Buffalo news

• Judge denies former cable company executive, Sabres owner John Rigas bid to leave federal prison

  22-12-2015 23:30 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — John Rigas will not be going home for Christmas.
  A federal judge Tuesday denied the 91-year-old terminally ill cancer patient his bid for early release.
  Rigas, who is a former Buffalo Sabres owner, was sentenced in 2005 for 15 years for using Adelphia Communications Corp., once a major cable company, as his personal piggybank.
  He’s been in prison for eight and a half years. Federal prosecutors opposed Rigas’s release.
  While they did not challeng
  
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• Lewiston man collects $17,000 in cans for charity

  22-12-2015 23:28 via wivb.com
  
  LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB)- If Angelo Sarkees had a nickel for every can and bottle he’s picked up in the last couple years, he’d have $17,000. But he doesn’t have it because he’s donated every penny to charity.
  “My ultimate goal is $100,000. whether I make that or not , but I’ll get to fifty. I’m sure I’ll get to fifty.” said the 68 year old retiree from the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation.
  A few summers ago, he started collecti
  
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• Cyber security expert talks spearphising, recent breach

  22-12-2015 23:11 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- Federal authorities say Iranian hackers targeted a dam about 20 miles outside New York City in Rye.
  Officials reported the hackers were able to breach the software and take control of the flood gates. It happened back in 2013 but limited details are just now being released.
  “Obviously it’s fairly scary to us as a nation to imagine somebody sitting on the other side of the world could hit a keystroke and all of a sudden water could start flooding through a d
  
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• Man charged with crashing friend’s car after domestic dispute

  22-12-2015 23:10 via wivb.com
  
  LEROY, N.Y. (WIVB) — A domestic dispute left one vehicle with heavy damages and a man facing charges in LeRoy on Sunday.
  Officers say they responded to a car crash and domestic dispute in LeRoy, arresting 32-year-old Nick A Hawkins after their investigation. Police say he drove an acquaintance’s car from the driveway into a tree in a back yard following an argument.
  Hawkins faces charges of criminal mischief with the intent to damage property, petit larceny and second degree har
  
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• Ex-officer Cirulli on his own to fight civil suit in taped beating of local man

  22-12-2015 23:07 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Former Buffalo Police Officer John Cirulli is on his own to pay damages and defend himself in a federal lawsuit stemming from the videotaped beating of John Willet.
  State Supreme Court Justice Donna Siwek issued a decision Tuesday supporting the city.
  The city argued that Cirulli acted outside of his job as a police officer when he beat Willet while he lay handcuffed on his stomach on the sidewalk during an April 19, 2014 arrest at Ontario and Philadelphia Streets in
  
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• Governor Cuomo takes action to reform New York prisons

  22-12-2015 22:51 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed he signed a new law and an executive order that will impact prisoners in the New York State Prison system.
  He signed a new law reinforcing the prohibition on shackling pregnant inmates at prisons and county jails and during travel except in certain circumstances, in which handcuffs may be used pending the approval of a sheriff or prison superintendent.
  Women will continue to fall under the law after birth for eight weeks after delivery, or t
  
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• Salvation Army still recovering from Snowvember

  22-12-2015 22:49 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- It’s the season of giving, and the Salvation Army hopes Western New Yorkers are feeling extra charitable this year.
  “Last year was difficult with the Snowvvember storm. We couldn’t get workers out to do the collecting and the traffic in and out of the stores was so sparse that, it impacted us we estimate, somewhere between $30 and $50,000,” said Major Thomas Applin.
  He told News 4 the local Salvation Army had to play catch up because of the defi
  
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• Kentucky gov removes names of clerks from marriage licenses

  22-12-2015 22:10 via wivb.com
  
  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has ordered the state to prepare new marriage licenses that do not include the names of county clerks in an attempt to protect the religious beliefs of Kim Davis and other local elected officials.
  In a news release Tuesday, Bevin said he has issued an executive order directing the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives to issue the revised marriage license forms to all county clerks.
  The order comes after Davis, the Rowan Cou
  
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• Jim Kelly to sign autographs at the Walden Galleria

