Buffalo news

• Buffalo teachers making their way home

  24-03-2016 22:58 via wivb.com
  
  AMSTERDAM (WIVB)-  Dina Ferraraccio and Dan Palumbo were the two travel buddies caught in the wake of panic following a terrorist attack on Belgium’s capital.
  Three blasts killed at least 34 people and injured around 300.
  The teachers missed the explosions by ten minutes.
  “We were originally going to take a flight… that would have put us in the airport right around the time of the explosion,” Ferraraccio told News 4 from her Amsterdam hotel room.
  Back here in W
  
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• France arrests man in ‘advanced stages’ of attack plot

  24-03-2016 22:54 via wivb.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — France’s interior minister says a Frenchman has been arrested in the “advanced stages” of a plot to attack the country.
  Bernard Cazeneuve said late Thursday there were no links “at this stage” between the plan and the attacks in Paris or Brussels.
  Cazeneuve said bomb squads were on site. The raid took place in Argenteuil, on the northern outskirts of the French capital.
  He noted that the person arrested was implicated at a “high level”
  
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• Losing My Religion: Catholicism in the Queen City

  24-03-2016 22:40 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)-  More than half of people raised Catholic in the U.S. leave the Church at some point.
  Most don’t come back, but about 13 percent are cultural Catholics; non-believers who just can’t shake the feeling.
  Nora Hurley is one of them.
  “I went to Catholic school, and I went to church every Sunday,” she told News 4.
  “Every activity that wasn’t even church necessarily, had God in it,” she said.
  Hurley considers herself a free-think
  
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• Cattaraugus County funds SPCA with $25k after massive Farmersville raid

  24-03-2016 22:31 via wivb.com
  
  FARMERSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — After a massive raid on a farm in Cattaraugus County, the local SPCA has been stuck with the bill and counting on volunteers, but help is on the way.
  The Cattaraugus County Legislature voted 13 to two in favor of transferring $25,000 in funding to aid their response after they essentially took over operating a 600-animal farm.
  Since learning of the horrendous conditions the animals were forced to live with, police and the SPCA in Cattaraugus County conducte
  
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• Garry Shandling, comic, ‘Larry Sanders Show’ creator, dies

  24-03-2016 22:06 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Garry Shandling, who as an actor and comedian pioneered a pretend brand of self-focused docudrama with “The Larry Sanders Show,” has died.
  Los Angeles Police officer Tony Im said Shandling died Thursday in Los Angeles of an undisclosed cause. He was 66.
  Im said officers were dispatched to Shandling’s home Thursday for a reported medical emergency. Shandling was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
  Im did not have any details on when
  
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• Family member’s ashes stolen during burglary

  24-03-2016 21:51 via wivb.com
  
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – A Tampa Bay area woman is in shock after her house was burglarized and her valuables were stolen. Something was taken that Kimberly Morales can’t put a price tag on, and that’s tearing her apart.
  The St. Petersburg woman lost her grandfather, Harry Wilt, last year. As if that weren’t bad enough, his ashes are now gone.
  They were stolen by the crooks who ransacked Morales’ house. On March 11 the burglars broke through the
  
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• Gerber recalling two baby food products

  24-03-2016 21:10 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A trusted baby food company announced it will recall thousands of pouches of baby food after learning they may be prone to spoiling.
  Gerber announced the company is voluntarily recalling two of its organic fruit and veggies pouches because a packaging defect in certain batches may lead to some units spoiling.
  The following best by dates and batch codes are included in the recall:
  12JUL2016 | 51945335XX
  13JUL 2016 | 51955335XX
  12JUL2016 | 51945335XX
  13JUL 2016 |
  
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• Officers search for missing Cheektowaga teen in Buffalo

  24-03-2016 20:40 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Local police are searching for a teen who hasn’t been seen in days.
  Officers say 16-year-old Mikesea Smith hasn’t been in contact with her family since March 19, and officers say they don’t have many leads on where she may be.
  Police say their best bet at this point is searching for her in Buffalo, where she was known to spend time with her boyfriend. She was last seen on Steven Avenue in Buffalo.
  Smith is described as a 5’5″ tall b
  
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• Drill sparks confusion, incorrect active shooter lockdown on Fort Gordon

