1
10
21
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http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/fc0ce4019d9dbc37f023bb56683ca243.mp4
604f1b2213dd80bc2776adebe0fae917
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Title
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Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
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Archbishop Desmond Tutu Visits Buffalo
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Walker, Jacquie (Anchor, Reporter)
Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
Sawabini, Wadi (Reporter)
Description
An account of the resource
On January 29, 1989, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa visited Buffalo to seek help in ending apartheid in his country.
Apartheid, which means “apartness” in the language of Afrikaans, was the name given to the official separation of the race. The practice was enforced by a government dedicated to principals of white supremacy. The National Party came to power in 1948.
The National Party, through legislation in 1950, classified South Africans according to race. Based on racial classification, the government decided where people could live and work, what type of schooling they could receive, what facilities would be open to them, who they could associate with, and whether or not they could vote.
Archbishop Tutu called the practice “evil.” His 1989 visit to Buffalo came at a time when an anti-apartheid faction within the National Party was beginning to make significant changes.
Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize, told Buffalo audiences they could help in the fight against apartheid, even if it was just by saying a prayer. He compared the policy of apartheid to Nazism. He preached non-violence in the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
WIVB-TV anchor Jacquie Walker interviewed Archbishop Tutu for a special program that documented his appearances in Western New York and his thoughts on civil rights. He said he believed he would see an end to apartheid in his lifetime.
In a report by WIVB’s Rich Newberg, African American inner-city residents living on Buffalo’s East Side shared thoughts about their own struggles for equality and the consequences of systemic racism. Violent crime was affecting their quality of life. There were also demonstrations against police brutality.
Deputy Assembly Speaker Arthur O. Eve told Mr. Newberg that conditions had worsened since the urban race riots of the late 1960s. He said there were more homeless people of color, that the Buffalo infant mortality rate among Blacks and Latinos was the highest in the nation, and drugs and Aids were wreaking havoc in the inner-city.
The campaign to end apartheid achieved success in 1994 with the formation of a democratic government in South Africa. The white minority’s rule through fear and intimidation had finally ended.
Contributor
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Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Date
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1989-01-29
Subject
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Tutu, Desmond
Eve, Arthur O.
Apartheid -- South Africa
Racism -- United States
African Americans -- New York (State) -- Buffalo
African Americans -- Civil rights
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Format
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video/mp4
Type
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Moving Image
Language
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eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/aad1f0c33ccf43acf9801ddb3d306463.mp4
db163422cda3c7e8b9b37aa371af7589
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
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1:00:31
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Right to Know
Date
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1980-2014
Source
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Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
RIGHT TO KNOW LAWS
In 1980, demands by Western New York union workers dealing with toxic chemicals reached a crescendo. They insisted on knowing the nature of the substances to which they were exposed, and the extent of that exposure on the job. Some were suffering from ailments they attributed to toxic exposure.
As a result of their efforts and similar demands that were being made around the country, “Right to Know” laws were passed locally, statewide, and nationally, granting workers and citizens access to chemical information critical to their health and safety.
The following series of WIVB-TV reports by Rich Newberg documents this critical period of awakening to environmental hazards. They were aired on WIVB-TV in 1980 and ’81. The same issues are surfacing again today. The incoming Biden administration is pledging to make environmental justice a top priority.
The opening comment is from Lois Gibbs. In 1980 Ms. Gibbs and the Love Canal Homeowners Association successfully organized the relocation of more than 700 families whose homes were in the toxic Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York. Their efforts led to the creation of the nation’s Superfund, providing relief for toxic neighborhoods around the country. Her comments are provided courtesy of Harvard University, where she was interviewed as part of the “Voices From the Field Leadership Series” on April 10, 2014.
[Total Running Time of Reports: 1:00:26]
1. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST LOIS GIBBS REFLECTS BRIEFLY ON THE RIGHT TO KNOW
“Voices from the Field” (series)
Harvard University
School of Public Health
April 10, 2014
“Right to know actually started in the workplace, and then the workers moved it to the city level, then the county level, and then the state level. And then these various states did it, and the industry is going crazy because they’re filling out so many forms. And they said, we need a federal policy. This is insane.”
(Runs: :14)
2. WORKERS RIGHT TO KNOW LAW [SERIES]
“A Safe Place to Work?”
WIVB-TV Impact Series
5 Parts / February 1980
(Runs: 14:40)
Chemical and steel workers in the Buffalo-Niagara region demand to know the level of exposure to toxic substances in the workplace. There is increasing evidence that their health and safety are being compromised. Their efforts lead to the New York Right To Know Law, requiring industries to disclose the type of chemicals utilized in the workplace and the level of exposure to workers.
Western New York ranks in the top 10% of cancer regions in the country. Cancer experts believe exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace is largely to blame.
This five part series by WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg takes viewers into the plants in question and explores the concerns expressed by workers who say they are suffering the consequences of exposure to dangerous chemicals.
[Part 1]
Workers at the Olin Chemical Plant in Niagara Falls, New York claim they are losing their hair and teeth due to exposure to mercury in a plant that produced chlorine.
A year earlier Occupational Health and Safety inspectors find that controls were not implemented to reduce unsafe levels of exposure to mercury.
While workers are given urine tests and the plant is making improvements, including a new ventilation system, the manager is unable to promise employees they will remain within federal safety limits of mercury exposure. He says in “certain operations it’s just not technically feasible to reduce the levels below that limit.”
