Buffalo news

• National Grid to pay city $1 million for over-billing

  11-02-2016 23:46 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- A typo is costing National Grid big money.
  “It was a data entry error which resulted in us billing for assets that actually weren’t in the field in use,” said National Grid spokesperson, Steve Brady.
  Those assets are streetlights.
  According to an audit, the City of Buffalo overpaid more than $578,000 during a three year period.
  There’s 32,000 streetlights in Buffalo; more than 3,500 were over-billed.
  According to documents, Buffalo paid on avera
  
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• Second US mail carrier pleads guilty to role in drug distribution ring

  11-02-2016 23:36 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Just under a month after a fellow U.S. Postal Service mail carrier pleaded guilty to his role in a drug distribution ring, a Cheektowaga woman also admitted to her guilt.
  Briana Fugate, 26, joined Dennis Bernhard, 56, in admitting to carrying boxes of drugs shipped to specific addresses, but passing them off to members of a drug trafficking ring for a bribe instead.
  Both postal workers admitted to accepting payments for each box they delivered, prompting Fu
  
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• Ambulance response in Niagara Falls raises questions

  11-02-2016 23:28 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Niagara Falls woman says she’s angry after a 20 minute delay by Rural Metro ambulance led to panic and fear over getting to the hospital in time.
  The December 8 incident prompted the city’s fire chief to question why Rural Metro accepted the call when no ambulances were available.
  In response, a Rural Metro spokesman told News 4 Investigates that “no one should have to wait that long,” and that the company is working to make sure it “d
  
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• US stocks slide further on global economic worries

  11-02-2016 23:23 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK, N.Y. (AP) — Jitters over the global economy and steep declines in bank stocks knocked U.S. stocks lower for the fourth day in a row Thursday.
  The slide in the U.S. followed large losses all around the world and left all three major U.S. indexes down at least 10 percent since the beginning of the year.
  The latest slump reflected heightened concerns that global economic growth is slowing, even as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen reiterated her confidence in the U.S. economy in te
  
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• Massive gas leak near Los Angeles plugged after 16 weeks

  11-02-2016 23:05 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A blowout at a natural gas well that gushed uncontrollably for 16 weeks and drove thousands of residents from their Los Angeles homes was plugged Thursday, a utility said.
  While the well still needs to be permanently sealed with cement and inspected by state regulators, the announcement by Southern California Gas Co. marked the first time the leak has been under control since it was reported Oct. 23.
  “We have temporarily controlled the natural gas flow from the lea
  
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• Erie County man arrested, jailed on rape charges

  11-02-2016 22:31 via wivb.com
  
  COLLINS, N.Y. (WIVB) — An ongoing investigation into a rape in Erie County led police to charge a local man with the crime.
  Officers say they arrested Earl C. Conklin II, 48, in Collins just days after a reported rape. Police have yet to release many details, but said Conklin is facing felony first-degree rape charges.
  Following his arraignment, a judge remanded Conklin to the Erie County Holding Center in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or $60,000 bond.
  
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• Person of interest in Boulevard Mall theft wanted

  11-02-2016 22:25 via wivb.com
  
  AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — Amherst Police are asking for help from the public in locating a woman who may have stolen from a local store.
  Officers say they’re investigating a theft from the Boulevard Mall, and have highlighted a white female as a person of interest. The woman is described as 5’5″ tall with a tattoo on the right side of her neck.
  Anybody who may be able to identify the woman is asked to call Amherst Police at (716) 689-1385 or send an email to tips@apdny.
  
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• Breakthrough: Scientists detect Einstein’s gravity ripples

  11-02-2016 22:05 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — In an announcement that electrified the world of physics, scientists said Thursday that they have finally detected gravitational waves, the ripples in the fabric of space-time that Einstein predicted a century ago.
  Astronomers hailed the finding as an achievement of historic proportions, one that opens the door to a new way of observing the universe and the violent collisions that are constantly shaping it. For them, it’s like turning a silent movie into a talkie be
  
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• Chautauqua Institution to continue Amphitheater project; restraining order lifted

