Wednesday News Brief

A retired Greece Police Department officer has been ordered to spend some time in prison after admitting to having child porn. Yesterday, a judge sentenced 57-year-old Raymond DiPasquale to 15 months behind bars. Prosecutors say DiPasquale was found to have hundreds of disturbing images on devices that he owned. Once he is released from custody, DiPasquale will be under post-release supervision for five years.

 

Buffalo police say they have made an arrest in connection with recent vandalism incidents at Cazenovia Park. Investigators say it was a 13-year-old boy who caused thousands of dollars worth of damage at the park. The Department of Public Works commissioner says buildings at the park are now going to be closed earlier to try and prevent any future crime. The teen is facing a felony charge.

 

The Division of Consumer Protection is offering tips to help protect kids and animals from heat stroke in hot cars. Officials say the best suggestion is to never leave a child or animal alone in a vehicle during hot weather, even if the windows are rolled down. Also, if you spot a child or animal in a hot car that appears to be in distress, dial 911 immediately. Since 1998, 942 children nationwide have died due to Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke. Last year, 56 animals passed away from heat-related issues.

 

The University of Rochester is going to be offering free credit monitoring in the aftermath of a recent cyber attack. The school’s president says the sophisticated attack back in June was carried out by foreign criminals. Personal information was accessed, and the breach happened due to a software weakness in a product provided by a third-party company. Everyone eligible for credit monitoring will be notified by a letter.

 

 

As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: Small businesses will be getting a bill in the mail from the State very soon if they haven’t already. The bill for an “Interest Assessment Surcharge” is a new annual fee that the State of NY created last year to try to recoup some of the spending on the unemployment insurance costs during COVID shutdowns. The state owes the federal government $6.5 billion. The National Federation of Independent Business is calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to use federal pandemic relief funds to pay off the debt. A New York State Comptroller audit in 2022 found that the state lost $11 billion from unemployment insurance fraud, even after receiving repeated warnings that the system was susceptible to fraud.

 

A Lackawanna teenager has been identified as the victim of a drowning at Woodlawn State Park. According to State Police, 16-year-old Aiden Walden entered the water with a friend on Monday, but was unable to keep his head above the surface. Beachgoers helped remove Walden from the water but he was later pronounced dead at South Buffalo Mercy Hospital. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his family with funeral expenses.

 

The Buffalo Bills will be kicking off a journey today that they hope ends in the franchise winning its first-ever Super Bowl. The Bills are set to start training camp on the campus of Saint John Fisher University. Fans who do not already have tickets to see the team up close are out of luck because all of those tickets have been claimed. The Bills begin the regular season on Monday, September 11th when they visit Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.

 

ELSEWHERE…

 

Scammers are cashing in on “Barbie” mania. Cyber criminals have been taking advantage of the hype to launch a wave of online scams to deceive consumers. Software security firm McAfee claims to have documented 100 new instances of malware with Barbie-related filenames in the last three weeks alone. Most of the scam attempts involved setting up fake Barbie websites that advertise free tickets but instead pull up links that hijack personal info with spyware. To avoid getting scammed, McAfee advises Barbie fans to stick with reliable retailers and streamers and only buy tickets from a reputable theater chain or app.

 

UPS and Teamsters are avoiding a strike after reaching a tentative agreement on a new labor contract. A strike by UPS workers would have been the largest in U.S. history. Ratification of the new five-year deal could take about three weeks. UPS CEO Carol Tome called it a “win-win” agreement for employees and customers. The union represents more than 300-thousand workers at the package carrier.

 

Congress will hold a much-anticipated hearing on UFOs Wednesday. Former U.S. intelligence official David Grusch will testify before the House Oversight Committee following his recent claims the government recovered technology of “non-human origin.” He’ll be joined by former Navy pilots who have reported multiple encounters unidentified aerial phenomena. Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett accused the federal government of hiding information on UFOs from Americans and Congress, and said Wednesday’s hearing would focus on transparency. Lawmakers in both chambers in Congress have ramped up efforts for greater disclosures from the Pentagon. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has pushed legislation to require the release of more information on UFOs.

 

Skittles is coming out with a new flavor this summer. In honor of National Mustard Day on August 5th, mustard-flavored Skittles will be making their debut. The new flavor is in collaboration with French’s yellow mustard. Fans will get to taste the new flavor at French’s “Mustard Mobile” that will be making stops in Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New York City next week.

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mick Jagger turns 80 today. One of the founding members of the Rolling Stones, Jagger released his first solo album titled “She’s the Boss” back in 1985. He’s collaborated with a host of A-listers over the course of his career, including the likes of David Bowie, Tina Turner, Carly Simon and Jerry Lee Lewis.

 

 

The Mega Millions jackpot keeps growing with no grand prizewinner in Tuesday night’s drawing. The game’s top prize has now grown to at least $910 million ahead of Friday’s drawing. The lump sum cash option on that is just over $464 million. The last time someone hit the jackpot was back in April. Please play responsibly.

 

 

The CDC says COVID hospitalizations have risen by more than ten-percent across the country. Their latest report shows over 7,100 COVID-19 patients were admitted in the week of July 15th, up from 6,400 the week before. It’s the largest percent increase in COVID hospitalizations since December, though infection rates in the U.S. are still near historic lows.

 

Today is Wednesday, July 26th, the 207th day of the year.

 

July 26 in history…

…In 1775, the Second Continental Congress of the United States established the postal system.

 

 

 

…In 1948, Babe Ruth attended the premiere of “The Babe Ruth Story” in New York City. It was the last time he was seen in public. In his final years, Ruth made many public appearances, especially in support of American efforts in World War II. In 1946, he became ill with nasopharyngeal cancer and died from the disease two years later. Ruth remains a major figure in American culture. He died August 16, 1948.

 

 

 

…In 1984, the film, “Purple Rain” starring Prince premiered in Hollywood.

 

 

 

 

…In 1991, Pee Wee Herman actor Paul Reubens was arrested for exposing himself twice during an adult movie in a Florida theater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 2006, a Texas jury found confessed child killer Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity following a second trial. Yates was retried after a 2002 conviction was overturned on appeal because of flawed testimony by the prosecution’s star witness. The 42-year-old had confessed to drowning her children. She was ordered to a state mental hospital.