(Runs: 3:35)
[Part 2]
Bethlehem Steel workers in Lackawanna, New York are exposed to suspected lead dust in the 13 Inch Bar. It is described by United Steel Workers Local 2603 president Art Sambuchi as, “A big heavy air, orange in color. You can’t see ten, fifteen feet in front of you.” Workers in the mill staged a wildcat strike believing their safety has been compromised.
At the same time, the federal government is investigating concerns that carcinogenic toxins from the coke ovens are exposing workers to dangerous carcinogens. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration finds 22 serious violations, indicating that workers are being exposed up to 13 times beyond the safe level of exposure to poisonous chemical emissions.
Stanley Lukasik, a 58 year old retired coke oven supervisor who attributes his weak heart to his 36 years at the steel plant, says he proved in 1970 (ten years earlier) that emissions could be controlled, even without the use of sophisticated equipment, but that Bethlehem Steel ignored his suggestions. Mr. Lukasik dies of a heart attack eight days after being interviewed for the WIVB-TV “Right To Know” series.
(Runs: 2:37)
[Part 3]
Joseph Pillittere of Niagara Falls, New York enters politics after working as a rocket test engineer at Bell Aerospace in Western New York. He believes several of his co-workers died as a result of chemical exposure while on the job.
As a freshman Assemblyman-(D), Niagara Falls), Pillittere fights for a law that will give workers the right to know the chemicals they are exposed to in the workplace and the risks involved.
Workers from all types of plants and mills in Western New York begin posting stickers demanding to know, “What’s In This Stuff?” Claiming their “safety and health is at stake,” they call for passage of the Right to Know Legislation.
Momentum is building as a result of environmental tests conducted around Bloody Run Creek in Niagara Falls. Results show the presence of deadly dioxin dust in some factories upstream. Dioxin is considered one of the most deadly chemicals ever created.
On December 20, 1979, the findings are announced to a cross section of workers who meet in Niagara Falls, New York. Assemblyman Pillittere presses federal health officials at the meeting, questioning why they were not aware of the fact that
Tam Ceramics Company had closed one of its buildings that had been contaminated by dioxin dust.
Pillittere realizes his legislation, if passed, would be costly to industry, but is willing to lose potential re-election support in order to fight for the rights of workers. He says, “It’s more important to be able to live with yourself, and If you can live with yourself and you get re-elected, it’s a plus. If you can live with yourself and you don’t get re-elected because of big money, at least you can say you always say that you did what you thought was right.”
(Runs: 3:03)
[Part 4]
At a state conducted hearing in Niagara Falls, Garath Tubbs of the Worker’s Compensation Reform Coalition tells the story of an industrial painter who developed a condition that led to uncontrollable shaking and great pain.
Chemical plant representatives from Niagara Falls also testify. Hooker Chemical Corp. Vice President of Operations Milo Harrison says his company is against new legislation that might lead to burdensome rules and regulations. He says Hooker is already studying workers’ health histories and releasing information to workers about hazardous chemicals.
Jeanne Reilly, President of Technical Engineers Union Local 57 at Hooker Chemical testifies that she has yet to see the results of monitoring tests on her fellow workers. This, despite “numerous promises and statements of corporate policy.”
(Runs: 2:27)
[Part 5] (conclusion)
Labor unions representing workers who deal with toxic chemicals call for a central agency that would deal with exposure on the job. Workers’ families, they say, have a right to know what’s being brought home.
Western New York’s scientific community also calls on area industries provide more information about hazardous chemicals.
Cancer researcher Beverly Paigen says, “Our knowledge is very limited in this area, partly because no records are kept of employee exposure, and no records are kept of occupational disease.”
The initial driving political force behind the movement against chemical contamination has its roots in the Love Canal neighborhood. Residents of contaminated communities, along with workers are demanding that the government and industry be more responsive to the hazards of chemical exposure.
Workers seek to know not just the trade name of the chemicals in the workplace, but the components as well. They also want to know if these chemicals accumulate in the human body to cause harm.
Public awareness and sensitivity to the problems of chemical contamination of the environment, in neighborhoods and the workplace is growing, thanks to grass roots and media efforts to dig deeper into health and safety issues.
(Runs: 2:35)
3. HOOKER CHEMICAL FIRES OUTSPOKEN WORKER
The President of Technical Engineers Union Local 57 at Hooker Chemical is fired after testifying that she has yet to see the results of monitoring tests on her fellow workers.
(Runs: 2:01)
4. NEW YORK STATE LAWMAKERS PASS WORKERS RIGHT TO KNOW BILL
The New York State legislature passes the Workers Right to Know Bill. It gives workers the right to know the nature of hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
The bill was first introduced by Niagara Falls Assemblyman Joe Pillittere. Senator John Daly handled the bill in the State Senate.
(Runs: :38)
5. BETHLEHEM STEEL WORKERS SHUT DOWN 13” BAR MILL OVER LEAD DUST SAFETY ISSUES
A wildcat strike by Bethlehem Steel workers shuts down the 13” bar mill. Workers say thick clouds of steel lead dust make breathing difficult. They have called on the company to install a proper ventilation system and allow studies to be conducted on medical histories of workers in the mill.
(Runs: 1:42)
6. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD RULES THAT STEEL WORKERS ARE ENTITLED TO THOUSANDS OF COMPANY FILES DATING BACK FIVE YEARS
1980
The National Labor Relations Board rules that the Steelworkers Union is entitled to thousands of Bethlehem Steel files dating back five years. The files will be used to determine whether exposure to potentially hazardous substances in the workplace may have impacted the health of workers.
(Runs: 1:41)
7. BETHLEHEM STEEL COKE OVEN TOUR
1980
Reporters are given a tour of the coke ovens on the Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna. A $113 million dollar cleanup effort has cut back on harmful emissions. A year earlier federal health and safety inspectors found harmful emissions thirteen times greater than federal standards allow.
