Latest news with #WIVB
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Diocese of Buffalo addresses parishioners' concerns amid settlement
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Leaders within the Diocese of Buffalo are addressing parishioners' concerns after many have spoken out against having their parish pay into the clergy sex abuse settlement. Parishes throughout the Diocese have to contribute between 10 to 80 percent of unrestricted assets for a combined total of $80 million toward the $150 million settlement, which has upset many Catholics. Parishes in Buffalo to contribute millions of dollars to sexual abuse settlement 'We understand their recoil, that some may be outraged, but again, this is not something that is solely the responsibility of clergy members,' said Richard Suchan, the Diocese of Buffalo's CEO. 'It involves teachers, it involves employees and volunteers of parishes and schools, in addition to other organizations and schools. It does become our responsibility as a church to fulfill this obligation.' WIVB News 4 did a sit down interview with Suchan to bring parishioner concerns directly to leaders in the Diocese. Many parishioners are upset that their donations to their parish could now be going toward the settlement. Suchan said they are not using prepaid tuition payments or donations that were given for a specific purpose. He said donations made during mass are considered an unrestricted gift, meaning those donations could be used toward the settlement, but Suchan said those funds usually go toward operating costs to maintain a parish. Some parishioners reached out to News 4 and said they want to know how the Diocese calculated what each parish will pay. Some Catholics wanted to know why their parish was paying more than other parishes. When deciding how much each parish will contribute to the settlement, Suchan said they took into consideration how much a parish makes, saying the more a parish makes, the more it will pay. 'I was shocked': Parishioners left shaken as parishes pay millions toward sexual abuse settlement He said the same formula was used with each parish and emphasized each parishes' finances were calculated the same way. All parishes will have to make their contributions to the settlement by July 15. Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
4 takeaways from Bills minicamp: Hairston hurt, Kincaid, Andreessen impress
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — An eventful offseason highlighted by celebrated nuptials, feature film productions, monumental stadium construction and roster renovations has reached the point where Buffalo Bills players and coaches take an extended break from the football field before coming back together for training camp in late July. Here are some takeaways from this week's mandatory minicamp that concluded the offseason training program. Bumps & bruises Rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston did not participate in Thursday's practice after tweaking his hamstring late in the previous day's session. The injury should not linger into training camp, general manager Brandon Beane said. Advertisement 'He's getting treatment, so should be good to go,' Beane said. 'He'll rehab it and be ready to go for camp.' Hairston spent most of the practice inside the fieldhouse with trainers before walking out the sideline with a compression wrap on his left leg. Pass rusher Joey Bosa continued rehabilitating the calf muscle injury that kept him out of spring practices. 'Joey had done very well,' Beane said. 'Joey was doing a bunch of his own kind of drill work, as far as get off drills, things that a pass rusher would do. So, do you want him to have a setback? Do you want any of these guys? Do you want Max to tweak something yesterday? No, but it's football. It's going to happen. When we get to Rochester it's going to happen. That's why we have a 90-man roster, to make sure the next man up is ready.' Advertisement Defensive tackle Daquan Jones was excused from the final day of minicamp for a personal reason. Center Connor McGovern, safeties Cole Bishop and Damar Hamlin, defensive back Cam Lewis, offensive lineman Alec Anderson, running back Ty Johnson, wide receivers Laviska Shenault and KJ Hamler, linebacker Baylon Spector and recently-signed Shaq Thompson were held out of practices or limited at points during minicamp, but Beane said all should be ready for training camp. Now is your chance to be the next Billy Buffalo Dalton Kincaid coming on strong Buffalo's Super Bowl hopes ended last season with tight end Dalton Kincaid failing to haul in a fourth down heave from Josh Allen in Kansas City. Battling injuries to both knees, the 2023 first-round pick struggled to make the type of impact expected from his draft status. Advertisement This spring, a healthier Kincaid looked more like the dynamic playmaker the Bills believed they selected. He made a one-handed catch at the start of OTAs, and closed out the minicamp catching touchdowns from Allen in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. 'He has been here, he has worked his tail off, and he is one competitive dude,' said Beane, praising Kincaid's work in the weight room to make his body more resilient to injury. 'He's definitely in a stronger position than he was probably at this time a year ago. So yeah, excited for Dalton. You can see the confidence in the knee and the body out there as we went along. More than a cup of Joe 'Buffalo' Joe Andreessen was a fun story last spring. A wide-eyed Western New Yorker practicing with his hometown team, hopeful to earn a place on the practice squad after catching the Bills eye at a rookie camp tryout. Advertisement Buried on the depth chart at the start of training camp, Andreessen ended up making the initial 53-man roster after injuries to veteran players gave him the opportunity to showcase his skills later in the preseason. The former Lancaster High School and University at Buffalo alumnus now appears to be entrenched as Buffalo's backup middle linebacker and a core special teamer. He made several plays during minicamp, including an interception of Allen in the first practice. 'The ball is where you make money in this league,' Andreessen said. 