News 4 Buffalo Cheektowaga hosts full "STEAM" ahead event Cheektowaga hosts full "STEAM" ahead event Woman killed in crash on Twin Cities Memorial Highway Local film industry happy with proposed foreign film tariff Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight Mission 19 was the 'time of a lifetime' Veterans and organizers from Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight discuss Mission 19 parking ramp authority in proposed NYS budget A look inside Upstate Steel’s production of steel for new Bills stadium NF man found incompetent to stand trial for fatal assault Buffalo Police mourns officer’s death due to flu North Park Theatre provides moviegoers with new 4K laser projection Ryan calls on Scanlon to stop alleged plans to ‘sell off’ city’s cultural assets Donate Newsletter As goes Cheektowaga, so goes the nation, former Buffalo News political reporter Bob McCarthy likes to say when Cheektowaga voters broke by the thinnest of margins for Republican Donald Trump This year the results were mixed: The Democratic presidential candidate won the town but lost the race nationwide Republicans made rare and important gains in local races Unofficial results show Democrat Kamala Harris carrying Cheektowaga by about 4 percentage points Her margin of victory in the town was provided by early voting and absentee ballots while Cheektowaga’s Election Day voters narrowly favored Trump But Republicans won two seats in Cheektowaga which until recently has been viewed as a Democratic stronghold: Filipski will fill the seat left vacant by Nowak who beat Republican Mike Jasinski by a hair in last year’s supervisor race In comments to The Buffalo News Erie County GOP Chair Michael Kracker attributed those Cheektowaga wins to the party’s messaging on immigration and the economy but changes in voter affiliation are also instructive By party registration, Cheektowaga would appear to be a Democratic haven. The town is home to 27,742 registered Democrats and 12,848 Republicans, by the latest count which often (but not always) cross-endorses GOP candidates There are 414 members of the left-leaning Working Families Party and 2,004 voters registered on other minor party lines Then there are the 13,898 registered voters who are unaffiliated with any party — the so-called “blanks.” They comprise nearly 24 percent of the town’s registered electorate That’s a significant increase. In 2020, Cheektowaga’s blanks numbered 10,845, accounting for about 19 percent of the town’s registered voters, according to elections board figures Democratic enrollment in the town fell by about 1,300 while Republican enrollment ticked up by nearly 1,000 The Cheektowaga registration trends hold true countywide blanks accounted for 18.7 percent of Erie County’s registered voters Republicans in the same period gained nearly 6,300 registered voters while Democratic registration dropped by about 2,500 voters with Cheektowaga accounting for more than half that decline the number of blanks grew by about 300,000 between 2020 and 2024 They now account for a quarter of the electorate Democrats lost about 270,000 voters in that period but still account for 48 percent of New York’s registered voters Cheektowaga is not the only Western New York municipality that’s changing colors have in recent years favored Democrats for local office Harris won both towns in this year’s presidential race was once a Democratic town but now boasts a GOP majority Democrats had a 4-to-1 majority on the Lancaster town board The party had dominated town government for two decades Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Lancaster hasn’t lost a lot of Democrats over the past four years The party still has a razor’s edge advantage in voter registration over Republicans in the town But Republican ranks grew by about 1,000 voters Blanks grew by 1,500 and now comprise nearly a quarter of registered voters Lancaster’s legislators and supervisor are all Republicans So is its Erie County legislator and now its state assemblyman Trump won the town by nearly 14 percentage points (WKBW) — Fire crews were on the scene of a large fire on Drake Drive off Cedargrove Circle in Cheektowaga Wednesday night Crews first responded to the fire around 11:30 p.m Cedargrove Circle was closed while crews put out the fire 7 News Anchor Jeff Russo went to the fire scene on Thursday afternoon where he ran into on-site property manager Dashawn Robinson who was surveying the damage to come by to make sure if there was anything I could do to help," said Robinson Robinson said he was inside his apartment at the front of the complex when the fire broke out in a back unit He said a total of six people lived in the complex "It's a tragedy that it happened," said Robinson Robinson said he's had to move in with his mother because of the damage to his apartment He said the others who lived at the complex are also staying with family Cheektowaga Police confirmed with 7 News that a fire inspector with the department is investigating the cause of the fire We want to hear what’s going on in your community Share your voice and hear from your neighbors Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More Elected officials and community members officially broke ground on the first of five new affordable single-family homes in the Town of Cheektowaga Thursday