(Runs: 1:42)
8. DONNER HANNA COKE EMISSIONS IMPACT QUALITY OF LIFE IN SOUTH BUFFALO NEIGHBORHOOD
(2 PARTS)
Black dust from the Donner Hanna Coke Company in South Buffalo is raining down on homes near the Bethlehem Steel plant in Lackawanna. The company’s huge ovens turn coal into coke for steel making. Residents, who refer to the pollutants as “the black rain,” learn that they are being exposed to harmful doses that can cause long term health problems. Some are already experiencing respiratory problems. The state says it will meet with Donner Hanna officials to discuss the issue.
1981
(Runs: 3:52)
9. 400 UNION LEADERS TAKE A STAND AGAINST ATTEMPTS TO TAKE POWER AWAY FROM THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
(2 PARTS)
1980
Western New York labor unions unite to fight proposed legislation that they claim would strip the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of its power. Congressmen representing the region, including Jack Kemp, come out against the Schweiker Bill.
(Runs: 3:00)
10. SICK AND INJURED WORKERS TELL STATE LAWMAKERS THEY CAN BARELY SURVIVE ON CURRENT WORKERS COMPENSATION BENEFITS
1980
Workers injured on the job testify before state lawmakers that the compensation payments they receive have not kept up with the cost of living. Older workers, whose compensation rates were set in stone, do not qualify for increased payments that went into effect years later. Members of the state compensation board agree that the law must change.
(Runs: 1:58)
11. FIGHTING CHEMICAL FIRES
Special training for firefighters who need to understand the nature of lethal
gases and smoke.
1981
(Runs: 1:31)
12. WESTERN NEW YORK CHEMICAL COMPANIES HAVE NO PLACE TO DUMP TOXIC WASTE
1981
Firefighters are trained to deal with toxic chemical blazes. Newer Scott Air Packs
ensure against mask leakage.
(Runs: 1:48)
13. 500 MILLION GALLONS OF CONTAMINATED WATER ARE BEING DUMPED INTO NIAGARA RIVER EVERY DAY ACCORDING TO NEW YORK PUBLIC INTEREST GROUP STUDY
(3 PARTS)
1981
Chemical companies are running out of places to dump their hazardous wastes.
Niagara Falls residents are concerned that current hazardous waste burial grounds may be expanding.
The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) says chemical companies have been dumping 500 Million gallons of contaminated water into the Niagara River every day. NYPIRG is concerned that the drinking water for 380,000 area residents may be polluted.
The Chemical Manufacturers Association questions the NYPIRG findings and accuses the public interest group of putting jobs in jeopardy. The federal government will provide millions of dollars to improve processing at the Niagara Falls Waste Water Treatment Plant.
NYPIRG faults the City of Niagara Falls for allowing Hooker Chemical’s S Dump to remain open. NYPIRG says the intake system there is contaminated and that tons of toxic chemicals are leaching into the Niagara Falls Water Filtration Plant.
(Runs: 6:26)
14. REPUBLIC STEEL FILTERS OUT HARMFUL CHEMICALS —RETURNING CLEAN WATER TO BUFFALO RIVER
1980
Republic Steel says it has filtered out harmful chemicals and is returning clean wager to the Buffalo River. Reporters and government officials are given a tour of the $11 million dollar filtration system. Republic Steel had been cited in the past for water pollution violations.
(Runs: 2:03)
15. RADIATION EXPOSURE DURING DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB AT LINDE PLANT TOWN OF TONAWANDA
1980
During the development of the atomic bomb, the Linde Division of Union Carbide in the Town of Tonawanda allowed up to 70 million gallons of radioactive liquid waste to be discharged into waste water wells on its property. The U.S. Department of Energy maintains the uranium concentrations in that waste were not significant enough to pose a health threat. Water samples are continuing around the Linde site. It was revealed that some Linde employees may not have been told they were working on the Manhattan project. Efforts are underway to find these employees and check their health records.
(Runs: 1:52)
16. RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL SHIPMENTS FROM CANADA
There is growing concern that shipment of radioactive material from Canada are going unreported as they enter Western New York. Buffalo lawmakers move toward initiating regulations that would alert localities when shipments are passing through on their roadways.
(2 PARTS)
1981
(Runs: 4:57)
17. “THE PRICE WE PAY FOR LEAD”
(2 PARTS)
8/1 - 8/2/1995
Even though lead paint was banned in 1978, Buffalo’s old housing stock makes residents vulnerable to exposure. Even lower levels can be harmful. Children have been poisoned, some suffering irreversible damage, including hyperactivity and learning disabilities.
More than 61 percent of children in Erie County, ages 6 months to 5 years, are estimated to exceed the safety limits of lead in the blood. Black children, many from the inner city, make up 78 percent of youngsters treated for lead poisoning in Erie County.
Lawsuits are filed against landlords in Buffalo who have failed to remove lead paint from their properties. However, defense attorneys say it is difficult to prove that exposure to lead paint is the cause of certain ailments.
(Runs: 10:08)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Subject
The topic of the resource
Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State)
Hazardous substances -- Law and legislation.
Industrial safety -- Law and legislation.
Chemicals -- Safety measures
Environmental Pollutants -- Poisoning.
