Category: PostNews

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — The owner of Buffalo Balloon Co. in Williamsville transformed her business into a drop-off station for donations heading help the people of Ukraine.

Lydia Dominick’s project is called “Buffalo Gives” and along with the tactical gear, she’s been collecting things like medical items, blankets and other necessities.

“We were hoping to send one pallet to my friends in Poland, and we sent ten. Buffalo just doesn’t know how not to give,” said Dominick.

Dominick says they’re taking monetary donations for the purchase of tactical gear as well.

“We’ve been collecting bulletproof vests, helmets, tactical gloves, we have night vision scopes, things like that,” she said. “Since there are a lot of permits that are required to ship these things out of  the states, I’m actually bringing them in my suitcase over to Poland.”

The donation drive has been so well received that a West Seneca woman Melissa Peters brought a fist full of cash she collected from her friends to donate to the cause. Peters, who also volunteers for the Goodness Project, brought a car-load of items to give to Dominick.

“I put it on Facebook. I put it out there and I got $966 dollars from my friends in 24 hours!” said Peters.

To donate: Venmo @Buffalo-Gives

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police slapped handcuffs on a 22-year-old man for the February triple shooting at Mariner Towers.

The man, whose name hasn’t been released, stands accused of shooting three people outside Mariner Towers on Feb. 4 around 7:15 p.m.

A 21-year-old man, a 30-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were shot inside a vehicle. The trio was taken to Erie County Medical Center for treatment, where they were listed in stable condition.

The 22-year-old faces attempted murder, assault and other charges, according to Buffalo Police.

KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) ⁠— There’s been many cases in the past year of students using social media as a weapon to bully their classmates.

The Erie County District Attorney’s office is teaming up with several local school districts to educate students on the serious consequence that an online threat can have.

The DA’s office gave a presentation to Ken-Ton eighth graders Thursday morning and will present to more schools in the district in the coming weeks.

DA John Flynn said there were 13 social media threats across local districts last fall that closed down schools for a period of time.

Flynn said there were hundreds more that didn’t lead to shut-downs, showing this is a county-wide problem.

“They have to recognize that those seem to be, in their mind, harmless comments that they make can lead to violence,” he said.

He said the incident at McKinley High School last month involved a social media post, showing kids what can result from posting the wrong thing online.

“If you can in part examples, knowledge, about tragic things that happened like a 14-year-old getting stabbed 10 times in a high school parking lot, they can visualize that in the Ken East parking lot here.”

Ken-Ton superintendent Sabatino Cimato said the district had several concerning posts circulate in the fall and winter.

That’s why he’s taking action with the younger kids, before it’s too late.

“Kids need expectations, folks. They need high expectations, the only way you set those high expectations is by being very direct and explaining to them, ‘this is the expectation, here’s the consequences when you don’t meet the expectation,'” Cimato said.

He said they’re also focusing on the impact social media can have on kids’ futures.

“It’s difficult for a 14-year-old to comprehend that something theyre putting on Facebook at 14 could come back to haunt them at 25. But it doesn’t mean that we don’t keep on hitting it, the more we hit it, the more we educate, the more we’re consistent with that message, the more that they’ll get it.”

Flynn’s office is working with the Buffalo and Eden districts in addition to Ken-Ton to teach kids to think before they post.

Flynn also said each district in the county is assigned an assistant district attorney to help them with anything they need.

Kayla Green is a reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.

NEW YORK (WIVB) – With Primary Day less than four months away, Democrat Kathy Hochul and Republican Lee Zeldin each have the inside track to win their party nomination. Exclusive polling from News 4, The Hill, and Emerson College show they both have leads over rivals from their own party.

Hochul, the incumbent who took the job when Andrew Cuomo resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal last August, enjoys the more comfortable lead. The polling shows Democratic voters favor her 42.1% to 9.7% over New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Rep. Tom Suozzi has support from 7% of registered Democrats and Paul Nichols carries 5.4%.

27.1% of registered Democrats say they are undecided.

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However, if former Governor Cuomo were to enter the race, the numbers shift. In a hypothetical Democratic primary involving Cuomo, Hochul would lead him 37% to 33.2%.

The polling of Democratic voters carries a margin of error of +/-4.3%.

Zeldin, the Republican congressman, leads his next closest challenger by less than 10 points. 26.9% of registered Republicans polled support him, while Andrew Giuliani has support from 17.2% of them. Former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino has 11.2%.

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Harry Wilson, who entered the race last month, receives 5.8%, while Lewis County Sheriff Michael Carpinelli has 5.2%. Derrick Gibson (2.7%) and Kris Lord (1.1%) round out the crowded Republican field.

The margin of error in the Republican polling is +/- 6.5%.

Primary Day is June 28.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A verdict has been reached in the 2019 killing of a Buffalo youth football coach.

Jason Washington Jr. has been convicted of first-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was acquitted of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder.

36-year-old Norzell Aldridge of Cheektowaga was shot and killed near Emerson Park on Aug. 31, 2019, after his team had just finished their first game of the season. Aldridge coached the Beast Elite Ducks Youth Football Team.

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Washington faces a maximum of 32 years in prison and will be sentenced on April 21 at 10:30 a.m.

He’s held without bail.

NEW YORK (PIX11) — Exclusive polling from News 4, The Hill and Emerson College found former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned last August amid multiple scandals, could run competitively in a Democrat Primary for governor.

Cuomo has not said he is running, but a recent re-emergence into the public eye raises questions about his future plans.

In a theoretical Democratic Primary, Cuomo would get 33% of the vote, according to the poll. His successor, Kathy Hochul, the first woman to be governor of New York would get 37% of the vote. No other candidates running, including NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, nor Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi, broke 10%. Nine Percent were undecided. The Democratic Primary is scheduled for June 28.