  22-12-2015 22:02 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly will make a public appearance and sign autographs for fans Tuesday night at the Walden Galleria.
  Kelly, who made history by taking the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls, won his recent battle with cancer and has made public appearances as his health returns.
  He’ll appear in the lower level of the Walden Galleria near the Lord & Taylor shop at 7 p.m. Anybody can receive an autograph with a $20 purchase
  
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• Firefighters battle blaze in Cheektowaga home

  22-12-2015 21:38 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Firefighters were on the scene of a blaze in Cheektowaga Tuesday, battling a blaze for over two hours.
  Fire officials say U-Crest Fire Department handled the two-story blaze on Wellworth Place that broke out at roughly 1 p.m. Officials said all people were able to escape the home, but a dog may have perished in the blaze.
  Efforts to clean up are still underway and investigation is continuing. News 4 will update this story with new information when it becomes
  
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• Officers search for 2 after attempted carjacking in Buffalo

  22-12-2015 20:59 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — An attempted carjacking on Monday night left a vehicle into two homes and police searching for two suspects.
  Buffalo Police say they responded to East Delevan and Wyoming just after 8:30 p.m. Officers say two suspects pulled a person from his vehicle in an attempt to carjack him.
  The two suspects were armed, police say, and during the ensuing struggle, a shotgun fired, however nobody suffered injury. After the gunshot, the two suspects fled and the veh
  
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• NYS to use new tow plows to help clear roads this winter

  22-12-2015 20:44 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Just because winter is off to a slow start doesn’t mean New York Sate isn’t ready for a challenge.
  New York State officials revealed one of their newest pieces of snow-fighting equipment on Tuesday. The tow plow, as they call it, helps clear two lanes — or 24 feet of the roadway — of snow with just one vehicle.
  “The addition of these tow plows will mean a safer New York State for motorists who are out and about during the winter wea
  
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• Lines steps down as coach of NWSL’s Western New York Flash

  22-12-2015 19:22 via wivb.com
  
  ELMA, N.Y. (AP) — Aaron Lines has stepped down as coach of the Western New York Flash, the National Women’s Soccer League team has announced.
  Lines will remain with the Flash in a management position. The move was announced Tuesday, and follows a season in which the Flash went 6-9-5 and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
  The suburban Buffalo-based Flash has finished seventh in the nine-team league in each of the past two seasons.
  Lines coached the&
  
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• 3rd suspect charged in Rochester shooting that killed 3, injured 4

  22-12-2015 18:55 via wivb.com
  
  ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a third man has been charged in the fatal shooting of three people and wounding of four others outside a Rochester youth center last summer.
  Officials announced Monday that 18-year-old Michael Mathis has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and six counts of second-degree murder in the Aug. 19 shooting in front of the Boys & Girls Club on Genesee Street.
  Johnny Blackshell and Jalen Everett also face murder charges in the case. Pol
  
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• Schumer: Solar tax credit extension to benefit Buffalo plant

  22-12-2015 18:34 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Appearing in Buffalo Tuesday, Sen. Charles Schumer announced the extension of a federal solar tax credit that would benefit a solar power plant being built in the Queen City.
  SolarCity is expected to create nearly 3,000 jobs and be fully operational in 2017. The facility is to be located at Riverbend in Buffalo. Schumer says he urged Congress to extend the tax credit.
  “The extension of this tax credit is a win-win for clean energy and new America
  
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• Man accused of beating son to death in church is offered plea deal

  22-12-2015 18:03 via wivb.com
  
  NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (WIVB) — Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara says Bruce Leonard, a man accused of beating his son to death in church, has been offered a plea deal, according to CBS affiliate WSTM.
  During a court appearance on Tuesday, Leonard was given a new attorney along with the offer of a plea deal. Seven other defendants in the case were previously offered plea deals.
  It is not clear what Leonard’s plea deal entails, but he will be back in court Janu
  
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• Gov. Cuomo directs flags to half-staff Wednesday in honor of fallen serviceman

  22-12-2015 17:46 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) — Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed flags to be displayed at half-staff on Wednesday, December 23.
  Flags are to be be flown in this way to honor a New York Air National Guard member who died in Afghanistan Monday.
  NY Air National Guard Technical Sgt. Joseph Lemm was killed in an incident outside Bagram Air Base. Lemm was a member of the 105th Security Forces Squadron.
  “Staff Sgt. Joe Lemm served this nation with the selflessness and bravery that em
  
