Category: PostNews

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) – Home décor shoppers have a new option in Amherst: At Home, which brands itself as The Home Décor Superstore, is opening at 3151 Sheridan Drive next to Whole Foods.

The store’s grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, July 2. It had a soft open last week.

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“At Home is a unique home décor concept that offers the biggest in-store selection of home décor styles at an incredible value,” the company said in a press release. “At Home sells up to 45,000 home décor items for every room, every style and every budget — from furniture, rugs, wall art and housewares to tabletop, patio and holiday décor — in stores averaging just over 100,000 square feet.”

The opening of the store adds competition and variety for home shoppers in Amherst. At Home is approximately half a mile from HomeGoods on Sheridan and Niagara Falls Boulevard. Homesense is expected to open by the end of the year about a mile down Niagara Falls Boulevard.

The Amherst store is At Home’s 250th location and its first in Buffalo. The closest At Home stores were in Erie, Pa. and Syracuse.

You can watch a timelapse of the store’s completion in the video player above.

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — Volunteer firefighters from all over the Town of Amherst joined together Monday for special training.

The Getzville Fire Company hosted the training. It gave firefighters different “live fire” scenarios, so they can learn how to work together with crews from other fire companies before a real emergency happens.

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“When we have an apartment building go up, or a huge building go on fire, we rely on the neighboring districts to come and give us aid,” said Getzville VFC Lt. David Morales. “And so it’s good to practice and to drill with those companies so that we’re comfortable with those officers and those firefighters when we’re at the real thing.”

Eight different volunteer fire companies serve the Town of Amherst.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — News 4 is Your Local Election Headquarters. One of the candidates for Erie County clerk voted Monday.

Melissa Hartman is challenging incumbent Mickey Kearns.

Hartman has the Democratic party’s endorsement for the job. Right now, she’s the Eden town supervisor.

Hartman voted at the Matt Urban Center in Buffalo.

She told us, she’s confident, despite running against a well-known incumbent.

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“I feel that we’re running a really good campaign, I have the experience to do this with governmental background with my last seven years,” Hartman told News 4. “I think that politics don’t really belong in this position, which I think makes me a really good candidate so I’m not worried about running against an incumbent, I, I’ve done it before, and I’ve won.”

Kearns is running for his second full term as Erie County clerk.

BUFFALO N.Y. (WIVB) — New York State tightened its gun laws this month to combat crime across the region, but some argue that one law, barring sales of bullet-resistant vests, doesn’t do enough.

“I do not think that a bad person is going to see the existence of this law and say ‘well, since I can’t legally wear a vest to go commit a murder, then I’ll probably not do it,'” said Jeff Rinaldo, who’s a former Buffalo police captain. “I think it’ll have no effect, I think it was short-sighted.”

Earlier this month, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a package of gun reforms into law, including raising the legal age to buy semiautomatic rifles and requiring a license, and a ban on selling body armor.

“No longer will be allowed the sale of body vests and armor to those who don’t need it for work,” Governor Hochul said during a news conference on June 6th.

“We have one primary objective and that is to keep New Yorkers safe. It’s as simple as that. Our job is to keep New Yorkers safe,” she added.

Rinaldo says the state’s new law might not do much to stop criminals.

“I have never met a criminal that bothers to check any laws before they break the law,” he said.

The ban is on body vests, defined in state law as “a bullet-resistant soft body armor.” In the case of the May 14 shooting at Tops in Buffalo, the gunman wore steel-plated armor, which is not included in this law.

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“Clearly it was knee-jerk legislation that was not consulted with people in law enforcement because again soft body armor versus plated armor are two different things. One is designed to stop and resist handgun rounds, the other is designed to stop rifle rounds,” Rinaldo said.

Rinaldo currently manages a security company and says the legislation could be confusing for people who need to wear body armor for work.

“I’m willing to presume that my industry, security guard industry will be allowed to wear vests, but who approves it, how long does it take to get that approved, who do we now purchase that equipment through?” He asked.

He believes local lawmakers need to take a different approach to preventing crime.

“We need to get in front of individuals that are showing signs of becoming a danger to society,” he said. “We also need to enforce gun laws in the state. The amount of illegal guns and the penalty that someone faces when arrested with a gun are literally laughable in the state.”

Congress is working on federal law to keep enhanced body armor out of the hands of mass shooters, they’re naming the measure in memory of Aaron Salter, who was one of the 10 people killed in the mass shooting at tops.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The employees of Catholic Health are doing their part to help FeedMore WNY.

Catholic Health’s 8,000 employees have been collecting non-perishable food items and personal hygiene products to help out.

