• Local schools participate in program promoting literacy

    Local schools participate in program promoting literacy
    BUFFALO, N.Y (WIVB) — Today, millions of children around America are reading the book ‘A Bear Ate your Sandwich”.  It’s part of Read for the Record, a program through Jumpstart promoting literacy.
    “Reading a story, doing the voices, getting lost in an adventure — it’s fun,” said Kim Stewart, the director at the Children’s center for success in Buffalo.
    She says fun and fundamental — they’re the two things the progra
  • Injured Bills safety Williams to decide future after season

    Injured Bills safety Williams to decide future after season
    ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP modified) — The father of Buffalo Bills safety Aaron Williams says his son intends to wait until the offseason to determine whether to continue playing after sustaining his latest neck injury.
    Anthony Williams told The Associated Press by phone Thursday that while the topic of retirement has yet to be discussed, he intends to involve his entire family in a discussion regarding his son’s future.
    “We’ll wait to talk about that at the end of the season
  • Growing need for more human services support staff in group homes

    Growing need for more human services support staff in group homes
    AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — On an average weekday morning things mostly are quiet in a group home in Amherst while the people who live there are in programs. That’s when human support services staff members get to work.
    “We help finish whatever cleaning in the house needs to be done, we start prepping dinner for the day, we prep lunches for the next day, make sure that everything is ready for when they do come home,” said Sean Hayes, People Inc. Senior Residential Supervisor.
  • 3 charged in relation to burglary in Town of Porter

    3 charged in relation to burglary in Town of Porter
    PORTER, N.Y. (WIVB) — Three people have been arrested in relation to a burglary at a home in the Town of Porter.
    Lewiston resident James Lauzau, 26, and Hamburg resident Patrick Stevens, 23, are accused of stealing a large amount of jewelry from the Braley Rd. residence. They were charged with burglary and third and fourth-degree grand larceny.
    Lewiston resident Colton Sherman, 24, was charged with attempted burglary.
    Lauzau was jailed on $5,000 bail, Stevens was jailed on $1,000 bail
  • Advertisement

  • Local man finishes 4,000 paddle for cancer awareness

    Local man finishes 4,000 paddle for cancer awareness
    LE ROY, N.Y. (WIVB)- Kris Laurie’s nearly 4,000 mile journey is finally complete.
    This summer, News 4 introduced you to the Western New Yorker, who took on a pretty unique challenge.
    Laurie paddled source-to-sea along the Missouri River. He did it to support his mom Leslie Laurie-Nicoll, and to raise awareness for her disease.
    The two used to canoe together all the time, but when Laurie-Nicoll was diagnosed with bladder cancer, it became more challenging.
    In an effort to keep his
  • Shiny or painted? Twitter debate rages over photo of legs

    Shiny or painted? Twitter debate rages over photo of legs
    Forget the debate about “The Dress.” Twitter is abuzz about “The Legs.”
    The controversy swirling now is about whether a photo of a pair of legs shows them shiny or streaked with white paint.
    A Twitter user ignited the debate by posting the photo with a question Tuesday: “Are these legs shiny and oily or are they legs with white paint on them?”Many speculated the legs were covered in baby oil or even plastic wrap , while others see only paint.So what’s th
  • Police begin arresting pipeline protesters in North Dakota

    Police begin arresting pipeline protesters in North Dakota
    CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) — Armed soldiers and law enforcement officers dressed in riot gear on Thursday began arresting protesters who had set up a camp on private land to block construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
    An Associated Press reporter at the scene said that several protesters were led away and put in trucks, including at least one handcuffed, as authorities converged on the camp in North Dakota.
    Law enforcement officers and soldiers driving trucks, military Humvees and bu
  • Driver charged after 9 were injured in July crash

    Driver charged after 9 were injured in July crash
    SENECA NATION (WIVB) — A Cattaraugus County man has been charged with two counts of vehicular assault after a July crash that injured nine people.
    Erie County Sheriff’s deputies say that on the morning of July 17, Jerry John, 19, was driving on Versailles Plank Road within the Seneca Nation of Indians Reservation when he hit a tree.
    The crash caused a number of occupants to be ejected from the vehicle and injured.
    The Perrysburg resident was charged on Thursday and committe
  • Advertisement

  • Roughly 90 jobs to be added at Pioneer locations in region

    Roughly 90 jobs to be added at Pioneer locations in region
    PERRY, N.Y. (WIVB) — After the September announcement of Pioneer Credit Recovery’s selection by the IRS as a tax collector, roughly 90 new jobs have been announced at the company.
    A job fair at all three Pioneer locations in Perry, Arcade and Horseheads will take place on November 2. They will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
    “The creation of good-paying, middle-class jobs across these three facilities is incredible news for Upstate New York and the Finger Lakes. Th
  • Suspicious package leads to arrest in lottery scam

