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Firefighters view the scene after an incident at the Rainbow Bridge U.S. border crossing with Canada, in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. November 22, 2023 in a still image from video. REUTERS/Reuters TVThe FBI is investigating a vehicle explosion Wednesday at the border crossing between Canada and the United States after a vehicle crashed into the checkpoint structure at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter said. An initial search did not find a secondary explosive or device, the law enforcement officials said, noting this was preliminary information. A Customs and Border Protection officer also suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization, a senior law enforcement official said. All western New York bridge crossings into the U.S. were shut down following the incident, the Erie County executive said.

Organizations: Rainbow Bridge, REUTERS, Reuters, FBI, Customs, Border Protection, Erie County, Sheriff's, NBC Locations: Canada, Niagara Falls , New York, U.S, United States, Niagara Falls, New York, Erie, Buffalo

SAVANNAH, N.Y. (AP) — A man on a hunting trip was shot and killed in western New York on Saturday, the first day of the state's regular deer and bear hunting seasons, authorities said. The Wayne County Sheriff's Office said it responded at about 7 a.m. to a report that a hunter had been shot in Savannah, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Rochester. When deputies arrived, they found the man was fatally wounded during a hunting excursion, police said. The sheriff's office did not say how the man was shot and had not released his name as of late Saturday afternoon. Political Cartoons View All 1256 ImagesThe sheriff's office and state Department of Environmental Conservation police were investigating.

Organizations: Sheriff's, Audubon, of Environmental Conservation Locations: SAVANNAH, N.Y, New York, Wayne, Savannah, Rochester

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest honor for Salman Rushdie was a prize kept secret until minutes before he rose from his seat to accept it. On Tuesday night, the author received the first-ever Lifetime Disturbing the Peace Award, presented by the Vaclav Havel Center on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Alaa Abdel-Fattah, the imprisoned Egyptian activist, was given the Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk. Rushdie, 76, noted that last month he had received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, and now was getting a prize for disturbing the peace, leaving him wondering which side of “the fence” he was on. “He was inspirational to me as for many, many writers, and to receive an award in his name is a great honor,” Rushdie added.

Persons: Salman Rushdie, Vaclav Havel, Rushdie, “, ” Rushdie, Azar Nafisi, Vaclav, Havel, Lesley Stahl, Alaa Abdel, Fattah, Adhaf Soueif, ”, ” Abdel, Hosni Mubarak, Ruhollah Khomeini's Organizations: Lolita, Library Foundation, Communist, CBS, Abdel, Trade Locations: Western New York, Tehran ”, Czech, Czechoslovakia

☆ A Florida boomer said he 'can't move back to California fast enough' due to better weather and calmer lifestyle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A boomer living in Sarasota, Florida, said he can't wait to move back to California. The former Los Angeles resident said Florida's weather and lifestyle have driven him to house hunt. Prevesk moved to Florida in 2018 for a business opportunity after his mother died. He knew as a kid that moving to Florida or California would be the goal. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn addition to Southern California, Prevesk is also potentially looking to move to Colorado or Utah for their nature and similar cost of living to Florida.

Persons: —, Steve Prevesk, Prevesk, I've, California Prevesk, he's, He's, staters, haven't Organizations: Service, Sarasota, Santa Monica, Studio Locations: Sarasota , Florida, California, Angeles, Los Angeles, Western New York, Florida, —, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, New York, Sarasota, Studio City, Santa, Southern California, Prevesk, Colorado, Utah

☆ Republicans Are Hammering Democrats on the Migrant Crisis. Will It Work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | Luis Ferré-Sadurní | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The county executive’s message was unequivocal: Erie County had an obligation to open its arms to the crush of migrants overwhelming New York City about 300 miles away. By August, two asylum seekers sheltered in the area had been arrested on sexual assault charges. And after Republicans blamed the county executive, Mark Poloncarz, a Democrat, he abruptly put a migrant relocation program on ice. The episode has been played on repeat this fall in attack ads blanketing the airwaves in Erie County as Republicans try to turn the migrant crisis gripping the state into a political cudgel to flip perhaps the most important elected office in western New York. Part of their strategy: attack ads focused on the busloads of migrants arriving in New York City, miles away from the suburbs.