The new housing will be available at 257 Chapel Avenue single-family homes in the Town of Cheektowaga – one week after breaking ground on 47 homes in the City of Buffalo Between Erie County and our partners at BENLIC there are now 52 brand new affordable homes being constructed,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. “Housing affordability is a crisis our entire nation is facing and these new homes are one of the many ways Erie County is working to tackle that crisis and strengthen communities.” Erie County has invested $20 million since 2023 in affordable housing $6.5 million for multi-unit projects and $13.5 million for single-family homes “The solution to the housing shortage does not come from any single policy or program,” said Town of Cheektowaga Supervisor Brian Nowak “What is happening here in Cheektowaga is a small piece of the solution and I’m glad to see the pragmatic constructive approach Erie County is taking to build affordable single-family houses for the people of Cheektowaga Funding for the new housing units is provided through the American Rescue Plan This work, Cheektowaga Brothers Enlist in Air National Guard’s 107th Attack Wing, by CPT Jason Carr, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright (WKBW) — Love is in the air in Cheektowaga and has been for the past seven decades for one couple Patricia and Clifford "Skippy" Rohloff are celebrating their 70th anniversary They met in church and later got married when they were both 23 eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren There's a baseball/softball team named after them." NY (WKBW) — Thousands of Catholics across Western New York are just months away from losing their churches as the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo moves forward with plans to close or merge dozens of parishes We continue to follow up with parishioners who are appealing the diocese's decision and are hoping to change their church's fate Aloysius parishioners in Cheektowaga are battling to save their church from shutting down come June But I learned exclusively from one church member that the diocese might be trying to expedite its closure “We're going to do everything we can to make sure that St Aloysius Gonzaga Church on Cleveland Drive in Cheektowaga Rowe is helping lead the fight against the diocese's plans to close the church under its Road to Renewal effort the church's appeal process has hit a major roadblock after receiving a letter from the bishop earlier this week we have an offer that is very generous for your property and we are seriously considering moving forward with that very soon so you need to be aware of that,” explained Mary Purski of Save Our Buffalo Churches Purski is part of the massive appeal process “They say they have a buyer and they want to move forward as soon as possible – not fair,” replied Purski Al’s to merge with Christ the King in Snyder by June 1 – that means St showing the diocese could create what she called a “church desert” in the 14215 zip code by closing St "We're fighting to stay open so the faithful have an accessible place of worship but we're also fighting so we can stay open to continue to serve our community by way of our vital ministries,” Rowe explained who attend daily Masses that rely on accessible worship we have a lot of faithful who rely on worship within walking distance or the bus and closing St Al’s would make transportation for those individuals A spokesman for the diocese confirmed to me there is a party with "serious" interest in buying the St He also told me the June 1 date for closure is not "realistic" given the appeal process Purski shipped off a huge amount of documents to the Vatican asking to “stop” Road to Renewal with more than 4,000 signatures from the region “All the way from Olcott Beach – all the way down to the Pennsylvania line we have all these people,” described Purski Rowe told me she won't give up her fight to keep St Al’s open because losing it would be “very difficult." “I have been to other Catholic churches in the country and in the world and I have never felt more at home than I have at St “No matter where I’ve been on my faith journey (WKBW) — An investigation is underway in Cheektowaga after a child died on Thursday following a reported drowning Emergency crews responded to Constance Lane just before 4:30 p.m after receiving a call for an unresponsive 4-year-old child Police said members of the Doyle Fire District arrived on the scene and began life-saving efforts assisted by arriving Cheektowaga Police patrol units The child was transported by ambulance to Oishei Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead preliminary reports indicated the child had been unresponsive in a private pool (WKBW) — Cheektowaga Police are investigating a home invasion and shooting Tuesday Police say two people in masks targeted a specific home on Sandstone Drive just after noon Authorities say the masked suspects broke into the home and fired several gunshots from an unknown type of weapon Two homeowners were inside the house at the time They told police they were not injured during the incident Police say the investigation is in the early stages but they do not believe there is any danger to the public at this time Anyone in the area with video evidence of what happened is asked