Buffalo news

• New health insurance reforms to combat opioid epidemic take effect January 1st

  28-12-2016 23:56 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — New health insurance reforms to combat the opioid epidemic will take effect starting the 1st of the new year.
  Once it goes into effect January 1st health insurance plans will be required to cover treatment services for people who suffer from opioid addiction.
  Insurance policies currently have a process in place that requires prior approval to admit a person into a treatment program, and that process could keep a person in withdrawal waiting between 6 to 8 hours. 
  
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• Fans create impromptu Walk of Fame star for Carrie Fisher

  28-12-2016 23:52 via wivb.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fans seeking to pay tribute to Carrie Fisher have created an impromptu star for the actress on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
  Fisher fans took over a blank star on Hollywood Boulevard and used paste-on letters to spell out her name and the phrase “May the force be with you always.” Candles and flowers surround the star.
  Fisher did not have an official star on the Walk of Fame, but administrators of the Los Angeles tourist attraction are allowing the tribute
  
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• Actress Debbie Reynolds rushed to hospital

  28-12-2016 23:41 via wivb.com
  
  (WIVB) — Actress Debbie Reynolds, the mother of Carrie Fisher, was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday.
  Fisher died from cardiac arrest one day earlier.
  MORE | Find more on the death of Fisher here.
  
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• Longtime employee accused of stealing more than $1,000 from restaurant

  28-12-2016 23:18 via wivb.com
  
  NORTH COLLINS, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County Sheriff’s deputies say a man who worked at Piz-A-Italia in North Collins for 10 years stole more than $1,000 from the restaurant.
  David Wagner, 39, was arrested on Dec. 27 and charged with burglary, grand larceny and criminal mischief.
  Deputies went to the restaurant on Christmas Eve after receiving reports of an overnight burglary. On security footage, deputies say they saw a man take cash and leave the area.
  Wagner was ar
  
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• Multiple juveniles arrested at Walden Galleria on Christmas, day after

  28-12-2016 22:36 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Cheektowaga police say five juveniles were arrested at the Walden Galleria on Christmas. They were charged with disorderly conduct.
  Seven were arrested the next day.
  One of the juveniles had a loaded handgun, according to police. That one was kicked out one day, but showed up again on the next one.
  Despite allegedly showing up with a gun, police do not think the person was going to use it.
  For around 10 years, police say young teenagers have been s
  
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• Red Ribbon Campaign kicks off Wednesday

  28-12-2016 22:07 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) — The New York State Thruway Authority will be working with State Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in the 30th annual Red Ribbon Campaign.
  During the holiday season, toll collectors will be handing out red ribbons at certain toll plazas and service stations. This will be done to promote awareness of the dangers posed by drunk driving.
  Ribbons will be handed out at toll booths across the state, including those at exit 50 (Williamsville), exit 55 (Lack
  
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• In parting shot, Kerry tears into Israel over settlements

  28-12-2016 21:33 via wivb.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry tore into Israel on Wednesday for settlement-building, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging Israel away from democracy and forcefully rejecting the notion that America had abandoned Israel with a controversial U.N. vote. Netanyahu accused the Obama administration of a biased bid to blame Israel for failure to reach a peace deal.
  In a farewell speech, Kerry laid out a vision for peace that he won’t be in office to
  
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• Dylann Roof won’t work to spare his life in church massacre

  28-12-2016 21:20 via wivb.com
  
  CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof says he won’t call any witnesses or present evidence while representing himself during the punishment phase of his death penalty trial, but he is working hard to keep secret potentially embarrassing evidence about himself and his family.
  Just exactly what that evidence is remains a mystery. Roof, the judge and prosecutors carefully tiptoed around describing it during a hearing Wednesday. The judge has indicated that i
  
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• Veteran Broadway actor George S. Irving dies

  28-12-2016 20:53 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Actor George S. Irving, who won a Tony Award starring with Debbie Reynolds in the musical “Irene” and appeared in the original Broadway production of “Oklahoma,” died Monday at age 94.
  He died in New York, said David Staller, Irving’s friend and an actor and director.
  Irving had several television and film credits, including appearances on “All in the Family,” ”Car 54, Where Are You?,” ”Ryan’s Hope” and
  
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• Student from Eden creates custom-made dolls with prostheses

  28-12-2016 20:19 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Kids often look for dolls that look just like them. That can be a challenge for boys and girls with amputations or prostheses.Now one young woman from Eden hopes to change that. Mikaela Nelson doesn’t want her clients to feel any different.
  She said, “They’re just different, and they just have a uniqueness about them.”
  She says she understands it can be a challenge growing up as an amputee. She said, “I know it’s har
  
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• Sears stores at Boulevard Mall, Walden Galleria to close

  28-12-2016 19:26 via wivb.com
  
  AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Sears stores and Auto Centers located at the Boulevard Mall and Walden Galleria will be closing their doors in mid-April.
  The closures are part of a nationwide reduction of stores.
  Boulevard Mall representatives released a statement on the closure, part of which read, “While the closure will be unfortunate for those directly affected, we believe it has the potential to create opportunity for Boulevard Mall through creative re-purposing of the store spa
  
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• PTO members believe they will be successful in petitioning for Paladino’s removal

  28-12-2016 18:53 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Members of the Buffalo Parent Teacher Organization consulted with attorneys, and believe they will be successful in filing a formal application to the state for the removal of Carl Paladino from the school board.
  They believe that Paladino has violated school board policies, district policies, and the state’s Dignity For All Act.
  It is on those grounds that they intend on filing the formal application to petition State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia
  
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• WWII veteran included in Canisius class photo after 72 years

  28-12-2016 18:37 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Ladislaus “Walter” J. Kostrzewski was not able to attend his high school graduation because of World War II. On Tuesday, he was honored in a different way.
  Kostrzewski was a member of Canisius High School’s Class of 1944. After his 18th birthday, he was drafted to serve in the war, so he was not home for graduation.
  Because he was not home, Kostrzewski was missing from his class photo for decades.
  With help from his nephew, Canisius added&
  
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• Bills interim coach focused on Sunday’s final season game

  28-12-2016 18:20 via wivb.com
  
  ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Bills’ interim head coach wants “to stay in the now” in terms of the team’s focus.
  With one game remaining in the season, Anthony Lynn spoke at a conference on Wednesday morning.
  Without much to say about the future past this Sunday, Lynn said he wants to get the Bills ready to win against the New York Jets. He did not want to get ahead of himself, and instead, stay in the present.
  “I want to be the guy here. M
  
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• Girls-only softball training center gives young athletes competitive edge year round

  28-12-2016 17:46 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Whether they’re pitching, catching, hitting, or fielding, the young ladies who practice at the new Softball Central facility train hard, working to rise to the top of their sport.
  Their indoor training facility on Broadway is the only one of its kind in our area, giving them an opportunity to shine in an environment that’s all about the girl power.
  “All the facilities in Western New York are baseball and softball, and girls always seem to take a bac
  
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• Woman pleads not guilty to restaurant owner’s homicide

  28-12-2016 17:13 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A woman charged with robbing and fatally beating an elderly restaurant owner was arraigned in court Wednesday.
  Upendra Bawa, 79, was the owner of Buffalo restaurant Taste of Life.
  Shanita Chapman was accused of killing him after his body was found in a Sycamore St. apartment this past July. Chapman was arrested with others in Ohio.
  She pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree robbery. Chapman was jaile
  
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• Turkey, Russia discussing Syria cease-fire

  28-12-2016 16:37 via wivb.com
  
  BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey and Russia are discussing the contours of a broader Syrian cease-fire after brokering the deal that evacuated rebel-held eastern Aleppo earlier month, Syrian opposition factions said Wednesday.
  Several rebel groups say they are withholding their approval of any agreement until they receive more details.
  An official with one of the factions told The Associated Press that Russian and Turkish officials were debating a cease-fire proposal that would encompass the whole of
  
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• Lithuanian ‘elves’ combat Russian influence online

  28-12-2016 15:51 via wivb.com
  
  VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Elves against trolls — it sounds like something out of “The Lord of the Rings.” But to Ricardas Savukynas, the battle he’s fighting is no fantasy.
  The 43-year-old business consultant and blogger is part of an informal internet army of Lithuanians trying to counter what they describe as hate speech and pro-Russia propaganda.
  “I am just a regular guy from Lithuania, a citizen, who once noticed that Russian propaganda is being spread in
  
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• Germany: Suspected contact of Berlin attacker arrested

  28-12-2016 15:44 via wivb.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors said Wednesday that they have detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last week’s truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.
  The 40-year-old, who wasn’t identified, was detained during a search of his home and business, federal prosecutors said.
  The man’s telephone number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on Dec. 19. Amri, 24, was killed in a s
  
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• Longtime special teams coach DeHaven dies of prostate cancer

  28-12-2016 15:26 via wivb.com
  
  (AP) — Bruce DeHaven, a longtime special teams coach who helped the Buffalo Bills go to four consecutive Super Bowls, has died following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 68.
  Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said DeHaven passed away Tuesday in Orchard Park, New York, with his family by his side.
  DeHaven spent 29 years as a special teams coach in the NFL, most recently with the Carolina Panthers. He took over in Carolina in 2013 but was diagnosed with prostate cancer in May of 2015.
  
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• Do contradictions, passivity in Paladino uproar run both ways?

  28-12-2016 05:13 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Board of Education, thousands of citizens, the governor of New York, at least three online petitions, countless local, county, state and national politicians — even a proposal for a billboard — have either heavily criticized Carl Paladino for the statements he made to ArtVoice, or called for his removal from office.
  But as of Tuesday evening, not one formal application for his ouster has been submitted to the state education department, a requ
  
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• How Rex Ryan went from hired to fired in less than two years

  28-12-2016 02:04 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Rex Ryan’s leash was not very long.
  In a year when other coaches were fired on their fourth and fifth seasons, Rex’s tenure in Buffalo ended just before the end of his second season. The Bills failed to make the playoffs in that time, with a record of 15-16. Rex’s record against winning teams in 2016 was just 1-7. The one win came against the Patriots, minus Tom Brady.
  Rex had a significant impact on the culture, perception and, of course, on-field
  
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• Bills fans react to Ryan brothers being fired

  28-12-2016 01:12 via wivb.com
  
  ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Bills fans have had a lot to say about the Ryan brothers.  Especially now that they’re on their way out of town.
  Fans have been calling for this for a few weeks now after watching Rex – proclaimed by many as one of the top defensive coach in the league– allow teams like the Raiders, Dolphins, Seahawks and Patriots run all over the Bills.
  Saturday’s game against the Dolphins was the last straw for many. As the game ended, fans bo
  
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• Reactions to Carrie Fisher death: ‘#Devastated,’ Hamill says

  28-12-2016 00:06 via wivb.com
  
  Reactions to Tuesday’s death of Carrie Fisher:
  — “no words #Devastated” — Mark Hamill, on Twitter.
  — “Carrie was one-of-a-kind.brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely…My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her.” — Harrison Ford, in a statement.
  — “There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest
  
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• Trump names Bush-era veteran and policy newcomer to posts

  28-12-2016 00:00 via wivb.com
  
  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday appointed an experienced hand from the George W. Bush era to his national security circle and a figure from the Trump Organization to make international deals.
  Thomas Bossert will become an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trump’s transition team said Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism and cybersecurity, an
  
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