Todd Starnes from Fox News Radio on the Chrysler bankruptcy.
Movie Critic Michael Calleri on Angels and Demons
Friday, May 15, 2009
Hometown News: Flight 3407 Hearings Conclude
The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded its three-day public hearings on Flight 3407. Yesterday, the panel heard from a NASA research scientist who studies pilot distractions. Doctor Robert Key Dismukes told the panel the warning stick shaker may have been too late for the pilots to react to an impending stall. Panel members questioned whether a warning system should be installed to alert the crew of falling airspeed. One panel member suggested that the pilot and co-pilot seemed surprised and discombobulated when the stick shaker activated. The NTSB says the co-pilot raised the plane's flaps which was the wrong thing to do, while the pilot tilted the nose upwards instead of down. The panel is trying to figure out why the crew took those actions, and suggested that better training may be needed for pilots to react correctly when under stress.
HTN: GM Dealers Await Fate
General Motors Corp. dealers across the nation are awaiting word from the company on whether they will be fired. GM says it will notify 1,100 U.S. dealers today that their franchise agreements will not be renewed.
HTN: Power Out in Southtowns
NYSEG says 6,700 people were without power in Hamburg and Orchard Park this morning. According to Hamburg Police, traffic signals were also malfunctioning from Route 20 and Rogers Road to Park Lane. NYSEG says it is working to restore power and determine the cause of the outage.
HTN: Collins Vetoes County Planning Board
Erie County Executive Chris Collins has shot down a proposal to create a county Planning Board. Collins vetoed the measure Thursday, saying it creates an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. He says a planning board would only obstruct development in the county. Last month the County Legislature approved the bill 9-to-6. Ten votes will be needed to override the veto. Supporters say the planning board would advise towns on development projects and help curb suburban sprawl.
HTN: Paterson in Buffalo Talking Solar Power
With a goal of making New York the country's second largest producer of solar power, Governor David Paterson today announces that the state's two power authorities will buy as much as 150 megawatts of solar power. Paterson appears at a conference on solar power taking place at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The governor's office says the plan will result in a new source of energy and a new source of employment with the creation of some 50-thousand jobs. Paterson says his goal is having New York getting 45 percent of its electrical power via energy efficiency and using clear renewable sources by the year 2015.
HTN: Big Changes for Buffalo Place Concerts
Buffalo Place's downtown concert line up is offering up some big changes this summer, with the focus shifting from Lafayette Square to the new Inner Harbor. Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor has expanded into a series of four monthly mini-festivals from June through September, with admission charges added to the mix. The lineup for the long-standing Thursday at the Square has been shortened to May 28th through July 30th, although those shows will still be free. In previous years the Thursday series ran through at least Labor Day.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Good Morning Buffalo: Hometown Deal
Loraine and Tom talk with Gerard from Capelli's Pizzeria and Catering about this week's Hometown Deal. Go here to get $75 in gift certificates for just $25!
Hometown News: last day of 3407 Hearings
The National Transportation Safety Board is holding its final day of hearings on the crash of Flight 3407. The day began with experts answering questions about distractions in the cockpit and the effects of fatigue. After lunch, the three-day session will conclude with FAA officials answering questions about regulatory policies.
The probe has turned a critical eye on the hiring practices of Colgan Air, which operated the Continental Airlines flight. Yesterday, Colgan executives revealed copilot Rebecca Shaw made a meager 16-thousand dollars a year. Earlier, a transcript of the flight's cockpit voice recorder showed pilot Marvin Renslow was hired with only 625 hours of flying time. The company increased the minimum flight hour requirement to one-thousand hours after the crash.
Colgan executives got an earful from frustrated victims. Family members moaned and gasped as Colgan's vice-president Mary Finnigan told the National Transportation Safety Board about the airline's commitment to safety.
The probe has turned a critical eye on the hiring practices of Colgan Air, which operated the Continental Airlines flight. Yesterday, Colgan executives revealed copilot Rebecca Shaw made a meager 16-thousand dollars a year. Earlier, a transcript of the flight's cockpit voice recorder showed pilot Marvin Renslow was hired with only 625 hours of flying time. The company increased the minimum flight hour requirement to one-thousand hours after the crash.
Colgan executives got an earful from frustrated victims. Family members moaned and gasped as Colgan's vice-president Mary Finnigan told the National Transportation Safety Board about the airline's commitment to safety.
