Tuesday Afternoon News Brief

50-year-old Colleen Hutchinson of Batavia has been arrested by the Genesee County Sheriffs. She’s charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, operating a motor vehicle without stop lamp and having an uninspected motor vehicle. The arrest followed a traffic stop, during which it’s alleged Hutchinson was in possession of crack cocaine and narcotic equipment used to smoke the crack cocaine. She was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court on March 19^th. ALSO: 44-year-old Clint Towne of Batavia has been arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a large capacity ammunition-feeding device. The possession of both is alleged following Towne’s arrest on his property for a separate incident. He was released back into the custody of the Genesee County Jail. Towne was scheduled for Genesee County CAP Court.

 

A flood watch has been issued for all eight counties in Western New York.   A rapid warm-up this week will lead to a fast melt of the area’s snow pack and increase the risk for flooding. A half-inch of rain may result in flooding of rivers and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. The most prone areas for flooding will be where ice jams typically develop. The greatest risk for flooding will be later tonight through tomorrow, with the risk of river based flooding coming mainly Wednesday night and Thursday.

 

The New York State Department of Corrections & Community Supervision is terminating health insurance for striking corrections officers. The first termination of health insurance started Monday. Officials say anyone who remains on strike will have their insurance and their dependent’s healthcare removed- and would not be eligible for COBRA. The strike went on for ten days before a tentative agreement was reached- but some workers were not happy with the deal and remained on the picket line.

 

University of Rochester Police will start wearing body cameras and will carry tasers to help increase campus public safety policies. Officers will start using the technology after comprehensive training and certification. Officials say the officers will be required to activate their body cameras during any law enforcement action or interaction with the public.

 

New York State Police are asking the public for help when they run a test of the Amber Alert system in western New York on Thursday at 10:00am. They’re asking residents to click on the link on the state’s Amber Alert website to let them know the system is working properly.   The test will be sent to mobile phones and to television and radio stations through the Emergency Alert system.

 

A Buffalo man has been arraigned on an aggravated animal cruelty charge after allegedly killing a puppy last month. Authorities say 48-year-old Timothy D. Brown intentionally hit a male pug puppy multiple times while at a residence on Shields Avenue. The victim called 9-1-1 after finding the dog dead inside the residence; Brown is scheduled to return for a felony hearing on March 20th. He faces up to two years in jail if convicted.

 

Despite a valiant comeback, the Sabres couldn’t edge out Montreal and lost 4-3 in overtime. Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson scored the first two goals for Buffalo to ignite their comeback. Rasmus Dahlin added a goal of his own in the late stages of the third period to tie the game and force overtime. The Sabres couldn’t keep the momentum going however, and lost after a goal by Montreal’s Mike Matheson.   Buffalo returns home to host the San Jose Sharks tonight; the puck drops at 7:00.

 

Later sunsets will begin this weekend. Residents are reminded they should set their clocks ahead one hour at 2:00am Sunday. This marks the start of Daylight Saving Time but also brings more daylight with it.   The sun is expected to rise before 7:30 a.m. on Sunday and set just after 7:00 p.m.

 

Governor Hochul is proclaiming this month as Problem Gambling Awareness Month.   Fourteen landmarks across the state were lit up in yellow on Monday to acknowledge the month. The awareness month aims to support those with gambling-related challenges and raise awareness about the harm gambling can cause.   Those who need help can visit NYProblemGamblingHelp.org.