Tuesday News Brief

CITY OF BATAVIA POLICE BLOTTER:

On 12/25/2023, Victor A Rivera-Cotto (age 55) of Batavia was arrested and charged with Criminal Contempt 1st, Assault 3rd, and two counts of Criminal Mischief 4th. It’s alleged that Rivera-Cotto violated an order of protection by striking the victim in the face and damaging their phone, in order to prevent her from calling for help. Rivera-Cotto was arraigned in CAP Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond, and $20,000 partially secured bond. He is due in Batavia City Court on 1/2/2024.

 

 

On 12/21/2023, Michael J Difalco (age 36) of Batavia was arrested for Menacing 2nd and Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd. Difalco allegedly threatened another person with blunt object during an altercation on South Main St. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail, without bail. He is due back in court on 1/18/2024.

 

 

 

 

On 12/21/2023, James N Difalco (age 27) of Batavia was arrested and charged with Criminal Obstruction of Breathing. Difalco was arrested after an investigation into an altercation on South Main St where Difalco allegedly obstructed the breathing of another person, by applying pressure to their neck. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on 1/2/2024.

On 12/22/2023, Benjamin G Evans (age 35) of Batavia was arrested on three bench warrants. The first warrant stems from an incident on July 7th, where he allegedly stole a package from the porch of a residence on State St. The second is the result of an incident on 9/19/2023, where Evans was allegedly found in possession of narcotics. The third warrant stems from an incident on 10/13/2023, where he allegedly stole a package from a porch on Union St. Evans was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. He is due back in court on 1/16/2023.

On 12/22/2023, Taiya J Rolle (age 19) of Batavia was arrested for DWI. Rolle was arrested after a traffic stop on Walnut St, where she was allegedly found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol. She was issued appearance tickets and is due in Batavia City Court on 1/17/2023.

FROM THE GENESEE COUNTY SHERIFF:

19-year-old Skarlette Tellier-Wilcox of Batavia has been arrested and is charged with petit larceny. It’s alleged she stole merchandise while in the Batavia Wal-Mart. Tellier-Wilcox was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to return to Batavia Town Court on January 9th. ALSO: 57-year-old Rhonda Schirmer of Batavia, along with 33-year-old Alyssa Rondon and 41-year-old David Fallon, both of Silver Springs, have all been arrested. The multiple charges they face include petit larceny, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child. It’s alleged they stole merchandise from Walmart in Batavia; both Schirmer and Rondon had a controlled substance on their person at the time of the arrest. They were released on appearance tickets for Batavia Town Court on January 9th.  ALSO: Maranda Button of Batavia was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. It’s alleged she was found to have cocaine and was operating a vehicle with a suspended license. It was also found during the same traffic stop that Button had an active warrant for her arrest. She was held at the Genesee County Jail pending arraignment of the warrant and new charges.

And in other news…

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is delivering the annual State Of the State address next week. It’ll take place at 1:00, next Tuesday, January 9th at the State Capitol in Albany. Hochul will use the address to lay out her priorities for the year. In the meantime, state lawmakers return to Albany tomorrow to begin the 2024 legislative session.

 

 

The latest data shows there’s been yet another surge in the number of flu cases across our region. During the week ending December 23rd, Monroe County had the highest reported infection total with 1,370. Erie County had the second highest, with 673. During that same time period, Ontario County reported 154 and Wayne County, 149. Genesee County reported 122 cases of the flu. People who haven’t received their flu shot yet are urged to get one immediately.

 

The FBI is continuing its investigation into what’s being looked into as a possible act of terrorism in Rochester. Authorities say two vehicles collided yesterday on West Ridge Road outside of the Kodak Center and the impact caused a fire. At least two people were killed, several others were hurt and gas cans were found near one of the vehicles. No other details about the incident have been released.

 

Customers of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield will be paying more out of pocket if they need treatment at a WellNow urgent care center. Both companies failed to strike a deal before yesterday’s deadline; meaning individuals with Excellus insurance must pay a walk-in fee of over $160 at a WellNow. They also have to cover all out-of-network fees for any services provided. Excellus and WellNow are involved in a dispute over reimbursement rates for care.

