Buffalo news

• Local parks open for sledding all weekend long

  14-01-2016 23:50 via wivb.com
  
  For a full list of parks in Erie County, as well as what winter activities will be active each day, visit this link.
  ERIE COUNTY, NY (WIVB) – Mother Nature may have taken her time this season, but it finally looks and feels like winter across Western New York. With all the snow and cold we’ve seen this week, many winter activities are now in full swing. On the eve of a three-day weekend for the kids, a few people were out sledding at Chestnut Ridge Park.
  You can bet a lot m
  
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• Happening in WNY: Martin Luther King Jr. weekend events

  14-01-2016 23:48 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday brings an extra day off for many around western New York, and on that long weekend, there’s quite a bit happening.
  The following is a list of family friendly events happening during the celebration of MLK’s weekend:
  Jan 14 — Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Buffalo Central Library — Buffalo Central Library
  Jan 15 — M&T Third Fridays — The Buffal
  
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• Powerball alibi used in two border busts

  14-01-2016 23:40 via wivb.com
  
  LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB)- A weak Canadian dollar has created a bit of a lull in border traffic between the U.S. and Canada, but a record-breaking jackpot temporarily turned that around.
  “In this case it was unique because it’s not often you get such a huge rush for lottery. Football games and hockey games we’re used to, there’s a lot of cross border traffic for that, but for lottery not so much,” said Chief Customs and Border Protection Officer, Aaron Bowker.
  That
  
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• State audit critical of Erie Community College

  14-01-2016 23:10 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Erie Community College officials responded to a state audit critical of some operations.
  Among the findings, the audit from the office of State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli cited lax oversight by the college’s board of trustees.
  “The Board has established a lax environment and has allowed management to assume Board responsibilities and make key financial decisions with little or no Board oversight,” the audit stated.
  But board chairman Steve Boyd say
  
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• CVS in NYS to start selling heroin antidote without prescription

  14-01-2016 23:05 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) – New York state health officials are announcing that 479 CVS pharmacies across the state will start selling the heroin antidote naloxone without a prescription.
  State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker says he hopes the agreement with CVS announced Thursday will save lives and get drug users on the road to recovery.
  Naloxone temporarily blocks the effects of heroin, OxyContin and other powerful painkillers. It has been used by ambulance crews and emergency rooms for decad
  
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• Celine Dion’s husband perishes to battle with cancer

  14-01-2016 22:58 via wivb.com
  
  LAS VEGAS, NV (WIVB) — René Angélil, long-time husband to Celine Dion, lost his battle with cancer Thursday in the couple’s Las Vegas home.
  Dion released a brief statement, requesting privacy after the death of her 73-year-old husband. The two had three children together.
  “Angélil passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” Dion said.
  Angélil’s battle was against throat cancer
  
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• Crews worked around the clock to clear the roads

  14-01-2016 19:05 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) – Plow drivers have been working around the clock to make sure roads are safe.They started plowing and salting ever since Old Man Winter came knocking.
  “Since Sunday, it’s been a pretty intense operation. Its 12 hour shifts around the clock,” Bill Geary, the Deputy Commission of the Erie County Highway Department said.
  When drivers are ready to head out, they go to one of 10 facilities in the county. A front loader gathers the salt, then it’
  
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• Woman accused of spray painting car, pouring sugar in gas tank of another in Lockport

  14-01-2016 18:59 via wivb.com
  
  LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo woman is accused of trying to damage one car and spray painting another in Lockport.
  New York State Police say Buffalo resident Tamika R. Coplin, 36, purchased Fast Dry spray paint from a Walmart in Amherst and used it on a man’s car. Along with this, police say Coplin threatened a woman and put sugar in her gas tank in an attempt to damage the vehicle.
  Coplin was charged with felony criminal mischief and aggravated harassment. Following ar
  
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• School bus collides head-on with car in Aurora

  14-01-2016 18:37 via wivb.com
  
  EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police in East Aurora and the Town of Aurora say a car collided with a school bus on Davis Road Thursday morning.
  The northbound car was being driven by a 68-year-old Colden man. Police say he lost control of the vehicle in a snowy roadway and collided head-on with a southbound Springville-Griffith Institute School bus with eight students on board.
  Neither the students nor the bus driver were hurt. The car driver complained of chest and arm pain and was trea
  
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• Snow closes Silver Creek Schools, provides work for private crews