Persons: Mark Poloncarz Organizations: Democrat Locations: Erie County, New York City, New York, Long, Suffolk County

☆ Salman Rushdie stabbing: Trial date set for suspect accused in the author’s attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Jay Croft | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie and another person onstage has been scheduled for trial in January, prosecutors say. Hadi Matar is expected to stand trial January 8, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said Friday. Rushdie was blinded in the eye and the attack also affected the use of one of his hands. A week after the stabbing, Matar, then 24, pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault, CNN previously reported. Rushdie has a memoir, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” set to be published next year.

Persons: Salman Rushdie, Hadi Matar, Jason Schmidt, Schmidt, Rushdie, “ I’ve, ” Schmidt, Ruhollah Khomeini, Matar, ” Organizations: CNN, Chautauqua Institution, Police Locations: Chautauqua County, New York

☆ Opinion | Who Collects Nazi Memorabilia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “What Kind of Person Spends $1,000 on an SS Bowl?,” by Menachem Kaiser (Opinion guest essay, Oct. 1):Objects by themselves have no meaning. Context — the story the thing tells — transforms an object into an “artifact.” Trading in Nazi memorabilia is trading in Nazi history and ideology, an ideology of hate and violence whose foundational tenet was (and is) antisemitism. Ruth BergmanFarmington Hills, Mich.To the Editor:As the former executive director of the Buffalo Holocaust Resource Center, I am well aware of the thirst for Nazi paraphernalia in Western New York. Area antique marts often sell Nazi Lugers, swastika flags and used Nazi pearl-handled knives. Many U.S. veterans of World War II from Western New York returned home with spoils of war, and some family members brought in horrific concentration camp liberation photos and Nazi flags found in the attic after their parents died.

Persons: Menachem Kaiser, Ruth Bergman Farmington Organizations: SS, Buffalo Holocaust Resource, U.S Locations: Ruth Bergman Farmington Hills, Mich, Buffalo, Western New York, Nazi

NEW YORK (AP) — Salman Rushdie has a memoir coming out about the horrifying attack that left him blind in his right eye and with a damaged left hand. “This was a necessary book for me to write: a way to take charge of what happened, and to answer violence with art,” Rushdie said in a statement released Wednesday by Penguin Random House. The 256-page “Knife" will be published in the U.S. by Random House, the Penguin Random House imprint that earlier this year released his novel “Victory City,” completed before the attack. Political Cartoons View All 1206 Images“'Knife' is a searing book, and a reminder of the power of words to make sense of the unthinkable," Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya said in a statement. Rushdie wrote at length, and in the third person, about the fatwa in his 2012 memoir “Joseph Anton.”“This doesn’t feel third-person-ish to me,” Rushdie said of the 2022 attack in the magazine interview.

Persons: — Salman Rushdie, ” Rushdie, Rushdie, Hadi Matar, Ruhollah Khomeini, ”, Booker, Nihar Malaviya, David Remnick, “ Joseph Anton, “, that’s Organizations: Penguin Random, Chautauqua Institution, Random House, Penguin, PEN America, Random, Yorker Locations: New York, U.S

☆ So long, computer science — Chaos Studies is the hot new college degree
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Tiffany Ng | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"I remember joking about majoring in puzzles as a kid, never imagining that such a thing was possible until my mom discovered the individualized major program," Shortz said. Between 2019 and 2021, there was a 3% increase in the number of students graduating with individualized studies degrees. With majors like Chaos, Human Computer Interaction, and Architecture and Food Theory, students aren't just crafting these degrees for fun. In 2020, RIT renamed its individualized major the New Economy major and highlighted the need for students to "adapt to evolving career fields." Adopting a rather divergent approach to the same goal, New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Studies frames its approach as honing the "management of knowledge."