  24-03-2016 20:26 via wivb.com
  
  Fort Gordon, GA (MEDIA GENERAL) — Fort Gordon officials issued a press release about an active shooter situation that caused community and national confusion Thursday morning.
  According to the release, a scheduled All Hazards Force Protection Exercise was planned for today on the post.  During the exercise, someone from the training location reacted to active shooter training drill and called the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office via 911.
  The release goes on to read, “
  
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• Buffalo woman admits to killing boyfriend with ceramic statue

  24-03-2016 18:23 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo woman who was accused of killing her boyfriend in Cheektowaga admitted to the crime in court Thursday.
  Prosecutors say Debra Haynes-Thomas, 48, got into an argument with Peter Weipert, 56, at his home on Princess Drive in Cheektowaga.
  As he was falling asleep, prosecutors say Haynes-Thomas then struck him on the head multiple times with a ceramic statue, killing him.
  Later on, police received a tip that led them to Weipert’s home. When they a
  
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• Justice Dept. announces charges in dam cyberattack

  24-03-2016 16:53 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Seven hackers tied to the Iranian government were charged Thursday in a series of punishing cyber attacks on dozens of banks and a small dam outside New York City, intrusions that reached into America’s infrastructure and disrupted the financial system, federal law enforcement officials said.
  The indictment, announced at the Justice Department, reveals the determination of overseas hackers to cripple vital American interests, the officials said.
  “The attacks w
  
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• Karadzic convicted of genocide, sentenced to 40 years

  24-03-2016 16:51 via wivb.com
  
  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A U.N. court convicted former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of genocide and nine other charges Thursday and sentenced him to 40 years in prison for orchestrating Serb atrocities throughout Bosnia’s 1992-95 war that left 100,000 people dead.
  As he sat down after hearing his sentence, Karadzic slumped slightly in his chair, but showed little emotion.
  The U.N. court found Karadzic guilty of genocide in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in which 8,000 Musl
  
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• Jamestown radio legend Jim Roselle passes away

  24-03-2016 16:45 via wivb.com
  
  JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) — A local AM Radio legend has passed away after more than 60 years on the air.
  Many people grew up listening to Jim Roselle, a Jamestown radio personality who sources say died at the age of 89.
  Since 1953, Roselle was the host or co-host of many programs on WJTN over the years, including “The Jim Roselle Show” and “The Times of Your Life.” For 41 summers, Roselle broadcasted from Chautauqua Institution on a daily basis.
  “Our entire
  
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• 1 dead after train coming from Niagara Falls collides with vehicle near Syracuse

  24-03-2016 15:08 via wivb.com
  
  MENTZ, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say the driver of a van has been killed after it was hit by an Amtrak passenger train at a central New York rail crossing.
  State police say the accident happened around 6:50 a.m. Thursday when an eastbound train hit the van as its driver tried to cross the tracks in the Cayuga County town of Mentz, 25 miles west of Syracuse.
  The victim’s name hasn’t been released. No one on the train was injured.
  Troopers say the crossing’s safety
  
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• VIDEO: Crews battle ‘stubborn’ house fire in Cheektowaga

  24-03-2016 14:16 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A blazing house fire in Cheektowaga briefly closed Dick Road from Lydia Lane to Claudette Court Thursday morning.
  It started in the basement of a house on Harris Court around 7:45 a.m., and it took a lot of crews quite a bit of time to put it out.
  Fire officials say the fire was called in by the homeowner who spotted flames coming out of the house’s electric panel.
  When fire crews arrived, they found the flames had spread up through the house and were
  
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• Sources: Drunk Buffalo police officer taken off flight

  24-03-2016 13:46 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo Police Officer was under investigation Thursday morning after sources say he was taken off a Jet Blue flight for being drunk.
  The officer, who sources say was off-duty at the time, was taken off the flight shortly before takeoff at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
  For now, the officer is still working.
  
