Buffalo news

• Waitress gets $500 tip from family fulfilling man’s dying wish

  30-12-2015 23:28 via wivb.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — It seemed like as normal a lunch service as any, the jovial 7-top seated just after the doors of Mad Anthony Brewing Co. on Taylor Street opened Tuesday.
  The dark-haired waitress took the order. The food came. The plates were cleared. The bill came. It was paid.
  Then came something that brought Mad Anthony’s manager Linda Martin to tears.
  In the bill jacket with the restaurant’s copy of the receipt, the family left the waitress a $500 cash tip. Members
  
  Read more

• Buffalo company wins $41.5M Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater rebuild project

  30-12-2015 23:11 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — After a drawn out discussion that has concerned many historical preservationists, the Chautauqua Institution will move forward with its project to renew its Amphitheater.
  Buffalo company LPCiminelli, Inc. will lead the $41.5 million project that will lead to a restored Amphitheater that is described as safe and inclusive to all guests.
  “I am pleased to tell you that today, Chautauqua Institution’s Board of Trustees took a vital step towards Chautauqu
  
  Read more

• Former M&T Bank VP sentenced to repay over $5 million, spend over 3 years behind bars

  30-12-2015 22:36 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A former executive of Buffalo’s M&T Bank will spend time behind bars and repay millions after pleading guilty to defrauding the bank.
  Officials announced Michael Whipple, a 43-year-old Williamsville man, will spend just over three years behind bars and pay back $5,332,397 in restitution after he was sentenced in federal court.
  Whipple pleaded guilty to a a scheme that created fraudulent funding loans, aimed at getting money in the hands of unquali
  
  Read more

• Tenn. woman arrested after allegedly kidnapping child, leaving him in shopping cart

  30-12-2015 22:03 via wivb.com
  
  SPARTA, Tenn. (WKRN) – A White County woman was arrested after she allegedly kidnapped a 3-month-old child from a car and left him in a Walmart shopping cart.
  Pamala Cox, 50, was arrested and charged with one count of especially aggravated kidnapping by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation special agents.
  Authorities say that on Dec. 23, Cox kidnapped the child from a vehicle at a Sparta, Tennessee, laundromat.
  The child’s mother told officers she left her
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Kim & Terry Pegula express confidence in Whaley, Ryan moving forward

  30-12-2015 21:19 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — With just one game left in the 2015-2016 season, the Buffalo Bills will finish in a worse position than they did a year prior, and that doesn’t make new owners Kim and Terry Pegula happy.
  The first-year owners of the Bills, who also own the Buffalo Sabres, released a statement on Wednesday, lamenting on not making the playoffs, but looking forward to the future.
  “As our first full season as owners of the Buffalo Bills draws to a close, management, co
  
  Read more

• Brussels cancels fireworks display due to attack threat; other nations celebrate victories over plots

  30-12-2015 20:39 via wivb.com
  
  ANKARA, Turkey (AP-Mod.) — As some law enforcement across the globe celebrate victories against terrorist plots, others prepare to attempt to stop them. In Brussels, New Year’s Eve fireworks have been cancelled due to an extremest attack threat.
  But with less than 48 hours left in 2015, Turkey on Wednesday became the latest country to announce the foiling of a holiday attack plot, detaining two suspected Islamic State militants believed to be planning suicide bombings during New
  
  Read more

• State acts against Colden and Sardinia town justices

  30-12-2015 19:54 via wivb.com
  
  The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct today acted against two Erie County justices.
  Colden Town Justice Victoria Zach agreed to resign effective Dec. 31, which closes a commission investigation into charges that she misrepresented herself as an attorney in another court. She also agreed never to seek judicial office. Zach, who is not an attorney, has served as a town justice since 2009. She submitted her resignation on Dec. 7 as part of the agreement to settle the case. Zach could no
  
  Read more

• Former Erie County District Attorney sworn in as State Supreme Court justice

  30-12-2015 19:28 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, III, is one of the newest New York State Supreme Court Justices after his ceremony Wednesday afternoon.
  He took his oath and his new post at 2 p.m. in the Ceremonial Courtroom of Old County Hall. He’ll serve the Mayville area by overseeing civil suits, but he said he’ll miss Erie County.
  “I mean the citizens of this county are incredibly, incredibly fortunate that they have prosecutors as pr
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Erie County DA to be sworn in as State Supreme Court justice

  30-12-2015 19:28 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, III, will be sworn in as a new State Supreme Court justice Wednesday afternoon.
  The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in the Ceremonial Courtroom of Old County Hall.
  Taking his place as Erie County District Attorney is First Assistant District Attorney Michael Flaherty. Flaherty becomes the new District Attorney by rule of succession as part of New York State law.
  