“Summer can be hard to make sure donations are coming in and that we continue to provide nutritious food to everyone in need through the summer months. A drive like this is very beneficial,” said Collin Bishop, communications director, FeedMore WNY.

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FeedMore WNY said they have distributed more than 250 tons of food to help residents affected by the Tops shooting over the last month.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — “They’ve let the grass go sometimes, but never to the extreme that this has been.”

Many people that have loved ones in the Riverdale Cemetery are upset with how their family’s plots are being mistreated.

Melanie Krajkowski has had her loved ones buried in the cemetery for nine years, and she says she’s never seen the grass this long before.

“To me, this is very sad.” said Krajkowski, “People, Families, when they’re gone, the respect and love for them doesn’t go away.”

During Memorial weekend, Krajkowski said her and her family came down to visit her family’s plot and saw that majority of the flags weren’t visible through the tall grass.

A few weeks later, Stephanie Turk, came down to visit her father’s plot for Father’s Day, and couldn’t find her father’s tombstone from the road. While they cleared her father’s stone, they noticed they were standing on someone else’s tomb.

“These are our people.” said Turk, “That we love and we want them to be treated right and we should demand that they should be treated right.”

The Cemetery’s Office Manager agrees. She says these conditions are due to a short-staffing issue since the beginning of the season.

“I understand everybody’s issues.” said Katherine Scott, “I have loved ones out here, I’m to be buried out here, and I’m the one that talks to everybody but I can only do what I can do as far as getting people who want to work. I can’t make people work and everywhere in Western New York you see help wanted signs.”

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Scott works in the cemetery’s office and has been both answering the complaint calls and working late every night to help mow the 40 acres as they continue to seek the help they need.

“I am one person, and I am trying to do everything I can do for everybody because I do care about the people who do come here in the Cemetery,” said Scott, “People who talk to me do understand, but people who don’t talk to me, unfortunately, they see what they see, and I can’t blame them for being upset, but we are doing everything to get people.”

Riverdale Cemetery is a nonprofit cemetery that receives grants and donations. Many people are comparing the conditions to the one across the street, Gate of Heaven, which is a separate ran cemetery.

Riverdale Cemetery has been struggling to find help since the winter and is seeking workers and volunteers. Some people are starting to come out and lend a hand.

“You can’t just have one or two people here.” said Michael Shaner, owner of BCG Lawn and Snow Care who stopped by the cemetery Monday afternoon offering help, “This cemetery and every cemetery will probably take five or six people.”

Stephanie Turk says she hopes more people will come help the cemetery fix these problems.

“As a community, we have to help each other, if that’s what we say we are. We have to prove it.” said Turk, “By proving it, it is getting out here and helping her take care of everyone’s loved ones. These are all of our loved ones and I think the community needs to step up.”

Riverdale Cemetery is seeking volunteers and workers, for more information you can call (716) 285-4968, or visit the office at the Cemetery during their opened hours.

CITY OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Many local governments were closed Monday in observation of Juneteenth, which has been a federal holiday for a year now. But, there are many towns and cities that are still not officially recognizing the commemoration of the end of slavery.

And, there was a change in course in one local city.

The City of Tonawanda initially had no plans to celebrate Juneteenth, even though it had done so a year ago. Under a previous administration, the city government signed a memorandum of understanding with worker unions to officially recognize the holiday.

The city’s initial decision changed after News 4 reported on the absence of any recognition and criticism from community leaders such as Jeremy Zellner, the chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee, who is a City of Tonawanda resident.

The City of Tonawanda had a brief ceremony observing Juneteenth on Monday. The explanation from the City of Tonawanda Mayor John White, a Republican, on why the city didn’t do more this year, such as close down government offices, has to do with union contracts not listing Juneteenth as a recognized holiday.

“I want to sit down with the proper groups and make it happen the right way, I just don’t want to make it a day, ‘oh you got it off’ a lot of people think of this day as a day off as an extended holiday that’s not what it’s about,” White said.

City of Tonawanda workers was able to take a personal day Monday to observe the holiday.

Buffalo’s NAACP appreciates the last-minute shift.

“It’s a start, but more needs to be said more needs to be done, more education needs to be given to the communities,” said Rev. Mark Blue, the president of the NAACP.

That continuing education on Juneteenth could be found Monday at the Buffalo Museum of Science with story time readings on Juneteenth. Buffalo, Erie County and the City of Niagara Falls are just a few local municipalities that recognize Juneteenth.

But, many other communities have been slow in officially recognizing the end of slavery. For example, government offices in the town and village of Lancaster, Cheektowaga and West Seneca were open Monday, citing union contracts.

“We ought to recognize it every year, by every culture, by every city, by every state that we are free,” Blue said, “This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the freedom that has been afforded us because of the injustices because of slavery because of the color of our skin.”