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• Plans set for military lounge at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport

  24-03-2016 12:55 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Non-profit corporation WNY Freedom Lounge has entered into an agreement with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to establish a military lounge at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.
  Members of the U.S. Military frequently come through the airport while waiting for connecting flights.
  The lounge would be for use by military personnel as well as their families and would be staffed by veterans, veteran organizations and military sup
  
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• 5-year-old saves mother from drowning in pool

  24-03-2016 12:25 via wivb.com
  
  TEXAS (WIVB) — A woman in Texas has her 5-year-old daughter to thank for saving her life. The woman nearly drowned in their backyard pool.
  Tracy Anderwald is calling her daughter Allison a hero. It took incredible strength to do what she did.
  Tracy was swimming in the family pool when she had a seizure. Allison realized something was wrong, so she dove into the water, and pulled her mom to the shallow end.
  It took several tries but she didn’t give up.
  Allison’s aunt,
  
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• Residents escape after fire strikes Wheatfield house

  24-03-2016 11:59 via wivb.com
  
  WHEATFIELD, N.Y. (WIVB) — A house fire in Wheatfield sent crews to the Lockport Road scene late Wednesday night.
  When officials arrived, everyone was already out of the house. Personnel from Shawnee and Sanborn volunteer fire companies extinguished the flames.
  No one was injured and the amount of damage the fire caused is not clear at this time.
  Investigators are still looking into the fire.
  
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• Future cars may eliminate need for traffic lights

  24-03-2016 11:46 via wivb.com
  
  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WIVB) — Waiting at red lights may become a thing of the past. In fact, traffic lights may disappear altogether.
  Cars that will be on the road in a few years may eliminate the need for them.
  Instead of stopping for red lights, sensors would allow cars to do a carefully choreographed ballet around each other and through intersections.
  The study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Senseable City Lab suggests this would allow twice as many vehicles to
  
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• Experts discuss safety of information used online

  24-03-2016 11:16 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Apple announcement earlier this week not only introduced new products, but generated concern about cloud safety.
  Is your personal information always protected online? Can you really trust the cloud to store sensitive information?
  Telecommunications lawyer Martha Buyer and financial advisor Andrew Goldfarb discussed the safety of information used online on Wake Up! Wednesday morning.
  See their interview with News 4’s Brittni Smallwood in the video
  
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• Second suspected Brussels attacker may be at large

  24-03-2016 11:04 via wivb.com
  
  BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian state broadcaster RTBF and France’s Le Monde are reporting that a second attacker is suspected of taking part in the bombing this week of a Brussels subway train and may be at large.
  The media, citing unnamed sources, said Thursday the suspect was filmed by surveillance cameras in the Brussels metro on Tuesday carrying a large bag alongside Khalid El Bakraoui, whom prosecutors have identified as a suicide bomber. RTBF said it is not clear whether the second su
  
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• Lawyers seek mercy for ex-NY state Senate leader, son

  24-03-2016 10:51 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Senate leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam, who were convicted of charges that the once-powerful Republican used his office to extort about $300,000 in salary and other benefits for the son, are asking a judge not to send them to prison.
  The Skelos’ lawyers filed papers in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday each asking for sentences of probation.
  Adam Skelos’ attorney asked the judge to “show mercy” on the 33-year-old. His father
  
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• Attorney: Chief Paris attacks suspect will not fight extradition to France

  24-03-2016 10:45 via wivb.com
  
  BRUSSELS (AP) — The chief suspect in last year’s deadly Paris attacks is facing a hearing in Brussels, amid increasing signs that the same Islamic State cell was behind attacks in both cities. Instead, his attorney appeared Thursday morning.
  Salah Abdeslam was scheduled to face magistrates Thursday morning after his arrest last week in the same Brussels neighborhood where he grew up. France is seeking his extradition to face potential terrorism charges for his involvement in the Nov.
  
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• Local Muslim community advocates speaking out after Cruz’s comments

  24-03-2016 07:22 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — “Where there is an expanding presence of radical Islamic terrorism we need law enforcement resources directed there,” said Ted Cruz, a Republican Presidential hopeful after the Brussels attacks.  “We need national security resources directed there.”
  In a statement, Cruz went on saying Muslim communities need to be patrolled, a statement many Western New York Muslims are upset about.
  “The acts of certain Muslims are being generalized
  
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• FDA requiring stronger warnings on opioid painkillers

  24-03-2016 04:18 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) —  Buffalo is no stranger to the drug epidemic as it continues here at home and across the country. The Food and Drug Administration is now stepping in to combat this ongoing trend.
  Some members of congress believe the FDA has been too lax, so the agency is requiring much stronger warnings on opioid painkillers.
  “Having a stronger warning label on a prescription bottle will help inform the public that these medicines, although useful for the control of pain,
  
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• Man cited for meeting fake escort at police station