Olin Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Hooker Chemical Corporation
Lead poisoning
Donner-Hanna Coke Corporation
Republic Steel Corporation
Union Carbide Corporation
Chemicals--Fires and fire prevention
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Gibbs, Lois (Environmental Activist)
Harvard University (School of Public Health)
Pillittere, Joseph (New York State Assemblyman)
Spatorico, Sal (Chemical Worker)
Sambuchi, Art (United Steel Workers Local 2603 President)
Lukasik, Stanley (Retired Steel Worker)
Reilly, Jeanne (Technical Engineers Local 57 President)
New York Public Interest Research Group
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/1ecdf843efd901fd9b2f359ba5e69841.mp4
eff6b692b2733efa47bb56c367843e19
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Crisis at West Valley 4 : Cleanup Plans Take Shape
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>1.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story documenting top U.S. energy officials assuring West Valley residents that the massive cleanup effort will be safely conducted with citizen input. The federal government takes possession of the high level nuclear waste burial grounds and the facilities there in about five days. <br />A citizens panel led by Peter Skinner is aware of “the technological difficulties of the project, the public sensitivity of the facility, and the hazards of the undertaking…” Westinghouse representative Ray Maison promises to keep the community “fully informed of what we’re doing and what we plan to do every step of the way.” <br /><br />However, dairy farmer Emil Zimmerman questions what would happen if the milk from his cows is contaminated with strontium 90. He is concerned about the livelihood of the people in the area. He wants to also know about liability should there be an accident. He says this issue should be considered as a priority as cleanup plans progress.<br /><br />There is also concern about the Reagan administration’s plans to possibly dissolve the U.S. Department of Energy. The department’s representative,Sheldon Meyers, says if there is “dismantlement,” he believes that “the various functions in the department which are mandated by law or are necessary to do, will be either distributed to other agencies or a new independent agency will be set up.”<br /><em>(Runs: 3:33)</em><br /><br /><strong>2.</strong> Reporter Rich Newberg questions Jim Duckworth, who ran the Nuclear Fuel Services plant for Getty Oil. Getty purchased the reprocessing facility from W.R. Grace Company in 1969. The first shipments of spent nuclear fuel rods at arrived in 1965, with reprocessing beginning 1966.<br /><br />A steel storage tank containing 600,000 gallons of high level liquid radioactive must be emptied and converted into a solidified, glass like substance for permanent storage.<br /><br />During an informational briefing featuring a scale model of the tank, Duckworth explains how the original safety system for high level radioactive waste was compromised. He confirms that the catch basin that sits under the steel tank has a hole in it.<br /><br />Newberg asks: “Is there a crack in the pan?”<br /><br />Answer: “There is a hole in the pan between the pan and the vault.”<br /><br />He says there is no radioactivity outside the tank. The ‘saucer’ is supposed to be a catch basin for the tank, should there be a spill. Duckworth says “Since that system was compromised, we have put in more sensitive systems that have been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission…”<br /><br />At the beginning of the briefing, the model is shown to be on a scale of 3/8th“ to a foot. The actual tank measures 70 feet in diameter and is 27 feet high. It sits in a “partial tank” (catch basin) about 5 feet high. It is a “cup and saucer” design. The cup and saucer are sitting in a one-foot thick concrete vault. <br /><br />The entire vault is underground sitting on four feet of gravel which is covered with 8 feet of dirt. Outside the vault, water is injected so that the entire area is saturated with liquid. If the vault should crack, Duckworth says the water would leak in. He explains that liquid level detectors are installed inside the vault and inside the pan (saucer). <br /><br />Duckworth says there is a 24 inch pipe that extends from the center of the tank up above grade. He says there is an empty spare tank beside the tank containing the waste. If a leak were detected, he says the contents would be pumped into the spare tank. <br /><br />Duckworth points out that this was the design technology in 1963. The criteria for the tank’s construction was given to the original reprocessing company by the Atomic Energy Commission.<br /><br />The tank is described as “mild steel,” which has a high resistance to breakage. Duckworth says the waste put in the tank is neutralized with “caustic” (he says it is the same chemical as oven cleaner). Caustic will not dissolve mild steel. The tank was to be replaced every 50 years. Duckworth says a test on a piece of pipe from the tank was made in 1977 or ’78 on how much corrosion had taken place. He says it was determined that the tank could last another 400 years if the corrosion rate stayed the same. The maximum temperature of the tank was 240 degrees Fahrenheit. It is now held at 185 degrees F. He says the corrosion rate has been reduced by a factor of two. <br /><br />The principle radioactive isotopes in the tank are strontium 90 and cesium 137. They have half-lives of about 30 years. Duckworth notes the scale model is not entirely accurate regarding the piping at the base. <br /><br />Video then includes exterior shots of where the tank is stored underground as well as shots of the buildings on the site. <br /><em>(Runs: 12:55)</em><br /><br /><strong>3.</strong> Rich Newberg’s overview report on terms of the cleanup agreement at West Valley. New York State Energy Commissioner James LaRocca says the agreement “marks a new era for the federal government in assuming its responsibilities for dealing with this very very difficult problem of nuclear waste disposal.” <br /><br />90 percent of the projected $285 million dollar cost for the project will be paid by the federal government. 10 percent will be the state’s responsibility. The site is slated to be turned over to the federal government no later than October 1, 1981. The cleanup effort is projected to take 17 years. The high level liquid waste is to be turned into a glass like substance and ultimately removed to a yet unnamed federal repository for permanent storage. <br /><br />Commissioner LaRocca says “the agreement precludes the use of West Valley for any other purpose but the solidification removal of these wastes during the conduct of this project.”