    Suspicious package leads to arrest in lottery scam
    CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A UPS employee trusted his gut feeling about a suspicious package delivered to a Union Rd. store, and that led to an arrest.
    Cheektowaga police say an 81-year-old Iowa woman sent a package to the store on Tuesday. The package contained $8,312 in cash.
    The woman thought she had won the Australian lottery, and was sending in cash for what she believed were attorneys’ fees. The caller who contacted the woman about the fake lottery claimed to be
  • Experts uncover hidden layers of Jesus’ tomb site

    Experts uncover hidden layers of Jesus’ tomb site
    JERUSALEM (AP) — In the innermost chamber of the site said to be the tomb of Jesus, a restoration team has peeled away a marble layer for the first time in centuries in an effort to reach what it believes is the original rock surface where Jesus’ body was laid.
    Many historians have long believed that the original cave, identified a few centuries after Jesus’ death as his tomb, was obliterated ages ago.
    But an archaeologist accompanying the restoration team said ground penetrati
  • Twitter cuts staff, kills off Vine app amid pressure to grow

    Twitter cuts staff, kills off Vine app amid pressure to grow
    NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter, seemingly unable to find a buyer and losing money, is cutting about 9 percent of its employees worldwide.
    It is also killing off Vine, a mobile video app where people share short video clips that play in a loop. While beloved by users and a pioneer in its own right, Vine, which launched in 2013, never took off with the masses and has lost its luster as of late.
    Twitter has failed to keep pace with rivals Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram and in recent months, rumors
  • Police: Man with drugs breaks into relative’s house, hides under child’s bed

    Police: Man with drugs breaks into relative’s house, hides under child’s bed
    TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police in the City of Tonawanda say a man with drugs broke into a house and hid under a child’s bed.
    A report of a suspicious man led police to a home on Tussing Lane Wednesday night. Inside the home, police located 36-year-old Timothy Saleh.
    Saleh is also a resident of Tussing Lane, and the house he allegedly broke into was a relative’s. No one was home at the time when officials say he entered through a cellar window.
    Police say Saleh told them h
  • Ballot selfie bans: America’s next Supreme Court fight?

    Ballot selfie bans: America’s next Supreme Court fight?
    WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) — The First Amendment protects nearly every form of speech, including flag burnings, sexist rants and KKK rallies.
    But does the Constitution protect ballot selfies?
    The short answer: Nobody knows.
    It’s an important question in 2016 as more than 100 million Americans head to the polls, and cyber-savvy voters will be dying to post a picture of their smiling faces next to completed ballots.
    “I love being able to have my name and my face and my vote all t
  • Schneiderman: 59 percent of recovered guns in Buffalo came from outside NY

    Schneiderman: 59 percent of recovered guns in Buffalo came from outside NY
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Just after officials released a report on gun trafficking in New York state, a more specific look at Buffalo was released Thursday.
    Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the police leaders of Buffalo and Niagara Falls spoke during the conference.
    “The Niagara Falls Police Department is committed to getting illegal guns off our streets,” Niagara Falls Police Superintendent Bryan DalPorto said. “We appreciate the Attorney General&rsquo
  • Cranberries squashed as folk remedy for urinary infections

    Cranberries squashed as folk remedy for urinary infections
    CHICAGO (AP) — Another folk medicine remedy bites the dust. Cranberry capsules didn’t prevent or cure urinary infections in nursing home residents in a study challenging persistent unproven claims to the contrary.
    The research adds to decades of conflicting evidence on whether cranberries in any form can prevent extremely common bacterial infections, especially in women.
    Many studies suggesting a benefit were based on weak science. But marketers and even some doctors still recommend
  • Trick-or-treat times across western New York

    Trick-or-treat times across western New York
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Halloween is just around the corner! See when you can take your kids trick-or-treating in the list below.
    ERIE COUNTY
    AMHERST: Non specific hours
    ALDEN: 6-8 p.m.
    BLASDELL: 5:30-8:30 p.m.
    BRANT:  6-8 p.m.
    BUFFALO:  Curfew at 8 p.m.
    Elmwood Village Trick or Treat – October 30, 1pm – 3pm   Participating businesses will have a sign clearly posted saying, “Get Your Treats Here.”
    CHEEKTOWAGA:  5-8 p.m.
    CL
  • 43North finalists battling for million dollar top prize

