Buffalo news

• Karolyi’s ‘Final Five’ US team wins gymnastics gold

  09-08-2016 23:57 via wivb.com
  
  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Just call them the Final Five.
  Dominant. Peerless. Golden.
  The U.S. women’s gymnastics team gave retiring national team coordinator Martha Karolyi a fitting send off in the Olympic finals on Tuesday night, putting on a two-hour display of precision and class. Their score of 184.897 was more than eight points points clear of silver medalist Russia, a blowout that Michael Jordan’s “Dream Team” should envy.
  The Americans’ second straight Oly
  
  Read more

• Poll: Young Americans overwhelmingly favor LGBT rights

  09-08-2016 23:48 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Young people in America overwhelmingly support LGBT rights when it comes to policies on employment, health care and adoption, according to a new survey.
  The GenForward survey of Americans ages 18-30 found that support for those policies has increased over the past two years, especially among young whites. But relatively few of these young adults consider rights for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender to be among the top issues facing the United States.
  A
  
  Read more

• Humboldt House cited for ‘rodent infestation’ issues

  09-08-2016 23:36 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Katrina Underwood would visit her mother regularly at Humboldt House Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Buffalo.
  But in February she began to notice a problem – rodents in her mother’s room.
  “I was at one point catching a mouse every week,” said Underwood, whose 79 year old mother had been battling dementia for a number of years.
  “I didn't know what to do. I was just trying to speak to whoever would listen,” she said.
  Underwood said sh
  
  Read more

• Study: Stores losing money from self-checkout lines

  09-08-2016 23:34 via wivb.com
  
  NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – A new study shows that the self-checkout lines aren’t so great. The stores are actually losing money from them.
  Love them or hate them. We’ve all dealt with those self-checkout lines. And the stores are losing profits because of them.
  Criminologists at the United Kingdom’s University of Leicester looked over data from nearly 12 million shopping trips from four major British retailers, as well others in the U.S., Belgium, and Holland between 2013
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Staying safe while jogging: Vital tips from police

  09-08-2016 23:30 via wivb.com
  
  EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — As police in New York and Massachusetts continue to investigate two separate murders of young women attacked while jogging, we’re gaining vital information from local police on how to protect yourself.
  “There are pepper sprays and things to carry, but you don’t want to be afraid of every shadow and live your life afraid of what’s lurking around the corner,” East Providence Police Lt. Raymond Blinn.
  As Eyewitness News first report
  
  Read more

• Wells drying up due to drought, well drilling business working overtime

  09-08-2016 23:09 via wivb.com
  
  ARCADE, N.Y. (WIVB) —  Water, or a lack thereof has kept Willey Well Drilling of Arcade plenty busy this summer. Owner Art Baker says he’s installed at least 200  wells and repaired several across Western New York.
  “Any farm, campground, any big user like that they’re all having trouble this year but we’re having a lot of trouble with residential wells as well. We have a long list of people without water right now and we’re working night and day to a
  
  Read more

• Computer outage could tarnish Delta’s on-time reputation

  09-08-2016 23:02 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — We don’t cancel flights.
  That’s been the message for the past two years from Delta Air Lines. Double decker buses roamed the streets of New York, wrapped in ads proclaiming “canceling cancellations.” Delta executives boasted about the number of days without a single flight scrapped.
  That all literally ground to a halt Monday when a system-wide computer outage led to the cancellation of more than 1,500 flights. Passengers were stranded around the glob
  
  Read more

• A look at chronic absenteeism across America

  09-08-2016 22:55 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The problem of students habitually missing school varies widely from state to state, with about one-third of students in the nation’s capital absent 15 days or more in a single school year, according to an Associated Press analysis of government statistics.
  Overall, the national average of chronic absenteeism was 13 percent, or about 6.5 million students, the Education Department said.
  “Chronic absenteeism is a national problem,” Secretary of Education J
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Debt fight leaves crew stuck for months on ship off Georgia

  09-08-2016 22:49 via wivb.com
  
  SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The crew of the Newlead Castellano already had reason to complain, having not been paid for roughly two months when the cargo ship sailed into Savannah to offload a shipment of imported sugar.
  Then U.S. marshals seized the 590-foot ship, forcing it to drop anchor off the Georgia coast and wait out a legal dispute between the vessel’s owners and their creditors.
  Nearly four months have passed and 15 crew members remain stuck on board a few miles out to sea, within
  
  Read more

• Watkins has scheduled day off from practice Tuesday

  09-08-2016 22:40 via wivb.com
  
  PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WIVB) – Sammy Watkins was back on the practice field and in pads for the second straight day but unlike yesterday, he was limited. By the end of practice the receiver was watching without a helmet.
  But, don’t worry Bills fans. Head coach Rex Ryan said it was a scheduled easy day for Watkins who says he gains more confidence with each snap.
  “When I was out there yesterday every play I got faster,” Watkins said. “I will stop thinking about the injury.
  
