NEWS & INFO

In what it portrays as an effort to remedy reputational harm rather than seek a payday, Buffalo Biodiesel, Inc. (“BBD”), a Buffalo-based company that collects used cooking oil from more than 28,000 restaurants across the Northeastern United States, has filed suit in Erie County Supreme Court against The Buffalo News (“BN”) and Manhattan-based attorney Michael Collesano. BBD claims it’s seeking to restore its reputation and confront a coordinated smear campaign against its bus

A New York State trooper was injured Thursday night after being struck by a pickup truck while assisting a stranded driver on the I-90 exit ramp in West Seneca. State Police said the crash happened around 10pm where the trooper had stopped to help a disabled motorist. As the trooper stood outside his patrol car, a 2020 Ford pickup driven by James J. Stumpf, 34, of Buffalo, came onto the ramp from Route 400 and veered off the left shoulder. The truck traveled into an embankmen

A Niagara Falls Army veteran who survived war, cancer, and decades of hardship is now starting over after a house fire destroyed everything he owned and claimed the life of his best friend. Robert, 76, a Vietnam War veteran and Niagara Falls resident, lost his home, possessions, and beloved German shepherd in a January 11th fire. The blaze left him hospitalized for several days and facing the daunting task of rebuilding his life from nothing. The fundraiser describes a lifeti

The Buffalo-Niagara community is coming together to support the family of longtime firefighter and business owner Scott Janowski, a Buffalo Fire captain who died unexpectedly leaving behind his wife and a 3-year-old son. To help ease the financial effort facing the family, friends and loved ones launched a fundraising effort. A tribute posted with the fundraiser describes Janowski as a lifelong public servant, devoted father, and small business owner who dedicated himself to

Dante Richardson, 32-years-old, has been the subject of several recent Niagara Action articles that began after he was shot in an early morning incident on January 12th. Publicly available information regarding the incident outlined that Richardson and his two passengers had been driving home from a bar in Buffalo, although at this time it still remains to be seen whether Richardson was drinking himself. Investigators say that somewhere between the Vulcan Street and Sheridan

Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing a significant reshaping of Niagara Falls State Park with plans to bring Whirlpool State Park and Devil’s Hole State Park under the same umbrella in an effort to spread tourism beyond the Falls. The idea, she said, is to encourage visitors to stay longer in the region. The proposal, outlined in Hochul’s State of the State booklet released Tuesday, comes as state data continues to show a stark imbalance in where tourists spend their time. Niag

Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed legislation advocates said was designed to preserve public and media access to police radio communications. Critics say the move undermines transparency and shields law enforcement activity from scrutiny. The bill, approved earlier this year by both the New York State Assembly and Senate, was crafted in response to a growing trend among police departments to fully encrypt their radio traffic. Legislators backing the measure said it was intended to

Our community is mourning the loss of Daniel Thompson III, a 6-year-old boy whose life was cut short after a battle with pneumonia. Daniel died on December 20th, 2025, leaving his family, classmates, and teammates devastated just days before Christmas. A 1st grader in Buffalo, Daniel was known for his warmth, curiosity, and gentle nature. Teachers and classmates alike described him as a joyful child who brought light into every room he entered. The news of Daniel’s passing wa

The discovery of wooden “timeout” boxes inside two elementary schools in the Salmon River Central School District has prompted an intense statewide backlash, culminating in a call for immediate intervention from Governor Kathy Hochul. After photos of the enclosed wooden structures circulated on Facebook last week, the governor urged the state Education Department to move quickly, saying, “swift action to investigate and rectify this situation” was necessary. Hochul described

Niagara Action previously reported on Michael Collesano, a Manhattan-based attorney and real estate broker, who filed a defamation lawsuit against a neighbor for comments allegedly made about his small manhood. The lawsuit, filed on May 11th, 2025, in New York County Supreme Court, has gained traction in recent months with all parties having filed answers and requests for subpoenas . Collesano alleged that Aimee Fink, a neighbor in his condominium complex, launched a campaign