  Read more

• Several levees monitored in Missouri; death toll rises to 20

  30-12-2015 18:36 via wivb.com
  
  ST. LOUIS (AP) — The dangers from a rare winter flood did not let up Wednesday, with officials keeping watch on 19 vulnerable levees along the Mississippi River and its tributaries as well as several smaller streams and lakes throughout Missouri and parts of Illinois.
  Swollen rivers and streams were pushed to heights not seen since the massive 1993 floods, causing Illinois to transfer an unknown number of inmates from a state prison and declare disasters governor in seven counties and
  
  Read more

• Preparing for New Year’s celebrations

  30-12-2015 18:26 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – With the New Year’s Eve celebrations now just a day away, crews have been busy across the area getting ready for the fun.
  Workers at the Electric Tower spent Monday morning handling final preparations for the big Ball Drop and Fireworks show.
  “In less than 48 hours, we will welcome thousands and thousands of people to ring in the new year,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown ahead of a final test drop of the ball that’s set to fall New Year’
  
  Read more

• Winter is a popular time for the Buffalo Zoo

  30-12-2015 17:55 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Winter break is a good time to catch up with old friends you haven’t seen in a while. For some Western New York families, that includes the animals at the Buffalo Zoo.
  When News 4 visited the zoo on Wednesday morning, Luna the polar bear was splashing around in the pool at the new Arctic Edge exhibit. The opening of the exhibit was one of the zoo’s major highlights in 2015, and there will be some more exciting additions coming in 2016. The reptile house w
  
  Read more

• Erie County legislator pushes for hearing on animal abuse registry

  30-12-2015 17:52 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – In light of the recent legal battle between Beth Hoskins and the SPCA, an Erie County Legislator is calling for a hearing to discuss Local Law 5-1, which would establish a County Animal Abuse registry.
  The ongoing battle between Hoskins and the SPCA has been unfolding for 5 years, after she was charged with 52 counts of animal cruelty. Hoskins is currently in the process of selling 29 of her 64 horses to a Rochester farmer as part of a court order.
  Erie County Legisl
  
  Read more

• State loan forgiveness program starts Thursday

  30-12-2015 17:29 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) — A state program designed to provide debt relief to recent New York college graduates will be available starting Thursday, December 31.
  The NYS Get on Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program allows recent graduates to have relief from their student loans for two years. People who participate in a federal income-driven repayment plan with payments “generally capped at 10 percent” of their income can participate in the program.
  Participants must liv
  
  Read more

• Rock salt: What to buy and how to use it

  30-12-2015 16:59 via wivb.com
  
  SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) — Homeowners are picking up bags of salt and sand to melt the snow around their houses, but it’s important to know what to buy and how to properly use it. Sand and salt are used for very different purposes, depending on what you need it for.
  Media General contributors went to Rocky’s Ace Hardware in Springfield, Massachusetts to find out when each is appropriate to use, and any risks. Employee Marilyn Nicewicz told contributors, &ld
  
  Read more

• Bill Cosby remains free on $1 million bail, arraigned on sexual assault charges in PA

  30-12-2015 15:57 via wivb.com
  
  NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby was arrested and charged Wednesday with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home 12 years ago — the first criminal case brought against the comedian out of the torrent of allegations that destroyed his good-guy image as America’s Dad.
  The case sets the stage for perhaps the biggest Hollywood celebrity trial of the mobile-news era and could send the 78-year-old Cosby to prison in the twilight of his life and pioneering care
  
  Read more

• Bill Cosby charged with sexually assaulting woman

  30-12-2015 15:57 via wivb.com
  
  NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting a woman at his home 12 years ago — the first criminal charges brought against the comedian out of the torrent of allegations that destroyed his good-guy image as America’s Dad.
  The case sets the stage for perhaps the biggest Hollywood celebrity trial of the mobile-all-the-time era and could send the 78-year-old Cosby to prison in the twilight of his life and barrier-breaking career.
  In bringing the
  
