Weekend News Brief

A memorial service has been held for the 10-year-old boy who lost his life in a fire. Last Thursday, Javarius-Gus Williams and two of his siblings ended up being trapped due to a fire at an apartment building on Vine Street in Batavia. Williams’ four-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother are still in the hospital and recovering. The children were home alone when the fire happened and the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

 

A hazardous weather outlook has been issued by the National Weather Service and we all know what that means. A few inches of snow will fall off and on throughout the day on Saturday with Sunday promising to be the messier day. Stay tuned to WBTA for weather updates throughout the weekend.

 

The Genesee County Sheriffs have arrested two Batavia residents. 44-year-old Clint Towne and 49-year-old Steven Morales now face multiple felony charges, including criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, and tampering with physical evidence. Misdemeanor charges include criminally using drug paraphernalia and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Their arrest followed a traffic stop on Lewiston Road; they were held at the Genesee County Jail pending CAP Court arraignment for both to respond to the alleged charges.

 

A former Springville elementary school teacher has been sentenced to ten years in prison for receipt of child pornography. Officials say 47-year-old Frank Noeson the Third began communicating with a 16-year-old girl on Snapchat and persuaded her to send explicit photos to him. He also had sexual communications with a 15-year-old girl in New Hampshire using Snapchat. Along with the prison sentence, Noeson will also have 30 years of supervised release.

 

A federal deadline to get a REAL ID or Enhanced ID will soon be here. Here’s why it matters: Everyone flying in the United States will need a REAL ID, an Enhanced ID, a passport, or another form of accepted identification to fly when that deadline arrives on May 7, 2025. With that in mind, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and Transportation Security Administration are telling people it’s to their benefit to beat the rush. dmv.ny.gov

 

Staff shortages, the lack of slots and high costs lead the challenges of finding childcare in New York State. That’s according to a new report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office. The Office of Child and Family Services says the number of childcare providers has steadily declined since before the pandemic. The Office of Child and Family Services has several resources on their website for parents and families for child care. Click here for more information: ocfs.ny.gov/programs/childcare

 

A former Avon police chief is now awaiting sentencing in an embezzlement case. 40-year-old Joseph Geer has pleaded guilty to theft of funds related to a federal program. That program created Geer’s one-year school resource officer (SRO) contract for $10,000 between the Avon Police Department and the Avon Central School District. Geer told the judge while under oath that at times when he should have been working as the district’s SRO, he was instead doing police chief duties and another officer was covering for him. Last March, the Avon Village Board suspended Geer. He resigned as police chief a month later. Geer is now set to be sentenced June 5. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

 

There is a brand-new development in the ongoing legal case involving Angel Vause.   In a South Carolina courtroom Friday, Vause was sentenced to 18 years in prison for lying to investigators about where she was the night her boyfriend, Raymond Moody, murdered Brittanee Drexel of Chili. Drexel was on a trip to Myrtle Beach back in 2009 when she was killed, and her body wasn’t found until years later. Moody was already ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison.

 

A new strain of mpox has been confirmed in New York for the first time. The New York State Department of Health issued a health advisory Wednesday, saying a new strain of the viral disease has been confirmed in a person with symptoms who had recently traveled to Africa. The department says the risk to the public is currently low, as there are no other known cases at this time. Mpox is rarely fatal, but can be dangerous to people with weak immune systems. The new strain is reportedly more infectious. Individuals infected with mpox are urged to stay isolated until their symptoms are resolved.

 

State residents who like to fish can cast a line free of charge this weekend. The first free fishing weekend of 2025 gets underway tomorrow and runs through Sunday and no license is required to participate.   The weekend is an opportunity for folks to spend time outdoors while also enjoying a wide variety of fishing activities such as angling and ice fishing. The other free fishing days this year are June 28th and 29th, September 27th and November 11th.

 

The Buffalo Bills are calling on artists of all skill levels for an art program at the new Highmark Stadium. The team says they are looking to create a permanent art presence in the stadium, which is slated to open next year. Art should capture the essence of Bills fans and the diverse demographics of Buffalo. Calls for wall-based artwork, murals and sculptural ceiling art will open later this month. Artists will be selected in the summer. People interested can visit buffalobillsnewstadium.com.

 

The next Bethany Fire Department’s all-you-can-eat-breakfast will be held on Sunday, March 9^th from 8am until noon, or until sold out. It’s happening at the Bethany Community Center and they’ll be serving scrambled eggs, pancakes, two meats, sausage gravy and biscuits, home fries, toast, juice and coffee. The cost is $12 for adults; $5 for children age 7 to 12; and kids 6 and under eat for free. For more information, call 585-356-2658.

 

Car enthusiasts from around the state will be heading to Syracuse over the next couple of days to check out the annual Syracuse Auto Expo. The event continues today at the Oncenter on South State Street and will wrap up on Sunday. The Syracuse Automobile Dealers Association has been putting on this show since 1907 and there will be hundreds of vehicles located throughout the building. More information, including a list of events and ticket prices, can be found at autoexposyracuse.com.

 

Igloo is recalling more than one million coolers over concerns they could amputate fingertips. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recall involves Igloo’s 90-quart Flip-and-Tow Rolling Coolers. The CPSC says the tow handle can pinch consumers’ fingertips against the cooler, posing fingertip and crushing hazards. The commission says there have been a dozen reports of injured fingertips, including amputations, lacerations and bone fractures.   People who have these coolers are being told to stop using them immediately and contact Igloo to get a free replacement handle.

 

Pope Francis is in the hospital. The 88-year-old Pontiff was admitted to a hospital in Rome this morning for what the Vatican said was treatment for bronchitis and diagnostic testing.   Today’s development is just the latest in a years-long string of concerns over the health of the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.