Buffalo news

• Community gathers to remember fallen officers

  09-06-2016 23:54 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — After Amazing Grace faded, gloved hands relaxed to the sides and dozens of people listened to a litany of names, dozens of people still walked away thinking about those who served with the Cheektowaga Police Department who have died.
  “It’s [my] your dad,” said Karin Fryer. “And he’s an officer.”
  Her father, Captain Charles Switalski passed away last year.
  “Going to things like this and to have people tell me what kin
  
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• Premier Prospects: Griffin Luce

  09-06-2016 23:49 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Unlike many of the News 4 Premier Prospects, defenseman Griffin Luce isn’t expected to go in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
  He’s hardly an afterthought, however, due to both his size and strength on the ice… and his lineage. He’s a projected second or third round pick, but it’s his family name that may have longtime Buffalo Sabres fans interested in his future.
  Luce is the grandson of longtime Sabres defenseman Don Luce, wh
  
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• Emergency medical calls keep Lancaster, Orchard Park busy

  09-06-2016 23:41 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot about ambulance response times in the city of buffalo.
  But what about the suburbs?
  Places like Lancaster and Orchard Park are handling their own emergency medical calls — and that includes transporting patients to the hospital.
  And while they don’t see the call volume that Buffalo does — suburban first responders say their system of using paid and volunteer staff is working — and resulting in good respons
  
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• Leaving His Mark: Lake Shore’s Chris Beckley paints a legacy

  09-06-2016 23:38 via wivb.com
  
  ANGOLA, N.Y. (WIVB) – At this weekend’s state track meet, Lake Shore High School will have Chris Beckley competing in the pole vault. Beckley won the section six state qualifier meet last weekend and earlier this year he set the school record with a clear of 13 feet 7 inches.
  “After I saw the bar standing up on the standards just wobbling I was like ‘oh, my God it is going to fall.” Beckley said. “Once it looked like it was staying it was so incredible.&r
  
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• BPD cell block attendant charged with beating inmate

  09-06-2016 22:53 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A cell block attendant working for the Buffalo Police Department faces up to 10 years behind bars and a hefty fine if found guilty of beating inmates.
  Federal officials announced Buffalo Police reported the case to the Department of Justice as soon as they learned about the crime. Buffalo Police promptly removed Matthew Jaskula, 26, from his position as a lead attendant at Buffalo’s holding facility.
  According to court documents, Jaskula is accused of
  
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• TSA says they’re working to keep checkpoint lines down

  09-06-2016 20:29 via wivb.com
  
   
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Transportation Security Administration has recently come under fire after extremely long lines at checkpoints. The organization was also scrutinized for alleged gaps in security.
  On Thursday morning at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, the TSA addressed how they will try and keep lines down at the checkpoints
  Recently, travelers nationwide are seeing increased wait times at major airports. Last month, hundreds of travelers at Chicago O&rs
  
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• Teen who ran against Carl Paladino for school board seat arrested, says he was singled out

  09-06-2016 19:50 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Just last month Austin Harig came close to unseating Carl Paladino for the Park District seat, with Paladino beating Harig by just over 100 votes.
  The 18-year-old was proud of his accomplishment and made a name for himself in the process, but now says that because of it he’s being singled out for an incident that he says wasn’t his fault.“I felt like they were really intent on making extrapolations and just saying that I was responsible for things t
  
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• Teen who ran against Carl Paladino for school board seat arrested

  09-06-2016 19:50 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The 18-year-old who ran against Carl Paladino for a spot on the Buffalo Public School Board, and later lost, has been arrested.
  Buffalo Police accused Austin Harig of giving three minors alcohol and allowing them to smoke marijuana at his home. He was charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child and second-degree criminal nuisance.
  Harig claims he was arrested at 4 a.m. Wednesday, but police say it was actually 4 p.m.
  The Hutchinson-Centra
  
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• Prosecutor: Police van driver gave black man ‘rough ride’

  09-06-2016 19:02 via wivb.com
  
  BALTIMORE (AP) — A 25-year-old black man got a “rough ride” in the back of a Baltimore police van, critically injuring his spine and causing his death a week later, a prosecutor said Thursday.
  The van driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, is on trial facing second-degree murder, manslaughter and other charges stemming from Freddie Gray’s death.
  Prosecutors had hinted that Gray received a rough ride when he was arrested April 12, 2015, but Chief Deputy State’s Attorne
  
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• Electrical fire at Hutch Tech forces students outside