  Read more

• First night of added vehicle patrols leads to 4 arrests in Erie County

  30-12-2015 15:47 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Erie County Sheriff’s Office says four people were charged during the department’s first night of additional vehicle patrols.
  December 29, around 9:40 p.m. in the town of Elma, deputies charged Lancaster resident Amanda Day, 26, with aggravated unlicensed operation. She was ticketed and released.
  40 minutes later,  Colden resident Nicole Mumm, 37, was found slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle in Springville, according to deputi
  
  Read more

• NYC police: We’re ready for New Year’s Eve in Times Square

  30-12-2015 15:14 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — With the nation still jittery over shooting massacres in California and Paris, New York City officials sought to assure revelers Tuesday that the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be the safest place in the world — heavily secured by thousands of New York Police Department officers, including a new specialized counterterrorism unit.
  “Leave the worrying to the NYPD,” said James O’Neill, chief of the department.
  
  Read more

• Amherst calls heroin, opiate use an “epidemic” in community

  30-12-2015 14:52 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Amherst Police say a town hall meeting will be held to discuss drug issues related to opiate and heroin use.
  Police refer to the use of these drugs in the community as “an epidemic.” Members of the Amherst Police Department and a representative of InnerQuest Counseling will speak at the meeting.
  The public meeting will last from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. and feature a resource fair and presentation. It will be followed by a question-and-answer s
  
  Read more

• Consumers face deadline to apply for Sprint, Verizon ‘cramming’ refunds

  30-12-2015 14:27 via wivb.com
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Consumers are facing a deadline to claim refunds from a $158 million federal settlement with Sprint and Verizon over unauthorized charges placed on wireless phone bills.
  The practice is known as cramming. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, said the practice has become widespread and causes substantial financial harm to subscribers.
  Websites have been set up for Sprint and Verizon customers so they can seek restitution. The d
  
  Read more

• 911 calls capture hectic scene after baby shot on Christmas Day

  30-12-2015 14:11 via wivb.com
  
  CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – Chapel Hill Police have now released the 911 calls made in the moments after the shooting of the one-year-old girl Christmas Day.
  911 Call:
  Caller “A baby just got shot on Trinity Court.”Dispatcher “Ok, sir. Sir, sir, I need an apartment number please. I need an apartment number.”
  Caller: “Please the baby is outside.”
  It happened Christmas Day, at a housing complex on Trinity Court.
  Family members said several children, includi
  
  Read more

• New Hawaii smoking law will have brief educational grace period

  30-12-2015 14:02 via wivb.com
  
  (KHON) — The state announced Tuesday that there will be a brief educational grace period after the new smoking law goes into effect Friday, Jan. 1.
  Hawaii is raising the minimum age from 18 to 21 to buy any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes.
  According to state health department director Dr. Virginia Pressler, raising the minimum age is a victory because 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before the age of 21.
  “Our youth and young adults are adopting products th
  
  Read more

• SeaWorld suing California over ban on orca breeding

  30-12-2015 13:41 via wivb.com
  
  SAN DIEGO (AP) — SeaWorld filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a California commission’s ruling that bans the company from breeding captive killer whales at its San Diego park.
  The suit filed in San Diego County Superior Court says the California Coastal Commission was outside its authority when it made the ruling on breeding in October.
  The commission endorsed a $100 million expansion of the tanks known as “Blue World” that SeaWorld uses to hold orcas, but in a surprisin
  
  Read more

• Officials: ‘Affluenza’ teen tracked to Mexico after using cellphone to order pizza

  30-12-2015 13:13 via wivb.com
  
  GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — A teen fugitive from Texas known for using an “affluenza” defense and his mother were scheduled to depart for the U.S. after authorities said a phone call for pizza led to their capture in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta.
  Eighteen-year-old Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, were being held at immigration offices in Guadalajara to be returned to the United States aboard a commercial flight to Houston on Wednesday, authorities said.
  A U
  
