Tuesday News Brief

Rochester firefighters along with members of the community turned out on Sunday to pay tribute to two Rochester firefighters who lost their lives trying to save a child 70 years ago. The memorial service was held at the Silver Lake Firefighters Memorial in Rochester. The two firefighters — Ambrose Riley and Stanley O’Brien — lost their lives when they tried to rescue nine-year-old John Paul Stephenson after he fell through the ice on the lake in 1953. It was the 70th anniversary of the tragedy.

 

 

33-year-old Gregory Hamm-Johnson of Batavia has been arrested. He’s charged with harassment, criminal obstruction of breathing and endangering the welfare of a child. It’s alleged Hamm-Johnson struck and hit another individual during the course of a domestic dispute and in the presence of a juvenile. He was taken into custody and held at the Genesee County Jail, pending CAP Court.

Batavia City Police Blotter:

On 12/11/2023, Chad M Johnston (age 37) of Batavia was arrested for Burglary 2nd and Criminal Mischief 3rd. It’s alleged that on 12/6/2023, Johnston unlawfully entered a residence on Liberty St and damaged property inside. Johnston was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. He is due back in court on 1/17/2023.

 

 

 

 

On 12/4/2023, Tyler M McCambridge (age 30) of Syracuse was arrested and charged with Attempted Grand Larceny 4th, Possession of a Forged Instrument 1st, Obstructing Governmental Administration 2nd, and Harassment 2nd. McCambridge allegedly attempted to cash a forged check, at a local bank. He then ran from police when they attempted to take him into custody. McCambridge was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice. He is due back in court on 12/21/2023.

 

 

 

On 12/15/2023, Angelo P Mana (age 49) of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for Burglary 3rd, Petit Larceny, Criminal Mischief 4th, and Conspiracy 5th. Mana was arrested in relation to an incident that occurred on 10/23/2023, where he and another person allegedly broke into a building on Mill St and stole property. He was arraigned in CAP Court and is due to appear in Batavia City Court at a later date.

 

 

 

On 12/15/2023, Sarah E Saile (age 40) of Batavia, was arrested for Grand Larceny 4th and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th. It’s alleged that Saile stole in excess of $1,000 worth of prescription pills from the pharmacy at Tops, where she was employed. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on 12/19/2023.

 

 

 

 

On 12/16/2023, Matthew J Mika (age 53) of Batavia, was arrested for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th, Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia 2nd, and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Mika was arrested after an investigation into a traffic stop, on 10/23/2023, where he was allegedly found to be in possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. It’s also alleged that he attempted to conceal evidence. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on 12/19/2023.

On 12/8/2023, Michael C Mirabel (age 51) of Batavia was arrested for Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. Mirabal was initially stopped on Central Ave for a traffic violation. After an investigation, it’s alleged that Mirabal was found to be operating the vehicle while impaired by drugs. He was arraigned in CAP Court and released. He is due back in court at a later date.

On 12/13/2023, Aaron R Hatfield (age 39) of Kenmore was arrested on a bench warrant. Hatfield was initially arrested on 8/14/2023, and charged with Petit Larceny and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th after allegedly stealing from Tops. The warrant was issued after Hatfield allegedly failed to appear in court. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond, and $25,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in court on 12/20/2023.

On 12/9/2023, Patrick J Gonzales (age 30) of Batavia was arrested for Obstructing Governmental Administration 2nd and Harassment 2nd. Gonzales was arrested after police responded to a residence on Highland Pk for the report of a disturbance. During the investigation, it’s alleged that Gonzales pushed an officer and attempted to prevent police from taking him into custody. He was issued an appearance and released. Later that night patrols responded back to the residence for a medical call. Gonzales then allegedly attempted to prevent police and EMS from assisting another person. He was charged with another count of Obstructing Governmental Administration 2nd and issued another appearance ticket. He is due in court on 12/19/2023.

On 12/3/2023, Byron K Bell (age 54) of Rochester was arrested on a bench warrant. Bell was initially charged on 12/11/2022, with Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 3rd, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3rd, and Speeding after a traffic stop where he was allegedly found to be in possession of a stolen vehicle. The warrant was issued when Bell failed to appear for a court appearance. He was arraigned in CAP Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. He is due back in court on 12/12/2023.

On 12/2/2023, Daniel J Bakowski (age 43) of Batavia was arrested on an arrest warrant. Bakowski was initially charged on 10/3/2023 with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3rd and Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign after a traffic stop on East Main St. The warrant was issued after he failed to appear in court. Bakowski was arraigned in CAP Court and released. He is due back in court at a later date.

On 12/18/2023, Brant G Matthews (age 29) of LeRoy, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th and Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia 2nd. It’s alleged that Matthews was found to be in possession of narcotics and a digital scale while being arrested on an unrelated warrant. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on 1/9/2024.

On 12/13/2023, Jeanna M Hattaway (age 36) of Warsaw, was arrested for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th. The arrest stems from a traffic stop on 4/21/2023, where Hattaway was allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in court on 1/9/2024.