<br /><em>(Runs: 1:25) (November, 1980)</em><br /><br /><em>[Note: Since the original projections, the cost to clean up nuclear waste at West Valley is estimated in 2020 to be between $5 billion and $10 billion dollars. The hopes of developing a lucrative nuclear fuel reprocessing plant were dashed when the operation shut down in 1972, six years after it began. The State of New York had originally provided a loan of $32 million in 1963 to build the plant. During the course of its operation it brought in $22 million in sales.]</em><br /><br /><strong>4.</strong> The clean-up agreement at West Valley calls for Getty Oil’s Nuclear Fuel Services company to transfer ownership of the high level radioactive site to the federal government. <br /><em>(Runs: 0:37)</em><br /><br /><strong>5.</strong> Allen Costantini’s story on the transfer of the West Valley site to the federal government. U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-New York) says the high level waste cleanup effort will serve as a demonstration project for the nation. While the 600,000 gallons of high level radioactive waste will be solidified and removed from the site, there is still a question about the future placement of the highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods contained in canisters submerged in a pool of water. New York State Energy Commissioner James LaRocca says that issue will be addressed when a national spent fuel program is put in place.<br /><em>(Runs: 2:13)</em><br /><br /><strong>6.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on the U.S. Senate’s vote to consider West Valleys as one of three future sites for the storage of spent nuclear fuel rods. There are 162 metric tons of those rods from nuclear power plants stored at West Valley. The bill would allow trucks to deliver radioactive waste to West Valley or the other sites under consideration in South Carolina and Illinois. U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato (R-New York) is concerned that there would be “incidents” as atomic waste is carried over the nation’s roadways. The Senate bill does not allow radioactive waste to be stored on the property of the nuclear power plants that generated the waste. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:53)</em><br /><br /><strong>7.</strong> Emil Jablonski’s story on a public relations effort by Westinghouse to educate citizens about the project to clean up and remove high level radioactive waste from the West Valley site. Ray Maison of Westinghouse gives assurances that the 600,000 thousands of high level liquid waste that will be turned into a glass like substance will not be permanently stored at the site. “No chance at all,” he says. “This is not considered a suitable site for a federal repository.” The public learns that old fuel reprocessing equipment will be decontaminated and removed, so machinery to solidify radioactive waste can be moved in.<br /><em>(Runs: 2:15)</em><br /><br /><strong>8.</strong> The final federal report on long-term management of liquid high-level radioactive wastes stored at West Valley recommends that the waste be shipped to a federal repository for permanent storage. The federal government, however, still does not have a permanent disposal sight designated. <br /><em>(Runs: 0:45)</em><br /><br /><strong>9.</strong> The future of the West Valley site is again in question when the House Energy Committee fails to stop the U.S. Department of Energy from creating radioactive waste storage sites away from nuclear power plants.<br /><br />Representative Stanley Lundine (D-Jamestown) is concerned that the Senate will view West Valley as “the most convenient dumping ground.” Representative Jack Kemp (R-Hamburg) says that he and Lundine will work to “remove any possibility of West Valley being used either temporarily or permanently as a storage ground for nuclear waste.”<br /><em>(Runs: 1:14)</em><br /><br /><strong>10.</strong> WIS-TV (Columbia, South Carolina) interview with U.S. Energy Secretary James Edwards, who serves in the Reagan administration. The interview is conducted as a facility in Barnwell, South Carolina is considering opening a privately owned nuclear reprocessing plant. It would be similar to what was once the West Valley operation. <br />Edwards says the plant at West Valley had operated successfully for four or five years and then closed down in order to upgrade the operation. He explains that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission changed the rules “in the middle of the stream on them, and they started adding more requirements and more regulations…” <br />As a result he says the company said it couldn’t afford what was being required and went out of business. Edwards adds that defense work had been done at West Valley which justifies taxpayers covering cleanup costs.<br /> <br />He said “these weapons helped keep us safe and free.” He calls sites like West Valley “little places that are thorns in our sides and thorns into the future development of nuclear energy…” He says he has “put a lot of emphasis in cleaning those up.” He goes on to say that the country will learn from West Valley because of methods that will be employed to clean up the high level radioactive waste there. <br /><em>(Runs: 3:03)</em><br /><br /><em>[Note: Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, a nuclear physicist and staff scientist to the Radioactive Waste Campaign, which fought proposals to reopen West Valley for more nuclear waste, has said upgrades to the plant in 1972 would have cost about $600 million dollars. “In the Sierra Club’s extensive petition to intervene in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s proceeding to expand the plant,” says Resnikoff, “we argued that the plant could not withstand a potential earthquake.” The new conditions that were going to be imposed on the plant required safeguards, should an earthquake occur. West Valley sits on a geological fault line. </em><br /><em>The cost to upgrade was prohibitive and Getty Oil never re-opened the nation’s only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant.] </em><br /><br /><strong>11.</strong> WIS-TV (Columbia, South Carolina) reporter John Roberts series on lesson learned from the problems at the West Valley nuclear storage site. <em>(This same piece appears in the Crisis at West Valley 1 : Overview report.)