 

 

New laws are going into effect in New York in 2024. Governor Kathy Hochul has signed over 700 bills into law, so among other laws, New Yorkers can expect New York State to raise the minimum wage to $16 an hour for employees in and around New York City and $15 per hour upstate. New York is expanding the eligibility, from one year to three years, for victims and survivors of a crime to apply for victim compensation funds. And now a Senate Bill requires colleges to post campus crime statistics on their websites, and investigate hate crimes.

 

 

Workers at a Buffalo-area ice rink were discussing problems with the building’s carbon monoxide detector four days before the site was shut down. A video shows workers of Holiday Twin Rinks discussing the CO detector on the night of December 23rd, and how they could not repair it. Last Wednesday, the building was evacuated after readings showed dangerous levels of CO, and resulted in more than 100 people seeking treatment at area hospitals. Holiday Twin Rinks owner Mark Grundtisch has claimed not to know of the Saturday incident. The arena will remain closed until new equipment is installed and inspections carried out. Grundtisch has offered to pay all medical bills related to the incident.

 

It has been almost two years since the start of mobile sports wagering in New York, and fans have bet a lot of money on games. Since 2022, more than $34 billion has been wagered on sporting contests. FanDuel has been the most popular platform used, and nearly $3 billion worth of revenue has been generated. Money has been used for things like funding sports programs for children and treatment and education programs for problem gambling.

 

The NFL playoffs start soon, and the American Red Cross is offering donors a chance to head to Super Bowl 58. The Red Cross says anyone who donates blood through January 31st will be entered to win a trip for two to the big game in Las Vegas next month. The prize package also includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, and a $1,000 gift card. To find out more, head to redcrossblood.org.

 

ELSEWHERE…

Researchers at the University of Florida have received a $5 million grant to support them in their quest to figure out how to make cows less gassy. You heard that right; it turns out that anything grassy will make cows gassy; in fact, enough so to warm the world. That’s why climate scientists say it’s vital to study the burps between the “moos” as well as, um, well, ‘toots’ out the other end. And actually, it’s the same as with humans; too much fiber in the diet and … well, you know how that airs out. The focus of the researcher’s work will be to create livestock feed additives to reduce the amount of methane produced during the digestive process.

 

The makers of a formula for babies with allergies to cow’s milk are recalling the product over possible bacteria contamination. Corporate leaders with Reckitt/Mead Johnson say some batches of their Nutramigen powder are affected. The recall applies to some 12.6 and 19.8 ounce cans of the formula with a use by date of January 1st, 2025. The company says there have not been any reports of illness associated with the product. Full details on the recall are available by searching FDA.gov.

 

 

 

2024 is a leap year, giving us an extra day on the calendar. The day gets tacked on to the end of February every four years, with some exceptions, to keep our dates in sync with the seasons. While there are 365 days in a year, it actually takes about 365 and a quarter days for the Earth to travel around the sun. February 29th takes that extra time into account.

 

Some lucky winner, or winners, will be starting off the New Year hundreds of millions of dollars richer after Monday’s Powerball drawing. A single winning ticket was sold in Michigan, just outside of Flint, and was worth an estimated $842 million.

 

 

 

 

Today is Monday, Jan. 2, the second day of 2024 with 364 to follow.

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

January 2 in history…

…In 1940, former televangelist Jim Bakker was born. Happy 84th!

 

 

 

 

…In 1971, George Harrison’s first post-Beatles solo album, “All Things Must Pass,” hit number one on the album chart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1974, U.S. President Richard Nixon signed a bill requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 mph or lose federal highway funds.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1990, actor Alan Hale, Jr., died at the age of 71. He is best remembered for his role as Skipper Jonas Grumby on “Gilligan’s Island.”

 

 

 

 

…In 2002 Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” was named the most played song on radio in 2001, with more than 421,000 spins. Puddle of Mudd’s “Blurry” and Linkin Park’s “In the End” were also among the songs receiving a lot of airplay.

 

 

 

 

…In 2023, Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed in the middle of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals after going into cardiac arrest. Emergency medical officials revived him on the field and transported him to the hospital. He returned for three preseason games to open the 2023-24 season and played in his first regular season game Oct. 1 against the Miami Dolphins.