Buffalo news

• Erie County Fair receives international awards

  08-12-2015 23:44
  
  The Erie County Fair received 19 international awards for efforts in agriculture and exhibits amongst other categories.          
  
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• Great weather extends construction season

  08-12-2015 23:40 via wivb.com
  
  AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) –The construction crews are working on borrow time.
  That’s allowed for one particular road construction project to move along better than expected.
  On Maple Road, near North Forest in Amherst, the bids for rebuilding the road surface weren’t ready go until October, typically the end of construction season, according to Erie County’s Engineering Director Charles Sickler. “And it’s like, ‘can we do this?’ and said ‘let&rsqu
  
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• Buffalo crime by the numbers

  08-12-2015 23:34 via wivb.com
  
  Buffalo Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Overall crime in the City of Buffalo is on track to be down about 10 percent compared to last year, according to Buffalo Police Department statistics.
  “Last year was an all-time low. This year will be another all-time low,” said Buffalo Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda.
  For example,  Buffalo saw 60 homicides in 2014 -- about 20 more than this year with about three weeks left to go.
  Why the difference year to yea
  
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• House tightens controls on visa-free travel to US

  08-12-2015 23:31 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved legislation tightening controls on travel to the U.S. and requiring visas for anyone who’s been in Iraq or Syria in the previous five years.
  The bill was approved 407-19. It takes aim at the “visa waiver” program, which allows citizens of 38 countries to travel to the U.S. without first obtaining a visa. Belgium and France, home to most of the perpetrators of the Paris attacks, are among the participating countries.
  The legislation
  
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• Food 2 Families: Thank You, WNY!

  08-12-2015 23:14
  
  WGRZ would like to give a big thank you to everyone who participated in Food 2 Families this year.        
  
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• Rath Building bridge security beefed up

  08-12-2015 23:11 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- A new security checkpoint is in place at an entryway to the Edward A. Rath County Office Building in downtown Buffalo.
  It’s located at the bridge which connects the Main Place Mall with the third floor of the County building, where up until this week, anyone could’ve walked in without being checked.
  Now there is an Erie County Sheriff’s Deputy checking the identification tags of County employees. Anyone is free to use this entrance, but now, they might be
  
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• Man convicted of cold case murder commits suicide

  08-12-2015 22:59 via wivb.com
  
  LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A man sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars for the murder of his estranged wife more than three decades ago has died, according to his family.
  Family members said Michael Rodriguez committed suicide in prison while stationed overnight at a prison between Attica and Clinton during a transport between the two facilities.
  Rodriguez was convicted of murdering his estranged wife by stabbing her 108 times while at Lackawanna’s Holy Cross cemetery in 1979
  
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• Principal, two guidance counselors on leave from East High School

  08-12-2015 22:42
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The principal and two guidance counselors are on paid leave after an investigation of graduation data.        
  
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• Local woman named to post at the White House

  08-12-2015 22:39 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON, D.C. (WIVB) — A graduate of Williamsville and SUNY Geneseo will take her skills learned in WNY to the nation’s highest office.
  Liz Allen has been named to the White House Deputy Communications Director and Deputy Assistant to the President posts. She’s no stranger to the Obama administration, having served in several roles for the president since his election in 2008.
  While at Geneseo, Allen majored in political science and international relations, and she took
  
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• Buffalo to offer nonstop flights to Denver

  08-12-2015 22:02 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Niagara International Airport will be more connected than it has been before starting in June when Southwest begins its nonstop flights directly to Denver, Colorado.
  The nonstop flight service will allow bridges to be built between the west coast and Buffalo, encouraging people to travel out of Buffalo to get directly to Denver, and as a short connection to west coast cities.
  “With the addition of this Saturday-only Denver service, Buffalo will
  
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• NYSEG offering reward for information on copper thefts

  08-12-2015 22:01
  
  NYSEG is offering a reward to anyone with information about the recent copper thefts from the company stations in Western New York.        
  
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• Sex offender arrested for violated probation

  08-12-2015 21:48
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A convicted sex offender is now facing additional charges after he violated his probation.        
  