to call the police detective bureau at 716-686-3510 Former Cheektowaga-Sloan football coach and former Athletic Director described as problematic and consistently absent is set to return to work at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year after being put on unpaid leave for the entirety of the current school year The now-current math teacher Mark Ostempowski has been on unpaid leave after assaulting a female high school teacher in February of this year by slapping her on the bottom at a teacher’s union gathering outside of the school district The teacher never submitted a formal police report expressing in a correspondence written to the district that she “wishes to report this incident with the hope the school will take any corrective action necessary to ensure that Mr Ostempowksi does not engage in this type of behavior again.” This resulted in the district beginning the 3020-A process which is required to terminate a tenured teacher in New York State This process subsequently led to a hearing in June 2024 current High School Principal Robert Julian tore into Ostempowski’s character describing him as “one of my most problematic and disgruntled teachers.” Julian further went on to say Ostempowski was consistently absent and tried to intimidate him and other students Julian also described his time as the Athletic Director for the district as an “underperformance” citing complaints from Section VI and overall lackluster performance of the athletic programs before Ostempowski’s eventual resignation in late 2019 Superintendent Andrea Galenski went on to mention her shock over a 2007 memo of the former Superintendent reprimanding Ostempowski over explicit language and inequitable application of the academic eligibility policy to the district's football program in which he was the head coach at the time This would not be the only time Ostempowski committed foul play Another coach who faced the school’s football team while Ostempowski was an assistant coach told WBFO he was obviously and actively undermining the Head Coach at the time he stated he would nod his head in agreement with the crowd when the Head Coach made a call he didn’t like the only disciplinary record the district retains of his is the 2007 memo Due to the relatively clean record and the district not examining any other possible consequence except a termination hearing Officer Rocco Scanza denied the district’s request to terminate Ostempowski he was placed on unpaid leave and was required to complete at least one sexual harassment course and undergo a psychological evaluation The district appealed this decision in September and it is unclear when the matter will be resolved in Erie County Supreme Court Numerous district officials and the attorneys representing Ostempowski and the district have ignored WBFO’s request for comment (WKBW) — A popular wing spot in Western New York is expanding Wingnutz Bar and Grill in Williamsville is gearing up to open its second location inside the Buffalo Airport Hotel in Cheektowaga "We think it's a fantastic location," co-creator Ed Wrazen said we really do think it's going to have more potential than our first store by far." Their new location will officially be open for business at 11 a.m (WKBW) — The Cheektowaga Town Board approved a resolution that authorizes the town attorney to take action if the two local hotels used to house asylum seekers in Cheektowaga aren't vacated by December 31 The resolution was sponsored by all six current members of the Cheektowaga Town Board and was approved on Tuesday "The reason we had every single board member on this is one of those situations if for whatever reason it may be we all see the need to make sure the court order that we reached last year is honored and we get to the first of the year and hotels go back to the use they were intended for," said Cheektowaga Town Supervisor Brian Nowak Supervisor Nowak added that for him the resolution is about the enforcement of zoning law "Moving on from having them in hotels is one thing but saying we want to send you back to Mexico or Venezuela or whatever that's a whole different story," said Supervisor Nowak "These folks have a right to an asylum hearing and some of these folks will be granted asylum and there are already productive members of the community that are living in these buildings Moving on from our hotels being used as encampments or shelters but not to say we don't want migrants or immigrants as part of our society." Asylum seekers have been housed at two Cheektowaga hotels since June of 2023 7 News reported that Erie County had mandated any asylum seeker living in a local hotel to vacate those properties by the end of 2024 New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that 25 shelters and hotels currently housing asylum seekers across New York State would close "over the next two months." Western New York hotels on the list were the Red Roof Inn Plus in Amherst The Office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams tells 7 News that Western New York hotels housing asylum seekers will be vacated on the following dates: A spokesperson for Mayor Adams added the following statement on the closure of migrant shelters and hotels across New York State: "“We’ve come a long way since the first buses from Texas arrived in our city over