  11-02-2016 21:21 via wivb.com
  
  MAYVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — The temporary restraining order preventing the Chautauqua Institution from demolishing and replacing most of the historic amphitheater has been lifted.
  Institute officials say the massive $41.5 million project has been carefully planned out and care has been taken to ensure all actions comply with laws and are permitted. Most construction permits were issued to the Institution in January.
  In court on Thursday, New York Supreme Court Judge Frank Sedita did not g
  
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• Buffalo teacher pleads guilty to stealing from PTO group

  11-02-2016 21:00 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo teacher pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to attempting to steal from a parent teacher organization (PTO) at Lovejoy Discovery School, P.S. 43.
  Prosecutors say 44-year-old Patti Nabinger, a technology teacher, pleaded guilty to fourth degree attempted grand larceny, after investigation uncovered she misappropriated funds from the PTO’s bank account while serving as a volunteer treasurer.
  In total, the group lost $3,530 from Nabinger’s emb
  
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• 3 Oregon occupiers apparently surrender; 1 refusing to go

  11-02-2016 19:59 via wivb.com
  
  BURNS, Ore. (AP) — Three of the four armed occupiers of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon apparently turned themselves in Thursday, a day after authorities moved in to the property nearly six weeks into the takeover and arrested a figure in the fight against federal control of public lands.
  The holdouts were the last remnants of the group that seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2, demanding the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned
  
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• Drug company expected to bring 1,400 jobs to Dunkirk, Buffalo

  11-02-2016 17:53 via wivb.com
  
  DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared in Dunkirk Thursday morning to announce the upcoming arrival of drug company Athenex in western New York.
  Cuomo says the company will establish a headquarters in the Buffalo medical corridor and a drug manufacturing plant in Dunkirk.
  Athenex, formerly known as Kinex, is involved with drug discovery and advanced manufacturing. The company was founded at the University of Buffalo and expanded in 2003.
  “Western New York’s econ
  
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• 5 indicted in 2015 New York City gas explosion that killed Buff State grad, 1 other

  11-02-2016 17:37 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A building owner and four others have been indicted on charges that include manslaughter in connection with a gas explosion last year that killed two people and leveled three New York City buildings.
  Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. and other officials said Thursday that the charges also include criminally negligent homicide and assault. They say the defendants set up an illegal gas delivery system.
  Vance says the carnage was caused by “a foreseeable, pr
  
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• LIVE STREAM: Manhattan DA makes announcement on NY explosion that killed Buff State grad

  11-02-2016 16:50 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (WIVB) — The Manhattan District Attorney is making an announcement in relation to a 2015 New York explosion that killed a Buffalo State graduate.
  Nicholas Figueroa graduated in December of 2014 with a degree in criminal justice. He was 23.
  New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said someone may have improperly tapped a gas line before the explosion. 22 people were hurt and four had critical injuries.
  MORE | Tap here to watch the live stream.
  
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• LIVE STREAM: Gov. Cuomo makes announcement in Dunkirk

  11-02-2016 16:10 via wivb.com
  
  DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Cuomo is in Dunkirk Thursday to make an announcement.
  MORE | Watch the live stream here.
  
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• Why becoming a foster parent wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be

  11-02-2016 16:09 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)–  Roberta and Kevin Hinkle didn’t know what to expect when they decided to become foster parents. They only knew that they wanted to help as many children as possible. They have both been married before, and each brought kids into the marriage. But, they wanted to try and have children together. When that didn’t work out, a flyer at Roberta’s work inspired her. “Our pastor was preaching about helping children.. but we didn’t know
  
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• A community mourns: The last WWII ‘Bedford Boy’ dies

  11-02-2016 16:02 via wivb.com
  
  ROANOKE, Va. (WSLS 10) — Allen Huddleston, the last of the famed Bedford Boys, passed away on the morning of February 10, 2016.  A release from the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia said he was 96.
  “If there such a thing as a southern gentleman, Allen Huddleston was that,” said his longtime friend, Robert Key who met Allen Huddleston in 1946.
  On the day Huddlston’s Company A stormed the beaches of Normandy, he wasn’t with them.  He’d suffe
  
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• 8 facts about snowflakes

  11-02-2016 15:42 via interactives.wivb.com
  
  (WISH) — Why is snow white? And how do snowflakes form? Here are 8 facts about snowflakes.
  APP USERS | Tap here to view the gallery.
  