  14-01-2016 18:30 via wivb.com
  
  SILVER CREEK, N.Y. (WIVB) – With a lake effect snow band dumping snow fast and heavy Thursday morning, district leaders in Silver Creek made the decision to cancel school for the day.
  While some area residents expressed surprise that Silver Creek would be the lone district to close schools Thursday, at least some parents in the district say it was the right call. “It was better to be safe and we’re appreciative that they erred on the side of caution,” said one Silver Cree
  
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• Heart, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick coming to Darien Lake

  14-01-2016 17:45 via wivb.com
  
  DARIEN CENTER, N.Y. (WIVB) — LiveNation has announced that Heart, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick will play at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on July 27.
  Tickets for the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. that night, go on sale Friday, January 22. Prices range from $25 to $95, with lawn four-packs priced at $75. The concert is part of the groups’ “Rock Hall Three For All Tour.”
  Tickets will be available at LiveNation.com, Ticketmaster.com and b
  
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• 55 pounds of marijuana, $2,900 in counterfeit money seized at borders Wednesday

  14-01-2016 17:16 via wivb.com
  
  LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — On Wednesday, U.S Customs and Border Protection Officers made two very large seizures at separate Canadian borders.
  At the Lewiston Bridge, officers say they discovered around 55 pounds of marijuana hidden in a foosball table. The drugs had an estimated street value of $60,000.
  Canadian citizen Miranda Ferron, 33, was applying for admission to the U.S. at the bridge when officers noticed inconsistencies in her story while she was inspected. Ferron told them she
  
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• Rare January hurricane forms in Atlantic, threatens Azores

  14-01-2016 16:42 via wivb.com
  
  MIAMI (AP) — A rare January hurricane has formed far out in the Atlantic, and U.S. officials say it’s the first hurricane to form in the month of January since 1938.
  A hurricane warning has been issued for the Azores. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says in a Facebook post that there hasn’t been a hurricane present during the month of January since 1955, when Alice formed in late December 1954 and carried over into the next month.
  Alex’s maximum
  
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• Town of Tonawanda authorities to play charity hockey game Saturday

  14-01-2016 16:12 via wivb.com
  
  TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Town of Tonawanda Police and the Ellwood Fire Company will play an annual charity hockey game on Saturday to benefit “Wings — Flights of Hope.”
  The mission of “Wings” is to provide free air transportation for “medical and humanitarian purposes.” Town of Tonawanda Police Officer Tim Day, who recently received a heart transplant, was helped by the organization.
  MORE | Learn more about Wings Flights
  
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• Gallery: Looking back on Alan Rickman’s life

  14-01-2016 15:42 via interactives.wivb.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — Alan Rickman, British actor, died at age 69 after a cancer diagnosis.
  APP USERS | Tap here to view the gallery.
  
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• PHOTOS: 2016 Academy Award story lines

  14-01-2016 15:24 via interactives.wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (MEDIA GENERAL) — On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 88th Academy Awards.
  APP USERS | See the top story lines here.
  
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• ‘Revenant’ leads Oscar nominations with 12

  14-01-2016 15:02 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The brutal frontier saga “The Revenant” leads the 88th annual Academy Awards with 12 nominations, while the acting categories were again filled entirely by white performers.
  The strong showing for “The Revenant,” including a best actor nod for Leonardo DiCaprio, follows its win at the Golden Globes. It sets director Alejandro Inarritu for a possible back-to-back win following his best-picture winning “Birdman” last year.
  George Miller&rsq
  
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• 5 second place Powerball winners take home $1M in NY

  14-01-2016 14:34 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Although there are no new multi-millionaires as a result of the Powerball in New York State, a number of people are still walking away with significant riches.
  Five people in Nassau, Queens and Rockland counties are the second place winners of $1,000,000 after Wednesday night’s drawing.
  79 people in the state won $50,000 and nearly 2 million others took home winnings ranging from $4 to $100.
  The first prize tickets were purchased in Florida, Ten
  
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• Alan Rickman, star of stage and ‘Harry Potter’ dies at 69

  14-01-2016 13:55 via wivb.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — British actor Alan Rickman, whose career ranged from Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company to the “Harry Potter” films, has died. He was 69.
  Rickman’s family said Thursday that the actor had died after a battle with cancer.
  His breakout role was as the scheming Vicomte de Valmont in an acclaimed 1985 RSC production of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.”
  Film roles included “Die Hard,” “Truly, Madly, Deeply,” “Love Actual
  