two years ago when we were working around the clock to care for the thousands of people who were arriving every week and national-leading Asylum Application Help Center more than 170,000 migrants have left our shelter system and taken their next steps towards self-sufficiency And thanks to our advocacy efforts on the federal level and executive orders issued by the Biden-Harris administration we continue to see a decline in the number of people entering our shelter system every week We are seeing real results from our hard work including the ability to continue consolidating operations We closed 11 New York City emergency shelters last month all of our upstate emergency shelters will close by December and our Randall’s Island and Floyd Bennett Field shelters are set to close early next year We continue to look closely at all of our shelters and will make all determinations based on what’s best for our city and those in our care.” (WKBW) — A Cheektowaga man is facing a murder charge in connection to a deadly shooting during a parking dispute in October 2024 The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 44-year-old Richard J Walls was arraigned Thursday in State Supreme Court on an indictment charging him with one count of second-degree murder on the 100 block of Cedar Road in Cheektowaga The district attorney's office said Walls is accused of shooting 20-year-old Md Rawnaq Hassan Ratin in the chest with a handgun during a dispute over parking on the street After the shooting, we spoke with Ratin's father, who said in part, “I cannot believe that, because my son is a good guy." You can watch our previous report below and read more here The district attorney's office said Walls was held without bail and a return court date has not been scheduled Walls faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison NY (WKBW) — The Cheektowaga Police Department's wellness program provides crucial mental health support to first responders in Western New York with nearly 70% of the department participating in its first year offers confidential mental health services to law enforcement officers through a collaboration with the Western New York Law Enforcement Helpline and local clinicians According to The Ruderman Family Foundation more officers are likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty PTSD and depression rates among police officers are five times higher than the average person "The general public looks at us and they think that we're all supermen and superwomen," said Tony LeBron president of the Western New York Law Enforcement Helpline the problem is that what we see and what we deal with on a daily basis doesn't stay at work." Lieutenant Caleb Harte emphasized the importance of the program "This is one of the things I'm most passionate about is making sure that our officers get through the difficult career that we've chosen and get to their retirement so that they can enjoy retirement," Harte said The program provides 24/7 confidential assistance and uses a peer-to-peer approach to mental health which is crucial for first responders who face traumatic incidents daily noted that the program helps reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health support "That fear and that stigma begin to dissipate gradually." The initiative is a significant step toward ensuring the well-being of law enforcement officers and helping them manage the stress and trauma associated with their profession This program could now catalyze and encourage other police departments across Western New York to implement this life-saving program If you are a police officer in need of help please call the WNY Enforcement Helpline at 716-858-COPS (2677) This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy NY (WKBW) — In what has almost become a holiday tradition in and of itself Cheektowaga police officers responded to the Walden Galleria Thursday evening Cheektowaga Police Captain Jeffery Schmidt told 7 News that the police presence was not in response to a specific incident at the mall it was a coordinated and planned effort to sweep the mall at closing time "What we found is it's just large groups of unsupervised youth a few bad apples kind of turn the apple card and cause so much problems and chaos and disaster including the other kids who are good kids," he said Schmidt said there was only one arrest related to the sweep and a few arrests for shoplifting He said no one gave police a hard time or was physically pushed out to leave the mall "It took some time because with that large group find their way back to their cars or to the bus stop There were reports that they closed the mall then but 7 News saw shoppers still heading inside There is a long history of post-Christmas violence breaking out at the Walden Galleria 7 News reported that in 2014, six people were arrested following a brawl at the mall. Fights broke out on Boxing Day in 2018, 2021 and 2023 Cheektowaga Police also took to social media earlier tonight to remind people of the mall's policy surrounding teenage visitors The mall said its Parental Escort Policy (PEP) will be strictly enforced daily from 1 p.m "We want to remind everyone that the Walden Galleria has a parental escort policy in effect any person under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is 21 or older Each 