A small portion of the old Huntley coal power generating plant in the Town of Tonawanda could be cleaned up before the end of the summer It’s one of the first cleanups planned at the 35-acre property which operated as a steam and coal power plant beginning during World War I with the last generators shut down in 2016 NRG Energy is conducting a cleanup of a small portion of the former Huntley Power property’s coal pile area in Tonawanda About 3,700 cubic yards of waste will be removed between May and August But don’t get your hopes up yet for a refreshed and unpolluted site The work beginning this month at Huntley won’t be remotely close to the large-scale remediation that the property will eventually require to be repurposed The cleanup proposed to begin this month and last about three months will cover only about 1.15 acres, according to a work plan submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation by a consultant About 3,700 cubic yards of dirty soil is set to be removed The soil is polluted with “petroleum products,” according to the work plan because “during the active years of electrical generation petroleum products were periodically placed on the stockpiled coal prior to being burned in the plant furnaces.” This map shows the extent of the petroleum-polluted soil expected to be cleaned up beginning in May The yellow circles represent the 3,700 cubic yards of soil to be removed The 3,700 cubic yards of polluted soil will be transported to the Waste Management Chaffee Landfill in Chaffee The footprint of the coal stockpile on the Huntley property is much larger than just 1.15 acres but the cleanup this summer will address only very small portions of it NRG has worked with the DEC to clean up the south portion of the Huntley property – the area not encompassed by the former power plant’s buildings – under the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program “We are still working with the NYSDEC on appropriate remedial plans for other parts of the BCP (Brownfield Cleanup Program) area,” wrote NRG spokesperson Erik Linden in an email to The Buffalo News Investigations of the site have found the soil was polluted with high levels of contaminants including arsenic, beryllium, chromium and various heavy metals, according to reports dating back to 1998 Town officials say it's important for the state to support those companies because they're a major part of Tonawanda's and the region's economy NRG did not answer a question about when further cleanups at the site were expected to happen While Huntley hasn’t generated power in nine years the plant still brings in water from the Niagara River through its intake tunnels The Town of Tonawanda has for years battled with NRG over ownership of the entirety of the former power plant so that it can move forward with redevelopment the town has moved forward with soliciting interest from developers and appraising the property Reach climate and environment reporter Mackenzie Shuman at mshuman@buffnews.com or 716-715-4722 Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter Email notifications are only sent once a day Tonawanda Supervisor Joseph Emminger gave his annual State of the Town address on Friday Monday's initial session for the task force addressed how can public and private partners assist former Sumitomo workers in landing another jo… 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 a former Tonawanda after-school program employee The City of Tonawanda’s after-school program filled a need by offering children a fun safe place to hang out for a couple of hours while their parents were still at work when a report that an older participant sexually abused an elementary-age boy upended the program Erie County Child Protective Services and a lawyer for the city all investigated the allegation The claim prompted the younger child’s mother to sue the city and led Tonawanda officials to terminate several employees in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and to shut down the city’s after-school and summer camp programs Mayor John White has said he acted promptly and in the interest of protecting children when he responded to the abuse report small-town politics and anti-LGBTQ+ feelings drove some decisions made by Tonawanda officials have circulated in the city The City of Tonawanda Senior Citizens Center hosted the city's after-school program until it was shut down by Mayor John White last year following an investigation into an allegation of abuse by one child participant against another younger participant and court records shed further light on the purported abuse claims of other troubling behavior by the alleged abuser and when officials learned about and acted on the allegations And another worker dismissed in the aftermath of the abuse allegations is speaking about the case for the first time Benji Kossow said he feels city officials treated him unfairly and it hurt to lose his dream job in his hometown is make the City of Tonawanda a better place – where I grew up – for the kids The city’s after-school program operated out of its Senior Citizens Center and served about two dozen children in kindergarten through sixth grade The Buffalo News reported last May that White had shut down the program following a report that one child in the program had abused a younger participant White’s concerns about staffing and staff training also prompted him to cancel the summer camp program Tonawanda police investigated the abuse claim but didn’t bring charges with the elimination of the after-school program according to payroll records and a city official the Common Council approved a $9,000 settlement with Kossow Utzig is challenging her termination with the support of her union She didn’t respond to requests for comment but the court filings offer new information about the allegations and the city’s response the department made an exception for the alleged abuser to let him enroll in the after-school program despite his age and grade This boy had exhibited some concerning behavior at times such as mimicking a sex act and peeking