In her weekly edition of Beau Society, Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen announced that they are expecting their first child in an adorable video. Hailee wrote about yesterday being her 29th birthday and what the last year meant to her: This year, I’ve been reminded of how precious life is. I’ve surprised myself in a thousand different ways. Sometimes (many times), laughter saved the day. Other times, I found peace in simplicity: cooking breakfast with Josh, sinking into the pe

Face coverings are making a comeback in parts of New York, particularly across the Hudson Valley region, as a rise in respiratory illnesses are pushing hospitals and care facilities to tighten health precautions. While the sight of masks in public spaces has brought back memories of the 2020 pandemic, current changes are more limited. Most mask use remains voluntary, but some health-care settings and private workplaces have begun requiring face coverings for individuals who a

A new Siena College poll released Tuesday claims Governor Kathy Hochul holds a 20-point advantage over Congresswoman Elise Stefanik in a potential 2026 matchup, placing Hochul at 52–32% among roughly 800 likely voters. The numbers show Hochul’s favorability has dropped five points since September. The poll has prompted renewed criticism from Republicans who argue Siena’s surveys consistently lean toward Democrats and fail to capture right-leaning voter enthusiasm. The critiqu

Former New York state trooper Christopher Baldner was acquitted Thursday of second-degree murder and reckless endangerment in a 2020 crash that killed 11-year-old Monica Goods. However, the trial didn't end there. Moments after the jury delivered its partial verdict, the judge instructed them to return to the deliberation room and continue considering the still-pending manslaughter charge. The tragic incident happened nearly four years ago. Prosecutors accused Baldner of deli

Rep. Elise Stefanik is blasting Governor Kathy Hochul after word got out that she plans to shut down additional state correctional facilities, including Bare Hill Correctional Facility and parts of Collins Correctional Facility. The announcement comes as Hochul works to raise money for her reelection effort, weeks before the holiday season, and shortly after hitching her wagon to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. Stefanik said she and other lawmakers have already been cont

New York’s financial condition continues to deteriorate as more residents exit the state, taking their spending power and taxable income with them. According to a new Unleash Prosperity report, NYS has lost $517.5 billion in resident income between 2013 and 2022. New Jersey saw $170.1 billion vanish in the same timeframe, but New York’s losses far exceed every other state. Things have only gotten worse since then under Governor Hochul. The study, which analyzes IRS and Census

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is facing renewed political pressure after her former deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun, was charged with secretly operating as an agent of the Chinese government while serving in senior roles under both Hochul and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, are now at the center of a federal case where prosecutors say both operated to aid the Communist Party of China. According to federal filings, Sun is accused of using her acc

New York’s move toward an all-electric future has been abruptly put on hold after Governor Kathy Hochul agreed to delay the rollout of the state’s landmark building-electrification mandate. The reversal undermines her own climate promises on legislation she supported. The law, passed in 2023 and billed as a cornerstone of the state’s emissions-reduction strategy, was supposed to take effect January 1st. It would have required most newly constructed residential buildings under

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is already making waves, and not in ways that reassure those worried about the city’s economy. Instead of focusing on the financial and public-safety crises facing New York, Mamdani has turned his attention to Starbucks, calling on New Yorkers to stop buying from the coffee chain while baristas remain on strike. On Thursday evening, Mamdani announced on X that he would not support the company during the labor dispute, writing, “Starbuc

A convicted sex offender from Oklahoma who staged his own disappearance more than ten years ago has been arrested in Upstate New York where investigators say he had been living under a false identity and attending college. Authorities confirmed that Anthony Lennon, 44, once listed among Oklahoma’s Ten Most Wanted, was taken into custody at the end of October following a joint investigation by U.S. Marshals and New York law enforcement. Officials said fingerprint analysis conf