  Read more

• Teen accused of trying to shoot Buffalo police officer

  09-08-2016 22:26 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Officials say an 18-year-old Buffalo man has been accused of trying to kill a police officer.
  Andre Fuller was arraigned on Wednesday morning after being charged with attempted murder, attempted robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.
  The charges stemmed from a June 15 incident where officials say Fuller was seen trying to leave a robbery at Doat St. and Stewart Ave.
  When Fuller was spotted, a Buffalo police officer jumped out of his car to chase him, 
  
  Read more

• Officials to announce charges against teen accused of trying to shoot cop

  09-08-2016 22:26 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police say on Wednesday, they are going to announce charges against a man accused of trying to shoot an officer.
  Andre Fuller, 18, could spend 40 years-to-life in prison if convicted.
  The charges against him will be announced at 10 a.m. after he is arraigned.
  
  Read more

• Mother of young girls shot with BB gun facing child endangerment charges

  09-08-2016 22:12 via wivb.com
  
  CONCORD, N.Y. (WIVB) — After her fiance was sentenced to two years in prison for shooting her daughters with a BB gun, a Concord mother is now facing charges.
  Bobbie Jo Laurie, 28, is accused of whacking her six-year-old daughter’s face with a plastic baseball bat. She is also accused of failing to care for her children, who also include a four-year-old.
  Prosecutors say Laurie allowed her fiance, Steven Scroger, 30, to shoot the girls with a BB gun multiple times as punishment. Scrog
  
  Read more

• Local woman bikes 250 miles for human trafficking awareness

  09-08-2016 22:05 via wivb.com
  
  NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB)- A woman from North Tonawanda is taking her passion for a global cause to the pavement, in hopes of raising awareness for a crippling problem: human trafficking.
  According to the United Nations, 20 percent of human trafficking victims are children and almost 80 percent are sexually exploited in the process.
  Rebekah Kastelin wants to bring local eyes to this international and domestic crisis.
  She’s biking her way through Western New York; 250 miles in
  
  Read more

• Buffalo, Town of Tonawanda authorities looking for theft suspects

  09-08-2016 21:14 via wivb.com
  
  TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police in the Town of Tonawanda are looking for two men suspected in a number of burglaries and larcenies in the area.
  Cody Cook, 23, is wanted for alleged third-degree grand larceny, and Ryan Cook, 20, is wanted for alleged petit larceny.
  Police in Buffalo have active warrants for both men.
  Town of Tonawanda Police asked residents to be cautious of them because they are known to flee on foot, or by vehicle.
  
  Read more

• Police use app to locate stolen phones before arresting suspects

  09-08-2016 21:02 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police say they used “the latest in cell phone technology” to make three arrests related to armed robbery.
  According to officers, two people were robbed of their cell phones and jewelry around 1:30 a.m. on Floss Ave. Monday.
  Police say they used the “Find iPhone” app to locate the three people accused of stealing the phones on E. Ferry St.
  The suspects were in a store at the time and attempted to leave, but were captured by police.
  The
  
  Read more

• Man under investigation accused of sexually assaulting woman at NCCC

  09-08-2016 20:38 via wivb.com
  
  SANBORN, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Niagara Falls man has been charged with third-degree sexual abuse following an alleged incident at Niagara County Community College.
  Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies say Dejuan Hunt II, 25, was under investigation for an alleged July incident on the college campus.
  He was charged with sexual abuse after another alleged incident at the college from August 3. In this incident, deputies say he sexually assaulted a woman.
  Hunt was jailed, with his bail
  
  Read more

• Genesee County authorities looking for elderly missing man

  09-08-2016 20:14 via wivb.com
  
  ALEXANDER, N.Y. (WIVB) — Members of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office are looking for help in finding an elderly missing man.
  Roger Allen Bowler, Sr., 79, was last seen at his Alexander home just before 10 a.m.
  He is described as 5’8″ and 173 lbs. He has grey hair and blue eyes. Bowler was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue plaid shirt and camo Crocs. He is known to frequent Batavia and Oakfield.
  Bowler might be driving a red 2002 Jeep Liberty with the
  