under bathroom stalls which said the boy required “disproportionate staff attention.” staff discovered the seventh grader had made comments about a brother and sister having sex Utzig told the boy’s father he would be allowed to remain about two more weeks but he couldn’t return for the program’s spring semester beginning Feb Young questioned the seventh grader because staff had noticed a first grade student behaving oddly after playing with the older boy No one on staff saw the original interaction but Young interviewed the older boy one-on-one and he confessed to kissing and touching the private parts of the younger boy Young called Utzig that night to disclose what she had learned and Utzig told Young to document it Utzig didn’t find the information from Young entirely credible because Utzig thought Young had a “long-standing bias” against the older boy Utzig opted to let the boy remain in the program while staff agreed to “keep a better eye” on him when Young brought up the abuse allegation to Sharon Stuart in his termination letter to Utzig dated May 13 “your conduct and lack of action in these circumstances is deeply concerning and troubling.” The city acknowledged that Utzig and other after-school program employees aren’t required to report allegations of child abuse or neglect to the authorities Utzig was a mandated reporter as camp director of Tonawanda’s summer camp and knew she needed to do more after learning of the abuse allegation The union said Utzig concedes she made a “bad judgment call” not to report the abuse claim to her supervisor she didn’t have clear rules or training on how to respond to allegations like these Utzig has no prior history of discipline and the city should have issued her a lesser penalty “It is not clear how much louder the alarm bells had to be” to spur Utzig to take further action who found the city was justified in terminating her The union is asking a judge to overturn this decision Deputy City Attorney Brittany Penberthy declined to comment the attorney for the mother of the first grader said the employee conduct cited in the court filings amounts to “gross negligence.” “Their failure to act responsibly represented a profound breach of duty and placed vulnerable infants at risk of enduring emotional psychological and developmental harm,” Peterkin emailed Benji Kossow worked for the City of Tonawanda Parks and Recreation Department until he was fired last year after an investigation into an allegation that one child in the city’s after-school program had sexually abused a younger child Kossow accepted a settlement instead of fighting to get his job back worked for the recreation department as a playground attendant before coming back as a full-time senior recreation leader in 2023 Kossow went by a different name and used they/them pronouns Kossow uses the first name Benji and he/him pronouns as a transgender man He said he used age-appropriate language to answer gender-identity questions from children and he served as a sounding board for seniors with LGBTQ+ relatives and he said he had a challenging working relationship with Young who often touted her connections at City Hall Kossow said Young’s inappropriate comments and questions led to an argument on Feb Young declined to comment for this article later that day to file a sexual harassment complaint against Young Young reported the alleged abuse to Stuart Kossow said he never saw any of the troubling behavior attributed to the seventh grade boy Kossow said his concerns about how Young “interrogated” the boy and his suspicions about the timing of Young’s report to Stuart one day after Kossow’s complaint lead him to wonder whether the abuse occurred As for Kossow’s harassment complaint against Young he said the city later performed a perfunctory investigation that ended with both employees being told Kossow received a termination letter with the same language that justified Utzig’s firing Kossow filed a discrimination complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission but said the agency concluded he didn’t have grounds to sue the city Both Kossow and Utzig ultimately were cleared by CPS He said the city moved too quickly to shut down the after-school program – “They were scared” – and it could have White did not respond to requests for comment Kossow now earns money as a DoorDash driver because he said he’s “terrified” about whether he could trust co-workers at a new job And he said it’s painful to see what’s become of the city recreation department “It’s just the hardest to sit here and know that that’s all I ever wanted to do was make where I grew up better,” Kossow said “and have my career taken away before I could even start it.” The Tonawanda Common Council approved the settlement last month and The Buffalo News obtained a copy through a public-records request last week It was a decision based on the investigative findings and on the ages of the parties involved A mother who claims her son was repeatedly sexually abused by a fellow student in the City of Tonawanda’s after-school program has filed a leg… Tonawanda has seen some MAJOR development in the past few years If it’s been a minute since you’ve been here From new restaurants to entertainment and fitness options Here are 7 new businesses that you should know about in Tonawanda that have opened within the last year: 2765 Kenmore Ave, Tonawanda, NY 14150 / More Info The Ken-Ton area recently received it’s first brewery with the opening of Beer Kind Brewing. The family-friendly spot has a self-pour tap wall allowing you to try a variety of beers. Plus, with a collection of table-top games to choose from, Beer Kind easily makes for a fun hangout spot with friends. Read more about their opening here 1400 Niagara Falls Blvd, Tonawanda, NY 14150 / More Info 200 Main St, Tonawanda, NY 14150 / More Info If you remember The Dome in Tonawanda, 200 Main has stepped up to the plate to make a new name for the space. The restaurant focuses on classic American and Buffalo dishes as well as a list of craft cocktails. As the season starts to warm up be