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• Brazen attacks in Jakarta leave 5 gunmen, 2 others dead

  14-01-2016 13:33 via wivb.com
  
  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Attackers set off suicide bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Indonesia’s capital in a brazen assault Thursday that police said “imitated” the recent Paris attacks and was probably linked to the Islamic State group.
  All five attackers and a Canadian and an Indonesian died in the midmorning explosions and gunfire that were watched by office workers from high-rise buildings on Thamarin Street in Jakarta, not far from the preside
  
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• Nearly $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot goes to 3 winners in 3 states

  14-01-2016 13:16 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — An eye-popping and unprecedented Powerball jackpot whose rise to nearly $1.6 billion became a national fascination will be split three ways.
  The winners’ identities remain a mystery, but they bought their tickets in Florida, Tennessee and a Los Angeles suburb where even lottery losers were celebrating Thursday that such heady riches were won in their modest city.
  The winners of the world-record jackpot overcame odds of 1 in 292.2 million to land on the numbers draw
  
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• $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot goes to 3 winners in 3 states

  14-01-2016 13:16 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — An eye-popping and unprecedented Powerball jackpot whose rise to $1.6 billion became a national fascination will be split three ways.
  The winners’ identities remain a mystery, but they bought their tickets in Florida, Tennessee and a Los Angeles suburb where even lottery losers were celebrating Thursday that such heady riches were won in their modest city.
  The winners of the world-record jackpot overcame odds of 1 in 292.2 million to land on the numbers drawn Wedne
  
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• Store clerk shot during West Side armed robbery

  14-01-2016 12:40 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police say a store clerk was struck by gunfire during an armed robbery at the corner of Virginia Street and Whitney Place early Thursday morning.
  The robbery occurred around 2:30 a.m. at United Food & Grocery.
  Police say the suspect(s) left the store with an unknown amount of money. The store clerk who was shot was taken to ECMC with non-life threatening injuries.
  News 4 will have more information as it becomes available.
  
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• Hamburg PD investigating Wednesday night armed robbery

  14-01-2016 12:25 via wivb.com
  
  HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police in the Town of Hamburg are investigating a Wednesday night armed robbery at a local gas station.
  Police say the man pictured entered the store, displayed a black semi-automatic handgun, and then demanded that the cashier empty the register and give him all the money.
  The man then left the store in a maroon or dark red 2010 Ford Edge with the license plate number: JYW439, according to police. The plate number is reported to be stolen from Mandan, North Dak
  
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• Cold, snowy weather is warming hearts as shelter opens

  14-01-2016 06:10 via wivb.com
  
  LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) — As the temperatures drop and snow continues to fall, city of Lockport are calling for a code blue, their third this week.
  “f you’re from Buffalo or Lockport you kind of get used to it,” said Phil Lane, a Lockport native.
  “It’s horrible,” said Alicia Lagace as the snow fell on her. “It’s nice one second and you think everything is all good and then it starts to snow terribly and it’s freezing outside.”
  
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• Highlights: McKinley stays perfect

  14-01-2016 05:50 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y.(WIVB)– The McKinley boys basketball team survived an overtime thriller to remain unbeaten. Here are highlights from the OT victory. Also, O’Hara junior star Anndea Zeigler reaches 1,000 career points.
  
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• City plows tackle drive time snow

  14-01-2016 05:24 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- The flakes started to fly just as downtown commuters were leaving work.
  A lake snow band made it’s way into Buffalo. It made Canalside finally look a lot like Christmas and sent the City salt trucks out in force even though temperatures were in the teens.
  “Salt is still effective, you just have to throw a bit more of it. That’s why we pre-salt.” said Buffalo Public works Commissioner Steve Stepniak who adds that thirty five trucks were out pre-saltin
  
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• Winning numbers: Powerball dreamers to learn their fates

  14-01-2016 05:00 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The winning numbers of the highest lottery pool ever to be offered in the United States were drawn on Wednesday night.
  Millions of Americans parted with their hard-earned cash with the dream of becoming vastly richer in mind. The lucky numbers that could make a number of dreams come true are: 4 8 19 27 34 with the Powerball of 10*
  Although the chances of winning the Powerball jackpot are roughly one in 292 million, that didn’t stop hopefuls from snatc
  
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• Ed Reed shifts to coaching; joins Ryan’s staff in Buffalo