'So taking the ball away is a big key in our room, any way whether it's fumbles or punching the ball out or making plays on the ball in the air. So that's a big emphasis, so kind of keeping it at the front of your mind.' Cook's contract status Beane was pleased to see James Cook report to minicamp after the Pro Bowl running back stayed away from voluntary conditioning workouts and OTA practices. Still seeking a contract extension, Cook is not believed to be threatening a training camp holdout, the GM said. Advertisement 'Our interactions with Jimbo have been good the whole time throughout,' Beane shared. 'I know he wasn't here, so everyone just draws their own conclusions when you're talking about it's voluntary. … Jimbo, he's a pro, he's a competitive dude. He loves to win. Of course, he wants to take care of himself. Everyone does, and we love to see that. … It's good to see him. He looks good out there. You can tell he's been working.' Beane declined to say whether the Bills are close to working out a new agreement with Cook. 'I'll keep that between us as far as that's going,' Beane said. 'But the relationship's very good. I know Jimbo's going to be ready to roll when we get to Rochester.' *** Advertisement Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Along 4 The Hike: Tifft Nature Preserve
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — This week's hike is a 264-acre refuge dedicated to conservation and environmental education, right within the city limits. You're almost guaranteed to see deer on the trails. The site was once a landfill site, but the City of Buffalo bought the land in 1972 and sealed off the waste. In 1982, Tifft became part of the Buffalo Museum of Science, which runs it to this day. Address: 1200 Fuhrmann Boulevard, Buffalo, NY 14203 Difficulty: Medium Learn more: Visit the Tifft Nature Preserve website and dig into the Western New York Hiking Challenge. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WNY Jewish, Muslim communities react to conflict between Israel and Iran
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — As the conflict continues to escalate and unfold between Israel and Iran, the Jewish and Muslim communities in Western New York are praying for their family and friends overseas. The lives of the citizens from both countries seemingly changed overnight as Israel launched a preemptive strike against Iran. Whether it's to see family, friends, or just to visit, the Jewish Community of Western New York has close ties to Israel and travels there often. Rabbi Mendy Labkowski, director of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life of Buffalo, tells WIVB News 4 that, in light of the renewed conflict, travel to the country has now been brought to a halt. 'Throughout the year, when you look at our congregation, there's at least one congregant at all times that are in Israel,' Labkowski said. 'Currently, right now, the entire Israeli airspace is closed. There are so many events that were planned over the next few weeks and, ultimately, all those flights are canceled. Whoever is in Israel is in Israel, and whoever is out of Israel is out of Israel.' Labkowski was born in Israel and has many family members that call the country the preemptive strike, he spoke to some of his family, including his uncle, who he says has already been called up from the reserves to join the army. 'My mother's entire family lives in Israel, and last night when this went on, just about before 10 o' clock, I called my uncle who is in reserves and he was called out, I was watching live on WhatsApp, as he was called out to go leave his family and go be called up for the army,' Labkowski said. 'That's a very, very tough thing.' Earlier this year, Labkowski was in Israel visiting his aunt. While there, he tells WIVB News 4 he got the opportunity to see their bunker where they're now sheltered in light of the conflict. 'My aunt just gave birth about three weeks ago, and watching her, calling her, they're sitting in the bunker,' Labkowski said. 'I was in Israel a few months ago and we slept near there, to actually see it in use, see her with her now four little children and husband, sitting in the bunker, is beyond freaky.' The fear of where this conflict could lead extends to the Iranian people as well. Dr. Khalid Qazi, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York, says that it's been hard for many in the Muslim community to reach their loved ones in the Islamic Republic. 'There are many members in the community that have family and friends in Iran,' Qazi said. 'They haven't been able to reach out to them in a timely manner at this time.' Now, with no end to the conflict in sight, Qazi says fear is mounting. 'Initially, there was a tremendous amount of shock,' Qazi said. 'But, now, there is more fear as to where it is going, what sort of escalations will take place.' Rob Petree is an anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in 2025. See more of his work by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Written threat' at Lockport High School determined to be non-credible
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Lockport City School District says a 'written threat' that caused students and staff to evacuate on Friday afternoon was determined to be non-credible. No safety concerns were found, the district said. Lockport High School was evacuated shortly before dismissal Friday following a written threat found in one of the classrooms, according to Lockport City School District Superintendent Mathis Calvin III. The threat was written on a piece of paper and found on the floor just after 2 p.m. Staff brought the note to administrators. Both staff and students were evacuated to the Kenan Center down the street out of an abundance of caution. 'The Lockport City School District takes and treats issues such as this very seriously,' Calvin said. 'Every incident is fully investigated and we will follow and use our code of conduct when addressing situations such as this manner.' A full sweep of the school took place, as well as an investigation. Students were sent home and after school activities were canceled for the rest of the day. Calvin says all Lockport schools will reopen on Monday with an increased police presence on-site. The written threat comes just two days after a high school student made a similar non credible threat on TikTok, but Calvin says the two incidents do not seem related. Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