sure to check out their patio — yes it is dog-friendly! Read more about their opening here 1242 Niagara Falls Blvd, Tonawanda, NY 14150 / More Info 833 Englewood Ave, Tonawanda, NY 14223 / More Info If you’re looking for a new spot to treat your sweet tooth, this is it. The Sugar Palette specializes in custom-decorated sugar cookies and other desserts. At their new storefront you can also find fun drinks, waffles and Dippin’ Dots! Read more about their opening here 1000 Young St, Tonawanda, NY 14150 / More Info 3157 Eggert Rd, Tonawanda, NY 14150 / More Info Catalyst Fitness has just added a new gym location to their catalog with the opening of Catalyst – Colvin. The new gym has the best equipment brands, a recovery room with Dry and Infrared Saunas, Red Light Therapy, and Human Touch Massage Chairs, as well as a Posing Room for body builders. Read more about their opening here Submit an Event List a Business Make a Deal List a Deal About Us Advertise With Us Contact Us Careers Privacy Policy List an Event List a Business List a Deal List a Community Update Advertise With Us Resources Press Coverage Events and festivals by the Step Out Buffalo Team Accessibility Statement (WKBW) — Tonawanda Police say a 10-year-old girl is in critical condition after she was hit by an SUV while riding an electric bicycle The accident happened on Monday around 7:30 p.m at the intersection of Main Street and Fletcher Street was traveling northbound and collided with the e-bike that was headed east The girl who was riding the e-bike suffered serious injuries and is now listed in critical condition at Oishei Children's Hospital who said Eliana was able to speak and drink some apple juice and City of Tonawanda Mayor John White about improving the safety of the intersection where the incident occurred Police are asking witnesses who may have video footage of the incident to call the police department at (716) 692-2121 A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family, which you can find here 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 Public comment during the Tonawanda Town Board Meeting became tense Monday night The heated exchanges during the meeting came as the Town of Tonawanda Police Club issued a vote of no confidence in Police Chief Jim Stauffiger The board meeting was the first since Town Supervisor Joe Emminger said officers would be charged with Taylor's Law violations for participating in what he said was an illegal strike Town officials claim police officers started the strike on Jan 15 after a town police officer was lawfully served with disciplinary charges in connection with what they say was significant misconduct while on duty.  including Tonawanda Police Club President Andy Thompson are accused of creating a picket line by not writing tickets for a three-week period The town says the police club was advised through the town council on Jan 29 that it was aware of the unlawful strike and that it needed to stop immediately town officials claim the strike did not end until Feb The Erie County Sheriff's Police Benevolent Association attended Monday night's meeting in support of the Town of Tonawanda Police Club The police club says the board's lawsuit against it contains "false allegations and outright lies" in alleging the club conducted a ticket strike in recent weeks.  The town says a full investigation is underway and it will report its findings within 60 days of the date the alleged strike ended (WKBW) — What began as a promise between a mother and her daughter has grown into a heartfelt legacy of compassion used a wheelchair and faced health challenges from the moment she entered the world Doctors did not expect her to live past her first birthday but she defied all odds and lived 14 years so it was 14 years that were very tough for her at times," Hastings said "She was a beautiful little girl with an amazing smile and loved to laugh." Erin would bring home a sunflower seedling from school and Hastings would plant them but something peculiar happened soon after I put the plant in the ground right outside of her bedroom window most beautiful sunflower that I've ever seen," she said That sunflower has since inspired "The Sunflower Promise," a new initiative Hastings launched this year alongside her sister It is aimed at supporting grieving mothers "Our goal is to put together these care packages for other mothers that have lost a child," Hastings said when you wake up in the morning and your child is not there Thirty mothers throughout Western New York will receive sunflower-themed care packages in the first year of the program The packages include small gifts from local vendors and sunflower seeds from the same batch Erin brought home we all get a little piece of Erin," said Carver who co-founded the project with her sister Hastings said her daughter's memory continues to guide her "She truly made me the person that I am today." This year's launch of The Sunflower Promise coincides with the 10th anniversary of Erin's passing The sisters plan to deliver the care packages and hopefully expand the initiative in future years Those who would like to nominate a grieving mother for next year's care packages can click here You can follow The Sunflower Promise journey on Instagram (WKBW) — The Town of Tonawanda Police Club said some officers in the town are now receiving letters from Town Supervisor Joe Emminger The letters are in response to an alleged illegal strike, which the town claims involved a "ticket writing boycott" earlier this year. The town board voted to take action against the union and launched an internal investigation The town's investigation, recently completed and confirmed with 7 News alleges that officers stopped or reduced ticket issuance for three weeks due to frustrations with department leadership The findings were forwarded to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board charging the officers with violating the state's Taylor Law which governs public employee labor relations The letter states that in violation of the Taylor Law officers will lose double their