  Read more

• Hawaii man’s opinions on sex with minors keep him from becoming teacher

  30-12-2015 12:05 via wivb.com
  
  HONOLULU (AP) — The University of Hawaii didn’t violate First Amendment rights when it denied a teaching certificate for a Caltech-educated aspiring high school teacher who expressed views condoning adults having sex with minors, a panel of federal appeals court judges ruled Tuesday.Mark Oyama earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in physics from the University of Hawaii. In 2010, he enrolled in the se
  
  Read more

• Experts recommend getting outdoors to battle winter blues

  30-12-2015 11:58 via wivb.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The weather Tuesday was cold and overcast, with the sun nowhere to be found.
  However, that didn’t discourage Joe Kalwara from getting outside.
  “I’ve got some good rain gear too, I walked yesterday in the rain,” the Indianapolis resident said.
  His way of battling the winter blues is walking near the park by his house.
  “Out for a walk today, I generally take a walk a day and also try to get a swim in at the Riviera Club, you feel a lot
  
  Read more

• Mayor to announce new year-round restaurant on waterfront

  30-12-2015 11:47 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Mayor Byron Brown will be appearing at the Erie Basin Marina Wednesday morning to announce the grand opening of a new restaurant on the Buffalo waterfront.
  The new dining spot, called William K’s, will open on New Year’s Eve and stay open year-round. A $900,000 improvement project is designed to accommodate year-round use.
  With the addition of this project, the Brown Administration has invested a total of $3.7 million in the Erie Basin Marina since 2
  
  Read more

• Scholar Athlete: Dante Mastrangelo

  30-12-2015 05:44 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Hamburg High School senior Dante Mastrangelo is our latest News 4 Scholar Athlete.
  Mastrangelo maintains a 4.0 GPA, is a member of the National Honors Society and volunteers with Ride for Roswell and with the MS Group. He is also the starting quarterback on the Bulldogs’ football team.
  “There’s a sign outside my office that says ‘Hamburg Bulldogs Student Athletes: The student part comes first,'” says head football coach Pat Cau
  
  Read more

• Restaurant owners, customers prepare for increases in 2016

  30-12-2015 05:34 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Cantina Loco, an Allentown staple, was packed on a dreary Tuesday night.
  But, in just two days, diners at Cantina and restaurants across New York will be paying more, thanks to a state law that goes into effect Dec. 31. That law increases the wage for tipped workers, like Megan McGrady, from $5 an hour to $7.50.
  “We make decent money as servers, but it’s nice to get a little bump in pay,” said McGrady, who’s worked at Cantina for a little more
  
  Read more

• 2015 marks busy year for films in WNY

  30-12-2015 05:24 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Four days from a new year, officials from the region’s film commission said 2015 was a banner year for filming in western New York. And 2016 promises to be just as big.
  The two biggest films from 2015 are the highly acclaimed “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2” —  which opens next year, and whose trailer was just released showing some shots of the Kensington Expressway. Then there’s “A Prince for Christmas,” a holiday movie
  
  Read more

• Girl makes heartfelt donation to Red Cross

  30-12-2015 04:18 via wivb.com
  
  GENESEE COUNTY (WIVB) — A young girl in Genesee County made a heartfelt donation in memory of her cousin to the Red Cross.
  Madelynn Pimm, whose cousin Matthew Kota died at 17-years-old, worked to keep Kota’s memory alive by donating $650 to the Red Cross on Tuesday.
  Pimm raised the money by auctioning off a lamb she raised on her own.
  “We have a blood drive every year at Notre Dame High School in Batavia, and I thought it would be nice to donate some money to them,”
  
  Read more

• Hollywood loved WNY in 2015, is likely to return in 2016

  30-12-2015 04:12 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and A Prince for Christmas, western New York saw several large film production companies frequent the area in 2015, but that could grow in the coming year.
  Buffalo Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark said the 2015 film season was great for western New York, as in addition to the major motion pictures, a number of independent film makers shot in the area.
  Clark said his organization has received a number of inquiries from
  
  Read more

• BACON! California baby squeals over first taste in viral video

  30-12-2015 03:20 via wivb.com
  
  WALNUT, Calif. (WATE) – A baby’s reaction to his first taste of bacon has gone viral online, where the video has been viewed more than four million times.
  The video shows 19-month-old Easton Beach dressed in Santa Claus pajamas, sitting in a high chair at his grandmother’s home on Christmas Day. The boy obviously extremely enjoyed the bacon, constantly squealing, “Bacon!”
  Easton’s mother Melissa Beach said they eventually had to stop Easton from eating bacon,
  