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Cuomo is getting support in the poll from African American and women voters. The poll showed 59% of African American Democratic Primary voters would still support him. He also picks up 35.5% of women, more than Hochul.

Without Cuomo in the mix, Hochul easily leads the field: 42% of Democratic voters surveyed support the current governor. Williams got the support of 10% of Democrats, Suozzi got 7%. According to the poll, 27% of Democratic primary voters remain undecided.

Despite consolidating support from the majority of elected and institutional Democrats across New York state, Gov. Hochul’s approval is slightly under water, according to the poll: 40% of voters approve of the governor’s leadership seven months after she took over from Cuomo while 40.5% disapprove. The remainder are undecided.

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Former Gov. Cuomo still faces an uncertain future based on other information in the poll: 59% of New Yorkers said they trust the Attorney General’s report on claims he sexually harassed women while 63% say he should not re-enter public office.

If Cuomo chooses to run for New York Attorney General this year, a job he once had, his path to victory seems difficult based on the poll. Cuomo got the support of 32.5% of Democrats surveyed, while current AG Letitia James got more than 45% of Democrats.

Polling also showed Gov. Cuomo receiving the support of less than 13% of those surveyed should he choose to run as an independent candidate for either governor or attorney general.

The same poll showed the Republican Primary for governor is much closer than the Democratic race without Cuomo. Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin ahead at 27%, followed by Andrew Guiliani, son of the former Mayor and special assistant to former President Donald Trump with 17%. 23% of Republicans are undecided.

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Emerson College surveyed 1,000 voters: 504 self-identified as Democrats, 225 as Republicans, and 271 as Independents or other.

The poll takers were also broken down based on gender: 479 men took part in the survey, 507 women, and 14 nonbinary individuals. The overall margin of error for the survey was +/-3 for questions involving all partisan identifications, +/- 4.3% for questions involving only Democrats, +/-6.5 for questions involving only Republicans.

NEW YORK (WWTI) — An additional $232 million in food assistance has been available to New Yorkers this month.

This was announced by New York Governor Kathy Hochul on March 10 when she confirmed that all households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive the maximum allowable level of food benefits for March.

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Additionally, all SNAP households, including those already at the maximum level of benefits, will receive a supplemental allotment this month.

According to Governor Hochul, the emergency assistance supplement will be given to households that do not ordinarily receive the maximum allowable benefit per month. However, those households already near or at the maximum benefit level will receive a supplemental payment of at least $95.

“No New Yorker should struggle to put food on the table,” Governor Hochul said in a press release. “Ensuring eligible New Yorkers get the maximum level of food benefits will bring much-needed relief to millions of New Yorkers, ensuring no one gets left behind as our economic recovery moves forward.”

SNAP households in all counties outside of New York City should see these extra benefits posted between now and the end of the day Thursday, March 17. Households in the five-county New York City region should see their benefits post between Thursday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 30. 

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Below is a breakdown of maximum SNAP benefit allowances in New York as of October 1, 2021.

Household SizeMaximum Allotment*1$2502$4593$6584$8355$9926$1,1907$1,3168$1,504For each additional member$188 +

Households can apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on the State Office of Temporary and Disability Asssitance website.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man has been found guilty after crashing into the McKinley Monument, killing his passenger.

The incident happened on Thanksgiving 2020. That morning, 41-year-old Paul Tolbert, III, was quickly driving south on Delaware Avenue when he crashed into the monument at Niagara Square.

At the time, prosecutors say he was under the influence of fentanyl and cocaine. He had a small bag of the former in his possession.

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Tolbert was injured, but his 34-year-old passenger, Buffalo resident Angel Marie Cobb, was killed.

After being found guilty of manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and criminal possession of a controlled substance, Tolbert faces up to 15 years in prison. He’s currently being held without bail.

Tolbert’s sentencing will take place on April 20.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Both the Buffalo Pride Parade and Pride Festival are returning this year as in-person events.

This year, Pride Week will take place between May 31 and June 5. This year’s theme is “Homecoming.”

“Each year, Pride Month and Pride Week are opportunities to find strength through love, inclusivity and unity, three things that have been especially needed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Justin Azzarella, chief strategy officer at Evergreen Health. “Pride has been held virtually and at home for the past two years, and so a safe return of public events is a highly-anticipated ‘Homecoming’ for the LGBTQ+ community. We are so excited that the Parade and Festival are back and we’ll joyfully reunite to uplift LGBTQ+ people and celebrate being in-person once again.”

Throughout the week, a variety of events will be taking place across western New York, including art events and club parties.

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On June 5, the Pride Parade will start at the corner of Elmwood and Forest, ending at Canalside. Following this, the Pride Festival will begin there.

“We are thankful that the state of the COVID-19 pandemic allows for safe, in-person gatherings. We are also respectful of each person’s comfort levels and want to celebrate in a way that makes everyone feel safe, so you may see a mix of virtual and in-person events this year,” Azzarella said. “Community safety is our top priority and we’ll continue to monitor guidance set forth by our local and state governments.”

Any local organizations, businesses or individuals that would like to add their event to the Buffalo Pride Week calendar can click/tap here.

To register for the Pride Parade, click or tap here. To volunteer, click or tap here.

People can also volunteer for the Pride Festival by clicking or tapping here.

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — People in the area of Travers Circle in Amherst may be seeing an increased presence of police this afternoon.

Police are asking people to avoid the area.

No other information has been released, but Amherst police say they’re going to provide an update “when the situation is resolved.”