hourly pay for the time on strike The union president previously spoke to 7 News about the period the officers were accused of striking saying a large portion of officers were busy with other jobs it snowed every single day," Andrew Thompson president of the Town of Tonawanda Police Club Thompson accused Emminger of ignoring serious internal issues "You told me two things: you know the department is in trouble and you choose not to fix it," Thompson said "You've allowed a toxic culture to fester because it's easier to look away than lead through it Emminger spoke with 7 News about the town taking disciplinary action explaining how even though the officers showed up for work "There was never a complete shutdown of their work, but there was a slowdown of their work proces,s" Emminger said. "That, by Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)'s definition of a strike by public police agency not writing tickets falls in that category but sometimes you gotta hold your children accountable." Both Emminger and Thompson say numerous complaints have been made against the Chief of Police. Despite a vote of no confidence from the union he remains in command of the police department (WKBW) — Tensions rose in the Town of Tonawanda as the police department's union took a historic step issuing its first-ever vote of no confidence in the town's police chief The topic was not up for discussion on the agenda officials and members of the police club used Monday night's public hearing portion to voice their thoughts and concerns about the situation The move came amid a growing dispute between the Town of Tonawanda Police Club and town leadership following what officials are calling an alleged "illegal strike" earlier this year the police club reportedly engaged in a coordinated slowdown between January 16 and February 5 by writing significantly fewer traffic tickets The town board voted to take legal action against the union in late February and launched an internal investigation town leaders announced disciplinary action against nearly 50 officers accusing them of violating New York's Taylor Law which prohibits public employees from striking the officers could face fines ranging from $200 to $300 each "I think it is ridiculous. And I think it is a waste of taxpayer money," Emminger told me on April 2 "Like your children; you love your children but sometimes you've got to hold your children accountable." deny allegations of a coordinated slowdown and said the root of the issue is dissatisfaction with the department's leadership It is a misunderstanding of the very laws that govern the way we as officers do our work," said David Piatek TTPC President Andy Thompson accused the town of ignoring serious internal issues "You [Supervisor Emminger] told me two things: You know the department is in trouble and you chose not to fix it You have allowed a toxic culture to fester because it is easier to look away than to lead through it," Thompson said during Monday night's town board meeting William Krier defended the department's leadership stating that Chief James Stauffiger has held officers accountable especially since reform efforts began in 2020 "There's no doubt in our department that Chief Stauffiger holds the officers accountable," Krier said "Since the turmoil in 2020 and the ensuing police reform effort we have had to work hard to earn back the public's trust." questioning the direction of local leadership "Leadership doesn't end in a courtroom; Leadership comes from leading people," one resident said "When you have to resort to suing and pressing charges against your own police force "We're not discussing the needs of the residents," Murphy said "This town board should be focused on making the lives of its constituents better." president of the Police Conference of New York State drove from Albany for the meeting and also weighed in criticizing the town's handling of the dispute "The whole police community in New York State is watching that chief no longer deserves to be able to wear a uniform and be a professional police officer." Supervisor Emminger told me letters to the officers are going out later this week Attorney's Office announced that 37-year-old Michael E Swain of Tonawanda was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for the production of child pornography the FBI executed a search warrant and seized a desktop computer tower a laptop computer and an external hard drive from Swain's home The attorney's office found that between October 20 and November 1 Swain produced visual depictions of five minors engaged in explicit conduct Swain communicated with a 15-year-old girl living in Colorado through the social media platform Discord from 2019 to 2022 Swain requested that the girl take explicit images and videos to send to him Swain pleaded guilty to the production of child pornography in August 2024 (WKBW) — A woman has died from her injuries after a reported assault at People Inc officers responded to the report of an unconscious female at People Inc 56-year-old Diana Robinson of Amherst received life-saving measures at the scene and was transported to ECMC and admitted to the trauma ICU in critical condition Police said 26-year-old Daniel Abbotoy of Niagara Falls was also taken to ECMC and arrested for the assault of Robinson Abbotoy was charged with first-degree assault arraigned in Town of Tonawanda Court and remanded to the custody of the Erie County Sheriff police announced that Robinson died from her injuries on April 15 and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office is considering filing additional charges The minimum age to ride an electric bicycle in New York State is 16 years old but Katie Wetzler said she didn’t know that when she bought one online for her daughter was riding this e-bike when she was struck and badly injured by an SUV last Monday evening in the City of Tonawanda who has remained at her daughter’s side at the hospital since the night of the crash And she said she won’t let Eliana get on it again Eliana Williams was badly injured while riding her electric