</em><br /><br />Atomic power plants and the Department of Energy want to open an already built reprocessing plant for spent nuclear fuel rods in Barnwell, South Carolina. The $350 million dollar plant was built in 1976 (about six years before these reports aired). Uranium and plutonium would be extracted from the fuel rods used in nuclear reactors, and then used again. <br /><br />Critics of opening the plant point to problems at West Valley as a good reason not to allow the plant to open. <br /><br />Reporter Roberts points out that the West Valley plant closed in 1972 after operating for six years. He says the reprocessing plant had suffered $42 million dollars in losses. The costs of removing 600,000 gallons of highly radioactive liquid and sludge will cost a lot more, reports Roberts. He also shows the 163 metric tons of radioactive fuel assemblies stored at the bottom of cooling tanks at West Valley. The tanks hold 615 canisters filled with spent fuel rods. Utility companies that had sent the rods refuse to take them back. The water in the tank must be recirculated, cooled and purified in order to prevent the rods from heating the tank to 185 degrees. <br /><br />Using footage provided by WIVB-TV and gathered by reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Jay Lauder, reporter Roberts shows the start of cleanup and testing operations at West Valley. The contaminated cell where uranium was once removed is entered by radiation experts in protective gear. Roberts reports that their task is to determine the level of radioactivity lodged in the cement walls and piping. The same cell might be used to during cleanup operations when the high level radioactive liquid waste is converted into a solid glass like substance. Engineers are now predicting the cleanup at West Valley could go as high as one billion dollars. <br /><br />In the series, West Valley dairy farmer Emil Zimmerman speaks at a meeting about concerns that milk from his and other farmers’ cows could become contaminated with strontium 90. <br /><br />As South Carolina is learning about the problems at West Valley, the federal government is seeking out companies that might be interested in opening the plant at Barnwell. U.S. Energy Secretary James Edwards says the country needs plutonium for research programs. He adds that plutonium is also needed to “fire our breeder reactor.” Edwards is negotiating with a dozen companies saying the U.S. would buy the plutonium produced at Barnwell. He says reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods could become “a viable commercial venture.” Critics say such operations would become a financial and technical failure. <br /><br />Reporter Roberts also points out potential risks to workers maintaining operations in a plant dealing with high levels of radioactive waste. He notes that the West Valley plant once “chopped up” nuclear fuel rods, dissolved them in acid, and then separated uranium and plutonium from other radioactive elements. He further notes that the work was done behind thick concrete walls and leaded glass because exposure to gamma and beta rays can cause cancer and genetic damage. <em>(This same piece appears in the Crisis at West Valley 1 : Overview report.)</em><br /><br /><strong>12.</strong> Exterior and interior video of West Valley nuclear storage site. Some off-camera narration as reporters are given a tour. Depth of pool holding spent nuclear fuel rods is 44 feet. Caution sign reads CONTAMINATED ZONE 4 HIGH RADIATION AREA AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY AREA. Line of robotic arm controls in front of glass enclosed cells. Sign: SAFETY GLASSES REQUIRED IN THIS AREA CAUTION RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS. Control room. Panel of controls. Closeup shot of buttons to sound evacuation alarm. Fenced exterior shots of property. More exterior shots including NFS blue building. <br /><em>(Runs: 2:48)</em><br /> <br /><strong>13.</strong> Rich Newberg’s report with photographer Jay Lauder documenting the first tests conducted by Westinghouse experts inside a radioactive cell where uranium was extracted from spent fuel rods. The tests are to help establish the best techniques for preparing the facility for the task of solidifying the high level liquid radioactive waste sitting in an underground storage tank at West Valley. <em>(This same piece appears in the Crisis at West Valley 1 : Overview report.)</em><br /><br /><em>[Note: The U.S. demonstration project that formally got underway in 1981 is still in progress in the year 2020. The cleanup project could end up costing taxpayers $5 billion to $10 billion dollars.]</em>
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Lauder, Jay (WIVB-TV News Photographer)
Costantini, Allen (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Jablonski, Emil (WIVB-T Reporter)
Roberts, John (WIS-TV Reporter)
D’Arrigo, Diane (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
Resnikoff, Marvin (Nuclear Physicist)
Hameister, Joanne (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Vaughan, Ray (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Shepp, Amanda (Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1981 - 1982
Subject
The topic of the resource
Radioactive waste disposal in the ground -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Reactor fuel reprocessing -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/2432f31c8c8e48858bf03431a0560c46.mp4
04a47842c8ea488bae013456f4632e39
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Crisis at West Valley 3 : Working Toward a Solution
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>1.</strong> WIVB-TV reporter Bob Petrick’s interview with Rep. Stan Lundine of Jamestown. The lawmaker says three important committees in the House of Representatives have approved some sort of West Valley project. <br /><br />Now one bill has to be crafted that will be passed by the House and then the Senate. <br /><em>(Runs: 2:01) </em><br /><br /><strong>2.</strong> Shots of artwork and tee shirts representing the cause of environmentalists who are opposed to reopening West Valley for more nuclear waste. One graphic by those who are against nuclear power and weapons states, “JOIN US…FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHILDREN." A tee shirt worn by an environmental activist reads, “DON’T DUMP ON US” “MAKE THE POLLUTERS PAY.” Another tee shirt put out by the Sierra Club Radioactive Waste Campaign reads, “YOU CAN’T RUN FROM RADIOACTIVE WASTES!”<br /><br />The visuals are followed by reporter Sandy White’s interview with Judith McDonnell, a volunteer who works in the Sierra Club’s Radioactive Waste Campaign. She says thirty people are going to Washington D.C. to lobby against the McCormick bill, which calls for the siting of four high level nuclear waste repositories by the end of 1984. West Valley and the Finger Lakes region are under consideration. The bill calls for funding to come from the federal government and not the nuclear industry. <br /><br />In fighting against the bill, McDonnell says there are no provisions for local community input on where the repositories are placed. She claims it is a federal “preemption of state’s rights.” She adds the West Valley site has a history of leakage and sits on “an earthquake fault…” She says the site should “be cleaned up and closed and that nothing else should be dumped there at all.” McDonnell says two weeks earlier, nineteen people went to the nation’s capital and lobbied more than seventy congressmen. The new lobbying effort seeks to reach at least one hundred twenty congressional offices. She says, “We feel that the government should take more time, there should be more study put into the siting of a high level repository, and we also feel that the state should have something to say about where this is going to be put and how it’s going to be done.”