Persons: Will Shortz, Shortz, — Shortz, He's, we're, Oluwaseyi Onifade, Onifade, James Hall, they're, Makini Beck, SOIS, he's, Ben Papernick, Papernick, haven't, Peter Rajsingh, Gallatin, Kahrej Ahluwalia, Ahluwalia, Rajsingh, Tiffany Ng Organizations: Dell, Indiana University, The New York Times, National Center for Education Statistics, Rochester Institution of Technology, Oluwaseyi, RIT's, Society, Jobs, RIT, Genesee Community College, Applied, University of Texas, Austin, University of Southern, New York University's Gallatin School, Baseball, Gallatin, Schools, NYU Locations: RIT's, Western New York, University of Southern California, New York, Gallatin

☆ A fire department clerk in Buffalo reportedly was paid more than $500K over 7 years – even though she didn't show up for work and actually had a second job
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Buffalo fire department clerk was reportedly paid more than half a million dollars despite not working. Jill Repman collected checks for 7.5 years while on administrative leave after being accused of tampering with payroll, Investigative Post reports. She was working another job while she remained on the city's payroll, per Investigative Post. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe City of Buffalo has paid Repman $572,067 since 2016, the Investigative Post reported, citing state payroll records compiled by government watchdog The Empire Center. The matter of so-called "fake work," referring to employees being paid to do little or no work, has also made headlines this year, primarily in the tech sector.

Persons: Jill Repman, Jill Parisi, Repman, Jill, —, Keith Rabois, Thomas Siebel, Rabois, Britney Levy Organizations: Service, Security, Empire Center . Buffalo City Hall Locations: Buffalo, Wall, Silicon, Buffalo's City, New York

A new accounting shows that at least 523 institutions were part of the sprawling network of boarding schools for Native American children. ‘War Against the Children’ The Native American boarding school system — a decades-long effort to assimilate Indigenous people before they ever reached adulthood — robbed children of their culture, family bonds and sometimes their lives. “The government was not done with war, so the next phase involved war against the children,” said Mr. Sherman, 83, a former aerospace engineer. Now 76, his voice grows shaky when he recounts the punishments children received — and how children were turned into punishers. Library of Congress, Chronicling AmericaA precise accounting of how many children died at Native American boarding schools remains elusive.

☆ Overview of recent US mass shootings motivated by hate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The rampage, which ended when the gunman killed himself, is the latest mass shooting in recent years that appears to have targeted victims based on their race, religion or sexual orientation. Prosecutors said the gunman made the attack in the name of Islamic State, although his motivations for choosing Pulse remain unclear. Before the shooting, the gunman, who was shot and wounded by police, described his antisemitic feelings on social media. He awaits trial on four other murder counts in Atlanta where he faces the death penalty if convicted. Georgia prosecutors have said they intend to designate the case as a hate crime based on race or gender.

Persons: EMANUEL CHURCH, Rich McKay, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Prosecutors, Islamic, Nazi, Mother, AME Church, Thomson Locations: Jacksonville , Florida, U.S, ORLANDO, Orlando , Florida, United States, New Orleans, Islamic State, PITTSBURGH, BUFFALO, New York, Buffalo, CHARLESTON, Charleston , South Carolina, ATLANTA, Atlanta, Georgia

☆ Sam Kerr: the superstar carrying Australia’s hopes on her shoulders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Even as a 15-year-old, Sam Kerr had the weight of a nation on her shoulders. Fast forward to 2023 and Kerr is one of best players in the game and a global star. Kerr has had to wait longer than expected for the honor at this tournament having been forced to miss Australia’s opening two games because of injury. But a surprise defeat to Nigeria in the Matildas’ second group game have left their hopes hanging by a thread. Kerr takes a selfie as she celebrates with her Chelsea teammates after winning the Women's FA Cup in 2022.