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• U.S. House of Representatives passes ban on plastic microbeads

  08-12-2015 21:40 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — According to environmentalists, it’s a win for the great lakes, waterways and more — the U.S. House of Representatives pushed through a ban on plastic microbeads nationwide.
  The Microbead Free Waters Act of 2015 passed the House on Monday and promises to ban the manufacturing and sale of personal cosmetic products with microbeads in order to clean up the environment.
  The beads, according to studies, can pass through sewage treatment plants and pollut
  
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• Assembly hearing to examine daily fantasy sports in New York

  08-12-2015 20:57 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State lawmakers are set to examine the legality and financial and consumer impacts of daily fantasy sports in New York, where the attorney general is trying to shut them down.
  J. Gary Pretlow, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Racing and Wagering, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Kenneth Zebrowski say they want to hear testimony Tuesday about whether the online games constitute gambling under New York law. They’re also looking at the effect on regulat
  
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• Police: Father, son stole $41K worth of wings from employer

  08-12-2015 20:22 via wivb.com
  
  SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a father and son stole more than $40,000 worth of chicken wings from a New York restaurant where they worked and sold them on the street or to other businesses.
  The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office says 56-year-old Paul Rojek and 33-year-old Joshua Rojek, both of Syracuse, were caught stealing wings from the Twin Trees Too Restaurant in Syracuse.
  Deputies say both men were employed as cooks when they placed numerous chicken wing orders
  
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• NYSEG offering $5,000 for information on copper thieves

  08-12-2015 19:20 via wivb.com
  
  LANCASTER, N.Y. (WIVB) — Electric company NYSEG wants to know who’s been stealing copper around western New York and is prepared to offer $5,000 for information leading to their arrest and conviction.
  Many incidences of copper theft have occurred in western New York this year. Some incidents have occurred in the Town of Holland, the Village of Springville, and Wyoming County.
  “In addition to putting themselves in grave danger, the perpetrator or perpetrators are endan
  
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• Jamestown PD say double homicide suspect could be headed out of state

  08-12-2015 18:56 via wivb.com
  
  JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) — Jamestown Police are looking for a suspect in a double homicide on Barrows Street.
  Police say Allen P. Witruke, 51, is believed to be operating a silver 2009 Chevy Impala with a plate number reading, “GTY 5855.”
  Witruke may be headed to Wisconsin but his whereabouts are unknown at this time, according to police. Police are asking people to forward information on Witruke to other law enforcement agencies.
  
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• Jamestown double murder suspect captured in Olean

  08-12-2015 18:56 via wivb.com
  
  JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) — After police learned of a forced entry into a home in Jamestown, they entered the home to find two dead people.
  Officers responded to the Jamestown home on Barrows Street just after 8 a.m. to find the crime scene, but declined to say how the two people died.
  Police in Jamestown immediately set to the task of finding a suspect, identified as Allen P. Witruke, a 51-year-old who they said could be on the run. Officers said he may have headed towards Wisconsin, bu
  
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• Amherst PD looking for suspected home improvement store thief

  08-12-2015 18:47 via wivb.com
  
  AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — Amherst Police are looking for a man suspected of stealing property from a home improvement store this past month.
  Police identify him as a white male. They say he may be driving a white four-door Ford Taurus.
  Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call the Amherst Police Detective Bureau at 689-1360, text 562-TIPS or email them at [email protected] with the reference number CNO 15-571469.
  
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• Accused Rochester kidnappers arraigned in court

  08-12-2015 17:37 via wivb.com
  
  ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WIVB) — Six people charged in relation to the kidnapping of two University of Rochester students were arraigned in court Tuesday morning.
  Leah Gigliotti, 20, Samantha Hughes, 19, Dennis Perez, 24, and Lydell Strickland, 26 all face four counts of first-degree kidnapping. All are being held without bail, according to Rochester CBS affiliate WROC.
  Ruth Lora, 19, and Inalia Rolldan, 19, face two counts of second-degree kidnapping and their bail was set at
  
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• Community Missions wraps up week of renovations