21-year-old can supervise up to five teens." rather than taking police action against the juvenile what we really want is for the parents in the community to come and to help us make sure that these young persons are making appropriate and good decisions," Capt (WKBW) — The Cheektowaga Police Department is asking for your help to find a missing teenager Police say 17-year-old Zyionna Brinson was last seen on West Huron Street near Bean Alley in the City of Buffalo on the morning of February 24 Authorities say she was last seen wearing dark blue jeans Anyone with information is asked to call Cheektowaga Police at (716) 686-3501 We are now accepting applications for the NYS Trooper Entrance Exam! Please visit joinstatepolice.ny.gov to learn more the Bureau of Criminal Investigation stationed at SP Clarence arrested Robert J NY for Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child (D Felony) Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child (E Felony)- 2 counts, Criminal Possession of Controlled substance 3rd – Intent to Sell (B Felony) Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd – loaded assault weapon (C Felony) Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 5th – Cocaine (D Felony) Criminal Possession of an Assault Weapon (D Felony) Criminal Possession of a Weapon Defaced for Concealment Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd – Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device and Criminal Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd degree The Bureau of Criminal Investigation out of SP Clarence with the assistance from the Troop A Computer Crimes Unit conducted an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation in the town of Cheektowaga.  Investigation determined Hulings possessed child pornography and was disseminating child pornography The Bureau of Criminal Investigation executed a search warrant at Penwood Drive in Cheektowaga Investigators located an illegally possessed assault rifle cutting agents and several items indicative of drug selling Hulings was arraigned in the town of Cheektowaga Court The mission of the ICAC Task Force is to identify individuals online who are attempting to lure children to meet for sex or those disseminating child sexual abuse material. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC program) helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children It seems like everyone in Cheektowaga has been invested in finding where a sick fox has been over the weekend There is a fox that appears to be super sick and the community is trying to help it The fox definately looks like it has mange among other things It has been caught on doorbell cameras all over Cheektowaga If someone finds it are they going to care for it "Please tell me someone has helped this poor baby If I didn’t have cats I would trap him and at least give him food water and heat until I could contact someone in wildlife "The spca does not really care about animals if you a stay in or call they won’t do anything about it It’s a shame what they have be come" "This poor thing I fear is in its’ last stages… likely in terrible organ failure at this point and sadly just one administration of medication is not going to do it for this poor baby!! There is a whole protocol/regime of treating mange It is beyond sad to see and witness in person I’m sure I wish I myself had not seen these heart wrenching pics Not just anyone can easily scoop up this poor creature there needs to be caution so that a human does not get scabies as a result or transfer the mites to their own pets transporting in their vehicle I wish so badly that this fox could be put out of its complete misery humanely & immediately!!! I don’t claim to know everything but you don’t need to This poor thing is suffering in every way and is likely beyond saving Looks like it wouldn’t last the night Poor hunnie can’t even hold its head up I wish this poor fox peace very very soon! It seems like everyone in Cheektowaga has been invested in finding where a sick fox has been over the weekend.\nRead More (WKBW) — The driver who injured a Cheektowaga police officer in a car chase in February 2023 has been sentenced to prison The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 19-year-old Patrick J was sentenced Thursday before Youth Part Judge Brenda Freedman and received a determinate sentence of five years in prison followed by two and a half years of post-release supervision According to the district attorney's office Prim stole a white Jeep Grand Cherokee and his accomplices stole a maroon Jeep Cherokee in the area of Penora Street in the Town of Lancaster A short time later a Depew police officer saw the two Jeeps traveling at a high rate of speed on Walden Avenue attempted to initiate a traffic stop and then pursued the vehicles as they traveled into the Town of Cheektowaga Cheektowaga police officer Troy Blackchief was in the area of Union Road and Genesee Street attempting to deploy stop sticks when he was struck by Prim who continued to drive after striking him Prim then abandoned the stolen vehicle outside of a gas station on Kensington Avenue near Century Road Police said doctors determined Blackchief suffered numerous injuries including a skull fracture and brain jury that required immediate surgery Blackchief spent