  14-01-2016 04:04 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Five-time All-Pro safety Ed Reed is making the transition to coaching by joining Rex Ryan’s staff with the Buffalo Bills.The team announced Wednesday night that Reed had agreed in principle to be an assistant defensive backs coach. Reed is reunited with Ryan, who was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator during the safety’s first seven seasons in Baltimore. Reed ended his career in 2013 playing for the Ryan-coached New York Jets.
  The move is the late
  
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• Police offer reward for killer of man who died while walking dog

  14-01-2016 04:03 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The investigation continues into a gunman who fired upon a man while walking a dog — hitting both.
  The dog has since recovered from its gunshot wounds, but the dog’s walker, Edgardo “Goldy” Ortiz, perished from the attack. Police responded to Busti Avenue, the scene of the shooting on Dec. 19, but haven’t found a suspect as of yet.
  Police are on the hunt for the person responsible for Ortiz’s death. Agencies are team
  
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• Good Samaritan becomes victim after suspect poses as stranded driver

  14-01-2016 03:39 via wivb.com
  
  MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) – This week, a good Samaritan in Murfreesboro became a crime victim after he helped someone posing as a stranded driver.
  The suspect pulled a gun on the good Samaritan and forced him to drive to an ATM and give him money.
  In a similar incident last month in Sumner County, a 23-year-old driver was flagged down by a man and woman pretending their car was broken down in order to rob her.
  News 2 asked people around town Wednesday what they would do if they saw a stra
  
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• Buffalo jumps up on list of most infested bed bug cities in the U.S.

  14-01-2016 03:25 via wivb.com
  
  ATLANTA — Four metropolitan areas in New York State, including Buffalo, were included in Orkin’s most recent list of the top 50 bed bug cities.
  Chicago topped the pest control company’s list as the most infested city, but New York City, Buffalo, Syracuse and the Albany area all made the list.
  The list ranks cities by the number of bed bug treatments Orkin serviced from January through December of 2015 and after an Orkin inspection verified bed bugs were present. The l
  
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• Crew frees “Carcicle” from parking lot, brings it to body shop

  14-01-2016 02:29 via wivb.com
  
  HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) — Another one of western New York’s viral sensations is departing from the public view, but it will go down in the annals as one of the funniest.
  A crew of four people with a host of equipment freed a car, trapped in a frozen tomb of water next to Lake Erie, to bring it to a body shop for repair. The owner of the car left it in the parking lot the night before, not expecting it to freeze — or become a viral sensation viewed around the world.
  From
  
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• Snow socks southern WNY again

  14-01-2016 01:07 via wivb.com
  
  DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Conditions Wednesday’s storm, especially along the Thruway deteriorated rapidly as it moved north throughout the day. Traffic in some cases was stop-and-go or stopped, and in other cases, exits onto the Thruway were blocked by state police and members of the Thruway Authority.
  Crashes early Wednesday afternoon snarled traffic along the Thruway. In this case, north of exit 59 along westbound I-90, two tractor trailers came together and forced traffic down to one
  
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• Man turns himself in after seeing he was wanted on Facebook

  14-01-2016 00:45 via wivb.com
  
  LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) — A local man charged with fourth degree grand larceny turned himself in after seeing a post on Facebook.
  New York State Troopers say they posted on Facebook that they had a warrant for the arrest of 46-year-old Daniel Vargas. The Lockport native reportedly turned himself in soon after seeing the post.
  Police say Vargas took $2,800 as a security deposit for as a contract to install an awning in the summer of 2015, but did not complete the work on schedule, and di
  
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• Stocks plunge as a dismal start to 2016 gets worse

  14-01-2016 00:30 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK, N.Y. (WIVB) — The dismal start to 2016 on Wall Street got a lot worse Wednesday.
  Stocks tumbled again on fears of a global slowdown and alarm over plummeting oil prices, officially sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 index into what’s known as a correction, or a drop of 10 percent or more from its peak.
  The Dow Jones industrial average also slumped, losing more than 300 points.
  The eight-day drop is the worst start to a year in the history of both the S&P 500 an
  
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• Aide: Obama seeks to starve NKorean leader of attention

  14-01-2016 00:15 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un triggered a diplomatic earthquake with his nation’s latest nuclear test a week ago. But it didn’t register when President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union speech. Nor did it get a mention when top U.S. diplomat John Kerry delivered a globe-spanning foreign policy speech on Wednesday.
  And here’s why: The Obama administration doesn’t want to give the unpredictable Kim the satisfaction.
  “The fact of t
  
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