Wednesday News Brief

A Livingston County man was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison Tuesday for killing his infant son. Prosecutors said Zachary McCaa’s 2 1/2-month-old son died in June 2022, seven days after McCaa, then 26, threw him and caused blunt force injuries to the head. Investigators said McCaa also violently shook the baby on more than one occasion. In September, a jury convicted McCaa of murder, manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

 

A nearby community is finally getting more much needed help to deal with its ongoing water woes. Bethany has been awarded $5 million in state funding through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Program. Right now, there are dozens of people in the town who are either without water or struggling to get it. Bethany previously received a $16 million grant from the USDA before the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

As reported by Tom Tharp this morning: New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House. The 4-3 decision from the New York Court of Appeals could have major ramifications as Democrats angle for more favorable district lines in the state next year. Republicans, who won control of the House after flipping seats in New York, sought to keep the map in place. The state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission will now be tasked with coming up with new districts, which will then go before the Democrat-controlled Legislature for approval. The court ordered the commission to file a map no later than February 28, 2024.

 

Brand-new legislation is now on the books in New York State that’s aimed at protecting people from dangerous and reckless motorists. It’s called Angelica’s Law and lowers the number of prior license suspensions required before a driver can face a felony charge for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. This bill is named after 14-year-old Angelica Nappi, who died after being hit by a driver with previous license suspensions. Governor Hochul says the goal of the law is to prevent a similar tragedy.

 

 

 

The holiday travel season is about to kick into high gear, and the Transportation Security Administration says it’s prepared. According to the agency, the busiest travel times will be around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. It is recommended people arrive to the airport at least two hours before their scheduled flight to make sure they have time to get through security. Also, travelers should know what they can and can’t bring onboard their flight to help the screening process move smoothly.

 

 

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management is recalling one lot of cannabis gummies. The lot, sold under the name Jenny’s Zee Zee Gummies by Jenny’s Baked at Home Company, did not undergo the required testing for consumer safety and product quality, according to the state. The gummies were distributed Sept. 4-Nov. 1 at licensed cannabis dispensaries in New York state. The OCM said the recall was issued as a precaution and there have been no reports of adverse effects from the gummies. Anyone who bought the gummies should contact the dispensary where they purchased it.

 

The Buffalo Sabres will be kicking off their three-game road trip tonight as they look to win their second consecutive contest. The Sabres are taking on the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver. Buffalo last played Monday when they beat the Arizona Coyotes at home by a final score of five-to-two. Face-off this evening is set for 10:00.

 

ELSEWHERE…

 

Hair samples from three former U.S. Presidents are heading to deep space. The samples from John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George Washington will be on board a rocket launched by Celestis early next year. The company specializes in sending remains and DNA to outer space, claiming off-world storage preserves the samples for thousands of years without degradation. Celestis says the DNA of late presidents could help people in the future learn more about U.S. history. Regarding Washington’s hair, Union College in Schenectady report they found the surprising item inside a long-forgotten book with documentation. By the way, the notion that he wore a wig is a myth; Washington was a redhead powdered his long hair.

 

The peak to the Geminid Meteor Shower is coming overnight tonight into Thursday morning with peak viewing time beginning at approximately 8:30pm. The Geminid Meteor shower began on November 19th and will continue until December 24th. Earthsky.org states the meteors radiate near the star Castor in the Gemini constellation. Best viewing will be under a dark sky with no moon. Optimal viewing will allow for 120 Geminid meteors to be seen per hour.

 

A Scottish woman who picked up a first-edition copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in a bargain bin for around 12-dollars sold it at auction this week for $69,000. The hardcover book, titled “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in the U.S., was one of 200 printed that went to bookstores back in 1997. It was the first in the series by author J.K. Rowling. The woman kept it for years, thinking it was worthless without a dust jacket, but then learned it never had one in the first place.

 

 

Marijuana use during pregnancy is being linked to low birth weight. A study published Tuesday by the American Medical Association looked at over 9,000 pregnant women across the U.S. and found that cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of unhealthy outcomes, including low birth rate, elevated anxiety and hyperactivity.

 

Federal Reserve rate cuts could come as soon as June. That’s according to the latest CNBC Fed Survey. More than half of the 35 experts asked built in a rate cut by June 2024, with that number rising to nearly 70% by July.

 

 

 

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 13, the 347th day of 2023 with 18 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus. Watch for Geminid Meteor Showers tonight around 8:30pm (keep fingers crossed for clear skies!).

December 13 in history…

 

…In 1816, the United States’ first savings bank, the Provident Institution for Savings, opened in Boston.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1862, Union troops suffered a major defeat in the Civil War battle of Fredericksburg. An estimated 12,000 northern soldiers were killed or injured, about three times the toll suffered by Confederate forces.

 

 

 

…In 1974, George Harrison had lunch with U.S. President Gerald Ford at the White House.

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1994, Prince performed the song “Dolphin” on the David Letterman show. And in case you missed it: He was not a fan of Letterman. Prince sang a song called “Dolphins” from his new album “The Gold Experience” and changed the entire ending of the song to incorporate a fake gunshot to the head so that he didn’t have to talk to David Letterman or shake Letterman’s hand.
“It was crazy because he told me he said, you know David is a smart alec and, and he just didn’t want to shake his hand that night. You know, Prince had an unpronounceable name at the time. And so David had to do everything with this symbol. So every commercial break he just made a joke about it. And Prince didn’t think it was funny. He’s watching in that green room and he’s, he’s pissed off man. He’s hot as cayenne peppers. We’ve rehearsed it, we know how it’s gonna go, he get’s to the door and he just says, um, do you have the gun sample? I’m like, um, I can get it. He said well okay, put that on. I’m gonna do like this (holds fingers to head) at the end of the song when I pull the trigger, you shoot the sample and Coco our big bodyguard’s gonna come grab me and drag me off the stage and I won’t have to shake his hand. And we gonna cut out the second verse, go straight to the bridge…and no mistakes. The entire performance of Prince singing the song “Dolphins” on David Letterman in 1994. The ending is eerie with Prince pretending to shoot himself in the head with a pretend gun. His bodyguard carries him off stage when he fake collapses. He edited the ending of the song and through in the gunshot and fake death scene to that he didn’t have to shake David Letterman’s hand. He’s like I don’t care, I’m over it. And so he just said, we gonna make a lil edit and I’m gonna do this thing and bam, just like that. He didn’t shake, David came out and he, let me tell you, David was thirty-eight too. After it was over, he was walkin’ through the halls swearing like…Prince can never come back to this show again. He was super hot. You know, ’cause he knew what had happened and that it was a slight. He was very upset about the whole deal too.” -Prince’s longtime keyboardist and musical director Morris Hayes

 

…In 2003, a bearded and apparently disoriented Saddam Hussein, the deposed Iraqi president, was captured by U.S. troops in a small underground hideout southeast of his hometown of Tikrit, ending an eight-month manhunt.