  24-03-2016 03:51 via wivb.com
  
  WEST LINN, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was busted Tuesday for allegedly responding to an escort ad posted by a local police training class for human trafficking.
  Investigators with West Linn Police Dept. posted the fake ad on escort-related websites during class. Customers looking to hire the fictitious 19-year-old described online called the phone number listed as officers continued teaching, police said.
  “It got to be kind of humorous, the number of calls we got ,” Sgt. Mik
  
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• Former teacher charged with letting students smoke weed in class

  24-03-2016 03:45 via wivb.com
  
  GLEN ALLEN, Va. (WRIC) — A former Virginia teacher is in trouble with the law for allegedly letting students get stoned in class.
  Police say 23-year-old Domonic Leuzzi was doing more than just teaching shop class. They claim he was enabling students to do a little higher learning.
  “Domonic Leuzzi was actually allowing students to smoke marijuana in his classroom,” said Henrico County Police Lieutenant Chris Eley.
  Up until recently, Leuzzi was a shop teacher at the Academy
  
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• Police: Drunken woman flees scene after crashing into fire hydrant with children in car

  24-03-2016 02:14 via wivb.com
  
  DUNKIRK, N.Y. (WIVB) — A local woman faces serious charges of drinking and driving under the Leandra’s Law after officers responded to the scene of a car crash on Tuesday night.
  Police say they responded to East Fifth Street and Washington Avenue just before 9:30 to investigate the crash, but learned the driver fled the scene. Working on a tip, officers located the driver and the car that had been involved in the crash.
  When they finally pulled up to Shaunquailia Maxwell’s
  
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• Attorney General reaches $30,000 settlement with Carolina Furniture

  24-03-2016 01:48 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has concluded an investigation into Carolina Furniture’s promotion of a store closing sale, with a $30,000 settlement with the local furniture chain.The investigation focused on advertisements promoting a “liquidation” sale of inventory at the Carolina Furniture’s store at the Northtown Plaza, in Amherst.
  When Whole Foods took over the Northtown Plaza, in February, 2014, they bought out Carolina Fur
  
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• More than 3,000 debts currently owed to City of Buffalo

  24-03-2016 00:56 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- A new report shows hundreds of organizations and people owe the City of Buffalo more than $8 million. The Common Council is now calling for a policy to get the debts paid.
  “This is the list right here,” said Common Council President Darius Pridgen, showing News 4 a roughly 250 page document.
  It’s a list of entities that owe the city money who have not been billed in a year. There are more than 3,200 debts owed. Many people and organizations are listed
  
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• Jury finds Buffalo man guilty of stowing $160k in cocaine

  24-03-2016 00:50 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A jury of Buffalo natives found a local man guilty of stocking drugs and owning weapons in a Buffalo home.
  Prosecutors say police located four kilos of cocaine and two guns in an Eagle Street home on Aug. 15. Police eventually arrested and charged 33-year-old Tyron Huggins with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
  During trial, prosecutors
  
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• Actor Ken Howard, TV actor and acting union leader, dies

  24-03-2016 00:43 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Ken Howard, the strapping , versatile character actor who starred in the 1970s drama “The White Shadow” and served as president of SAG-AFTRA, has died at age 71.
  The union announced Howard’s death Wednesday. No cause of death was given.
  Howard’s career spanned four decades in TV, theater and film. In the acclaimed CBS series “The White Shadow,” which aired from 1978 to 1981, he starred as a white coach to an urban high school bas
  
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• Busy volunteer joins the ‘Century Club’

  24-03-2016 00:42 via wivb.com
  
  KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) – It is hard—if not impossible–to measure the value of Call 4 Action, whose volunteers resolve consumer problems for Western New Yorkers every day, and Margaret Brown has been one of those dedicated volunteers, giving it her all once a week, for 36 years.
  Margaret is turning 100 years old, and today her friends, family, and co-volunteers helped her celebrate the milestone at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Wednesday, where Margaret volunteers in the gift shop.
  Sti
  
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• New York’s unique primary rules will keep some from casting ballots

  24-03-2016 00:30 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — With record voter turnouts mounting for this year’s presidential primaries, New York is expected to be no different come April 19. For the first time in a long time, this state will be in play. And a rule unique to the Empire State could cause some frustration at the polls.
  Record turnouts at Tuesday night’s for primaries in Arizona and caucuses in Utah caused long lines and headaches at the polls.
  But some experts predict more trouble on April 19, when N
  
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