Persons: Sam Kerr, Kerr, Alyssa Mautz, ”, Tony Gustavsson, Don Arnold, Tony, it’s, I’m, ’ Kerr, Daniel, Bobby Despotovski, “, ” Despotovski, Nicola Williams, ” Williams, Williams, Mautz, ” Mautz, she’s freakin, ” Kerr, Ryan Pierse, Western New York Flash, Rich Barnes, Vanessa DiBernado, Vanessa, ‘, ’ ”, …, swag, Michael Regan, –, Eddie Keogh, she’s, She’s, soccer’s Organizations: CNN, Australia, Perth Glory, Chicago Red Stars, National Women’s Soccer League, FIFA, reining Olympic, Canada, coy, Sydney Opera House, Getty, Reuters, West Coast Eagles, Australian Football League, Glory, AFL, CNN Sport, Western New York, Sky Blue FC –, NY Gotham FC, Western New York Flash, Perth, Sky Blue, Chelsea, Super League, Red, League, – Chelsea, EA Sports Locations: Canberra, Italy, Australia, Brisbane, New Zealand, South Korea, Nigeria, Western Australia, Chelsea, NJ, Rochester , New York, Perth, Illinois, –, Chicago, London

☆ Wildfire smoke hits New York again: 'We are truly the first generation to feel the real effects of climate change,' Gov. Hochul says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A screenshot of a map from AirNow.Gov shows air quality and smoke plumes on June 28, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. The AirNow Fire and Smoke map is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. Kathy Hochul tweeted Wednesday afternoon that air quality health advisories were in effect for the state. City administrators will be working to alert residents of the hazardous air conditions on public transit and via cell phone alert systems. But Hochul advised residents to look up their zip codes on AirNow.gov for localized air quality readings.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Hochul Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, U.S . Forest Service, New York Gov, Western Locations: Canada, New York, U.S . Forest Service ., York, Western New York, Central New York, Eastern Lake Ontario

☆ Tour Boat in Fatal Capsizing Was Unregulated and Had Tipped Before
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Ed Shanahan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a tour boat capsized in a tunnellike cavern in western New York this week, killing a man and injuring nearly a dozen others, officials said they were investigating when the boat had last been inspected. The 300-foot canal in the dimly lit cavern, the Lockport Cave in Lockport, N.Y., is privately owned and is not a navigable body of water. As such, the narrow, flat-bottomed boat that was carrying 28 people on Monday operated in a regulatory limbo, officials said. Kathy Hochul directed her administration to “look at all possible ways to prevent future tragedies,” a spokesman said on Tuesday. But the governor’s spokesman, Matt Janiszewski, said that no state agency has jurisdiction over vessels in nonpublic, nonnavigable waterways.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, ”, Matt Janiszewski Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, Buffalo News Locations: New York, Lockport, N.Y, U.S, Niagara Falls

☆ One Dead After Boat Capsizes on Underground Cave Tour, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Ed Shanahan | Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One person died and more than a dozen others had to be rescued after a tour boat capsized Monday morning while carrying passengers through an underground cavern in western New York, prompting an all-out rescue effort, officials said. Twenty-nine people were on board when the boat tipped over at the Lockport Cave in Lockport, N.Y., Luca Quagliano, Lockport’s fire chief, said at a news conference. Emergency workers rescued 16 people from the water, Chief Quagliano said; the rest were able to get to safety on their own. In addition to the person who died, eleven people were hospitalized with minor injuries after being pulled from the water, Chief Quagliano said. The city’s police and fire departments and other public safety agencies immediately began rescue efforts, officials said.

Persons: Luca Quagliano, Quagliano, capsizing Locations: New York, Lockport, N.Y, Niagara Falls

☆ Buffalo’s Blizzard Response Had Numerous Failures, Researchers Find
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Hurubie Meko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Emergency warnings from city officials did not adequately convey how life-threatening the storm would be, the report said. City officials didn’t spread the word about the county’s travel ban for cars quickly enough and didn’t adequately stress the dangers of walking outside. And as the storm raged on, coordination between city, county and state officials became strained. The more than 100-page study by a team of researchers at New York University dissected the city’s actions before, during and after the blizzard, pinpointing failures and offering recommendations. The report was requested by the mayor, Byron Brown, in the days after the storm as residents voiced frustration at what they said was a slow and inadequate response.