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• Century-old mansion restored & decorated for the holidays

  22-12-2015 17:20 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – One of Buffalo’s historic mansions is celebrating a milestone. Famed architect E.B. Green designed the three story home that sits on the corner of Delaware and Auburn Avenues in 1915. It was built for a member of the Foreman family, one of the founding families of Buffalo, who made their fortune in oil sales.
  The partners at Dolce and Panepinto Law Firm spent $1.2 million this spring to buy the property, and another $400,000 to renovate it room by room. They to
  
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• GALLERY: A look at the Buffalo Broadcasters Association warehouse

  22-12-2015 17:06 via interactives.wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — News 4 took a trip to the Buffalo Broadcasters Association warehouse and found a variety of historic material.
  APP USERS | Tap here to view the gallery.
  
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• Help needed to open Buffalo-Niagara Hall of Fame

  22-12-2015 17:04 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A new Buffalo-Niagara Hall of Fame is looking to bring the best of Buffalo’s music, sports, and broadcasting legacies together under one roof, but organizers are counting on the community to help make that possible.
  A Kickstarter campaign is underway through 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, looking to raise $50,000 to help open the planned interactive and educational exhibits in the future museum which will house collections from the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the
  
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• Bergdahl does not enter plea in hearing with military judge

  22-12-2015 16:45 via wivb.com
  
  FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WNCN) – U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl did not enter a plea on Tuesday when appearing before a military judge.
  He appeared Tuesday at an arraignment hearing on charges of desertion and endangering troops.
  Bergdahl did not say  much but spoke confidently when he responded to the judge’s questions with answers of, “Yes, sir,” and “No, sir.”
  Bergdahl, dressed in his military uniform, sat straight up and looked forward for most of the hearing.
  
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• Prosecutor says no indictment in Sandra Bland jail death

  22-12-2015 16:29 via wivb.com
  
  HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) — A grand jury decided that neither sheriff’s officials nor jailers committed a crime in the treatment of a black woman who died in a Texas county jail last summer, but has not yet determined whether the state trooper who arrested her should face charges, a prosecutor said.
  Prosecutor Darrell Jordan said Monday that the Waller County grand jury will return in January to consider whether to indict the trooper who arrested 28-year-old Sandra Bland in July.
  Th
  
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• Fire destroys Kansas family’s home, but firemen save Christmas presents

  22-12-2015 16:19 via wivb.com
  
  WICHITA, Kansas (KSN) –  Firefighters in Wichita, Kansas helped salvage a home Monday morning and then saved Christmas for a family of four.
  It was an early morning surprise, no one wishes to receive.
  “It woke the whole house up. We got the kids up and got them out of there. We tried to put water where we could, but it was just too much,” described the homeowner, Shakeitha Scales.
  Smoke and flames coming from an attic in the house awoke Shakeitha and the rest of her family
  
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• Suspects in murder of pastor’s wife in court on separate home invasion, sexual assault charges

  22-12-2015 16:13 via wivb.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The two men accused in the killing of the wife of an Indianapolis pastor return to court Tuesday morning.
  Jalen Watson and Larry Taylor Jr. face charges in a separate home invasion and sexual assault from Nov. 3.
  Prosecutors say Watson and Taylor got into a woman’s west side apartment about a week before Amanda Blackburn’s murder. Court documents show it happened at the Westlake Apartments near Interstate 465 and Rockville Road.
  In this case, the woma
  
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• 3 killed, 7 hurt in multi-vehicle crashes in Arkansas

  22-12-2015 15:56 via wivb.com
  
  TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — Three people were killed and at least seven others injured in separate chain-reaction collisions involving more than a dozen vehicles on an interstate in southwest Arkansas, authorities said.
  Arkansas State Police said the first wreck happened at about 11:45 p.m. Monday on Interstate 49 near the town of Fouke. A tractor-trailer driving south slowed down and was rear-ended, causing a chain-reaction crash involving 10 vehicles, state police said.
  At about the same time
  