He makes the comparison between Independence Day and Juneteenth. Both holidays celebrate freedom.

But, there’s still a lot of work to be done to fully recognize Juneteenth locally and across the country.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Friends and loved ones of Sara Rogers say she was a person who lit up every space she was in. They’re remembering her as someone with a bright spirit and a beautiful soul.

The 29-year-old musician was killed Friday night while riding her bicycle after a driver hit her and two others. Rogers was pronounced dead at Buffalo General – the two other victims were taken to ECMC with serious injuries. Buffalo police are investigating whether the driver of the Chrysler sedan suffered a medical emergency causing the crash.

Since then, friends have been paying tribute to Rogers – many described her as a community advocate and a strong presence in the Buffalo music scene.

“I think she shattered the glass, if you will, for female musicians. Most times in the jazz world, you hear of a female musician and you think of a female jazz vocalist,” said JazzBuffalo executive director, Tony Zambito. “Well, she was a great jazz vocalist but she was also a great composer, guitarist, trumpet player spanning multiple genres; and she was a leader.”

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Rogers was scheduled to perform at some upcoming shows. Zambito said the group will use those dates as an opportunity to honor her memory instead. That includes the Northwest Jazz Festival in Lewiston where they will rename the stage ‘The Sara Rogers Peace Garden Stage.’

“What we want to be able to do is to make sure we build upon that legacy she’s left for us,” Zambito said.

(The Hill) – American Airlines will eliminate service for three cities following the Labor Day holiday weekend as a result of staffing shortages, marking the latest hiccup for the airline industry amid thousands of cancellations and cuts in recent months.

An airline spokesperson said the company will drop service to Toledo, Ohio; Ithaca, New York.; and Islip, New York, on Sept. 7 in response to a “regional pilot shortage.”

“We’re extremely grateful for the care and service our team members provided to our customers in Islip, Ithaca and Toledo, and are working closely with them during this time,” the spokesperson said in an email to The Hill. “We’ll proactively reach out to customers scheduled to travel after this date to offer alternate arrangements.”

Travel demand has surged, with large numbers of Americans taking trips for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened about 2.44 million people at airports on Friday, a total greater than any other day since Nov. 28, 2021.

Meanwhile, airlines have struggled to keep up with rising demand after shedding millions of jobs at the height of the pandemic, driving prices higher.

Thousands of flights were canceled or delayed this past weekend ahead of Father’s Day and Juneteenth.

Delta Air Lines cut 100 flights from its daily schedule between July 1 and Aug. 7, and the company’s pilots wrote an open letter to customers published Thursday saying they were flying a “record amount” of overtime to reduce the high number of cancellations.

Other airlines have cut back on their schedules as well. Southwest Airlines cut 20,000 flights this summer, The Dallas Morning News reported.

American is also making changes to eight other routes, which the airline spokesperson said is to better match the current demand environment. All of those routes include one of the airline’s hub airports as an origin or destination city.

Three regional carriers wholly owned by American — PSA Airlines, Envoy Air and Piedmont Airlines — recently announced contract agreements with American that include “significant pay increases” as part of efforts to attract and retain pilots, according to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), a pilot union that represents the employees. 

Pilots working at PSA Airlines, which operates 800 daily flights for American, will receive an additional 50 percent pay raise for two years.

“The new PSA agreements will not only help PSA hire and retain quality pilots, but will set the standard for other regional carriers to follow suit,” John Ebbert, chair of the ALPA’s PSA pilot group, said in a statement.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Monday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act in Brooklyn. The governor explained how this will help further protect voters, especially people of color.

“We are going to fight back against voter suppression, voter delusion, intimidation, deception, and obstruction,” said Hochul. “We are providing more language assistance. If you can’t understand the language on your ballots, how can you possibly vote? We are changing that as well.”

This legislation builds upon the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.

According to Perry Grossman of the New York State Civil Liberties Union, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act includes an approval process for any future changes to election laws.

“It flips the burden from voters, who have to go identify and the prosecute discrimination, to jurisdictions to prove that when they are making changes to their election laws, that they are not hurting voters,” stated Grossman.

Before any voting and election law changes are made, the law now requires places that have a recent history of voting rights violations or racial discrimination to get approval from the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau or a specified State Supreme Court.

“They have to show that the change they are going to make is not going to make voters of color worse off,” Grossman explained.

The act is named after prominent civil rights leader, Congressman John Lewis, who spent his life advocating for racial equality and voting rights.

“Today’s signing is a victory for Democracy,” said Assemblymember Latrice Walker, the bill’s sponsor. “It’s a victory for New Yorkers from Buffalo to Brownsville. We have stepped to the forefront and established New York State as a national leader.”