  09-06-2016 18:55 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Students at Hutchinson Central Technical School in Buffalo had a shortened day of classes Thursday, but their actual day remained the same length.
  The reason? — An electrical fire that kept students outside during the first part of the day. The fire happened at the school around the time students were arriving for class.
  At this time, the kids already in the building were evacuated and told to wait outdoors. Immediately, Buffalo Police and fire offici
  
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• Pre-prom talk aims to keep Sweet Home students safe

  09-06-2016 17:46 via wivb.com
  
  AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) – Prom season is upon us, but so are the 100 deadliest days of the year for teen drivers, so the Erie County District Attorney’s office is working to reach high schoolers in our area to drive home important safety messages.
  Sweet Home High School hosted the Stop DWI assembly Thursday morning for its seniors, hours before they headed out for prom.
  “We’re hoping to send them off with a very strong message about making good decisions and health choices a
  
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• Video shows seconds before Blue Angel crash

  09-06-2016 17:35 via wivb.com
  
  SMYRNA, Tenn. (MEDIA GENERAL) — New video posted to YouTube shows the moments before Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss crashed Blue Angel No. 6 while practicing for an upcoming airshow last week in Smyrna, Tennessee.
  The video was posted to YouTube by Matthew Burns. The videographer appears to be outside the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport and shows the Blue Angels running through stunts. You can see a jet high in the sky and start to drop. The camera moves away to catch other jets flying in fo
  
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• Robert Moses Parkway to be renamed Niagara Scenic Parkway

  09-06-2016 17:21 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — “We’re going to make this place a better place,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said while visiting Niagara Falls Thursday.
  Cuomo, and those who spoke before him, touched on a number of topics involving the improvement of the city through his $1 billion NY Parks 2020 program.
  The most significant change coming though, is the renaming of a much-used highway — Robert Moses Parkway.
  The extensive road reaches from the Grand Island Bridge, all the way in
  
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• Bills sign RB Dan Herron, release CB Julian Whigham

  09-06-2016 15:59 via wivb.com
  
  ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — With the release of cornerback Julian Whigham, the Buffalo Bills have signed running back Dan Herron.
  Herron, 27, previously spent time with the team during the 2015 season. He originally came into the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012.
  Before his NFL career, Herron played for Ohio State in 35 career games, starting in three of them.
  While with Ohio State, he ran for 468 yards and scored one touchdown on 112 carries. In
  
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• Brown taking Ragland under wing at Bills OTAs

  09-06-2016 15:41 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Preston Brown took a lot of heat for the Bills struggles on defense in 2015. The linebacker was ranked among Pro Football Focus’ worst at the position, despite recording 120 tackles, good for second on the team.
  But despite changes to many positions on the Bills’ defensive unit this offseason, Brown remains a starting inside linebacker. The Bills made sure to get him some more help via the draft, adding Reggie Ragland from Alabama.
  Now, as offseason
  
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• WNY native performs on Wake Up! before international guitar contest in Buffalo

  09-06-2016 14:36 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Some of the best musicians in the world, representing seven countries, are in Buffalo to compete in the semifinals of the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition.
  Indiana University sophomore and western New York native Caleb Samland played on Wake Up! this morning after performing at the competition’s welcome reception Wednesday night.
  See his Wake Up! performances in the videos above and below and find out more about the c
  
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• Schumer wants camps to have more access to background checks for employees, volunteers

  09-06-2016 13:45 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) — U.S. Senator Charles Schumer says current federal laws make it so summer camps and children’s organizations in upstate New York are unable to access FBI sex offender background checks on new employees and volunteers.
  Schumer says he wants to change this by allowing camps and other groups access to this information. He says it is a way the groups can help protect children.
  The senator will discuss new proposed legislation on the matter and reveal more d
  
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• Schumer wants camps to have access to FBI background checks

  09-06-2016 13:45 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) — U.S. Senator Charles Schumer says current federal laws make it so summer camps and children’s organizations in upstate New York are unable to access FBI sex offender background checks on new employees and volunteers.
  Schumer says he wants to change this by allowing camps and other groups access to this information. On Thursday, Schumer introduced the Child Protection Improvements and Electronic Life and Safety Security Systems Act of 2015.
  He says
  
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• Lewiston Police warn of phone scammer