  Read more

• International drug trafficking ring operating in WNY busted

  09-08-2016 18:28 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — On Tuesday morning, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the indictment of 17 people involved in an international drug trafficking ring right here in Western New York. Some of the drugs involved in this massive bust include cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.
  The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that the drug trafficking organization known used contacts and supplies from Mexico and California to smuggle thousands of pounds of narcotics to Lockport, Niagara Falls, a
  
  Read more

• LIVE STREAM: Gov. Cuomo makes announcement at Getzville Geico facility

  09-08-2016 17:59 via wivb.com
  
  GETZVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Cuomo is in Getzville to make an announcement at Geico.
  APP USERS | Tap here to watch his announcement.
  
  Read more

• Gov. Cuomo announces hundreds of jobs at Getzville Geico facility

  09-08-2016 17:59 via wivb.com
  
  GETZVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Cuomo came to the Geico facility in Getzville Tuesday morning to announce hundreds of jobs coming to Erie County.
  Cuomo says 600 jobs will be added at the Geico facility.
  This was made possible through financial help in Erie County as well as the state of New York.
  Cuomo spoke positively of Buffalo, and Geico itself, ending his speech by thanking the company’s employees and saying that investors like Warren Buffet are “betting on Buffalo.
  
  Read more

• Possibly deaf woman taken to hospital after crashing truck

  09-08-2016 17:46 via wivb.com
  
  INDIAN FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — A woman was hospitalized after driving her pick up truck into a ditch on Route 77 in Genesee County.
  Genesee County Sheriff’s deputies say the woman fell in and out of consciousness when they arrived and found her.
  She may have been deaf, as she attempted communication through sign language, according to sources.
  It is not clear how badly the woman was injured, but she was taken to ECMC by Mercy Flight for treatment.
  A couch that had been in the back
  
  Read more

• Authorities looking for Buffalo man wanted on Cheektowaga warrant

  09-08-2016 16:43 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man is being sought after by law enforcement officials.
  Authorities say Male Jones, 28, is wanted on a Cheektowaga warrant for criminal use of a firearm.
  Jones, whose last known address was on Goemble Ave. in Buffalo, is described as 5’8″ and 165 pounds.
  Crimestoppers has offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to Jones’ arrest. Anyone with information on him is asked to call 867-6161.
  
  Read more

• Delta cancelling nearly 250 flights Tuesday morning

  09-08-2016 16:27 via wivb.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Delta’s travails, and those of its customers, move into day two with the airline canceling of another 300 flights.
  The disruptions Tuesday follow about 1,000 cancelled flights Monday and, according to FlightStats, about 2,800 delayed flights, after an outage at Delta’s Atlanta headquarters instigated a global meltdown of its booking and communications systems.
  The airline was back online after a number of hours Monday, but the outages were so widespread that it is
  
  Read more

• Delta cancelled nearly 250 flights Tuesday morning

  09-08-2016 16:27 via wivb.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Delta’s travails, and those of its customers, move into day two with the airline canceling of another 300 flights.
  The disruptions Tuesday follow about 1,000 cancelled flights Monday and, according to FlightStats, about 2,800 delayed flights, after an outage at Delta’s Atlanta headquarters instigated a global meltdown of its booking and communications systems.
  The airline was back online after a number of hours Monday, but the outages were so widespread that it is
  
  Read more

• 3 children fall from Ferris wheel in Tennessee

  09-08-2016 16:15 via wivb.com
  
  GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Three people who fell 30 to 45 feet from a Ferris wheel in Tennessee were responsive and answering questions Monday night, police said.
  The oldest of the three who fell from the ride at a county fairground is a 16-year-old girl, according to Greeneville Police Detective Capt. Tim Davis.
  The detective told sources that officers were interviewing witnesses to determine what happened.
  “We treat it like a crime scene until we determine there’s no
  
  Read more

• Texas baby dies in relation to Zika virus

  09-08-2016 16:08 via wivb.com
  
  HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (WIVB) — CBS contributors in Texas say a baby has died as a result of the Zika virus.
  This is the first Zika-related death in Texas.
  The baby’s mother had previously traveled to El Salvador while she was pregnant, contributors say. She later returned to Texas and gave birth to the baby in Harris County. The baby died shortly after being born, contributors say.
  Sources say it is suspected the mother became infected with the Zika virus during her time in Latin
  