  08-12-2015 17:07 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) – Community Missions’ clients should get their first look at the newly made over food pantry during Tuesday’s food distribution.
  Over the last week, volunteers have replaced the floor in two of the pantry’s rooms and have added fresh paint to the walls, during a week of giving that began on Giving Tuesday, December 1.
  The new tile flooring replaces old, stained carpeting that had been in the food pantry for at least the last decade. Students wit
  
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• Students sing “Wake Up” Holiday Sing-Along

  08-12-2015 15:59 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A group of students at Christ the King School in Buffalo had submitted a video of themselves performing the “Wake Up” Holiday Sing-Along.
  Watch them in the video above.
  MORE | Learn how to submit an entry here.
  
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• Gallery: Remembering John Lennon

  08-12-2015 15:04 via wivb.com
  
  (LIN Media) — Music icon John Lennon was shot and killed Dec. 8, 1980 outside of his New York City apartment. His death is considered a defining moment for the Baby Boomer generation.
  APP USERS | See the gallery here.
  
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• SPCA radiothon raises more than $130,000

  08-12-2015 14:53 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Families packed into the SPCA Serving Erie County in Tonawanda Monday in hopes of finding a new pet to bring home for the holidays.
  Nicholas Johnson was one of the people who took advantage of discounted adoption fees in honor of the organization’s radiothon on Star 102.5 and WBEN 930. He chose a 20-pound beagle puppy named Diesel. You could also say the pup chose him, though. The dog didn’t seem to want to stop cuddling his new owner despite the fact tha
  
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• Eagles of Death Metal members revisit Paris attack site

  08-12-2015 14:28 via wivb.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — Members of California rock band Eagles of Death Metal on Tuesday revisited the ravaged Paris theater where they survived a massacre by Islamic extremist suicide bombers.
  Solemn and silent, they came to the now-shuttered Bataclan theater in eastern Paris, whose facade has become a shrine to the at least 89 people killed inside. Band members laid flowers at the site under a persistent December rain, some embracing as they stared at the wreaths, notes and banners heaped in m
  
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• Sheriff: Car and bus collide in Lewiston

  08-12-2015 14:18 via wivb.com
  
  LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office says a car and a bus collided on Walmore Road in Lewiston this morning.
  The Sheriff’s Office received the call around 7:42 a.m. Tuesday.
  Lewiston Police were at the scene. No injuries were reported.
  
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• Police: Conn. man claiming to be Santeria priest steals five sets of human bones for religious ritual

  08-12-2015 13:46 via wivb.com
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The Hartford man who claims to be a Santeria priest will head back to Massachusetts to face five counts of disinterment of bodies.
  32 year old Amador Medina waived extradition in a Hartford courtroom this morning after the skeletal remains of three adults and two small children were found at his Preston Street home.
  Police say they were stolen from a mausoleum at the Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts.
  Medina told police he used the skeletons in healing cere
  
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• Conn. man claiming to be Santeria priest steals five sets of human bones for religious ritual

  08-12-2015 13:46 via wivb.com
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The Hartford man who claims to be a Santeria priest will head back to Massachusetts to face five counts of disinterment of bodies.
  32 year old Amador Medina waived extradition in a Hartford courtroom this morning after the skeletal remains of three adults and two small children were found at his Preston Street home.
  Police say they were stolen from a mausoleum at the Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts.
  Medina told police he used the skeletons in healing cere
  
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• Should states ban assault rifles to prevent mass shootings?