  09-06-2016 13:25 via wivb.com
  
  LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Lewiston Police are warning residents of a phone scam happening in the area.
  Police say someone has been calling and saying they are with the Deputy Marshall’s office. The person, who identifies himself as Joe Rice, tells people that they missed jury duty and then tells them that a warrant will be out for their arrest if they do not come to the Federal Building in Buffalo to pay $1,900 in fines.
  The phone numbers that the scammer is using are 286-5488 and
  
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• Canadian national anthem could become gender-neutral

  09-06-2016 13:05 via wivb.com
  
  CANADA (WIVB) — Canada’s national anthem could change to become gender-neutral. If this happens, lawmakers would need to alter two words in the song.
  The line “in all thy sons command” would change to “in all of us command” in the English-language version.
  Canada’s House of Commons voted overwhelmingly last week, 219-79, to approve the minor change.
  A lawmaker who has been fighting the disease ALS, Mauril Belanger, proposed the bill in December. He
  
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• White, male doctors make significantly more money than women, black doctors

  09-06-2016 12:31 via wivb.com
  
  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WIVB) — Women and black people in the U.S. historically make less than white men. Researchers at Harvard University looked at the gap specifically for doctors.
  White, male doctors had the highest average income, at more than $250,000. Black, male doctors earned $65,000 less than that at $188,000 a year.
  Add in gender and the gap becomes even bigger.
  White women earned an average of $163,000 a year, with black women making $152,000 a year as doctors.
  Women in gen
  
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• Lackawanna man accused of supporting terrorism wants charges dropped

  09-06-2016 12:00 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A New York man accused of making plans to join the Islamic State group in Syria wants the charges against him dropped.
  Arafat Nagi’s lawyer has filed a motion to dismiss an indictment charging the Lackawanna man with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
  A federal court hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Buffalo.
  Authorities say Nagi was planning his third trip to Turkey, with plans to continue to Syria to join the fighters
  
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• 3 charged with injuring New York prison guard with bomb

  09-06-2016 11:58 via wivb.com
  
  FLOYD, N.Y. (AP) — Police say three Ohio residents have been charged with assaulting a prison guard who was burned by an exploding package left at his mailbox in central New York.
  Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol says Wednesday that the May 29 attack was intended to stop the 53-year-old victim from reporting an elder care scam against his mother in Ohio. Maciol says it wasn’t related to Alan Dobransky’s work as a corrections officer.
  The sheriff says Dobransky suspected one
  
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• Officials investigating house fire in Riverside

  09-06-2016 11:52 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Crews in Buffalo fought a fire at a home on Collaton St. around 3 a.m. Thursday.
  A mother and a baby made it out of the home, which is near the intersection of Fuller St.
  Officials are still working to figure out how it started, but they say it started in the back of the house.
  It is not clear how much damage the fire caused.
  
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• BPS board takes away teacher benefit; could lead to legal battle

  09-06-2016 04:41 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo School Board voted to take away a benefit teachers have had for years.
  It’s a cosmetic surgery rider that’s been a part of the district’s contract with the teacher’s union, or the expired contract, since 2004.
  The school board wanted to remove this provision because it costs the district millions of dollars a year.
  During Wednesday night’s meeting, board member Larry Quinn said he would like to see this money go towards teach
  
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• Stanford sex assault victim becomes a powerful symbol

  09-06-2016 04:24 via wivb.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With her furious and graphic 12-page letter to the court, the young woman at the center of the Stanford University sexual assault case has instantly become a powerful symbol of courage and resilience to other sex-crime victims, all while remaining anonymous.
  Her widely shared statement has been held up as a must-read for boys and young men and a source of strength to other women who have fallen prey to sexual assault. BuzzFeed and The Washington Post posted it online,
  
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• Man starts fire in apartment over neighbors having sex

  09-06-2016 04:23 via wivb.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque man who wanted some peace and quiet is now in big trouble.
  Police arrested 36-year-old Reuben Cook after a fire at his apartment near Osuna and Academy.
  According to the criminal complaint, Cook admitted to starting the fire because his neighbors were having sex and making too much noise. He then decided he would rather go to prison and “get away from the noise,” according to the complaint.
  Cook told officers he started the fi
  
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• Vanderbilt University professor helps discover new element

  09-06-2016 04:19 via wivb.com
  
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A Vanderbilt University professor has helped discover a new element.Joseph Hamilton (Courtesy: Vanderbilt University)The new element, unofficially named Tennessine, was discovered by physics professor Joseph Hamilton.
  “Formal certification of these provisional names is expected in five months,” Hamilton explained. “After this occurs, the name of the state of Tennessee will be in the periodic table in textbooks of physics and chemistry worldwide f
  