bicycle when she was struck by an SUV last Monday evening in the City of Tonawanda Eliana was in critical but stable condition on Friday at Oishei Children’s Hospital as she recovered from a severe head injury they did not expect to charge the driver of the SUV in the incident Officials say e-bikes are not safe for children to ride The bikes have risen in popularity in recent years and this growth in use has brought more injuries from crashes – with the youngest riders accounting for a disproportionate share Eliana Williams has improved from critical to critical but stable condition She continues to receive care at Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo But cycling advocates say it’s wrong to jump to conclusions about what happened and especially when a young bicyclist was involved In fact, this was the second serious crash in three days involving a motor vehicle and a bicycle in the City of Tonawanda. A man riding a standard bike was hit and fatally injured in an incident just several blocks away The recent crashes in the City of Tonawanda are the latest grim evidence that many area roadways aren’t built for the safe use of cyclists and pedestrians a spokesperson for the GObike Buffalo nonprofit “I think our battle every year is to consider all circumstances before we’re pointing fingers in any direction and try to get Western New Yorkers to not immediately blame a victim when they see news like this,” Heffernan said we think it may be the intersection design’s fault.” a fourth grader at Holmes Elementary School lives in the Town of Tonawanda but was visiting a friend in the City of Tonawanda on Monday Eliana was riding behind this friend as the pair traveled to a nearby 7-Eleven Tonawanda police said Eliana was eastbound on Fletcher Street when she collided with an Infiniti SUV driving north on Main Police have not identified the 69-year-old man who was driving the SUV Wetzler said Eliana’s friend called her to tell her what happened Wetzler said investigators told her the SUV’s front left bumper hit Eliana before either Eliana Her daughter was wearing a helmet but still suffered a skull fracture and bleeding on her brain but she’s tired and has eaten only applesauce in the days since the crash Eliana is doing better but doctors still don’t know what her long-range prognosis is who has avoided asking her daughter detailed questions about the crash Eliana Williams as seen in a photo posted to a GoFundMe page set up by her mother “I don’t want to raise her heartbeat,” Wetzler said Wetzler said this isn’t the first e-bike Eliana has ridden and her daughter is comfortable operating them She said she ordered the bike for her daughter from Amazon She said the listing for the e-bike didn’t have any information about the minimum age for its use and she didn’t see any age requirement on the state Department of Motor Vehicles website Operators of electric bikes and scooters in New York must be at least 16 Wetzler said she bought her daughter a pedal-assist e-bike and she bought a model that has a lower maximum speed She said it’s been painful to read comments online from people highlighting the state law and criticizing her for letting her daughter ride an e-bike “People on Facebook are making me look like a monster and they don’t know anything about me,” Wetzler said E-bike use is on the rise – but so are the injuries that come with their use E-bike injuries that required emergency room care doubled every year from 2017 to 2022, according to a national study from the University of California San Francisco Children 14 years and younger accounted for about 36% of injuries from e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and other “micromobility” devices from 2017 to 2022, double their 18% proportion of the U.S. population, according to a report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “It’s not a matter of simply saying that e-bikes alone are dangerous. Any bike can be dangerous. You have to ride them all responsibly,” said Heffernan, the GObike Buffalo spokesperson. “But for people who are considering riding them, there’s a reason that it’s to be 16-plus. And that’s not just to be old enough to have the maturity to ride properly. It’s that you know you can hit a high speed and you can crash.” But he said people are too quick to pin blame on bicyclists, or pedestrians, and assume they did something wrong to cause a motor vehicle to hit them. GObike Buffalo and other groups advocate for design changes to make roads and intersections safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. In fact, GObike Buffalo Executive Director Justin Booth, working as a contractor, helped produce a policy guide and action plan for the City of Tonawanda. This safer streets proposal made recommendations for short- and long-term improvements at several intersections in the city, including the one at Fletcher and Main streets, Heffernan said. “This is an ideal candidate for a roundabout,” Heffernan said. That was eight years ago, but the city didn’t take any action, he said. Tonawanda Mayor John White, who wasn’t in office at the time of the study, said a lot has changed since then, with more bike paths in the city and greater use of e-bikes and e-scooters, and he will seek further input on what changes are needed and can be done. He said it was troubling to learn of both recent serious bike crashes in the city. A bicyclist who was struck by a car Friday night in the City of Tonawanda has died from his injuries, city police reported Monday. Three days before Eliana was injured, a 29-year-old man riding a bike on Young Street was struck by the driver of a Kia Niro compact SUV. The motorist, a 29-year-old woman, remained at the scene, according to police. The bicyclist succumbed to his injuries two days later, city police reported. Tonawanda Police Capt. Adam Kirisits on Friday said he didn’t have an update on the investigation into that crash. No charges have been filed yet. White said he’s working with city police, a bike committee he stablished several months ago and Reddy Bikeshare to hold an upcoming educational forum to talk to the parents of young cyclists about biking safety. “This tears me up. And I do not want, as a parent and as a grandparent, to have anybody go through anything like this,” White said. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. A 10-year-old girl is listed in critical condition in Oishei Children's Hospital with injuries suffered when her electric bicycle and an SUV c… Eliana Williams was badly injured while riding her electric bicycle when she was struck by an SUV last Monday evening in the City of Tonawanda. Eliana Williams as seen in a photo posted to a GoFundMe page set up by her mother. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. 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. TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The ‘Daily Deals’ bin store opened on Eggert Road in the Town of Tonawanda just five weeks ago, and it has quickly gained a following. Customers have bought Apple watches, computers, and LEGO for just $12 or less. According to co-owner Ahmad Ashour, this store’s slogan is “Every Friday is Black Friday.” “We buy big truckloads of pallets [of goods]. We get them from brokers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, all the big retailers, and we just put them all on tables, anything you can find, on Fridays it’s $12 [per item],” Ashour said. Overstock and returned items placed for sale at a majorly reduced rate. $12 items on Fridays, since Ashour restocks the shelves Thursday night. Some finds are far more valuable than those price tags. “For example, today we had a lady find an Apple watch. We had some laptops we gave away. We had Lego pieces. We had somebody find Beats headphones,” Ashour said. “I want them to have great items, I put out as much as I can every Friday.” Many of the boxes do come sealed, but Ashour and his staff will open boxes for customers to see what’s inside before they commit to a purchase. Friday’s guests had found plenty of valuable items. “We got here at 8 a.m. on the dot, two hours before it opened,” Anasia Millett said. “I got a little Ring camera for my house.” “Old school black Friday, which doesn't exist anymore because it's all online,” Daniel Janssens said. “There was a Roomba vacuum, I got it… [I] resale, I have customers that ask me if I can get this, this and this.” “It's fun, it's like a scavenger hunt,” Kaitlyn D'Amico said. “I found this really cool neck massager.” We want to hear what’s going on in your community. Share your voice and hear from your neighbors. TOWN OF TONAWANDA, NY (WKBW) — The deep freeze sweeping through the region is causing unprecedented disruptions for the Town of Tonawanda, as extreme cold temperatures continue to snap underground water lines at a record rate. Since the start of January, the town has seen more than 160 water main breaks, with no signs of relief in sight as the freeze-and-thaw cycles wreak havoc on aging infrastructure. I spoke with crews working around the clock to make repairs and restore water service to residents, despite bitter temperatures. “Ice — ice is the worst, I would say,” said Patrick Rowland, Town of Tonawanda Water and Sewer Maintenance Department. You might call Rowland a "marathon man" as he helped to repair some of the more than 160 water main breaks since January 1. "How many have you been out on?” I asked. "Myself? Maybe 100 plus,” replied Rowland. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eileen Buckley (@eileen.buc1) Rowland and his colleagues face constant setbacks as thawing pipes cause repeated breaks “Sometimes there's nothing you can do — you go to blow a line out after you've repaired the pipe The freeze-thaw cycles have proven particularly devastating for Tonawanda’s aging water infrastructure the director of water resources for the town the town reached a new record with 162 water main breaks "We're pushing close to four a day,” said Kessler Kessler praised the quick response and dedication of the crews who have been able to limit the disruptions to residents “I haven’t had one complaint about somebody being out of water because they’re knocking them out so fast,” he explained “They’re getting repair clamps on them right away They're doing some of these while the water is still coming up the pipe." One of the most challenging repairs occurred on Danbury Lane Rowland was on that repair that took hours “That was the worst for sure,” responded Rowland “Just the setup and the way that the sewers were running next to the line we couldn't really dig down next to the line with the machine as we'd like to as it was a lot of hand dig Despite the cold and difficult circumstances working day and night to ensure the water keeps flowing for residents BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Town of Tonawanda is taking disciplinary action against approximately 50 police officers accused of participating in an illegal strike, which the town claims involved a "ticket writing boycott" earlier this year. recently completed and confirmed with 7 News The findings are being forwarded to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board Disciplinary measures could include monetary fines and letters have been dispatched to the affected officers informing them of the charges Thompson received a copy of the charges last week and insists that the police department has suffered from years of mismanagement and I think it’s a waste of taxpayer money.” Thompson contends that the department is facing criticism due to a recent termination of an officer arguing that there was no coordinated slowdown in ticket writing and I think that is what it comes down to,” he said He also stated that any disciplinary measures would be appealed and plans for fundraisers are underway to help officers recoup any fines incurred Thompson added that a change in leadership within the police department is overdue The situation continues to unfold as the town moves forward with its actions against the officers but sometimes you got to hold your children accountable," Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger said Emminger said an investigation found that the alleged strike action happened between January 15 and February 5 Emminger said 48 of those officers who were on non-probationary were involved in a strike About 25 of those officers reportedly did not write any tickets at all during those three weeks while they were on strike the numbers started to strike up," Emminger said "There's a very defined period where you can tell a lot of tickets weren't being written up." Thompson said the officers were not on strike He also said that during those three weeks a large portion of officers were busy with other jobs it snowed every single day," Thompson said We're dealing with accidents and 1,900 more calls." "We never said that they didn't show up to work," Emminger said. "We never said there was a complete shutdown, but there was a slowdown of their work process. That, by Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)'s definition of a strike by a law enforcement agency that not writing tickets falls in that category." Both Emminger and Thompson said that numerous complaints have been made against the chief of police Thompson even mentioned that morale has decreased they don't share the same vision anymore," Thompson said "I asked the president of the Police Club to give me something that the chief has committed a fireable offense," Emminger said the police department was a mess," he said I gave him orders in this office back in 2019 and told him you need to hold your officers accountable." the Sheridan Park Volunteer Fire Company has raised money from the community to support its operations in the Town of Tonawanda much − if not all − of that money is gone Sheridan Park officers reported their findings to town police and authorities are now looking into whether a theft took place are those raised through various fund drives and fundraising events over 96 years,” the company said in a statement to The Buffalo News Town of Tonawanda police have asked FBI financial-crimes experts to take on the case we began investigating the theft of funds from the Sheridan Park Volunteer Fire Company,” Police Chief James Stauffiger said we transferred it to the FBI’s white-collar crime investigators at the Buffalo field office around Jan given that federal law-enforcement agencies have greater experience and more personnel available to investigate suspected financial improprieties a retired longtime fraud prosecutor with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office Vogel said the value of the loss is one factor in whether federal agents will take up the probe it’s not going to be a federal issue,” she said ‘that’s not a federal case,’ right But they probably are not going to be interested in it.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Buffalo told The News it doesn’t confirm or deny the existence of investigations the DA’s office and the fire company all declined to say how much of the organization’s money can’t be accounted for The Sheridan Park Volunteer Fire Company had nearly $342,000 in savings at the end of 2023 according to its most recent publicly available IRS filing Authorities have released little information about the situation including how company members came to suspect that money had gone missing Town of Tonawanda police said they received a walk-in complaint on Jan The department rejected a Freedom of Information Law request for the report because of the ongoing investigation a spokesperson for Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane provided a brief statement in response to questions from The News “Our office is investigating a complaint involving a reported theft from the Sheridan Park Fire Company,” Munro said best apply and where it makes the most sense to prosecute the case “Federal court’s going to handle larger cases than we do,” she said of local “But for the most part it has to do with where you get the biggest bang for your buck And that’s going to depend on who has the tools to work on it.” The reported theft raises the questions of whether it involved the tax revenue received by the Sheridan Park Fire District or whether it could compromise the company’s firefighting capabilities The company sought to allay those concerns in its statement “We want to [assure] the public that none of the money was tax dollars,” Sheridan Park said impact our ability to serve our district and community to combat fires and respond to emergencies.” declined additional comment after providing the statement to The News early Wednesday evening The News initially contacted Palistrant on Tuesday and he agreed to speak with a reporter on Wednesday morning before he canceled the interview Sheridan Park is both a volunteer fire company and a fire district the town’s emergency services coordinator The fire district is a political subdivision that brings in property tax revenue used to pay for the company’s fire trucks the maintenance and utilities at its hall and other fire protection expenses Fire districts in New York are overseen by the State Comptroller’s Office Their finances are subject to annual review and they are governed by an elected board of fire commissioners The Comptroller’s Office has not audited the Sheridan Park Fire District in the past 25 years Fire districts like Sheridan Park in Tonawanda detail their spending in budgets submitted each year to the town The Sheridan Park Fire District planned to spend just over $1 million on fire services in 2025 according to its budget on the town website with $905,000 covered by property taxes and $108,000 through a fire protection contract This revenue is kept separate from money raised by the volunteer fire company essentially the district’s fire department Fire companies raise money from fish fries This money is used to cover department expenses that aren’t directly related to fire protection such as social activities or printing T-shirts for members and their families The nonprofit Sheridan Park Volunteer Fire Company took in $105,000 in revenue in 2023 and had $73,000 in expenses leaving the organization with $342,000 at the end of 2023 according to the company’s financial disclosure form filed in November “That’s money that the members take in to support the social side of the department,” Lutz said But the fire company can use their fundraising to say we’re gonna have a big Christmas party.’ “ © 2025 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.). Visit www.buffalonews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Even more layoffs are coming to the Sumitomo Rubber plant in the town of Tonawanda, almost five months after cutting nearly 1,400 workers in a surprise closure. A notice from the New York State Department of Labor shows Sumitomo Rubber USA plans to terminate another 17 employees on May 15 The layoffs come as an Erie County task force works to find new uses and potential buyers for the site about 1,380 employees arrived for work at the plant only to find Sumitomo's Japanese owners decided to shutter the facility Sumitomo said the closure followed "an extended examination of the viability of the facility following thorough analysis of various business complexities including mounting material and logistics costs County officials say hundreds of those workers have either retired or found new jobs (WKBW) — A unanimous vote by North Tonawanda’s city council has restricted the use of nuclear energy for cryptocurrency mining which is a move that residents said is a win for environmental protection and public health The decision came after months of debate over Digihost a crypto-mining plant that had been exploring the possibility of using a small nuclear reactor to power its operations “The whole idea behind this is to make sure we are protecting our neighborhoods,” said City of North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec North Tonawanda currently lacks zoning laws that address wind, hydro and nuclear energy, but this new legislation prohibits micro-nuclear energy facilities within city limits The law, which took a few months to craft together is meant to give officials time to consider the long-term effects of such energy sources “This legislation really hits the brakes,” Mayor Tylec said we just want to make sure we cover our bases and protect our neighbors.” who has a background in environmental science “My biggest issue with nuclear was that once it’s produced in a location the way things are going with the federal government it has to remain at that location,” Kanack said when the company is no longer around or whoever made the nuclear mess the people are left to clean it up,” Kanack added a resident who lives near the Digihost facility “Nobody wants nuclear power in their backyard," he said We don’t even want the noise that is still going on.” Polito emphasized that pollution from such facilities affects surrounding communities as well “People have to be concerned about the air they are breathing,” he said “Unless we control businesses that do things like this and it doesn’t matter if you live in North Tonawanda or anywhere else.” Mayor Tylec said the city has secured a $125,000 state grant to update zoning codes ensuring regulations align with modern energy and environmental standards the Town of Tonawanda Board voted to take legal action against the Town of Tonawanda Police Club for allegedly engaging in an unlawful strike through a ticket-writing boycott Town Supervisor Joseph Emminger said that the alleged strike took place from roughly January 16 to February 5 during which a "large number" of officers were not issuing tickets for three weeks Supervisor Emminger said the alleged action violated civil service law so we are going forward with it," Emminger said earlier Monday ahead of the board meeting Police Club President Andy Thompson denied the allegations Our officers showed up every day and did their jobs," Thompson said suggesting the union is being unfairly targeted due to tensions between the police chief and town officials "We are outraged that this town board is considering filing a frivolous and merit-less lawsuit against our police union falsely claiming that we ordered a strike," McDonald said Residents at the meeting voiced concern over the legal costs a retired town police officer told 7 News he attended the meeting in support of the police officers and he agrees with the union The town board will release a full report after the 60-day investigation concludes 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 (WKBW) — The North Tonawanda girl's Varsity basketball team has lofty goals and the talent to achieve them "I think we all want to win a State Championship," freshman guard Lilly Day said It's not often you hear a freshman with such high standards but it's even rarer to find a freshman who has already surpassed 1,000 career points Lilly averages more than 20 points per game this season but isn't the Lady Jacks' top scorer That honor belongs to her older sister Annabelle who is averaging nearly 25 points per game The junior guard returned to North Tonawanda this season after spending the last several seasons at Cardinal O'Hara The chemistry with her younger sister immediately formed in their first season together as teammates “It’s kind of like twin telepathy," Lilly said and she will do a backdoor cut and it’s a wide open lay up.” The Day sisters are each other's biggest supporters but their competitive fire to be the best sister takes both of their games to a different level “They’ve got this inner compete that they’ve got to beat each other," head coach Michael Mills said They want to beat each other out for being the best.” Basketball is in their blood and it's brought their entire family closer in the process is a former Super 7 athlete for her excellence in basketball Now the two youngest Day sisters are continuing to make a name for themselves “I grew up in a basketball family and my family all compete," Annabelle said "It’s nice trying a sport I hadn’t played before and then following my older sister.” "I’ve always played against my sister in practices and in training so playing with her is really exciting and I’m just so happy to play with her.”