On 12/14/2023, Thomas A Griffin (age 36) of Batavia, was arrested for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th and Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. Griffin was arrested after an investigation into an incident on 7/31/2023, when police responded to the parking lot of 7-Eleven to check the welfare of a person slumped over the wheel of a vehicle. Griffin was allegedly found to be operating the vehicle while impaired by drugs. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on 1/2/2023.

On 12/6/2023, Jon H Bush (age 40) and Jennifer K Freeman (age 39) both of Batavia, were charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th. Bush and Freeman were charged in relation to a traffic stop on Washington Ave on 6/30/2023, where they were both allegedly found to be in possession of narcotics. Bush was also arrested on an outstanding warrant and additionally charged with Resisting Arrest. Both were issued appearance tickets for the drug charges. Bush was arraigned in Batavia City Court on the warrant and released on his own recognizance.

On 12/17/2023, Danielle T Lumpkin (age 42) of Batavia, was arrested for Criminal Mischief 4th. It’s alleged that Lumpkin damaged a door at the victim’s residence. Lumpkin was issued an appearance ticket and is due in court on 1/2/2023.

On 12/15/2023, Michael J Difalco (age 36) of Batavia, was charged with Harassment 2nd. It’s alleged that Difalco pulled another person’s hair and punched them, during an altercation on South Main St. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in court on 12/19/2023. On 12/12/2023, John A Cabrera (age 56) of Batavia, was arrested for Menacing 2nd. Cabrera allegedly threatened another person with an imitation gun during an argument on Washington Ave. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released. He is due back in court on 1/17/2023.

In other news…

Governor Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill that would have banned non-compete agreements. In a statement, Hochul said the “one-size-fits-all” approach to the bill was not reasonable, and she had tried to work with the Legislature on the matter. Non-compete agreements are used to restrict workers from leaving to take a job with a rival company. The bill was supported by labor and the Federal Trade Commission, while Wall Street and top business groups in the state were opposed to the measure.

 

Gas prices have nudged their way up just a little bit. The national average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.13; that’s up a nickel from a week ago. The state average is $3.38. In Batavia, we’re paying $3.44; that’s up two cents from yesterday and 11 cents from a year ago today. Experts predict that the prices will fluctuate for the next month or so before climbing again in February.

 

Christmas Day 2023 will go down as one of the warmest days in the history of Rochester. Yesterday, the temperature reached 57 degrees — making this year’s Christmas Day the sixth warmest on record for the city, going back to 1871. The warmest day on record for the date was in 1982 — when the temperature hit 66.

 

 

 

Buffalo Bills Linebacker Tyrel Dodson is being honored for his off-the-field endeavors. Dodson was selected as Community MVP by the NFL Players Association for Week 16, for his partnership with Gabe’s Collision to provide single mothers from the YWCA of Western New York with a holiday shopping trip. With the recognition, Dodson becomes eligible for the Alan Page Community Award, given to a player who goes above and beyond to perform community service in his hometown or team location. Last year’s recipient was fellow Bill, Safety Damar Hamlin.

ELSEWHERE…

 

Here’s a holiday example of how much more things cost these days. In the 1990 movie “Home Alone,” eight-year-old Kevin McCallister visited a grocery store while his family was in Europe. He bought a half gallon of milk, orange juice, a microwavable TV dinner, macaroni and cheese, a loaf of bread, dryer sheets, laundry detergent, toilet paper, Saran wrap and a bag of toy soldiers. He paid $19.83 with a $1 off coupon. Today, that same purchase would cost about 57 bucks.

 

 

 

The last full moon of the year lit up the sky on Christmas. It will reach maximum fullness Tuesday evening. It’s called the cold moon; a term used by Native Americans – in particular the Mohawk people – because of the temperatures this time of year.

 

 

It could have been a very merry Christmas for a lucky Powerball player, but instead the jackpot is rolling over. That means the next drawing on Wednesday night will be worth at least $685 million. The cash value on that works out to just shy of $345 million. Please play responsibly.

 

 

 

A wearable A.I. device developed by former Apple employees is set to ship in March. It’s called the Humane A.I. Pin and for about $700 you can stick it to your clothes and interact. It uses voice cues and has a projector, which can send information onto a user’s hand.

 

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 26, the 360th day of 2023 with five to follow.

The moon is full (“Cold Moon”). Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus.

December 26 in history…

 

…In 1957, Elvis Presley donated thousands of teddy bears to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (later known as the “March of Dimes”)

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1966, the first Kwanzaa, created by Maulana Karenga, was observed. The seven-day holiday celebrates African and African-American history and culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1991, Eden Sher was born (happy 32nd birthday to “Sue Heck”)

 

 

 

 

In 1996, child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, 6, was found slain in a basement room of her family’s Boulder, Colorado home.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1997, The Rolling Stones had the highest grossing tour of the year, bringing in more than $89 million. U2 came in second, raking in more than $79 million.