first-degree criminal sex act and sexual abuse involving a victim under the age of 11. He’s a registered Level 3 sex offender. “Precious Arzuaga has four misdemeanor convictions,” Ritts added. “Nothing sexual, but petty larcenies, criminal trespass and a sale of an imitation control substance.” Authorities said Nordquist was living at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell after traveling from Minnesota.

 

The first of two free snowmobiling weekends in the Empire State is coming up soon. From February 28th through March 2nd, New York is waiving registration fees for out-of-state snowmobilers to encourage people to visit and check out the state’s over 10,000 miles of trails. Participants must operate a snowmobile that is registered in their home state or province and carry insurance. The second free snowmobiling weekend is March 7th through 9th.

 

A rare letter valued at $150,000 written by George Washington is up for sale.   A Raab Collection spokesperson said it was written during the Revolutionary War, where the General had fought for independence from Britain for two years. In the letter, Washington praised colonists at the heart of the American Revolution and the spirit of the colonists to take up their own arms to fight off the British oppressors. It’s eight by 12 inches, hand written on both sides of one sheet and has a smudged fingerprint near Washington’s signature.

 

Egg prices continue to soar. According to a new report from the USDA over the weekend, wholesale egg prices jumped forty-cents over the last 30 days; that means a dozen eggs costs distributors $7.44. That has yet to be fully passed down to consumers, with the national average price for a dozen eggs $4.95 in January. That is expected to climb with shortages continuing and distributors passing down the risings costs to shoppers. The rising number of bird flu cases is being blamed for ongoing egg shortages.