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• Ford recalls older large cars to fix headlight problem

  22-12-2015 15:33 via wivb.com
  
  DEARBORN, Michigan (AP) — Ford is recalling about 313,000 older large cars in North America because the headlights can go dark and cause a crash.
  The recall covers some Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis from the 2003 to 2005 model years.
  The company says solder joints in the lighting control module can crack and cut off power to the headlights. Ford says it knows of 11 crashes and one minor injury because of the problem.
  The cars were built from Oct. 3, 2001 through Aug. 2, 200
  
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• Erie County Sheriff’s Office investigating Clarence hit-and-run

  22-12-2015 15:17 via wivb.com
  
  CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Erie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a hit-and-run accident in Clarence.
  The Sheriff’s Office says a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle Monday evening while walking along Shimerville Road between Main Street and Wehrle Street.
  Authorities say the pedestrian suffered a non-life threatening upper body injury. The incident happened sometime in the 6 p.m. hour that night, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
  Law enforcement of
  
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• Police: East Aurora man shoots Arcade residence while hunting

  22-12-2015 14:44 via wivb.com
  
  ARCADE, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York State Police say an East Aurora man hunting in the Town of Arcade missed his shot and hit a home.
  State Police say Gregory Messing, 44, shot at a deer while hunting west of Michigan Road. His shot did not hit the deer, and instead struck an occupied home in the Triton Valley Estates.
  The home was more than 1700 feet from where Messing fired his rifle. No one was injured.
  Messing was charged with reckless endangerment and released on an appearance ticket
  
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• State workers find bag of new toys in Depew

  22-12-2015 14:24 via wivb.com
  
  DEPEW, N.Y. (WIVB) — Depew Police say NYS Department of Transportation workers found a large bag of new, unwrapped children’s toys on Broadway.
  Police say the toys had apparently fallen from a vehicle. Authorities are looking for the rightful owner of them.
  Anyone with information can call Depew Police at (716) 683-1123.
  
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• Prison employee accused of having inappropriate relationship with inmate

  22-12-2015 14:01 via wivb.com
  
  ATTICA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A former rehabilitation counselor at Wyoming County Correctional Facility in Attica is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate at the facility.
  New York State Police say Brooklyn resident Azizah McEntire, 31, gave money, packages, photographs and letters to the inmate while she worked there.
  McEntire was charged with official misconduct and given an appearance ticket for Attica Town Court.
  
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• Santa visits infants at Sisters Hospital

  22-12-2015 13:10 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Parents often send Christmas cards with pictures of their kids on Santa’s lap.
  Sometimes, Santa has to make a special trip for this annual tradition to be possible. Even the tiniest boys and girls are on Santa’s list. He recently checked in on a few of them at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo.
  “We didn’t expect her to be around for Santa this year. She was supposed to show up in February, but it’s a nice surprise,”
  
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• Part of Skyway lane to close Tuesday

  22-12-2015 12:50 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Fence installation work will close the right lane of the Skyway (NY Route 5), near the I-190 interchange, in Buffalo Tuesday morning.
  The closure will occur from 9 a.m. Tuesday and will last until no later than 6 a.m. Wednesday.
  This portion of the road will also close at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, December 29 and be reopened no later than 4 a.m. on the following Wednesday.
  Follow News 4 on Facebook and Twitter for traffic alerts and updates.
  
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• Bill Cosby sues Buffalo native

  22-12-2015 12:18 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bill Cosby sued one of his most vocal accusers for defamation Monday, accusing supermodel Beverly Johnson, a native of Buffalo, of fabricating claims that the comedian drugged and tried to sexually assault her in the 1980s.
  The lawsuit is part of a new legal strategy by Cosby to attack some of the women accusing him of sexual abuse in court. Cosby last week countersued several women accusing him of defamation, but the lawsuit against Johnson is the first time the co
  
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• No one injured in Northland Ave. fire

  22-12-2015 12:02 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — No one was hurt after a fire struck a home on Northland Avenue.
  The fire caused $13,000 in damage and its cause is under investigation.
  Buffalo Fire officials say three people are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
  
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• Driver taken to hospital after slamming into tree

  22-12-2015 11:52 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A driver has come out of a vehicle accident on Delaware Avenue with just a minor leg injury.
  The driver lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a tree. He was found conscious, but taken to a hospital for further evaluation.
  Authorities say speed was most likely a factor in the crash.
  