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• N.C. deputy attacked by four gang members at child’s birthday party

  11-02-2016 15:33 via wivb.com
  
  GARNER, N.C. (WNCN) — A Wake County, North Carolina deputy was attacked by four gang members during a child’s birthday party in Garner this past weekend, officials say.
  The attackers yelled “we know you’re a pig” while beating up the deputy on Saturday night in Garner, said Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison.
  The deputy, who was not named, was attacked by four men during the event at the Panther Branch Community Center in Garner around 11:45 p.m., Harrison said.
  Th
  
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• Buffalo Police find guns, drugs at local deli

  11-02-2016 15:26 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO N.Y. (WIVB) — After executing a search warrant at Bill’s Deli in Buffalo, police say they found drugs and firearms.
  Buffalo Police say they found two firearms, crack cocaine and other substances at the store, which is located at Allen and N. Pearl Streets in Allentown.
  In addition to the findings, police say they arrested a 21-year old man who now faces multiple charges, including criminal possession of narcotics.
  The man’s name was not released.
  
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• State Trooper injured in crash near Rochester

  11-02-2016 15:19 via wivb.com
  
  CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A New York State Trooper suffered minor injuries after a vehicle accident in Canadaigua Thursday morning.
  Update:@nyspolice tell@News_8 injured trooper is Sayeh Rivizfar. Minor injuries MVA @News_8 pic.twitter.com/v7zeCsIVgB
  — Amy Young (@AMY_amyyoung) February 11, 2016Sayeh Rivizfar was injured at Routes 5 and 20.
  News 4 will have more information as it becomes available.
  
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• Buffalo Police looking for missing mom and 3 kids

  11-02-2016 14:55 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police are looking for a missing mother and her three kids.
  Veronica Bates, 24, is described as 4’11” and 105 lbs. Her children are 6-month-old Samuel Miner, Nathaniel Miner, 3, and Michael Dye, 6.
  They were last seen Wednesday around 3 p.m.
  Anyone with information can contact Buffalo Police at 851-4499.
  
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• Buffalo Police locate mom, 3 kids

  11-02-2016 14:55 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police found a missing mother and her three kids safe after a search.
  The children of 24-year-old Veronica Bates are 6-month-old Samuel Miner, Nathaniel Miner, 3, and Michael Dye, 6.
  They were found on Thursday morning after not being seen since Wednesday afternoon.
  
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• Virginia family decorates home for Valentine’s Day, opens kissing booth

  11-02-2016 14:43 via wivb.com
  
  HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — You’ve heard of people decorating their homes for Christmas and Halloween, but what about Valentine’s Day? One family in Glen Allen goes all out for Valentine’s Day, and they shared the love with Media General contributor Nakell Williams.
  With a name like Stephanie Loving, how could spreading love – especially for Valentine’s Day – not be her mission?
  “The second day after Christmas, I start decorating for Valentin
  
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• Buffalo Auto Show comes to Convention Center

  11-02-2016 14:24 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — This weekend in Buffalo, hundreds of cars and trucks will be on display at the Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center.
  The Buffalo Auto Show started Thursday and is a February tradition.
  Vehicles displayed include SUVS, hybrids, minivans, trucks and more.
  News 4’s Lauren Hall was there on Thursday.
  
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• Darien Lake to add new ride to water park

  11-02-2016 14:04 via wivb.com
  
  DARIEN CENTER, N.Y. (WIVB) — Darien Lake is adding another water ride to its roster.
  The $1.5 million RipCurl Racer is planned to open on May 21, pending building permit completion and the approval of an incentive package from the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC).
  The colorful 24-second ride will be 42 feet high and have six tunnels that turn into racing lanes for riders.
  “Bringing in RipCurl Racer, the third new thrill ride to join the park’s l
  
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• Occupiers: We will surrender Thursday AM