Persons: didn’t, Byron Brown, ”, Sarah Kaufman Organizations: New York University, Rudin Center for Transportation Locations: New York, Buffalo

☆ Despite Hochul’s Pledge, Her Policies Have Helped Husband’s Firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Jay Root | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At issue is a renewal of the Seneca Nation gaming compact, with billions of dollars at stake. The governor says she is recusing herself from the matter, as is her husband, whose $650,000 in compensation last year helped push the Hochuls’ combined income to just under $1 million. Mr. Hochul has signed his own recusal policy with Delaware North on matters concerning the company’s New York operations. Delaware North was founded more than a century ago in Buffalo, beginning as a peanut stand run by L.M. Jacobs and his brothers, and eventually expanding to stadiums and horse and dog tracks all over the country.

☆ Why Doesn’t Oak Hill Produce Bigger Champions?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Paul Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Oak Hill Country Club in western New York, the site of the P.G.A. Championship that begins on Thursday, has hosted a dozen major or national championships, including United States Opens, previous P.G.A. On paper, Oak Hill looks great. Championship there in 2003, for his only PGA Tour victory. there in 2013, has won five PGA Tour events, but has a reputation for being ultra relaxed during play.

☆ Americans Along Canadian Border Fume Over Ottawa’s Housing Tax
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Canada’s annual underused-home tax is set at 1% of the assessed value or most-recent sale price. Photo: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg NewsOTTAWA—Americans who own property and vacation homes in Canada are furious over Ottawa’s plan to tax real estate that is not occupied year-round. Some Americans are considering selling their Canadian property. One member of Congress, representing western New York state, is pushing the Biden administration to file a trade complaint under the terms of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade treaty, or at least to persuade Canada to carve out an exemption for Americans.

☆ Hacker Stole My Phone, Credit Card, Identity. I Set Out to Find Them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

They left the Verizon store and went to a nearby Apple store, where they used my Chase credit card to spend $6,370. And two, because a physical credit card had been used to make the purchases, even though I was still in possession of my card. Typically, when your credit card is about to expire, as mine was, the bank sends you a new card a few weeks ahead of time. All told, the gang allegedly stole hundreds of identities and defrauded retailers and credit card companies of $1.3 million. Whoever hacked my identity, it makes sense that they started with my credit card.

☆ Iranian foundation offers land to Salman Rushdie's attacker - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - An Iranian foundation has praised the man who attacked novelist Salman Rushdie last year, leaving him severely injured, and said it will reward him with 1,000 square metres of agricultural land, state TV reported on Tuesday through its Telegram channel. Some Muslims saw passages in the novel about the Prophet Muhammad as blasphemous. Khomeini's successor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was suspended from Twitter in 2019 for saying the fatwa against Rushdie was "irrevocable." The man accused of attacking the novelist has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Michael Georgy and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tesla accused of firing union supporters days after organizing effort starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Tesla has fired more than 30 supporters of a nascent union at its Buffalo facility, just days after the organizing effort was announced, according to the union. The union, Tesla Workers United, has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company illegally fired its supporters. “I feel blind sided,” said Arian Berek, one of the fired employees quoted in the union’s statement. Starbucks Workers United’s first victory came in Buffalo, and it is particularly strong in Western New York. In the past, Tesla has been accused of illegally firing union supporters at its plant in California, its first to build cars.

Thirteen relatives of victims spoke during the hearing including Simone Crawley, who called Gendron, 19, a "cowardly racist." The sentence, which was expected because the state does not employ the death penalty, was given by Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown called Gendron's apology too little and too late. "I anticipate what he said today was to save his life in federal court," Flynn said after the hearing. His lawyers have sought a plea deal relating to these in an effort to avoid a possible death sentence.

☆ I followed Nancy Pelosi's diet of breakfast ice cream and hot dogs for a week, and I ping-ponged between euphoria and the depths of despair
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sophie Kleeman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

My research found that Pelosi eats ice cream for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch, pasta, and chocolate. Chocolate ice cream for breakfast, rich and creamy pasta, and lots of snacking chocolate. She claims she does not exercise; her daughter once arrived home to find her mother eating chocolate ice cream while using a stationary bike. I save the ice cream for later to avoid a massive sugar crash and start out with a cup of black tea instead. However, I don't want to slack off after the ice cream episode, so I slather it on.

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