Wednesday News Brief

LeRoy, Stafford, Pavilion, Bergen and Batavia Fire Departments responded to a fire on North Street in LeRoy Tuesday night. A home at 26 North Street had flames coming up through the roof. The firefighters were able to get everyone out and defeat the blaze. The fire reportedly started on the first floor and climbed through the wall into the attic. There is heavy smoke damage.

 

 

Some brand-new data shows that the flu is now widespread in the Empire State. According to the state Department of Health, cases have risen by over 25% in the last week and hospitalizations have surged by 30%. The counties with the highest amount of cases in our region are Monroe, Wayne, and Ontario. Folks who haven’t received a flu shot yet are urged to get one soon.

 

 

As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: The Tonawanda Seneca Nation has filed a lawsuit against the federal government in U.S. District Court over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s approval of a right of way for an industrial wastewater pipeline through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. The lawsuit asserts that the Nation has standing to sue because the refuge is historically and culturally interrelated with the Nation’s ancestral territory, even though it is outside the boundaries of the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. Orleans County has also sued to stop the pipeline.

 

A Pittsford native has been identified as one of the eight airmen killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Japan. The U.S. Air Force says 32-year-old Captain Terrell Brayman was on the aircraft when it went down last week. Brayman served as a pilot and flight commander, and graduated in 2009 from Pittsford Mendon High School. The helicopter crashed during a training mission and the cause of the tragedy remains under investigation.

 

 

In the wake of Rochester Police advocating vigilance when in their cars, Flower City police have announced an arrest in connection with a carjacking in their city. According to authorities, 30-year-old Tramieke Austin threatened a woman at gunpoint Monday night outside the RTS Transit Center on Saint Paul Street. The victim got out of her vehicle, and Austin drove off before the car was tracked to a parking lot on North Clinton Avenue and he was taken into custody. Austin is now facing multiple charges.

 

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is going to face a challenge for her seat on Capitol Hill next year. Westchester County entrepreneur and Republican Josh Eisen has now launched his U.S. Senate campaign. The 51-year-old Eisen has called Gillibrand a do-nothing senator, and claimed that she and her fellow Democrats have failed to deal with important issues. A Gillibrand spokesperson says Eisen’s history of things like racism, misogyny, and harassment prove he’s not fit for office.

 

 

 

The American Red Cross has unveiled another incentive aimed at getting people to roll up their sleeves and donate blood. Anyone who donates through December 17th will get a 10-dollar Amazon gift card sent to their email. They’ll also be entered in a drawing for a prize package that includes a one-thousand-dollar Amazon gift card and a 65-inch Amazon Fire TV. To find a donation clinic in your area, head to redcrossblood.org.

 

 

The Sabres lost to the Red Wings last night 5 to 3. This was Detroit’s 3rd straight win and the Sabres 4th straight loss; they’re now 10-14-2 for the season. Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt and Jeff Skinner scored for Buffalo and Eric Comrie made 22 saves. The Sabres travel to Boston to take on the Bruins tomorrow night; the puck drops at 7:00.

 

 

 

ELSEWHERE…

 

A new theory suggests that today’s earthquakes may actually be aftershocks of quakes that struck in the 19th century. According to a study by researchers with the US Geological Survey, seismic activity today can be traced back to earthquakes in the 1800s, even though there were no seismographs back then. The researchers say there are plenty of written accounts of where quakes struck and how strong they felt. They say that understanding earthquakes from two hundred or more years ago will help us prepare for large earthquakes to come.

 

ChatGPT might not be a reliable source for medication-related questions. A study by pharmacists at Long Island University found that the free version of ChatGPT provided inaccurate or incomplete answers to some questions about drugs. Other responses didn’t directly address the questions that were asked. A lead author of the study says patients should be wary when using the viral chatbot for drug information and responses should be verified by a doctor or other trusted sources.

 

A co-founder of the Moody Blues and Wings has passed away. Denny Laine helped form the Moody Blues in 1964 and scored an early hit with their cover of Bessie Banks’ “Go Now.” He left the group in 1967 and later joined Paul McCartney in forming Wings in 1971. Denny Laine passed away this week at the age of 79.

 

Late night talk show host Stephen Colbert is extending his hiatus after a health emergency. The 59-year-old New Jersey resident continues to recover from a ruptured appendix over the Thanksgiving holiday and won’t be taping shows for another week.

 

 

 

Doctors say a new syndrome that’s been identified in some newborn infants may be related to fentanyl exposure. The recently-published findings show that at least ten babies who were born to mothers who had used fentanyl have been identified with distinctive birth defects. All of the infants were noted to have atypical features, such as cleft palate and unusually small heads. No common genetic cause has been uncovered; however, all were born to mothers who said they’d used street drugs, particularly fentanyl, while they were pregnant. In addition to cleft palate, the 10 infants have unusually small bodies and heads. They tend to have drooping eyelids. Their noses tend to turn upward, and their lower jaws are often undersized. Their feet may point down and inward, and two of their middle toes are webbed. Baby boys may have genital irregularities. Some have trouble feeding, and their thumbs may not be fully formed. The study’s co-authors added that much more work is needed to confirm the findings.

Today is Wednesday, December 6, the 340th day of 2023 with 25 to follow.

The moon is waning and 38% illuminated. Morning stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus and Venus.

December 6 in history…

…In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States.

 

 

 

…In 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition, Americans crowded into liquor stores, bars and cafes to buy their first legal alcoholic beverages in 13 years.

 

 

 

…In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a message to Japanese Emperor Hirohito expressing hope that gathering war clouds would be dispelled. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor the next day.

 

 

 

 

…In 1969, the Altamont Speedway Free Festival was held in Northern California, with estimated attendance of 300,000 to 500,000. The counterculture rock concert is best remembered for a number of violence incidents and accidents that left four people dead and dozens injured. The Rolling Stones, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Jefferson Airplane performed. It was largely thought that the ‘peace, love and music’ era ended with this concert.

 

 

…In 1995, Michael Jackson was hospitalized after collapsing on stage while rehearsing for an HBO special. Paramedics said he had low blood pressure.

 

 

 

 

…In 2013, the electric guitar played by Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival was sold at auction in New York for a record $965,000. The Fender Stratocaster had been in the possession of a New Jersey family for 48 years after Dylan left it on a private plane.