  11-02-2016 13:35 via wivb.com
  
  BURNS, Ore. (KOIN) — The FBI surrounded the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday as they continued negotiations with 4 remaining occupiers.
  FBI agents reportedly attempted to approach an occupier who rode an ATV beyond established barricades outside the refuge around 4:30 p.m. The occupier, “returned to the encampment at the refuge at a high rate of speed.”
  Gavin Seim, who is allegedly friends with occupier David Fry, broadcast audio from the encounter v
  
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• Justice Dept. enters Ferguson court case in strong position

  11-02-2016 13:14 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department enters its court fight against the city of Ferguson with the apparent upper hand, given a months-long investigation that found vast problems in the way police and courts treat poor people and minorities in the St. Louis suburb.
  In suing the city, which took a high-stakes gamble by rejecting a settlement with the federal government, the department will look to prove in court the same constitutional violations it’s already alleged on paper: Base
  
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• Solar City to delay production

  11-02-2016 12:35 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A new solar panel company won’t be starting production as early as expected.
  Solar City company representatives say there’s been a delay getting the nearly $600 million in high-tech parts they need.
  The company is not expected to open until next fall, which is several months behind schedule.
  The company’s stock plunged Wednesday after Solar City issued its latest forecast. It shows bigger-than-expected losses and lower-than-expected solar power
  
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• 3-alarm fire reported at North Collins log home company

  11-02-2016 12:07 via wivb.com
  
  NORTH COLLINS, N.Y. (WIVB) — A three-alarm fire on Eagle Street in North Collins ripped through a construction company Thursday morning.
  The fire began around 3:15 a.m. and crews were still on the scene hours later. The structure, which was owned by log home builders, Timberbuilt, was a total loss.
  One firefighter injured his knee after slipping on ice, but will not be seeking hospital treatment.
  
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• 3-alarm fire destroys North Collins log home company

  11-02-2016 12:07 via wivb.com
  
  NORTH COLLINS, N.Y. (WIVB) — A three-alarm fire on Eagle Street in North Collins ripped through a construction company Thursday morning.
  The fire was reported just after 3 a.m. and crews were still on the scene six hours later. The structure, which was owned by log home builders, Timberbuilt, was a total loss.
  Fire officials say most of the building had already collapsed when they arrived, and the tin roof that fell on all the lumber in the wood shop made fighting the flames that
  
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• Winter weather impacting Niagara County residents

  11-02-2016 06:59 via wivb.com
  
  NEWFANE, N.Y. (WIVB) — Up in northern Niagara county, residents are digging out after many areas along Lake Ontario received between seven and nine inches of snow.
  “I don’t usually see this kind of snow that often,” said Dan, who is shoveling multiple drives with his buddy in Olcott.  “I just wanted to have my vehicle ready to go in the morning.”
   
  Ready to go, clear of Wednesday’s snow, before seeing more keep falling through the nig
  
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• ‘Scajaquada Boulevard’ would cost $100 million

  11-02-2016 05:16 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- The Commissioner of the NY State Department of Transportation came to Buffalo Wednesday night with a $100 million dollar commitment to turn what was an expressway into  ‘Scajaquada Boulevard’.
  “I want to make it very clear. I intend to move very quickly on this project.” said Commissioner Driscoll, who added that some of the work would begin this spring, but the bulk of it won’t start for two years, after gathering more public input this f
  
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• Bank robbery suspect found lying next to cash

  11-02-2016 04:15 via wivb.com
  
  ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — Less than 24 hours after anote-wielding woman robbed a bank in Cranston, police say they arrested a suspect in Attleboro.
  Cranston police confirmed for Eyewitness News that Shannon G. Sampson, 27, has been arrested in connection with the crime.
  According to police, a woman entered the Santander Bank on Reservoir Avenue around 10 a.m. Tuesday and handed the teller a note demanding cash.
  Following the heist, investigators released surveillance images of the suspect.
  