  08-12-2015 13:29 via wivb.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Less than one week after the San Bernardino mass shooting, the Supreme Court refused to revisit a Second Amendment challenge.
  Gun owners living in Highland Park, Illinois, wanted a 2013 ban on semi-automatic assault weapons and large capacity magazines lifted.
  Judge Frank Easterbrook said there is a “substantial benefit” to the ordinance if it makes the public feel less at risk from a mass shooting.
  Indianapolis gun shop owner Brian Ludlow believes weapons
  
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• Oscar Pistorius granted bail following murder conviction

  08-12-2015 13:13 via wivb.com
  
  PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — A judge on Tuesday let Oscar Pistorius remain under house arrest at his uncle’s mansion and set an April sentencing date, five days after an appeals court convicted the double-amputee Olympian of murder for killing his girlfriend.
  In the meantime, Pistorius’ legal team plans to appeal his murder conviction in South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, chief defense lawyer Barry Roux said.
  In convicting Pistorius on
  
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• Police: Man shot in living room on East Side

  08-12-2015 12:41 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police say a man was shot in the foot on Ada Place overnight.
  The man’s injuries appear to be non-life threatening. Police say four shots were fired from the street and that the man was hit inside his living room.
  Police are investigating the incident.
  
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• Police looking for missing North Tonawanda man

  08-12-2015 12:20 via wivb.com
  
  ANGOLA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Town of Evans Police say a North Tonawanda man has gone missing.
  Andrew C. Lasek, 42, was seen on camera Sunday just before 12:30 p.m. launching a blue kayak from Sturgeon Point Marina, according to police.
  The last time Lasek was spotted was at 12:46 p.m. when he was seen on video paddling west toward Evans Town Park. Police say he was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue shorts and a personal flotation device at the time.
  Lasek is described as 6’0&Pr
  
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• Kayak found, but North Tonawanda veteran still missing

  08-12-2015 12:20 via wivb.com
  
  ANGOLA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Town of Evans Police say a North Tonawanda Navy veteran has gone missing after going fishing.
  Andrew C. Lasek, 42, was seen on camera Sunday just before 12:30 p.m. launching a blue kayak from Sturgeon Point Marina, according to police.
  The last time Lasek was spotted was at 12:46 p.m. when he was seen on video paddling west toward Evans Town Park. Police say he was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue shorts and a personal flotation device at the time.
  
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• Body of missing North Tonawanda kayaker found

  08-12-2015 12:20 via wivb.com
  
  ANGOLA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Town of Evans Police say the body of a North Tonawanda Navy veteran has been found after he had not been seen or heard from since Sunday.
  Andrew C. Lasek, 42, was later seen on camera at 12:46 p.m. that same day paddling a kayak from Sturgeon Point Marina west toward Evans Town Park. Police say he was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue shorts and a personal flotation device at the time.
  Lasek’s vehicle and personal belongings remained at th
  
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• Sabres lose against Ryan Miller in Vancouver Monday night

  08-12-2015 07:26 via wivb.com
  
  VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Radim Vrbata scored three goals for his sixth career hat trick to help Vancouver beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 Monday night, snapping the Canucks’ five-game losing streak.
  Brandon Prust had a goal and an assist, and Henrik Sedin also scored for Vancouver, and Ryan Miller stopped 32 shots against his former team. The Canucks won for just the fourth time in their last 17 games. Daniel Sedin and Adam Cracknell added two assists each.
  Brian Gionta and Sam
  
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• Lancaster Schools delay vote on Gender Policy

  08-12-2015 05:52 via wivb.com
  
  LANCASTER, N.Y. (WIVB)- The Lancaster Central School District has drawn up a new policy addressing transgender students, but the Board isn’t ready to approve it yet.
  about twenty residents spoke at Monday evening’s four hour School Board meeting. Most were opposed to the proposed policy which would allow students who consistently identify with the opposite gender to use the restroom and locker rooms of that opposite gender.
  School Board President Patrick Uhteg says it’s an issu
  
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• Moon passes in front of Venus in rare event

  08-12-2015 04:01 via wivb.com
  
  PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The moon passed in front of Venus Monday – and it’s a rare occurrence that caught the eye of local astronomy enthusiasts.
  The occultation of Venus could be seen from the northeast, and experts say it is a somewhat rare event.
  It was a little hard to see, but for those who knew where to look in the sky – you could see both Venus and the thin crescent moon close together in broad daylight.
  If you were watching closely, you could then see Venus disa
  
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• And Kimye’s baby’s name is…Saint West