several months at the hospital and in long-term care rehabilitation In May 2024, Prim, who was 17 years old at the time of the crime, was granted youthful offender status and pleaded guilty to five felonies: The case was handled by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office as a special prosecutor.The case was returned to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office following a decision by the Fourth Judicial Department Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York The district attorney's office said its prosecutors argued that Prim should not be granted youthful offender due to the serious nature of the crime and the severity of Blakchief's injuries on Thursday Prim declined to withdraw his plea and Judge Freedman denied youthful offender status (WKBW) — Cheektowaga voters are replacing their traditionally Democratic leadership a Republican candidate in both the NYS 143rd assembly district and the town board was elected unseating four-term Democratic assemblywoman Monica Wallace the new seventh member of the town council electing Republicans,” 7 News Political Analyst Bob McCarthy said This happened in a town that gave Kamala Harris about 1,500 more votes than Donald Trump We spoke with newly elected assemblyman Chludzinski on Election Day and what he called a migrant crisis sparked a need for change in the town “I believe that the issues that we addressed with the residents resonated with them,” Chludzinski said they don’t want this in their neighborhoods.” told me this could spark a positive change Cheektowaga has been short a town board member since January leaving them with three Democrats and three Republicans “National trends had a lot to do with what happened locally here you congratulate them and you offer to work with them,” Nowak said There have been some things put on the backburner or tabled not dealt with because of this 3-3 dynamic we are going to be able to make some decisive decisions.” Both Chludzinski and Filipski will usher in this new era when their terms begin in January Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin joined U.S Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday at Cheektowaga Central High School to announce his plan to bring to the Senate floor his and Damar Hamlin's legislation to help put AEDs in schools and make CPR training more accessible across America When Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during an NFL game in January 2023 the Bills medical team used an AED and performed CPR saving Hamlin's life Hamlin and Schumer have been working together to create a new federal program to put more AEDs in schools Now Schumer is launching their final push as he will bring the bipartisan Cardiomyopathy Health Education Research and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act to the floor for passage so it can become law Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announce the HEARTS Act Scroll to see photos from the 5th Annual Micah Hyde Charity Softball Game where the Buffalo Bills Defense and Offense competed in both a softball game and home run derby to benefit the Imagine for Youth Foundation Stevie Johnson sat down for the first time in Bills history to chat on the inception of "Bills Mafia" and all things Buffalo Bills as well as plenty of anecdotes from Schefter and Johnson about the 2025 NFL Draft and their favorite Buffalo Bills memories from over the years Buffalo Bills fans had the opportunity to hear from GM Brandon Beane Ruben Brown and others following the 2025 NFL Draft provided a behind-the-scenes look at the draft process The Buffalo Bills together with Wegmans and FeedMore WNY visited Orchard Park High School in celebration of their first-place finish in the 2024 Huddle for Hunger High School Challenge and Darrynton Evans came to celebrate the students Visit buffalobills.com/huddleforhunger to sign up for the 2025 Challenge Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres proudly partnered with the Seneca Gaming Corporation to host Seneca Sports Day at the Allegany Community Center for Seneca Nation youth the participants had the opportunity to sharpen their hockey skills with Sabres Alumni learn the fundamentals of flag football with Bills Linebacker and Buffalo native Joe Andreessen and develop their lacrosse game with Bandits players Billy Buffalo and Sabretooth appeared throughout the event which also included airbrush tattoos for the kids The Buffalo Bills partnered with the Niagara Youth Flag Football Organization to host a girls flag football clinic for middle school and high school girls at Youngs Sportsplex in Welland Buffalo Bills Alumni Lorenzo Alexander made the trip to Welland to support the girls flag players by coaching the participants at the flag different stations and taking pictures and signing autographs at the end of the event in partnership with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Concordia Dental offered free dental services to 220 local elementary school students promoting the significance of proper oral health Bills Defensive Tackle DeWayne Carter and Running Back Ray Davis visited the kids in the afternoon to wish them well with their procedures The Buffalo Bills hosted the High School Girls Flag Football Kickoff this weekend for 65+ teams from Western New York to the Finger