Wednesday News Brief

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office is announcing that Deputy Sheriff Chad Cummings, a nine-year member, has been named Officer of the Year. Deputy Cummings is noted as a leader in civil enforcement, considered one of the most dangerous duties a Deputy performs. He always accepts special assignments and has regularly taken on additional duties.

 

Anyone who has spent time driving lately already knows that pothole season has started. Triple A dispatchers tell us that the early freeze and thaw caused the potholes to open up earlier this year than normal. They respond to thousands of tire-related calls each month and say that one of the biggest culprits is potholes. In 2022 nearly 2 in 10 drivers had to get their vehicles repaired after hitting a pothole. The average cost of repair was over $400 and prices continue to rise.

 

Some General Motors employees in the region are going to be receiving profit-sharing payments worth over $12,000. The money will go to United Auto Workers members at plants in both Lockport and Tonawanda. GM says it wants to reward its employees who have had a major role in the company’s success. These payments will be distributed in $250 increments.

 

 

 

Flags are going to be lowered to half-staff across New York State today in honor of a fallen firefighter from Wayne County. Dan DeWolf, who was a member of the Fairville Volunteer Fire Department, died in the line of duty earlier this month. DeWolf went into cardiac arrest while at the scene of a house fire and passed away at the age of 52. DeWolf spent 32 years as a member of the department and also served time as its chief.

 

 

 

Organizers of the Rochester Lilac Festival have announced when the very popular event is going to be taking place this year. It is scheduled to run from May 10th through the 19th and over 500,000 visitors are expected to attend. In the aftermath of a few incidents that happened last year, there will be increased safety measures in place such as additional fencing and extra security. For more information, head to rochesterevents.com.

 

The Niagara Falls Police Department has announced the results of a major drug bust in the city. Authorities say they seized crack cocaine, crystal meth, fentanyl, suboxone strips and cash after executing a search warrant at a home on Buffalo Avenue last week. Charges are going to be filed once the results of lab tests come back.

 

A jury has issued its verdict in the murder trial of Troy Parker. Yesterday, Parker was found guilty of brutally killing Fantasia Stone at an address in Rochester last year by setting her on fire. The jury reached its decision in roughly 20 minutes after the defense and prosecution gave their closing arguments. Prosecutors say that Parker was motivated to carry out the killing by drugs and money. He’s facing decades in prison when he’s sentenced February 28th.

 

Governor Hochul is calling on the United States Supreme Court to protect access to an abortion medication. The drug, called mifepristone, has been used by millions of people over the last two decades. A lower court ruling has been handed down limiting the use of this medication; something the governor says undermines the rights of states to provide adequate health care services. New York already has a five-year supply of a similar abortion drug named misoprostol.

 

The Buffalo Bills have named the man who is going to be serving as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Bobby Babich, who has been with the Bills since 2017, is being promoted to the role after working the last two years as linebackers coach. However, there’s no word yet if he’ll be calling the plays on game day. As you know, this past season, head coach Sean McDermott took on those duties. Buffalo’s season came to an end earlier this month with a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

 

ELSEWHERE…

The state Senate’s transportation committee has started debate on legislation aimed at improving limousine safety. One measure calls for limos to be removed from the road after 10 years or 350,000 miles. Another bill would extend the state limousine passenger task force and allow members to work through the end of 2025. Limo safety has been a major topic at the Capitol since a crash in Schoharie back in October 2018 took the lives of 20 people.

 

Universal Orlando Resort is unveiling the first details about Florida’s next theme park. Universal Epic Universe is set to open next year and will feature five new lands — Super Nintendo World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Celestial Park and Dark Universe. Guests will enter through Celestial Park which will feature mythological-inspired architecture and a dual-launch racing coaster. Meanwhile, Dark Universe is inspired by classic Universal Monsters characters like Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula. Epic Universe will also be the home of the Universal Helios Grand Hotel that will have 500 rooms and unique views of the park.

 

Rare cases of early-onset dementia symptoms could be connected to a now-discontinued human growth hormone medical treatment. A study published in the journal Nature Medicine suggests that five adults may have received the treatment decades ago as children. The research presents the first reported evidence of Alzheimer’s disease in living people having been medically acquired. In those cases, researchers believe the early-onset dementia symptoms resulted from transmission of amyloid beta protein, which is a key part of Alzheimer’s disease when it forms plaques in the brain.

 

The Mega Millions jackpot keeps growing with no big winner Tuesday night. Friday’s prize now stands at $333 million, with the cash option working out to about $160 million. The odds of winning the grand prize are roughly one in 302 million. Please play responsibly.

 

 

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 31, the 31st day of 2024 with 335 to follow.

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

January 31 in history…

…In 1947, baseball Hall of Fame member Nolan Ryan was born (happy 77th!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1981, Justin Timberlake was born (happy 43rd!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1999, Cher sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXXIII.