Friday, January 30, 2009
Good Morning Buffalo: Calleri at the Movies
This week's new releases with Michael Calleri, Loraine and Tom
Hometown Sports: Live from Super Bow XLIII
WECK's Joe Major reports from Tampa on the Hall of Fame hunt by three legendary Bills.
Hometown News: Mayor's State of the City
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the city's renaissance is in full swing. Brown delivered the annual State of the City address Thursday, stressing the theme of "safer, stronger, smarter." The mayor touted decreases in violent crime and highlighted economic development projects. The Mayor says the city is in a good position to withstand the current economic crisis. Brown touched on plans for 2009 including, an anti-poverty program, green initiatives and vowed to promote the city as a place to make movies.
HTN: Threat Investigated at Canisius High
Police are investigating an alleged threat at Canisius High School. School administrators contacted police after what they call a "graphically threatening image" was received. Canisius High President John Knight says it's possible the action was a prank.
HTN: Buffalo Cop Arrested in Fight
A Buffalo police officer has been arrested for an off-duty fight. Authorities say 35-year-old Michael Strobele, a ten-year veteran, was suspended without pay and faces assault and harassment charges. A police department spokesman says Strobele and another man apparently got into a fight Thursday morning over a parking space outside Buffalo City Court. A departmental investigation is underway.
HTN: West Seneca Highway Head Passes Away
West Seneca is mourning the loss of its longtime highway superintendent. Patrick Finnegan collapsed and died Wednesday night at age 53. The highway department gathered Thursday to remember their boss. In 1991, Finnegan took on added responsibilities including sanitation, buildings and grounds. Finnegan was first elected in 1987.
HTN: New Giraffe at Zoo
The Buffalo Zoo's newest addition has made her debut. Malia is the newest member of the giraffe exhibit. The baby giraffe was born on January 10th and now stands more than six and a half feet tall. She is named after President Barack Obama's daughter.
HTN: Survey Questions Paterson's Senate Process
A new poll surveyed New Yorkers on the job Governor Paterson did a filling the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. A Sienna College poll finds that 33-percent of voters thought he did a fair job filling the seat, while 29-percent thought it was poor. Only 27-percent said the process was good and six-percent rated it as excellent. After keeping New Yorkers guessing about Caroline Kennedy, Paterson appointed Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the seat.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Hometown News: Snowfall Above Average
Snow accumulations so far this winter are well above average, with over 80-inches of total snowfall. The average at this time of year is 59-inches. The city of Buffalo has engaged its revised snow removal plan in order to keep roads as clear as possible. The city has requested more money to buy additional salt, and Erie County is anticipating a much higher usage than the 50-thousand tons it averages in a season. There should be enough money and salt to cover the rest of the season, according to officials at the New York State Department of Transportation.
HTN: Delano Case Continues
Testimony resumes today in the disciplinary case involving suspended Cold Case Detective Dennis Delano. Delano is accused of releasing copies of two police videotapes to the media in the Crustallyn Girard case. On Tuesday, two senior members of the Buffalo police department testified that Delano did not have authorization to release the tapes.
Hometown News: Historic Hotel Destroyed
An historic hotel in the Southtowns looks like a total loss after a devastating afternoon fire yesterday. The blazee at the Boston Hotel, on Boston State Road, started in the kitchen. Chief Edward Kane from the Town of Boston Fire Company says, a few people were inside when the fire began, including the owner, but they were able to escape. Cause has not been determined.
HTN: Safety Concerns for Mayor Brown
Police say they are concerned about the safety of Mayor Byron Brown. Concerns are rooted in a search warrant executed in November at a home on Breckenridge Street. For the first time, the authorities are talking about the search. Syaed Ali was taken into custody and his cell phone, computer, and personal documents were taken. The safety concerns are considered to be "very serious." Ali maintains he did nothing wrong and that the police move was ordered by Brown because of a political dispute where, quote, "he made the mayor really mad." Ali still has not been charged. He has filed a claim against the city to get his things back. Police say Ali still could face aggravated harassment and criminal impersonation charges.
HTN: More Layoffs at GM Tonawanda
More bad news for General Motors workers in Tonawanda. The company has announced 65 more layoffs at the engine plant. This is due to production cuts previously announced for the assembly plant in Ohio. The latest round of pink slips bring the layoffs at the Tonawanda facility to more than 400 hourly workers.
HTN: Another Tragedy for West Seneca
The 15-year-old Orchard Park boy kiled in a snowmobile accident has been identified. Police say Kevin McPhail and his older brother were out riding on private property off Davis Road in Aurora Tuesday afternoon, when McPhail hit a storage structure. He was wearing a helmet. The teen was a sophomore at West Seneca West High School. West Seneca Superintendent Jean Kovach addressed a series of tragedies at her schools. Just weeks ago another teenaged student at West Senior was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning while she attended a friend's sleepover party.
HTN: Little League Exec Sentenced
A former Little League treasurer has been sent to prison for stealing team funds to buy child pornography. A federal judge gave 40-year-old Richard Dunlap of Batavia a five year sentence. Investigators say Dunlap stole thousands of dollars from the Oakfield-Alabama Little League to buy the porn as well as pay for a family vacation to Florida.
HTN: Transportation Museum Expanding
Expansion of the Buffalo Transportation Museum is expected to begin sometime this year. Museum founder and executive director James Sandoro hopes to start construction of a 15-million-dollar, 60-thousand-square-foot addition to the museum by fall at the latest. Sandoro is also looking to build a new facade for the building, giving it more of a 20th century look. The expansion is designed to house a late 1920s-era filling station, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright but never built until now. Weather concerns prompted Sandoro to move the project indoors and make it the centerpiece of the expansion. The museum holds such classic and antique vehicles as Pierce-Arrows, Mustangs and Corvettes, many of which are part of Sandoro's private collection. Others were donated.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
God Morning Buffalo: Peanut Scare Update
Tom and Loraine talk to Patricia Kearney from the Peanut Instiute.
GMB: Blizzard Memories
Veteran Newsman Ray Marks remembers coverage of the Blizzard of '77, 32 years ago today.
Weather Alert: Winter Storm Warning
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for all of Western New York, through 11 p.m. Total accumulation of six to 12 inches is expected. The snow made for a messy commute this morning, with numerous spinouts, and major routes under speed.
Hometown News: Fatal Snowmobile Accident
A 15-year-old from Orchard Park is dead after a snowmobile accident in the Town of Aurora. Police say the teen boy drove his sled into a storage shed at about 5:40 Tuesday evening on Davis Road. The victim was taken to Mercy Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The name of the victim has not been released.
HTN: Companies Add Jobs in Hydropower Deal
In exchange for low-cost hydropower from the New York Power Authority, several Buffalo Niagara companies have agreed to add 55 jobs in the area. Luvata Buffalo, Printing Prep and North American Hoganas will be investing about 16-million dollars total in their operations. Luvata will add 30 jobs and will be spending three-million dollars to upgrade equipment and bring more of the company's manufacturing operations to Buffalo. Buffalo-based Printing Prep will add 12 jobs and is investing one-point-25-million in new digital printers and other equipment. And, North American Hoganas in Niagara Falls will be implementing a 12-million-dollar expansion and will add 13 jobs.
HTN: Outdoor Hockey Tourney Set
It's "Game On!" for the Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tournament February 7th. The city recently recorded thicknesses between ten and 14 inches in its three-area test on the tournament pond. That exceeds the eight-inch minimum the tournament would need to hold games on eight manmade rinks. Monday, the fire department flooded the area with 100-thousand gallons of water and plans to do so again, as needed, monitoring thickness right up to the day of the event. The second-annual event includes 64 teams, with eight tournament winners. including intermediate, novice and Women's divisions.
HTN: Delano Hearing Underway
The Buffalo Police Department has begun disciplinary hearings for Dennis Delano. The cold case detective faces charges for allegedly giving the media investigative materials in the death of 13-year-old Crystalline Girard. The department claims Delano had ordered off the case. Delano's defense attorney argues the county Medical Examiner had ruled there was no crime committed prior to the release of the tape. The teen's mother, Lynn DeJac, spent 13 years in prison before she was freed due to new evidence, credited to help from Delano.
HTN: City Curfew Program Seeks Funding
Buffalo officials are praising a new program designed to enforce the city's youth curfew. Kids found roaming the streets late at night are taken to the Edward Saunders Community Center on Bailey Avenue. The curfew has been on the books for 15 years and bars anyone under age 16 from being on the street during the overnight hours. Once at the community center, support staff try to find out why the child was on the streets and where parents are. The city's community service commissioner wants the Common Council to approve an 89-thousand dollar federal grant to continue the program.
HTN: Gillibrand Up, Paterson Down in Poll
A new poll says New Yorkers support Governor David Paterson's pick of Kirsten Gillibrand for the Senate, but Paterson's own job approval is being questioned. In a new Marist Poll, 46 percent of Empire State residents support the pick of Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton. Twenty-four percent think Paterson made a mistake. In the same poll, Governor Paterson's approval rating has slipped from 54 percent last month to 46 percent this month.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Reason with Scott Leffler: Hour Two
Scott talks to John Hoeful about the troubled economy and how to fix it.
Reason with Scott Leffler: Hour One
Scott discusses the appointment process that put Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate.
Good Morning Buffalo: Nationwide Layoffs
Tom and Loraine talk to Fox News Radio's Todd Starnes about drastic cuts in the job market.
Hometown News: Delano Disciplinary Case Begins
Dennis Delano's disciplinary hearing got underway this morning. Yesterday, the Buffalo police department tried to have the hearing closed to the media and the public, but Delano and his attorney won an argument in front of the hearing officer to have it open. Delano's case revolves around the 1993 death of 13 year old Crystallynn Girard, and the cold case detective's release of investigative materials to the media.
HTN: More GM Layoffs Could Impact Tonawanda Plant
Workers at General Motors' Tonawanda engine plant are waiting anxiously to hear how the latest round of production cuts at GM assembly plants will affect them. Tonawanda supplies several other plants affected by the cuts, as GM announced two-thousand layoffs in Ohio and Michigan. Nine plants will be shutdown over the next six months, on an alternating basis, in response to slow sales. About one-third of the 1,165-member Tonawanda plant are already on "indefinite layoff."
HTN: Dog May Have saved Owner's Life
A Labrador Retriever in North Tonawanda named Joey barked and got the neighbors' attention when his 81-year-old master slipped and fell, hitting his head. Ted Samborski lay unconscious for about six hours. He might not be alive if his normally-silent dog hadn't "called" for help. Samborski took Joey out on New Year's Eve, when the fall occurred. Samborski's daughter-in-law found the dog laying vigilantly by his owner's side. At that point, it was just seven-degrees outside and Samborski's body temperature was only in the 70s, a level usually considered fatal. He was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where doctors say he went into cardiac arrest at least twice. Doctors had to warm him internally with fluids, and his feet are still showing signs of frostbite. Joey's body heat is credited with keeping his owner's temperature high enought to keep him alive.
HTN: Guilty Plea in Cold Case
A former Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to a murder which happened 25 years ago. The Buffalo Cold Case Squad tracked down 56-year-old Edward Richardson at a jail in Seattle. Cops used DNA technology to link him to the death of 89-year-old Alma Strasner in April of 1984. Investigators say Richardson broke into Strasner's Willowlawn Street home, raping and killing her when she confronted him. Richardson admitted to the crime yesterday and faces 18 years to life behind bars when sentenced in March.
HTN: Cuomo Gaining on Paterson
A poll finds Governor David Paterson neck and neck in a Democratic primary for Governor with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The Siena College Poll finds Paterson leads Cuomo just 35-percent to 33-percent, with a margin of error of four points. Just last month Paterson was ahead of Cuomo by about 23 points. About 51-percent of those surveyed believe Paterson is doing a good or excellent job, while 45-percent aren't happy with his performance.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Buffalo Style: 01/24/09
Christina Abt reveals some mild-mannered Western New Yorkers who turn into Super Heroes when they're done with their day jobs.
Hometown News: Kidnap Case Ends Happily
We're still piecing together the details from a missing-person case that ended happily this morning. A 13-year-old Buffalo girl who was reported kidnapped this morning was found safe in West Seneca apartment two hours later. Family members reported she had been abducted from the Ferry-Fillmore area just after 7 a.m. Officers sought two men in a white van, and were determine what happened. Authorities took the girl back to Buffalo police headquarters, where she was expected to be reunited with her mother.
HTN: Senecas Rally Near Thruway
Members of the Seneca Nation rallied near the Thruway Sunday in opposition to the state's proposed collection of taxes on cigarette sales. Nation President Barry Snyder says Governor David Paterson is willing to talk with the tribe before cigarette supplies are cut off. In December, the governor signed a law which requires wholesalers to certify that they are supplying cigarettes with tax stamps to Indian retailers for non-Indian purchases. Snyder responded by threatening to collect tolls on the Thruway portion which runs through their land.
HTN: Senate Summit Meeting
Senate designee Kirsten Gillibrand met with Hillary Clinton Sunday in Manhattan. The meeting at the Waldorf Astoria also included Governor David Paterson and Senator Chuck Schumer. At a press conference after the meeting, Paterson did a lot of the talking, defending his choice.
Paterson also said he gave "no signal" for Caroline Kennedy to withdraw her name from consideration, and that Kennedy had "nothing prohibiting her" from serving in the Senate. For her part, Gillibrand says she plans to hit the ground running.
Paterson also said he gave "no signal" for Caroline Kennedy to withdraw her name from consideration, and that Kennedy had "nothing prohibiting her" from serving in the Senate. For her part, Gillibrand says she plans to hit the ground running.
HTN: Parking Plan Includes Vacant Lots
The city of Buffalo is looking at empty lots around town and now hopes to use them to solve an age-old problem. Parking. Officials are studying a plan that would transform some of the lots into residential parking areas so plows aren't blocked by curbside vehicles, hindering plowing after major storms. Paving the lots could prove expensive, but officials are coming up with cheaper alternatives, such as layering tar and stone.
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