  Read more

• Twitter revises policy, banning threats and abuse

  30-12-2015 03:17 via wivb.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter has revised its rules of conduct to emphasize that it prohibits violent threats and abusive behavior by users, promising a tough stance at a time when critics are calling for the online service to adopt a harder line against extremists.
  While the new policy unveiled Tuesday doesn’t substantively change what’s allowed, it may help Twitter answer criticism from politicians and others who say militant extremists are using the service and other social n
  
  Read more

• Pataki telling backers he’s planning to drop White House bid

  30-12-2015 03:09 via wivb.com
  
  BERLIN, N.H. (AP) — Former New York Gov. George Pataki is telling supporters he’s ready to drop his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
  A centrist Republican who led New York through the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Pataki failed to gain traction in a crowded field of candidates during an election season that has so far favored outsiders like billionaire businessman Donald Trump.
  Bruce Breton, a local elected official and member of Pataki’s New Hampshire steering c
  
  Read more

• Macy’s recalls 2 Martha Stewart frying pans after injuries

  30-12-2015 03:06 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Macy’s is recalling two Martha Stewart frying pans after customers said metal discs popped off the pans and caused bruises, burns and welts.
  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that there were seven reports of metal discs flying off the frying pans and three reports of injuries. The metal discs cover the rivets that attach the pan to the handle.Martha Stewart frying pan has been recalled after metal discs popped off pans. (Courtesy cpsc.gov)The 8-
  
  Read more

• Man arrested for drunk driving after posting video on Facebook

  30-12-2015 03:01 via wivb.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Deputies arrested a man Monday after they say he posted a Facebook video of himself driving while drinking alcohol.
  According to Sheriff Zach Scott, police received a tip stating that a man was drinking and driving erratically all while filming himself and posting video to Facebook.Dustin Rittgers (FCSO)Dispatchers were able to identify the driver as 28-year-old Dustin L. Rittgers.
  Rittgers was eventually stopped in the area of State Route 665 and Hibbs Road. He was arres
  
  Read more

• South Buffalo pizzeria gets green light for $2 million makeover

  30-12-2015 01:11 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A popular South Buffalo pizzeria is getting bigger, a lot bigger, after city officials approved Imperial Pizza’s plans for a massive addition to its restaurant on Abbott Rd.
  If everything goes as planned, lines going out the door could soon become a thing of the past—-not because their loyal following is changing–there is going to be a lot more room.
  The South Buffalo landmark got the thumbs up from Buffalo’s Board of Planning, Monday afterno
  
  Read more

• 10 alleged drug runners indicted in trafficking scheme

  30-12-2015 00:55 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A group of accused drug runners are now facing federal charges after a grand jury returned an indictment against them.
  Officers arrested the 10 street-level distributors in June after investigating their alleged activities to traffic heroin on Buffalo’s west side. Hector Carattini, Michael Perez, Juan Oliverias-Arbelo, Mark Gonzelez, Adalberto Cruz, Maikel Gonzelez, Alberto Fernandez, Raymond DeJesus, Hector Huertas and Kristie Boncore each face charges of
  
  Read more

• Police seek woman following investigation into stolen vehicle

  30-12-2015 00:33 via wivb.com
  
  TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police have highlighted a person they would like to question after investigating a stolen vehicle.
  Officers say they need to identify the female shown, as they’re not certain of her name. Police are in the middle of investigating a stolen vehicle in the Town of Tonawanda.
  Anybody with information is asked to call police at (716) 879-6635.
  
  Read more

• Man charged with felony DWI after police say he sped 20 MPH over speed limit

  30-12-2015 00:05 via wivb.com
  
  POMFRET, N.Y. (WIVB) — As police pulled over a driver for speeding, officers say they realized he drove under the influence.
  New York State Police say they stopped Chris Saxton, 46, on Route 60 as he allegedly drove 78 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour limit.
  Officers say they investigated Saxton further, charging him with driving under the influence of alcohol. He’s facing a charge of operating a motor vehicle with .08 of 1 percent or more alcohol with a prior conviction of
  
  Read more

Follow @Buffalo_News_US on Twitter!