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• Niagara County authorities looking for runaway Wilson teen

  22-12-2015 11:38 via wivb.com
  
  WILSON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Members of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office are looking for help finding a teenager who ran away from a location in Wilson Monday.
  The Sheriff’s Office says Melody Emery, 17, is a white female with brown hair and brown eyes. She stands at 5’5″ tall and weighs 110 lbs.
  Emery was last seen wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and work boots.
  Anyone with information on her whereabouts can call the Sheriff’s Office at (716) 438-3393.
  
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• Niagara County authorities locate missing Wilson teen

  22-12-2015 11:38 via wivb.com
  
  WILSON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Members of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office located a teenager who ran away from a location in Wilson Monday.
  The Sheriff’s Office says Melody Emery, 17, is a white female with brown hair and brown eyes. She stands at 5’5″ tall and weighs 110 lbs.
  Before police located her, they said Emery was last seen wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and work boots.
  Officers thanked the public for their help in finding the teen.
  
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• Pedestrian involved accident closes Transit Road

  22-12-2015 05:45
  
  DEPEW, N.Y -- An elderly man was taken to ECMC after a car accident on Transit Road Monday evening.         
  
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• Firefighters Question Ambulance Response in Cheektowaga

  22-12-2015 05:15
  
  A firefighters' association in Cheektowaga is questioning the consistency of ambulance response times.        
  
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• Bill and Hillary Clinton to become grandparents, again

  22-12-2015 04:39 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — There may be one more Clinton on the campaign trail this fall.
  Chelsea Clinton has announced that she is expecting a second child next summer.
  “‘Charlotte is going to be a big sister! Feeling very blessed & grateful this holiday season,” wrote Clinton on Twitter Monday.
  Chelsea Clinton, 35, and her father, former President Bill Clinton, have largely stayed off the campaign trail since Hillary Clinton launched her Democratic primary bid in April.
  Both
  
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• Help for the Holidays: WWII veteran helps Vietnam veteran

  22-12-2015 04:37 via wivb.com
  
  JOHNSON CITY, TN (WJHL) –  Some Johnson City veterans now have new sheets, blankets and winter coats, among other things, thanks to the generosity of a fellow veteran and his family.
  Kenny Segrest, a Marine who served in Vietnam, requested help after seeing our Help for the Holidays campaign. He and his housemates don’t have much as it is, so he put out a call for help.
  “I don’t ask for help very often,” Segrest said. “I not only called for myself. I
  
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• Two arrested in Jamestown burglary investigation

  22-12-2015 04:25 via wivb.com
  
  JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) — Two men are facing charges of robbery, burglary and menacing after police investigated a robbery on East Seventh Street on Sunday morning.
  Police say the occupants of a home on that street reported the robbery, leading police to investigate. Officers say the tracks turned to Francisco McGowan, 19, and Dylan Colon, 20, who are accused of forcibly entering the home and robbing those inside before fleeing.
  Both suspects are facing first degree burglary, first deg
  
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• Firefighters sound alarm about Rural Metro response

  22-12-2015 04:22 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB)- Cheektowaga’s Town Board voted unanimously Monday to extend it’s contract with Rural Metro\AMR for six months.
  The action came despite protests from the Town’s volunteer fire fighters who packed the Board room, and lined up their fire trucks outside to send a message that the town should get a promise for better response times before extending it’s contract with Rural Metro Ambulance.
  “We’re the ones that work hand in hand, we’r
  
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• NYPD detective among 6 American troops killed in Afghanistan

  22-12-2015 04:12 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police detective is one of six American troops killed in a suicide attack near Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.
  Police Commissioner William Bratton on Monday says Detective Joseph Lemm was a 15-year veteran of the New York Police Department and worked in the Bronx Warrant Squad.
  Bratton says Lemm served in the U.S. National Guard and, while a member of the police force, he had been deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Iraq. He leaves behind a wife and th
  
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