Saturday, February 8

Author: Grace Thompson

Governor Hochul Elevates CUNY School of Medicine to Independent College, Expanding Opportunities for Diverse Future Doctors
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
Community

Governor Hochul Elevates CUNY School of Medicine to Independent College, Expanding Opportunities for Diverse Future Doctors

(WNY News Now) In an effort to improve educational opportunities and address healthcare inequities in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that the CUNY School of Medicine will become an independent institution.Yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul declared that the City University of New York is creating the CUNY School of Medicine as a distinct entity from the university itself. Through the change, the 50-year-old institution will be able to increase its influence, streamline accreditation, and further its dual mission of producing diverse medical professionals and offering high-quality healthcare services to underprivileged communities throughout New York City, where over half of the population identifies as Black or Latino and only 16% of those communities have doctors.Every studen...
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Buffalo History Museum to Operate New Erie Canal Bicentennial Experience at Canalside
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
Buffalo

Buffalo History Museum to Operate New Erie Canal Bicentennial Experience at Canalside

(WNY News Now) In 2025, the Erie Canal will celebrate its 200th anniversary, and the Buffalo History Museum will play a significant part in the opening of the Waterway of Change visitor center, which will bring interactive displays to Canalside.The Buffalo History Museum was given permission by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation Board of Directors to move from creating content and developing experiences to offering operational and support services for Waterway of Change: A Complex Legacy of the Erie Canal, a new Erie Canal bicentennial visitor experience that will open at Canalside in Buffalo in May 2025. In addition to serving as ECHDC's operational partner, the Museum will source, supply, and run a gift store while encouraging interest and participation throughout Canalside, ...
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Wells Enterprises Expands in Dunkirk with $425 Million Investment, Creating 270 New Jobs
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
Business

Wells Enterprises Expands in Dunkirk with $425 Million Investment, Creating 270 New Jobs

(WNY News Now) Wells Enterprises' $425 million expansion in Dunkirk will provide cutting-edge ice cream production capabilities, bolstering the company's growth in the U.S. market and adding 270 new employment.DUNKIRK The Board of Directors of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) authorized incentives for Wells Enterprises, Inc. at its meeting on November 19, 2024. The incentives, which include a Sales Tax Exemption and a Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) arrangement, will help the business build its new, cutting-edge facility in Dunkirk. For the corporation, this most recent phase of CCIDA incentives (Phase III) comes after two earlier waves (Phase I in 2019 and Phase II in 2023). All three phases work together to help Wells retain about 380 full-time employment w...
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Leader of Fraudulent Debt Collection Operation Sentenced to Prison
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
Courts

Leader of Fraudulent Debt Collection Operation Sentenced to Prison

A major player in a bogus debt collection scheme is going to serve time in federal prison (WNY News Now).BUFFALO, N.Y. — Joseph Ciffa, 56, of Tonawanda, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct wire fraud and filing a false tax return and was sentenced to 37 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.Ten Years of Fraudulent ActivitiesCiffa's illicit debt collecting actions started in 2013 and continued for years. He oversaw an illegal organization that had its headquarters spread throughout several Western New York sites, including Grand Island, Kenmore, and Niagara Falls, starting in 2015. Under Ciffa's leadership, staff members used forceful and dishonest methods to collect and overcollect debts, including threatening criminal charges or posing as lawyers to pressure vi...
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Niagara Falls Gang Member Sentenced to Prison in Federal Drug Case
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
Courts

Niagara Falls Gang Member Sentenced to Prison in Federal Drug Case

(WNY News Now) A guy connected to gang activities in Niagara Falls faces federal jail time for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute drugs, which included selling fentanyl close to public housing.Buffalo, New York. According to U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross, 27-year-old Michael Pryor of Niagara Falls, New York, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his involvement in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy and the selling of fentanyl close to public housing.As a member of the Crips gang, Pryor entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, which included dealings within 1,000 feet of the Anthony Spallina Towers, a Niagara Falls public housing complex. Pryor worked with fellow defendants Shawn Pryor and Cameron Lee, who were also connected to the group...
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“It’s a Wonderful Life” Comes to Life in Jamestown with Exclusive 1940s Radio Play Experience
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
Arts & Music

