Tuesday News Brief

The Batavia City School District Board of Education has approved the appointment of two individuals for administrative positions. Chad Bliss will be the Director of Facilities III, effective June 16th. He is currently serving in a similar position for the Eden Central School District and looks forward to becoming part of the Blue Devils family.  Brian Sutton will be the Director of Educational Technology, effective July 1. He’s been the Principal of John Kennedy Intermediate School since 2020 and previously served as Assistant Principal at the Middle School. Prior to working for Batavia Schools, he was the Technology Coach in the Hilton Central School District. Superintendent of Schools, Jason Smith said that their leadership team would begin immediately to search for Mr. Sutton’s replacement. (Photos provided by Batavia City School District)

 

 

53-year-old Jerrol Newell has been arrested and charged with criminal contempt. He was arrested while incarcerated in the Genesee County jail for an incident reported last week. The Sheriffs did not release the nature of the alleged offense; Newell was arraigned and remanded back to the custody of the jail.

 

 

 

 

33-year-old Casey Vaughn of Batavia has been charged with harassment, strangulation, criminal mischief, criminal tampering, and aggravated family offense. Vaughn allegedly struck another person and broke a mirror during a disturbance at an undisclosed location on East Main Street. That same day, while in custody, Vaughn allegedly spit on a wall, floor, bench, and desk in an interview room at the Batavia Police station. He’s also accused of pulling molding off the wall. On the first set of charges, he was ordered held on $10,000 bail; on the second set, Vaughn was issued an appearance ticket.

 

21-year-old Tanika Avant of Batavia is charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. Avant is accused of being involved in a disturbance at an undisclosed location and engaging in a physical altercation with another person. During the course of the altercation, he allegedly struck a juvenile. Avant was arraigned in City Court and released.

 

 

PRESS RELEASES: The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Thursday May 11, 2023 from approximately 9:00am to 3:00pm in the general area of south of E. Main Street and East of Jackson Street. Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about 5 minutes or until clear. This annual testing is essential to maintain the communities class III Insurance Services Office (ISO) public protection classification, and to assure that fire hydrants are operating efficiently for fire protection purposes. Along with maintaining the fire rating, the test monitors the health of the city’s water system, identifies weak areas in the system, and removes material that settle in the water lines. Checking each hydrant improves fire department personnel knowledge of the hydrant locations. If you have any questions, or should notice a hydrant in need of repair, please contact the fire department at 585-345-6375. ALSO: Today the City of Batavia Fire Department responded to a report of smoke coming from the house with occupants believed to be still inside at 39 Manhattan Ave. in the City of Batavia. Initial fire units arrived in four minutes to find smoke emanating from the rear of a two and a half story, two-family home. Fire crews entered the home to perform searches for any occupants and extinguish the fire in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Searches for occupants were negative. The fire caused damage to the room of origin, smoke damage throughout the occupancy and some water damage to the first and second floor. No one was home at the occupancy involving the fire. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by City of Batavia Fire Department and Police Department investigators. The City of Batavia Fire Department was assisted by the City of Batavia Police and Codes Department, and the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center. The Town of Batavia Fire Department was on stand-by to cover any additional calls for service for the City.

 

The widow of a Buffalo firefighter who was killed in the line of duty has filed a notice of claim against both the city and fire department. Back in March, Jason Arno lost his life while battling a massive four-alarm blaze on Main Street. The claim was filed for several things including conscious pain and suffering, funeral expenses, and also lost pension benefits. A spokesperson for the City of Buffalo said the city won’t comment on pending litigation.

 

 

 

Governor Hochul is outlining the impact the recently passed state budget is going to have on mental health services in New York. In Buffalo yesterday, the governor said that funding will go towards things like increasing inpatient psychiatric treatment capacity, boosting insurance coverage, and expanding outpatient services. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than one in three New Yorkers have sought mental health care or knows someone in need of it. The governor believes that her plan will help meet everyone’s needs.

 

New details have been released on a school hoax threat that was made against the Hilton Central School District. A message was shared on Snapchat Friday that threatened to shoot up a school. The superintendent now says the threat originated in Florida, and that schools in states such as Pennsylvania, Utah, and New Mexico received a similar threat. A student in Florida has been arrested in connection with this case.

 

The National Hockey League Draft is coming up soon, and now the Buffalo Sabres know when they will be picking in the first round. Last night, the Sabres found out they’re going to have the 13th overall selection in the draft. Buffalo is coming off of a season where the team narrowly missed making the playoffs for the first time in years. The draft is scheduled to start on June 28th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

ELSEWHERE…

 

A once homeless California woman is now worth millions. Lucia Forseth won five-million dollars in a Scratchers game after buying a ticket at a Walmart in Pittsburg, about 40 miles east of San Francisco. The lucky winner says she plans to buy a house and invest the rest of her winnings. Her 2023 Scratchers win makes her the third winner of the ticket in California this year. There are two five-million-dollar tickets still out there.

 

 

A second grade boy from Wisconsin who vanished while camping in Michigan with his family is found safe after he sheltered under a log. He was found in good health within 24 hours of disappearing while gathering firewood. Rescue personnel were searching by land, air and water, and it described the park as remote and hilly, with standing water and deep snow in some areas that made seasonal roads impassable. The boy later said he cleared away top layers of snow so that he ate clean snow. He also made clear footprints so that people could more readily find him. Once found, besides his sweatshirt being a little dirty, he reportedly appeared fine.

 

An investigation is underway after a possible meteorite struck a home in Mercer County, New Jersey. The suspected space object crashed into a house in Hopewell Township Monday afternoon, piercing the roof and a ceiling before landing on a hardwood floor. Police say it was oblong, metallic and about the size of a large avocado. They think it could be related to a recent meteor shower but have contacted experts to figure it out. There were folks at home but, fortunately, no one was hurt.

 

May 9 in history…

 

In 1754, the first American newspaper cartoon was published in the “Pennsylvania Gazette.” Benjamin Franklin’s political cartoon was inspired by the inability of the thirteen colonies to unite against the French during the French and Indian War. It was accompanied by an editorial written by Franklin. Professional restoration to the head of the snake was noted. In 2012, this newspaper sold for $30,750.

 

 

In 1899, the lawn mower was patented by John Albert Burr, a former slave turned inventor – patented technology in 1899 is still being used in lawn mowers today.

 

 

In 1914, the first Mother’s Day was proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson.

 

 

 

 

In 1960, the public sale of the birth control pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This made the United States the first country to use “the pill” legally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1962, George Martin signed The Beatles to their first recording contract.

 

 

 

 

In 1991, cancer-stricken actor Michael Landon made his final public appearance on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” The episode ranks as one of the highest-rated episodes in “The Tonight Show’s” history.

 

 

 

 

 

In 2012, then President Obama announced his endorsement of same-sex marriage during an interview with ABC News.