  Read more

• Woman accused of 2013 hit-and-run appears in court

  09-08-2016 15:38 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The woman accused of killing a man in a December 2013 hit-and-run crash appeared in court Tuesday.
  Gabrielle Ballowe is accused of striking Barry Moss, 52, with an SUV on Route 5 in the Town of Evans. After this, prosecutors say she drove away without calling police.
  She was not indicted until June 2016, when new evidence was brought to light, including contradictory statements by co-defendant Lynn Laettner.  Laettner faces charges for perjury.
  Th
  
  Read more

• Case of woman accused in 2013 hit-and-run to go to trial

  09-08-2016 15:38 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The woman accused of killing a man in a December 2013 hit-and-run crash appeared in court Tuesday.
  Gabriele Ballowe is accused of striking Barry Moss, 52, with an SUV on Route 5 in the Town of Evans. After this, prosecutors say she drove away without calling police.
  She was not indicted until June 2016, when new evidence was brought to light, including contradictory statements by co-defendant Lynn Laettner.  Laettner faces charges for perjury.
  The
  
  Read more

• Case of woman accused in 2013 hit-and-run moving forward to trial

  09-08-2016 15:38 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The woman accused of killing a man in a December 2013 hit-and-run crash appeared in court Tuesday.
  Gabriele Ballowe is accused of striking Barry Moss, 52, with an SUV on Route 5 in the Town of Evans. After this, prosecutors say she drove away without calling police.
  She was not indicted until June 2016, when new evidence was brought to light, including contradictory statements by co-defendant Lynn Laettner.  Laettner faces charges for perjury.
  The
  
  Read more

• Vapor store owners call FDA regulations “Doomsday”

  09-08-2016 05:12 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Small business owners call the new federal e-cigarette regulations the beginning of “doomsday” for vapor stores. Starting Monday August 8th, the sale of e-cigarettes to minors will be banned as part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s plan to regulate all tobacco products.
  New York State is ahead of the curve, already making it illegal to sell e-cigs to minors. Store owners in the Buffalo area said that’s just one part of the new r
  
  Read more

• The “dark web”, should you fear it or embrace it?

  09-08-2016 01:47 via wivb.com
  
  WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) – When security measures at Yahoo and several other large high tech firms were breached in 2014,thieves hacked into millions of personal accounts, and now there are reports that one of the hackers is offering to sell some of that sensitive information to the highest bidder through what is called the “dark web”.
  Cyber experts call it the dark web because it is hard to see or track activity taking place in this portion of the Internet, but that anonymi
  
  Read more

• Earl Reese was dedicated family man, Christmas, roller coaster enthusiast

  09-08-2016 00:58 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The family of Earl Reese reached out to News 4 late last week after the 57-year-old was killed on the job at FedEx Freight in the town of Tonawanda.
  They wanted to share the story of a loving father and husband, and a huge kid at heart, who loved roller coasters and Christmas, mostly because they allowed him another opportunity to spend time with family.
  “He’s a very rare, kind person that you just gravitate toward,” said Julie Pernick, Reese’
  
  Read more

• WNY seeing more rats, warm weather & drought blamed

  09-08-2016 00:40 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Rats! We’re starting to see more of them in Western New York. Some of them can be as much as a foot long. Experts say the warm winter weather and ongoing drought is to blame.
  Peter Tripi, Senior Health Sanatarian with the Erie Co. Department of Health, said, “There’s no doubt that after this warm winter that we have seen a significant increase in the rat population.”
  Tripi says the warm weather prevented nature performing natural selectio
  
  Read more

• Hoarding poses dangers to firefighters

  09-08-2016 00:20 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Some fire officials in Western New York said hoarding has been a bigger problem with fires than in the past.
  Firefighters sometimes struggle through rooms filled with clutter and boxes to get to flames. It’s those situations firefighters say are downright dangerous.
  “You can’t decipher if you’re finding a person, a piece of furniture, garbage, a dog or a cat.” Frank Malota, chief of the Seneca Hose Volunteer Fire Company, said.
  
  Read more

• Bills stars Watkins, Williams, Dareus return to practice

  09-08-2016 00:01 via wivb.com
  
  PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WIVB) — Wide receiver Sammy Watkins and defensive linemen Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus returned to practice at Bills training camp, making their debuts after serving a week’s time on the PUP list.
  In Watkins’ case, Rex Ryan came away with a good first impression.
  “I was impressed,” Ryan said after practice. “I mean, he looks like he’s in good shape. Sometimes that’s the first thing you worry about is the guy’s shape,
  
  Read more

Follow @Buffalo_News_US on Twitter!