HTN: Williams Supporter Wins Back Board Seat
The final vacant seat has been filled in the Buffalo School Board. Florence D. Johnson was declared a winner after eight-hundred absentee ballots were counted yesterday. Superintendent James Williams will now have four supporters on the nine-member board, and board Member Pamela Perry-Cahill is considered a possible fifth vote of support for Williams and his policies.
HTN: Two More H1N1 Cases in Erie Coutny
Two more cases of Swine Flu have been confirmed in Erie County, bringing the number of cases in the county to three. Both cases are school children with mild symptoms. County Health officials believe the new cases are unsurprising given H1N1's spread throughout the country. There are currently over three-thousand-confirmed cases of the illness in the U-S, but only three deaths have been reported.
HTN: Tragic Standoff in Ken-Bailey
A Buffalo man is in critical condition after police say he killed his girlfriend and shot himself. Police say 29-year-old Jesse Jones kept authorities at bay late Tuesday night and into the early morning hours on Wednesday by holding three small children hostage in the home on Millicent Avenue. Investigators believe Jones killed the 22-year-old mother of three before they arrived Tuesday night about 11:30 PM. During the four hour hostage standoff, authorities say Jones threatened to hurt the children. Cops say he then turned the gun on himself. All three children were rescued safely. The woman's body was found in the bathtub.
HTN: State Voters Split on Gay Marriage
New Yorkers are evenly split when it comes to the gay marriage question. A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows residents are dead even, 46-to-46 percent, on whether the state should allow same-sex marriage. However, supporters of the measure may be picking up momentum. In a poll five years ago New Yorkers widely opposed the idea 55-to-37 percent.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Your Money and Your Life
From 5/6/09 - hosted by Mark Stevens. "Getting Ready for Good Financial Advice."
Good Morning Buffalo: Bill O'Loughlin
Loraine and Tom talk with Bill O, who's filling in for Scott Leffler this week.
Good Morning Buffalo: Social Security
Loraine and Tom talk with Jeff Birnbaum from Fox News Radio about the dire forecasts for Medicaid and Social Security.
Hometown News: Flight 3407 Hearings
The NTSB's hearing into the crash of Flight 3407 continue today. John Krausner, whose daughter Eli [[ Ellie ]] was killed in the crash, was at the hearings and feels the pilots are being wrongfully blamed for the crash. He says the airline should share the blame.
Stall warnings sounded when the plane's landing gear and flaps were extended. The safety board said the plane automatically dipped to gain speed, and Renslow wrongly fought it by pushing the nose up. The plane pitched wildly, and the last sounds on the recorder were the sounds of Shaw screaming.
Stall warnings sounded when the plane's landing gear and flaps were extended. The safety board said the plane automatically dipped to gain speed, and Renslow wrongly fought it by pushing the nose up. The plane pitched wildly, and the last sounds on the recorder were the sounds of Shaw screaming.
HTN: UB Grad May Have Been Innocent Victim
Buffalo police say the University of Buffalo graduate gunned down over the weekend was likely an innocent victim. Investigators are probing allegations that a confrontation may have sparked the shooting. Police say 23-year-old Javon Jackson has nothing in his past that would serve as a motive for the murder. Authorities are looking into a possible dispute minutes before the shooting in the Sangria Lounge on Main Street, but the owner says he saw no such argument in the early morning hours on Sunday. Police say video tape evidence from cameras in the area will be useful and are urging any witnesses to come forward.
HTN: RFPs for Red-Light Cameras Going Out
Red-light cameras are proceeding in Buffalo despite some concern from Common Council members. City officials say request for proposals will be sent out in June as City Hall looks to hire a company to operate the devices. Some Common Council members say Mayor Byron Brown has already spent the potential income, by adding 20 new police officers in the budget. Other council members say the move makes it look like the red-light cameras are only being installed to rake in cash. The devices would capture images of drivers blowing red lights and send out fines. The red-light cameras have gained state approval, but still need a final green light by the council. They are expected to generate nearly three-million dollars a year.