Lakes Region in partnership with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine The Buffalo Bills and Highmark teamed up to host an event focused on mental and physical well-being through a women-led panel healthy tips on nutrition and physical fitness/exercise and provided networking opportunities with Bills professionals The Buffalo Bills were proud to support the Say YES Saturday Academy and Black Family Wellness Expo at BUILD Academy In partnership with the American Heart Association the event featured hands-only CPR training equipping attendees with life-saving skills who was honored with the Health Equity Award for his dedication to advancing healthcare access and equity in the community As part of the Buffalo Bills Black History Month celebrations the Bills partnered with Zeneta & Zaire's Book Club for a story hour at Nanny's Nook Day Care including a reading of The Lil' Player that Could by Ja'Marcus Ingram The Bills were proud to partner with Buffalo Fashion Runway for the second annual Black Carpet II event The spectacular evening was dedicated to honoring Black History Month by celebrating the resilience and influence of Black fashion through the ages Black Carpet II spotlit contemporary designs while paying tribute to the trailblazing journey of Black fashion The night also highlighted and celebrated 10 distinguished Black Icons — influential leaders across various fields in Buffalo — with special awards recognizing their invaluable contributions to the community Wanat said he is used to defendants getting angry at him over a ruling or sentence he issued in Town Court But the graphic letters he received from an inmate at the Erie County Correctional Facility crossed a line in their threatening language The Erie County District Attorney's Office said he's the first person in the county to be charged and convicted under a state law adopted last year That is why Wanat cooperated with Cheektowaga Police and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office on an investigation that led authorities to charge Yasir S Creach pleaded guilty Tuesday in Erie County Court and faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced next month ‘I’m going to stake out the courthouse,’ stuff like that my people will,’ “ Wanat said in an interview Thursday Especially with everything that’s going on in society today.” Wanat encountered Creach after the Buffalo man was accused of shoplifting from a Home Depot store in Cheektowaga Creach pleaded guilty to attempted petit larceny A frustrated Creach sent Wanat a threatening letter Feb 24 from the county jail that “placed the victim and his family in reasonable fear of harm,” according to a news release Wednesday from the District Attorney’s Office that was one of two letters Creach sent him along with a third letter Creach sent to a loss-prevention specialist at the Home Depot store Cheektowaga Town Justice John Wanat called letters from Yasir S Wanat said the second letter he received came after the inmate had been arraigned by Cheektowaga’s other town justice and after Stevens had issued a temporary order of protection barring Creach from contacting Wanat a spokesperson for District Attorney Michael Keane said Creach sent the letters to Wanat on Feb The DA’s Office has declined to reveal the contents of the letters The office on Thursday denied a Freedom of Information Law request from The News because the documents are evidence in a case that has not concluded with a sentencing Wanat, a former Cheektowaga police officer first elected a town judge in 2022 also declined to get into too much detail about what Creach wrote He said defendants do have a free speech right to complain about judicial decisions Creach’s letters were disturbing and included references to Wanat’s family Mentioned weapons − mentioned blowing my head off,” Wanat said I’m upset with this judge and what he’s doing.’ “ previously told The News his client has struggled with addiction and mental health challenges but has taken responsibility for his actions Wanat was in Erie County Court on Tuesday to hear Creach apologize for his actions But many people do when they have an orange shirt on and are in handcuffs Creach is the first person in the county charged with aggravated harassment of a judge under a state law adopted last year He faces between 1⅓ and four years in prison at his sentencing on May 20 Wanat said he believes Creach is likely to receive a prison term at the lower end of the range and he hopes Creach gets the treatment he needs The judge said he plans to attend the sentencing and will accept whatever Erie County Judge Sheila A “We will continue to serve justice in the Town of Cheektowaga and continue our mission of being fair and impartial.” Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email Email notifications are only sent once a day Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account (WKBW) — Nearly two years after a Cheektowaga police officer was hit and injured by a stolen car The Town of Cheektowaga is now suing the teenage driver and the owners of the car that hit Blackchief in a lawsuit filed in September as first reported by The Buffalo News.The town is looking to recover more than $1 million which it says was spent on Blackchief's medical care Share your voice and hear from your neighbors.