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• Construction reaches halfway point on mixed use Elmwood Village building

  09-06-2016 03:47 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Workers are moving forward with a mixed use building on Elmwood Avenue that will mix apartments and restaurants in a four-story building.
  As construction moves forward, designers have changed the vision of the building slightly. With the update, they say more than 20 luxury apartments, a two-story restaurant and retail space will occupy the new, large complex.
  Construction began late in 2015 and will likely be done before the end of 2016. The entire project is e
  
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• City officials reviewing ambulance response to Kail St. fire

  09-06-2016 03:36 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- City leaders want to fine Rural Metro after they say the company’s response to a fire on Tuesday was “not acceptable.”
  This comes just one month after a News 4 Investigates report found since signing a new contract with the city last year, Rural Metro has failed to meet response times for some of the most serious calls.
  Dispatch records show at 3:53 p.m. Tuesday, first responders were called to a Kail St fire. It is standard practice to send an ambula
  
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• Woman accused of stealing thousands from elderly family member

  09-06-2016 03:23 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — A local woman is behind bars, accused of stealing tens of thousands from her elderly family member, police say.
  Niagara County Sheriff’s Deputies worked together with other county resources to investigate Adrienne Wheeler, 62, on the suspicion that she stole money from her 94-year-old relative.
  What they found uncovered at least $18,000 in unlawfully withdrawn money over a seven-month period, police say.
  Now, Wheeler faces charges of second-degree po
  
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• Popular restaurant Acropolis for sale as owner pursues new venture

  09-06-2016 02:54 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A popular Greek restaurant on Elmwood Avenue is up for sale, its owner announced on Wednesday amid a simultaneous announcement that he will be expanding another one of his businesses.
  Paul Tsouflidis said it saddens him to put the restaurant, which his parents started in 1982, up for sale, but said he must do so to follow new opportunities with his other venture, the Newbury Street cafe.
  Newbury Street, which focuses on healthy foods and drink, has been a wild s
  
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• Antique auto part shop to close its doors

  09-06-2016 02:45 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A local auto parts store that catered to antique restoration projects is closing its doors, putting 52 employees out of work.
  Eckler’s Industries, which owns MAC’s announced it is closing its location on Donner Road in Lockport due to economic hardship. Eckler’s purchased the shop in 2012 and ran the business for four years.
  Employees received three months of notice, with the shop’s closing date set for Sept. 1.
  
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• Regal Cinemas’ view of bedbug complaints: no bugs

  09-06-2016 02:04 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Latangela Wilson was just getting into the movie, “Barbershop: The Next Cut” at the North Buffalo Regal Cinemas with her daughter, Jazmine, 10, last April, when her neck and shoulders started to itch uncontrollably.
  Jazmine was scratching, too, and Wilson recalled the itching got to the point they had to leave the theatre, “It just kept getting worse, and I’m like ‘Jazmine something is biting me’. So Jazmine is like, ‘Ma, som
  
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• Vidler’s 5&10 to hold anniversary celebration

  09-06-2016 01:30 via wivb.com
  
  EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Celebrating customers who have supported a western New York staple will be the focus of an upcoming anniversary celebration at Vidler’s 5&10, Don Vidler said on Wednesday.
  The small shop in East Aurora will be celebrating its 86th year in business and will hold a toned-down version of its 85th anniversary celebration. For customers and supporters, this means free cake and free balloons and popcorn for for those who are kids at heart.
  The celebratio
  
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• Summer Crime Safety: The biggest social media mistake people make

  09-06-2016 00:43 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — School is almost out; we’re on the cusp of summer and according to police, we’re entering the peak time for home break-ins.
  Police call these acts crimes of opportunity – they include break ins, burglaries and cyber crimes.
  As more people are around their homes during the summer, internet activity increases and police suggest homeowners, especially those in neighborhoods with homes close by, have passwords on their wi-fi. Police say givin
  
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• Hidden in the Harbor: The shape of the Erie Basin Marina

  09-06-2016 00:34 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y.(WIVB) — It’s rare that in a city you’ve lived in your entire life you still can find new adventures and things to see, but that’s exactly what happened. It all started over dinner. One of my dad’s friends said, “Hey, have you ever seen the Erie Basin Marina from above?” The answer was no, so I put locals to the test to see if they ever had.
  Looking at pictures from the marina above many lifelong Western New Yorkers had no idea about its uni
  
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