    43North finalists battling for million dollar top prize
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – The big winners of North America’s biggest start up competition will be announced Thursday night, but first, ten finalists are facing a panel of judges on stage at Shea’s Theater, trying to remain in the running for the million dollar top prize.
    MORE | Click here to get your tickets for the million dollar round.
    Hundreds of entrepreneurs entered this year’s 43North competition, which offers $5 million in prizes to start ups, as well as mentorship, s
  • GALLERY: Pre-Halloween snow hits WNY

    GALLERY: Pre-Halloween snow hits WNY
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — It’s not yet November, but western New York has already seen some snow touch down.
    APP USERS | Tap here to view the gallery.
  • Batavia mom admits to leaving 2-year-old twins home during fatal fire

    Batavia mom admits to leaving 2-year-old twins home during fatal fire
    BATAVIA, N.Y. (WIVB) — The mother of twin toddlers who died in a house fire has admitted to leaving them home alone.
    Heather Ace was charged with two counts of child endangerment.
    In a written statement, the 24-year-old mother wrote that she left the twin boys home alone. She said she went to “buy $10 worth of marijuana…visit a friend…send some Snapchats…and buy a can of Four Loko.
    Heather Ace wrote she was gone for about an hour and 15 minutes before s
  • West Seneca man hit by car on Southwestern Blvd.

    West Seneca man hit by car on Southwestern Blvd.
    ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Orchard Park police say a 21-year-old West Seneca man was walking when he got hit by a car around 6 a.m. Thursday morning.
    It happened on Southwestern Blvd. and Angle Rd. The driver stopped immediately and is cooperating with police.
    The man was taken to the hospital, where he is in critical condition with a head injury.
    The right lane of Southwestern Blvd. was blocked off.
  • Protestors call on National Fuel to “put the people first”

    Protestors call on National Fuel to “put the people first”
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — “National fuel, you’re the worst, it’s time to put the people first,” chanted dozens of protestors during a rally ahead of a public statement hearing in front of National Fuel and the Public Service Commission.
    Protesters are pushing back against a proposed 7.8 percent rate hike.
    “Which would equate to $5.75 per month for $69 per year,” said Karen Merkel, National Fuel Spokesperson.
    PUSH Buffalo says the cost will be higher for cus
  • Police investigation underway at Legends Park in Niagara Falls

    Police investigation underway at Legends Park in Niagara Falls
    NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — For the second night in a row, police are investigating an area around Legends Park in Niagara Falls.
    Police say someone reported a suspicious finding in the same area an explosion was reported Tuesday night. 
    Niagara Falls Mayor Dyster released the following statement:
    “Niagara Falls Police were called back to the scene near Legends Park this evening for what looks to be possible remnants from last night’s incident. It was not an explosive dev
  • Bomb scare leads to real life drill(s) for first responders

    Bomb scare leads to real life drill(s) for first responders
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – It looked all too real–two pieces of pipe, capped at both ends, with wires attached–that could have been a pair of pipe bombs. They seemed so menacing, law officers from the city, county, and federal agencies converged on the scene, and cordoned off both ends of Miami Street.
    The drama unfolded at an impound lot for a vehicle repossession firm called Nu-Era Services, at 95 Miami Street. A Nu-Era worker was taking inventory of a Jeep that had been seized
  • Local community grief-stricken over 4-year-old’s death

    Local community grief-stricken over 4-year-old’s death
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A local 4-year-old was just steps from his mother Tuesday, when the two crossed the street and the little boy was fatally hit.
    Just before 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, Tasfiq Tofa and his mother were crossing Sycamore Street at Fillmore Avenue. Witnesses said the light had just turned from red to green when the boy was struck, and dragged about 50 feet.
    As to be expected, the boy’s family, as well as the broader community of the tight-knit portion of the e
  • Local highway worker fighting for life after on-the-job accident

    Local highway worker fighting for life after on-the-job accident
    WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Don Schultz headed out Tuesday afternoon to clear storm sewer drains along Glenmar Drive in West Seneca.
    It’s the type of job he’s done for years, and with equipment he’s used, in the same way, for years. But something went horribly wrong, and now, the 53-year-old is fighting for his life.
    Signs of the accident were all that was left in the neighborhood Wednesday, neon spray paint on the ground, marks on the curb the truck jumped
  • UB study shows link between sexual assault and non-medical prescription drug use

    UB study shows link between sexual assault and non-medical prescription drug use
    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- A first-of-its-kind study shows how prescription drugs play a role in sexual assaults. University at Buffalo researchers surveyed more than a thousand students and told News 4 the results are concerning.
    “We need to start looking at some type of intervention,” said Dr. Kathleen Parks, a senior research scientist at the Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions.
    Dr. Parks said there’s a link between bad sexual encounters and students who use prescriptio

Follow @Buffalo_News_US on Twitter!