HTN: Fifth-Year Senior Challenges Athletics Rules
A mentally challenged fifth-year senior at Amherst High won't be allowed to race in his last two track meets. School officials have explained they can't change the rules and aren't able to make any exceptions. State Education Law states that tudents who have been in school for more than four years are not allowed to compete in athletics. Twenty-year-old Jordan Maliken's parents have been trying to garner support to change the decision.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Hometown News: Flight 3407 Hearings Begin
The National Transportation Safety Board begins three days of public hearings today on the crash of Flight 3407. This week's NTSB hearings are expected to turn a critical eye on Colgan Air, which operated the Continental plane, and on the pilot, Captain Marvin Renslow. Since the crash, there have been allegations that fatigue may have impaired the captain's judgement. There have also been reports that Renslow was not properly trained to use the emergency equipment that was designed to keep the airplane from stalling. A spokesman for Colgan Air released a statement ahead of today's hearing saying Captain Renslow was fully qualified to pilot the Bombardier Q400 commuter plane and that he had been given more than enough time off to rest before he reported to work on the day of the crash.
HTN: First H1N1 Case in Erie County
Erie County has its first confirmed case of swine flu. The County Health Department says a middle school student in the Williamsville School District caught the disease. However, the virus has been mild and the Transit Middle School case is no exception. The only other instance of swine flu in Western New York was in the Bemus Point Central School District in Chautauqua County. After recent school closings, health officials say one case will not be enough to shutter an entire school or district. Officials remind everyone to wash their hands and stay home if they feel sick.
HTN: Fatal Crash in Wales
A woman is dead after a car wreck in the Town of Wales. Police say the 45-year-old woman was driving south on Hunters Creek Road about 11:30 yesterday morning, when she failed to see a stop sign. She proceeded into traffic and her car got stuck underneath a tractor-trailer. The victim's name has not been released. Investigators say she was airlifted to Erie County Medical Center.
HTN: Gift Card Protection
New York Senator Charles Schumer says the credit card bill of rights being considered by the Senate this week now includes protections for gift cards. Schumer says the bill will include new rules that curb hidden tricks and fees on store gift cards. Schumer says under the rules, gift card companies would not be able to reduce the balance of a card for a whole year and if used once, consumers would get a whole other year from that date. It would also prevent cards from expiring for five years. The credit card bill of rights also includes protections for credit card holders, putting an end to sudden spikes in interest rates.
HTN: Watching City Workers
Buffalo city workers violating the residency requirements may have a watchful eye on them. Mayor Byron Brown's budget has money to fill a residency investigator position. But so far, the city has not found anyone qualified to do the job. City officials say at least 15 people have been interviewed. All city workers with the exception of police, fire and a few others are required to live in the city. The new investigator would be charged with finding cheats and calling them out.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Hometown News: UB Grad Gunned Down
A family's celebration of their child receiving a college degree turned to sadness after he was gunned down in cold blood hours later near the University of Buffalo campus. Twenty-three-year-old Javon Jackson, a native of the Bronx, was shot and killed as he was crossing a street in the University Heights section around 3 a.m. Sunday. Buffalo Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards says the gunman was with three other men. Detectives believe Jackson may have been involved in a bar fight shortly before the shooting took place. Buffalo police are asking for the public's help in finding the killer. Jackson just received his engineering degree on Saturday and was out with friends when he was gunned down.
HTN: Flight 3407 Briefings Loom
We could know more about what happened aboard Flight 3407 which crashed in Clarence and killed 50 people. The National Transportation Board begins three days of public hearings tomorrow in Washington DC. The board will hear testimony from Colgan Air, which operated the doomed flight for Continental as well as from the plane's manufacturer. Additional audio from the cockpit voice recorder will be released as well. So far officials say a combination of weather and pilot error are the leading factors. However, many questions still remain such as if the pilot had enough training on the aircraft, and if he too tired to be behind the controls. A final report is still months away.
HTN: WNY in Running for Yahoo Data Center
Western New York has a chance of landing Yahoo's Northeast data center. The center is expected to employ between 50 and 100 people, possibly more after it opens. Several sites in Genessee, Niagara and Orleans counties have been considered, though there are no Erie County candidates. The center could be as big as 60-thousand-square-feet, with room for future expansion. Also in the running are Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
HTN: Fort Niagara Gets Rare Painting
Old Fort Niagara has received a rare portrait. It's of an 18th century British general who helped capture the fort from the French in 1759. The 49-and-a-half-inch by 40-inch oil painting is just one of only a few known portraits of General Eyre Massey, 1st Baron Clarina. He was a senior officer at the siege of the fort. The 250th anniversary of the siege will be celebrated in July. Massey is credited with rallying his regiment to stop French reinforcements from getting to the fort during the battle of La Belle Famille, south of present-day Youngstown. The fort surrendered the next day.
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