<br /><em>(video then shows volunteers leaving for Washington)</em><br /><em>(Runs: 2:08)</em><br /><br /><strong>3.</strong> Reporter Marie Rice’s story on a radioactive spill at West Valley. Rain water had to be pumped out from a radioactive waste trench. A coupling that connected a plastic hose carrying the water from the trench to a nearby lagoon broke. About a thousand gallons of the liquid spilled onto the clay soil. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials termed it a minor accident. <br /><br />John Spagnole, the Regional Director of the DEC says the quantity was small and the contaminated concentrations were “miniscule.” He calls it “lightly dirty water or dusty water…”<br /><br />Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, a nuclear physicist and staff scientist to the Radioactive Waste Campaign says “a large amount of radioactive material” has entered the Cattaraugus Creek watershed since 1975. He says the most recent spill is “not one isolated event…” <br /><br />The Sierra Club wants to know what has previously made its way into Edman Brook, Buttermilk Creek and Cattaraugus Creek, whose water eventually flows into Lake Erie. Water samples have been sent to Albany for analysis. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:52)</em><br /><br /><strong>4.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on the price we pay for advanced nuclear medical technology. While nuclear medicine provides the means to help fight cancerous tumors and scan the innermost parts of the brain and other organs, the radioactive waste it generates requires special storage sites that most states don’t want to host. <br /><br />New York State Energy Commissioner James Larocca announces that the low level burial ground at West Valley “has had too many problems and is too closely identified with the rest of the facility to really be a viable option for us at this time.” <br /><em>(Runs: 1:43)</em><br /><br /><strong>5.</strong> Rich Newberg’s second story on the news conference featuring New York State Energy Commissioner James Larocca. The commissioner declares that the state will no longer consider West Valley as a site for the burial of low level nuclear waste. The decision poses a problem for Buffalo area hospitals with departments of nuclear medicine. <br /><br />Larocca also addresses the massive cleanup effort soon to take shape at West Valley, where 600,000 gallons of high level radioactive waste sits in underground steel storage tanks. He says cleanup work at West Valley will meet all state and national environmental policies and will involve the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 90% of the project, which at this time is projected to be $285 million dollars, will come from the federal government. 10% of the funding will come from the state. The federal Department of Energy is slated to take possession of the property no later than October 1, 1981. The project could last as long as 17 years according to first estimates. <br />The high level radioactive waste would be solidified into a glass like substance and ultimately removed from the site to a federal repository for permanent disposal. <br /><br />At his news conference, Larocca states, “The agreement precludes the use of West Valley for any other purpose but the solidification removal of these wastes during the conduct of this project.”<br /><em>(Runs: 1:37)</em><br /><br /><strong>6.</strong> Rich Newberg’s interview with Monte Blau, PhD, chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University at Buffalo (1976 - 1983). He warns that nuclear medicine and research in Buffalo might be in jeopardy if there is not a place to store its radioactive waste. He says West Valley is a “reasonable place” to put radioactive medical waste. He says nuclear medicine and research are threatened with a shut-down “within three or four months” should there be no place to deposit the radioactive waste generated by these institutions. This includes cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment. He says, “Almost every patient that comes into a hospital in the state of New York receives one radio-isotope diagnostic procedure or another.”<br /><br />In response, Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, a nuclear physicist and staff scientist to the Radioactive Waste Campaign, says the nuclear burial ground at West Valley is not in good condition. He says, “It has leaked radioactive materials…” He says over 3 million gallons of water has been pumped out of the trenches that hold low level radioactive waste. He says radioactive tritium is released into Cattaraugus Creek “and into the water intakes, in effect, for the Southtowns and from Buffalo.”<br /><br />Environmentalists have suggested that the radioactive waste be put in above-ground bunkers or buildings rather than in the ground.<br /><em>(Runs: 2:19)</em><br /><br /><strong>7.</strong> Rich Newberg’s interview with Dr. J. Steinbeck, Chief of Nuclear Medicine at the V.A. Hospital in Buffalo. He demonstrates the use of a gamma camera on a cardiac patient. It is a procedure that relies on nuclear medicine. A radio tracer is injected into the patient, allowing the heart to be photographed during dilation and contraction. This allows a study of the heart while avoiding surgical procedures. Catheterization into the heart through an artery is not necessary. Nuclear medicine enables doctors to diagnose the presence of cancer at a much earlier stage. <br /><em>(Runs: 2:33)</em><br /><br /><strong>8.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on a proposal by federal energy officials to reduce a $35 Million dollar cash credit to New York State to $12 Million for the cleanup of 600,000 thousand gallons of nuclear waste buried at West Valley. Jamestown Congressman Stanley Lundine, along with congressman Jack Kemp and U.S. Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Alfonse D’Amato are telling U.S. Energy Secretary James Edwards that the proposal goes against an earlier commitment he made to New York. New York State Energy Commissioner James Larocca called the reduction proposal “…another double-cross in what now seems to be a series of double-crosses.” In October 1980, President Jimmy Carter had come to Western New York to sign the federal agreement with New York to clean up West Valley.<br /><em>(Runs: 1:56)</em><br /><br /><strong>9.</strong> Rich Newberg’s second story on a proposal by federal energy officials to reduce the cash credit to New York State for the cleanup of the West Valley nuclear waste storage site. Congressman Stanley Lundine calls the situation at West Valley, “A real and present danger.” He urges the Reagan administration not to charge New York State $23 Million dollars more for the cleanup project.<br /><em>(Runs: 1:25)</em><br /><br /><strong>10.