  08-12-2015 03:56 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — And the baby du jour’s name is … Saint West.
  Kim Kardashian West and hubby Kanye announced the name of their new boy via Twitter and her app. North’s sibling was born Saturday, weighing in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce.
  Saint is in fine company. His cousins include Reign Aston Disick.
  Kardashian West has tracked her pregnancy online for her 37 million Twitter followers, posting an image late Friday of her bare belly with the caption, “Ready whenever you a
  
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• Kansas man shocked after thief sends sexually explicit messages to daughter, boss from stolen phone

  08-12-2015 03:53 via wivb.com
  
  TOPEKA (KSNT) – We use them every day, to call, text and surf the web. But what if all that information ended up in the hands of a complete stranger.
  “It was supposed to be a good thing but now it turned all bad,” says Sjohn Smith, who lost his phone on the way home from work one night. A few days later his daughter, female boss and others in his contact list started getting inappropriate texts and pictures Smith says, “It’s like a little traumatic experience and ha
  
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• NY veteran recalls attack on Pearl Harbor

  08-12-2015 03:39 via wivb.com
  
  TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A Troy man recounted seeing the pain and destruction on Pearl Harbor on the 74th anniversary of the attack.
  Monday marks 74 years since the attack that led Pres. Franklin Roosevelt to call December 7 “a day which will live on in infamy.”
  On December 7, 1941, Japan’s Navy and air force launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Their target was the United States Navy’s Pacific fleet.
  More than 2,400 Americans were killed, half the U.S.
  
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• Iowa State raises more than $10k for Nate Oats’ family

  08-12-2015 03:13 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — First year head coach of University at Buffalo’s men’s basketball program Nate Oats will receive a financial boon from an unlikely ally after Iowa State Athletics raised money for his wife’s medical bills.
  Oats’ wife is currently combating double hit lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer, so Iowa State Athletics asked their fans to put aside the fact that the two teams would be rivals in an upcoming basketball game, and help out.
  Iowa St
  
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• Cheap gas could help cheer up the holiday season

  08-12-2015 02:19 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil prices have been lower for longer than expected. Now, with OPEC’s decision to keep pumping at current levels, analysts expect oil to remain relatively cheap well into 2016 and maybe longer.
  Motorists see the effect of cheaper crude every time they fill up. According to AAA, the national average pricefor a gallon of regular gasoline on Monday was $2.03 and should soon drop below $2 for the first time since 2009. Gas is already below $2 at nearly two-thirds of the
  
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• Niagara University Dean of Students placed on leave as investigation begins

  08-12-2015 01:55 via wivb.com
  
  LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Niagara University announced Monday Dean of Students Carrie McLaughlin will be placed on paid administrative leave. More than 1,200 people signed a petition asking that Dean McLaughlin be removed for allegedly mishandling a sexual assault report.
  “When Niagara University receives complaints related to sexual assault, we investigate them promptly,” said Dr. Debra Colley, the executive vice president.
  The petition was signed by students, parents
  
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• From food to makeup, ‘Star Wars’ stuff is out of this world

  08-12-2015 01:20 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) – Right now, in a store not too far away, there is a galaxy of new merchandise connected to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
  Beyond the usual action figures and apparel, the seventh installment in the space franchise (and the first from merchandise-driven Disney) boasts a broader array of branded products than ever before: from Chewbacca Coffee-Mate creamer (Wookiees drink coffee?) and “Star Wars” mascara to $400 designer Death Star shoes and a $4,00
  
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• Gallery: Remembering Pearl Harbor

  08-12-2015 01:16 via interactives.wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The raid, which claimed some 2,400 American lives, prompted the United States to declare war against Japan the next day.
  APP USERS | Tap here to see the photo gallery. 
  
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• Trump calls for ‘complete shutdown’ on Muslims entering US

  08-12-2015 00:36 via wivb.com
  
  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called Monday for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” an idea that prompted one of his rivals to call him “unhinged.”
  The proposed ban would apply to immigrants and visitors alike, a sweeping prohibition affecting all adherents of Islam who want to come to the U.S. The idea also raised immediate questions about whether it could pass muster under constitutional prote
  
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