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• New York officer, wife and 10-year-old son found dead in murder-suicide investigation

  11-02-2016 04:12 via wivb.com
  
  LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Sources confirm police are investigating a possible murder suicide at a Colonie police officer’s home.
  A fire occurred around 6 p.m. Tuesday at 35 Schalren Dr. in Latham. Multiple agencies were brought to the scene to help put out the blaze.“It was really involved, and they had to back off it,” Elliot Schwebel, of Colonie, said. “Sounded like something was popping, like ammunition, so all the firemen backed away from the building fo
  
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• LeSean McCoy asked on camera about alleged bar brawl for first time

  11-02-2016 04:02 via wivb.com
  
  PHILADELPHIA, PA (WIVB) — For the first time since being implicated in a brawl in a private bar in Philadelphia over the weekend that injured two off duty police officers, LeSean McCoy fielded questions.
  McCoy, who is one of four people accused of injuring two off duty police officers in the club in a scuffle over a bottle of champagne, is the top running back for the Buffalo Bills and also played for the Philadelphia Eagles to spark his career.
  Although McCoy has retained a high-prof
  
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• Police: Naked man caught trying to break into Tennesee homes

  11-02-2016 03:44 via wivb.com
  
  CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The investigation continues after a man who was caught on video walking around naked in a Clarksville neighborhood and allegedly attempting to break into several homes.
  Despite being identified, police are not releasing his name and that the case has been turned over to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
  According to police, the man has shown up around 11 p.m. or 4:30 a.m. in the areas of Prince, East Regent and Trelawny drives.
  In the video, cap
  
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• Death of Polk Walmart shoplifting suspect ruled a homicide

  11-02-2016 03:35 via wivb.com
  
  LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Police are treating the death of a shoplifting suspect as a homicide. The suspect died after he was chased by Lakeland Walmart employees.
  Detectives with the Lakeland Police Department are investigating Kenneth E. Wisham’s death.
  Wisham, 64, died at Lakeland Regional Health after being transported there in critical condition on Feb. 7.
  At 3:05 a.m. on Feb. 7, police responded to a call about a suspected shoplifter in custody outside the Walmart located at
  
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• Oversharing online: 15 minutes of digging can turn up a lot of information

  11-02-2016 03:17 via wivb.com
  
  WICHITA, Kansas – Our personal data is prevalent online. The question is: Just how much of our personal data is available, who is putting it there, and is our information protected?
  In an effort to answer these questions, we decided to take a closer look at the personal information we could find out online – about total strangers – in a matter of minutes.
  Media General Contributor Brittany Glas set out to perform a certain ‘social experiment’ of sorts, to
  
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• Housing market booming in western New York

  11-02-2016 03:06 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Business is booming in the Queen City, and thanks to an increasing number of opportunities, so is the housing market.
  Housing market experts say the boom in home sales is great for the economy, and say this is the time to invest in a home. The Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors says in 2015, home sales bloomed at $1.7 billion in total.
  Hunt Real Estate says it had its best year in 104 years, and pointed to statistics on home sales in western New York a
  
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• NY speaker: Proposal to hike taxes on millionaires is fair

  11-02-2016 01:55 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie defended a proposal to raise taxes on millionaires, calling it a fair way to raise needed revenue despite strong opposition from Senate Republicans and a shrug from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
  Despite the challenges, Heastie vowed to continue pushing his proposal, which would raise income taxes on the state’s wealthiest workers while extending some tax benefits to middle- and low-income residents.
  “This is about fairness and equ
  
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• Best fish fry joints in Buffalo and WNY

  11-02-2016 00:32 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — With the season of Lent upon western New York, locals will be again looking to find a new Friday meat alternative.
  Ever-popular in the western New York area is the fish fry, and with so many different fish fry joints to choose from, we put together a list of some popular locations.
  In Buffalo:
  Bailey Seafood: 3316 Bailey Ave Buffalo, NY 14215 Phone number: (716) 833-1973
  Black Thorn Restaurant and Pub: 2134 Seneca Street, Buffalo, New York 14210, Phone number: (
  
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• Walmart to hire nearly 100 for Cheektowaga Walmart

  11-02-2016 00:17 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — As Walmart prepares to launch again in Cheektowaga in the spring, it’s going on a hiring spree.
  Officials say they need to hire at least 85 new associates to staff the store, but chosen employees will be put to work in February to help the store prepare for its launch.
  Opportunities exist for both full and part-time employment, and anybody — especially honorably discharged veterans — is encouraged to apply.
  Those interested in applying can
  
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