WLVL Local News

Over an inch of rain and snow melt over the past few days overwhelmed wastewater treatment plants and the underground infrastructure in the Buffalo region, resulting in dozens of sewage overflows. An analysis showed at least 37 million gallons of untreated and partially treated sewage mixed with stormwater discharged into local waterways in the past 24 hours.

Code Blue will remain in effect through 8 a.m. Friday (Jan. 2) in the city of Lockport due to forecasted overnight below-freezing temperatures. Any homeless person or individual without home heating may go directly to the Salvation Army, 50 Cottage St., between 8 and 10 p.m. daily for shelter.

Tom Keough and Patricia Dufour, longtime board members for the Town of Lockport, leave their positions today. Dufour will fill the position of coordinator of economic development as Tom Sy wraps up six years in the role. Supervisor Mark Crocker said Keough plans to retire for good.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has appointed Perry Sham as Chief Financial Officer.

National Grid’s expanded field force had been working around the clock to restore service to more than 142,800 of the over 150,100 customers (95%) affected by the destructive winter storm that struck upstate New York beginning Sunday evening. They say just a handful of outages remain.

It was business as usual Tuesday for Coppins Service Center on Center Street in Lewiston, but its front facade will be boarded up until repair work can be done. Monday, high winds ripped part of the facade off the building. No one hurt.

The Buffalo Police Union says the officers involved in the case of Erie County Sheriff’s Chief of Narcotics D.J. Granville have been disciplined by the department.
In April 2024, Granville crashed into several cars on Buffalo’s West Side in his county car, causing over $60,000 in damage.

If you find yourself with shopping to do New Year’s Day, a number of retailers will be open including Target, CVS, Giant Eagle, Wegmans, Walmart and Walgreens among them.

Sabres square off against the Stars in Dallas tonight. 8pm puck drop.

A Buffalo woman, 32 year old Renaiyah Cornelious, was arraigned on one count of vehicular manslaughter among other charges after she allegedly hit and killed an 80-year-old man on Saturday, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.

A wind gust recorded at the Buffalo Airport just after 11 a.m. Monday hit 79 miles per hour, approaching a Buffalo record. The gust was recorded by the National Weather Service at 11:05 a.m. The Buffalo record, according to media reports, is 82 miles per hour, which was reportedly recorded during a storm on Feb. 16, 1967. Many across Western New York remain without power.

The City of Buffalo announced Tuesday that the Skyway has reopened. Officials are reminding motorists to continue to drive carefully, as winter conditions are still in effect.

Lockport City council members say a lack of communication from Mayor John Lombardi III makes it difficult to say what progress was made in the city in 2025. LockportJournal.com reporting every alderman, except Mark Devine, has said the mayor doesn’t read email and they can not communicate with him that way.

Thousands were left without power across Western New York after Monday’s storm swept across the region. Winter weather wreaked havoc all day, but it wasn’t heavy snow that caused the problems. Gusty winds nearing 80 miles per hour did the most damage.

Fire crews responded to a partial building collapse in Lewiston shortly before noon on Monday. The incident took place at Coppins Service Center on Center Street. The cause of the collapse is under investigation.

In Wheatfield, four utility poles were knocked down at the intersection of Niagara Falls Boulevard and Williams Road on Monday morning.

As the winds have died down, flights are the Buffalo Niagara International Airport have resumed. However, some flights are still delayed. Be sure to check with your airline for the latest updates.

As part of its winter storm response, National Grid has announced that dry ice and bottled water will be distributed from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Niagara Falls Fire Department’s Fire House 8, 320 Hyde Park Blvd.

Sabres beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Monday night for their ninth straight victory.

Police are searching for the driver of a pickup truck that fled the scene on foot after a wrong-way, head-on crash on the Niagara Scenic Parkway Sunday night.

The Skyway closed at 6 a.m. on Monday due to anticipated severe weather and high wind gusts, city of Buffalo officials announced and will remain closed until further notice.

Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said $5 million in state allocations for two key city projects was an “early Christmas present.” The funds include $1 million for renovations to the Rapids Theater and $4 million for Niagara Falls’ ongoing efforts to renovate a series of long vacant buildings – mostly along Main Street – in one of the city’s key business districts.

The New York State Department of Health today announced that the state is experiencing the highest number of flu cases ever recorded in a single week. The Department’s most recent data shows a total of 71,123 positive flu cases reported for the seven days ending December 20, 2025, the most that the Department has ever recorded in one week since influenza was made reportable in 2004.

The Bills trailed by 13 at halftime, and through three quarters as well. A potentially epic fourth-quarter back fell short, though, with a 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Figure skating will take center stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, combining athletic power with artistic expression on blades just one-eighth of an inch wide. The sport features five Olympic medal events: men’s and women’s singles, pairs, ice dance and team competition. Each event includes two segments – a short program and a free skate, also called the long program.

A house fire on Christmas Eve left a Hartland family displaced and destroyed their home, but the community has rallied to support them in the wake of the tragedy. “Runnings, a store in Lockport, opened their door on Christmas day and let the kids come in and get coats,gloves and hats that they donated. The home’s owner James Minner is a Hartland town justice and chaplain with the Hartland Volunteer Fire Company.

The Buffalo Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find a missing child. Buffalo Police say that 14-year-old Ja’nia Batch was last seen wearing black pants, a black shirt, and a zip-up black hoodie, but police say she may have changed clothes. She has brown nose piercing and pink, blue, and blonde highlights in her hair. Police list her at 5 feet, 2 inches.

Ski mountaineering, known as “ski-mo,” makes its Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, bringing a sport rooted in human survival and military necessity into the global spotlight. Competitive events, including sprint races and a mixed-gender relay, will be held in Bormio.

A chimney fire at an East Amherst home caused significant damage Saturday morning after fire officials say it spread to the roof and attic. Multiple fire companies, including Swormville Fire and the East Amherst Fire Company responded around 7:00 a.m. Saturday. By the time firefighters arrived, the flames had spread to the second floor and the attic of the home. It took them less than 30 minutes to extinguish.