News

Investigative Post: Why Won't Election Law Officials Investigate?

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013, 2:45pm

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The crime - or at least the appearance of one - is out there in plain sight.

The intended victim is prepared to testify.

But the investigators are nowhere to be found; not even curious, they say.

Prosecutors and Board of Election officials agree that state election law prohibits the offering of public employment in exchange for running, or not running, for office.

"You're not supposed to do that," said Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita.

But Sergio Rodriquez, Buffalo's Republican candidate for mayor, said in a televised interview taped March 18 that unnamed GOP operatives dangled a job offer in front of him as an enticement for bowing out of the campaign.

"There have been offers made," Rodriquez said.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Waterfront Stadium Group Makes $500K Land Offer to NFTA

Submitted by Melissa Homes, Reporter

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013, 11:53am

BUFFALO, NY- The group trying to bring a Buffalo Bills stadium to the waterfront is continuing to fight to make it happen, and this time it's putting money on table.

The Greater Buffalo Sports and Entertainment Complex is trying to buy time. It submitted a $500,000 offer to the NFTA Tuesday for the exclusive right to negotiate the purchase of 150 acres of outer harbor land.

The NFTA, however, is saying thanks, but no thanks. NFTA Executive Director Kim Minkel tells 2 On Your Side the agency is only willing to work with the city of Buffalo and the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation with the goal of maintaining public access for the nearly 400 acres of outer harbor land.

Hasiotis says the GBSEC wants all four entities to work together in a public-private partnership.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Ann Billittier, Co-Founder of Chef's Restaurant, Has Died

Submitted by Patrick Klinck, Community Web Producer

Sunday, May 12th, 2013, 6:28am

SARASOTA, FL - Just one day before Mother's Day, Ann Billittier, co-owner of the landmark Chef's Italian Restaurant in Buffalo, has passed away. She was 83.

She helped build Chef's into one of the area's most successful restaurants with husband Lou Billittier, who died in 2000 after almost 50 years of marriage. The couple first met in grammar school in the Seneca Street neighborhood where they would later open Chef's.

In fact, she took sole responsibility for the restaurant -- and raising the couple's growing family -- while her husband was serving in the military during the Korean War.

Chef's grew into a favorite haunt of local politicians and noteworthies and has been a fixture of the Seneca Street neighborhood on the edge of downtown Buffalo for decades.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Tolbert Announces Bid for Buffalo Mayor as Race Heats Up

Submitted by Aaron Saykin, Reporter

Saturday, May 11th, 2013, 10:58pm

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Election season in the City of Buffalo has officially begun after a prominent Buffalo figure, who wants to be the city's next mayor, launched his campaign Sunday.

Introduced by his mother to a standing ovation, 65-year-old Democrat Bernie Tolbert said he's running for Buffalo Mayor and he's "in it to win it."

The man who once ran Buffalo's FBI Office said he intends to clean up the city schools.

"Forty-four of Buffalo's 57 public schools have been designated as failing," Tolbert said "As your mayor, I will work with all stakeholders to put an end to the shame of our public schools."

Interestingly, Tolbert held his campaign kickoff at the same downtown family center where incumbent Mayor Byron Brown launched his campaign in late March in front of a much bigger crowd.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Local Doctors Produce Major Feature Film

Submitted by Melissa Homes, Reporter

Saturday, May 11th, 2013, 2:23pm

BUFFALO, NY - Dr. Andrew Cappuccino is best known for saving the life of Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett during a game in 2007, but now he and his wife are adding "filmmaker" to their already impressive resumes. A feature film they produced opened in Buffalo today.

The movie, Arthur Newman, has already opened in major cities, but Friday it started its run locally. Orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino and his wife Helen, a Roswell Park surgical oncologist, are executive producers

"It's always been a great love of ours, even from the time we couldn't afford to rub two nickels together, we saw films together. It's our pastime," said Dr. Andrew Cappuccino.

While at a speaking engagement with Everett, the Cappuccinos met people from the film industry who encouraged them to break into the business. Fast forward several years and now they are walking the red carpet.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Police Investigate Wheelchair Theft from Disabled Woman

Submitted by WGRZ Web Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 6:29pm

Buffalo, NY - A disabled Buffalo woman is angry and upset over the theft of her motorized wheelchair. That theft occurred sometime Wednesday night and now she's asking for help in finding the thief and the wheelchair.

Andrina Valentin says it happened while she was at her doctor's office. She had used a wheelchair van service to get there and left the heavy motorized wheelchair at her Riverside section home.

Valentin says a male intruder apparently took the wheelchair sometime before 8 o'clock Wednesday night from the hallway of her house in the 200 block of Ross Avenue which is right across from Riverside Park.

She has owned the wheelchair for about a year. Her disability insurance paid for the device with a cost of at least four thousand dollars.

View Comments | Post a Comment

ECHDC Preparing to Break Ground on Ohio Street Project

Submitted by WGRZ Web Staff

Friday, May 10th, 2013, 4:54pm

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation held the second of three public meetings Thursday night to discuss the project to redesign Ohio Street.

The street will be reconstructed to connect Canalside with the Cobblestone District and the First Ward Neighborhood. Steve Ranalli, senior project manager, said construction will begin this fall with the removal of above-ground utility poles.

"We see Ohio Street as a significant waterfront corridor, linking downtown and the outer harbor, so to remove utility poles and overhead wires and put that all underground - that's good for the neighborhood, it's good for future development, it's good for the waterfront," Ranalli said.

The street will also be narrowed to provide more green space and new trails for biking and walking.

The project is expected to be completed by early 2015.

View Comments | Post a Comment