“It’s a Wonderful Life” Comes to Life in Jamestown with Exclusive 1940s Radio Play Experience

(WNY News Now) For a special, limited-edition production of It's a Wonderful Life this holiday season, Jamestown's Robert H. Jackson Center is transformed into a vintage 1940s radio station.This holiday season, a special production of the well-known tale It's a Wonderful Life will take audiences back in time for just four performances. You are cordially invited to the Cappa Theatre at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, which is transformed into a mystical 1940s environment.This classic story moves from movie to stage in the unusual setting of WMTA, a radio station from the 1940s. This unique production is a live replay of It's a Wonderful Life in the captivating manner of an old-fashioned radio show. The beloved characters of George Bailey, Mary, Clarence, and the rest of the Bed...
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Massive Cocaine Trafficking Network Dismantled: 20 Arrests, 20 Firearms, 12.5 Pounds of Cocaine Seized
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
Arrests

Massive Cocaine Trafficking Network Dismantled: 20 Arrests, 20 Firearms, 12.5 Pounds of Cocaine Seized

(WNY News Now) A cocaine trafficking network based in Philadelphia has been dismantled by law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, leading to 20 arrests, the seizure of 20 firearms, and the discovery of a vast amount of illegal drugs.HARRISBURG — In the greater Philadelphia area, 20 alleged cocaine traffickers were charged by Attorney General Michelle Henry, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the New Jersey State Police. According to detectives, the traffickers utilized firearms to defend their extensive operation.Earlier this month, authorities carried out dozens of search warrants, resulting in the seizure of 20 people, including Anthony Bang Blake, the suspected leader of the operation, and the discovery of 20 weapons, 12.5 pounds of cocaine, and other substances. With a...
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Flooding in California as more winds are set to hit battered Northwest
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
News

Flooding in California as more winds are set to hit battered Northwest

While an atmospheric river continued to pour heavy rain on California, forecasters warned of more strong winds coming to the stricken Pacific Northwest. According to the tracking website poweroutage.us, more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Washington state, which was struck by winds of up to 70 mph this week as part of a "bomb cyclone" off the coast, were still without electricity Thursday night. The storm started Tuesday and officials reported that two individuals were killed by falling trees in the state. Additionally, a low pressure system offshore is expected to bring more high winds to the Pacific Northwest starting Friday, with forecasts ranging from 45 to 65 mph. "Power outages are possible and unsecured items may get blown over," the agency cautioned. An "atmospheric river" in...
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Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani win MLB MVP awards
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
News

Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani win MLB MVP awards

MLB announced on Thursday that Aaron Judge, the center fielder for the New York Yankees, and Shohei Ohtani, the designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, had been chosen the National League and American League MVPs, respectively. In 2021 and 2023, the 30-year-old Ohtani was named the AL MVP. He led the NL in the latter two categories with a.310 batting average, 54 home runs, and 130 RBI in his debut season with the Dodgers. Ohtani finished second in hits and first in OPS for the league. Ohtani was the first big leaguer to ever record at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. He also stole 59 bases, which was second among all players, in addition to his skill at the plate. After spending the first six years of his Major League Baseball career with the Los Angeles An...
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Could Matt Gaetz decide to keep his House seat? It’s complicated.
22Nov By Grace ThompsonNo Comments
News

Could Matt Gaetz decide to keep his House seat? It’s complicated.

Questions have been raised concerning Matt Gaetz's political future ever since he resigned from the House and later withdrew his name from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general pick. Gaetz was re-elected this month to serve in his Florida district when the next Congress convenes in January, despite his resignation from the current Congress last week. Which begs the question: Could he come back? Here's some information. Gaetz can't return to Congress this year Gaetz's official position in the current 118th Congress came to an end when he filed his resignation. In the remaining weeks of this Congress, he will not be able to regain his seat. A resignation normally cannot be revoked and takes effect on the terms specified, according to the House's so-called...
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