WBFO Brief

Ontario reverses course and there are indications that they will adopt a vaccine passport system. Also, hear about a new high-tech lung cancer scan comes to Roswell Park Cancer Institute, coming courtesy of congressional earmarks- the once-banned individual member items that provided what has been derisively called “pork-barrel spending”. And hear an in-depth look at increased Driving while Impaired by drugs cases in Chautauqua County, which the Sheriff says is probably because of marijuana legalization.

If it’s Friday, It’s Theater Talk. In today’s WBFO Brief, Anthony and Peter look at the increasing number of theatres coming forth with shows, while others- like the annual Artie Awards – are being postponed for COVID concerns. And they try to define the Golden Age of Broadway. Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt has two reports today. One on a possible leak from the state’s ethics committee that could pose more legal trouble for ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo, and another on the unveiling of Brian Benjamin as the state’s incoming Lieutenant Governor under Gov. Kathy Hochul. Also hear from freshmen moving into SUNY Buffalo State, excited about school, eyeing COVID requirements, and dealing with parents wondering about Buffalo’s winter. And learn why Erie County’s Democratic Party felt that they had to endorse India Walton for Buffalo mayor, months after she won the party’s primary.

In today’s WBFO Brief, hear more about NYS Sen. Brian Benjamin, who is Gov. Kathy Hochul’s apparent Lt. Gov. pick expected to be announced this afternoon. Capitol Pressroom host David Lombardo predicted the choice on Twitter last week and talks about what the new Lt.Gov. means politically. With an eye on the return to school and masking rules, WBFO’s Emyle Watkins talks with the Buffalo Schools Chief Medical officer to get advice for parents of children with disabilities. As a shortened season winds down, WBFO’s Mike Desmond takes a look at how Chautauqua Institution has adapted to COVID. We have business coverage too- with a look at a job fair at the Delavan Grider Community center and a push to get people hired before federal subsidies evaporate. And also, hear from nurses at Catholic Health who are raising safety concerns as their contract talks move forward.

Today’s WBFO Brief includes a lot of coverage of NYS’s 57th Governor Kathy Hochul on her first official day in office. Hear analysis of the speech from a communications professor, and the latest from Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt. Also, the Buffalo Music festival returns, and body camera footage results in the arrest of an Erie County Sheriff’s officer. And we cover vaccine and COVID-19 case numbers in Niagara County, where the health department can’t necessarily tell schools how to deal with incoming students, masks, and related policies next month.

In today’s WBFO Brief, hear Erie County Health Commissioner Gale Burstein MD say that when it comes to COVID-19 and a mask mandate in schools ““We have seen outbreaks… among young children. We also know that masks are protective for people of all ages.” Also, Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt looks at the challenges facing now NYS Gov. Kathy Hochul- from eviction relief to the persistence of COVID-19. Western New Yorkers weigh in with their open letters to Gov. Hochul, suggesting attention on a range of issues from the Great Lakes to rural poverty. And we have a look at Hochul’s positions on gun violence, with a few weeks left on Gov. Cuomo’s gun violence “state of emergency.”

In today’s WBFO Brief, we go in-depth on Gov. Cuomo’s legacy in the Adirondacks and hear of how much was left undone there for incoming Gov. Kathy Hochul. Also, hear from the head of a group of WNY Peace Corps volunteers that have been active in Afghanistan, building schools and traveling there often. And we have information on who can get the third COVID booster shot, and how eligible people can get them.

In today’s WBFO brief, a longtime fixture in the Niagara Falls economy is shutting down its remaining manufacturing operations; Buffalo Police are turning to billboards and cash rewards to solve numerous homicides; a GOP gubernatorial hopeful comes to Buffalo to discuss Albany corruption; Western New Yorkers express their concern for Afghan refugees and bringing them to safety; local community activists push for the advancement of the Green New Deal; WBFO’s Emyle Watkins tells us about linking COVID vaccinations to people living with disabilities; the City of Toronto requires city workers to be fully vaccinated by the end of October; Peter Hall and Anthony chase bring us this week’s edition of Theater Talk.

In today's WBFO Brief, The Buffalo school board's meeting on masks and the return to school, a new study shows the sleep pattern of NY students, and the surviving 2 “Buffalo 5” get new trial 40 years later but Erie County District Attorney John Flynn denies earlier railroading. And as we've been doing throughout the pandemic, hear from Dr. Nancy Nielsen MD

In today’s WBFO Brief, StarTrek tech in the expansion of a Buffalo manufacturer. Also, Ontario correspondent Dan Karpenchuk report on “a difficult fall and winter” with new rules that slow down re-opening and impose some new mask mandates there for certain unvaccinated workers. And hear about a racial justice protest in front of Republican Sheriff candidate John Garcia’s home, a push for a remote learning option for students in Buffalo Schools.

In today's WBFO Brief, Buffalo's Awaljan Taniwal came to Buffalo from Afghanistan in 2014, but his mother, brother, and sister are still there. Hear his concerns – and from other Afghans- on today’s WBFO Brief. Also, hear from the top Republican in the Assembly’s judiciary committee talk of the end of impeachment of Gov. Cuomo. WBFO’s Tom Dinki reports on infrastructure funding that will help the Great Lakes. And hear the latest about the new location for an expanded West Side Bazaar food court and business incubator.