</strong> Rich Newberg’s overview of high and low level nuclear waste storage issues at West Valley. Photos include receptacles containing radioactive waste that are placed in trenches on the West Valley property. Mina Hamilton, executive director of the Sierra Club’s Radioactive Waste Campaign, says eight pounds of plutonium are buried here. Another photo includes a trench where sand lenses could be providing underground migration paths for some of the radioactive waste. Hamilton says the flaky composition of the bedrock and the sand lenses pose a major threat of migration of radioactive material. There was also a filter blowout in the stacks in 1968, two years after the plant began reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods. <br /><br />The Sierra Club says there has been a noted increase in small amounts of radiation around the nuclear storage site. It is questionable whether the amount of radiation poses an immediate health threat to the area. State officials say they will review any new evidence gathered by the Sierra Club.<br /><em>(Runs: 1:46)</em><br /><br /><strong>11.</strong> Bill Curtis, reporting for CBS News presents the story of the small Texas town of Tulia, which is considering accepting radioactive waste from sites such as West Valley. Tulia is located on top of one of the biggest salt beds in the country. A site in Tulia is one of several being considered by the U.S. Department of Energy. Salt beds, and the volcanic rock formations of basalt and tuff are believed to be suitable for the storage of nuclear waste. Besides Tulia, the federal government is examining sites in Louisiana, Mississippi, Utah, Nevada, and Washington State. In Tulia, those in favor of accepting radioactive waste say it would create jobs. Those against say there are very real dangers attached to putting this kind of waste in an agricultural area.<br /><em>(Runs: 5:24)</em><br /><br /><strong>12.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on federal officials addressing local residents, about five days before the U.S. government takes possession of the portion of the West Valley site that contains the reprocessing building and the burial ground licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The state continues to possess of most of the 3,300 acre site. <br /><br />Energy Department representative James Turi assures an audience of concerned citizens that, “We want to be good neighbors and we want to work with you.”<br /><br />The high level radioactive waste cleanup project will take an estimated 16 years to complete. The federal government and Westinghouse Electric Corporation will attempt to turn 600,000 gallons of radioactive liquid waste into a glass like substance which would possibly be shipped off to a federal repository still to be designated.<br /><br />Citizens Committee Chairman Peter Skinner calls for “…careful planning and public involvement from start to finish.” Westinghouse representative Ray Maison promises to keep the community “fully informed of what we’re doing and what we plan to do every step of the way.” <br /><em>(Runs: 2:33)</em><br /><br /><strong>13.</strong> Exterior video of the West Valley facility and property.<br /><em>(Runs: 2:05)</em>
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Rice, Marie (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Petrick, Bob (Reporter)
Curtis, Bill (CBS News Reporter)
D’Arrigo, Diane (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
Resnikoff, Marvin (Nuclear Physicist)
Hameister, Joanne (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Shepp, Amanda (Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1982
Subject
The topic of the resource
Radioactive waste disposal in the ground -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Reactor fuel reprocessing -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
(publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/25b67f46c79cb5e2e7b2c4203a9d68db.mp4
d4914e2194b65c4ac88c83932071fc79
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Crisis at West Valley 2 : the Community Responds
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>1.</strong> This video file begins with a film entitled “The Story of Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing.” It was produced by Nuclear Fuel Services and describes the operation of the plant at West Valley. It describes the benefits of “unlocking the power of the atom” which “promises almost unlimited energy sources.” The plant’s mission is to reclaim the uranium and plutonium inside spent nuclear fuel rods used by atomic power plants, researchers, and test reactors throughout the United States. The material is shipped to West Valley in “ruggedly built trucks and special railroad cars.” The plant is capable of the processing of up to one ton a day of spent fuel elements.<br /><em>(Runs: 11 minutes)</em><br /><br /><strong>2.</strong> Reporter John Beard’s story of a recommendation by the New York State Department of Energy that the plant reopen as a storage facility for more spent nuclear fuel. Beard’s report includes a warning by environmentalists who say that “West Valley is a time bomb threatening to leak radioactive liquid into the soil and eventually into the waterways of Western New York.” Some local residents are in favor of the reopening, saying it would be beneficial for tax purposes and jobs. <br /><br />Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, a nuclear physicist and staff scientist to the Radioactive Waste Campaign, emerges as a major voice of opposition.<br />Those against reopening the facility as a repository call for a ban against spent fuel moving through Cattaraugus County. Congressman Stanley Lundine (D-Jamestown) says it there is “a remote possibility that the site could reopen as a federal nuclear waste storage facility. Lundine points out there is limited storage space and “seismic or environmental problems.” Researchers have determined that West Valley sits in a seismic fault zone. <br /><em>(Runs: 3:05)</em><br /><br /><strong>3.</strong> Reporter Rich Newberg’s story on more safety questions raised by area environmentalists. A former lab supervisor at Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) says there had been problems with the crane that moved the radioactive rods in the pool of water that stored them. David Pyles says there were problems stopping the crane, causing rods to “slam” into other canisters. A spokesman for NFS says he knew of no crane problems while the plant was in operation.<br /> <br />Another concern is raised about the potential for a leak in a portion of a containing wall, as described in a study commissioned by the Federal Energy Commission. The report says this could occur if there were a seismic occurrence in the area. NFS terms that a “minor” defect. Environmental scientist Ray Vaughan says it’s “absurd to talk about bringing in more fuel.”<br /><em>(Runs: 2:07)</em><br /><br /><strong>4.</strong> Reporter Rich Newberg’s story showing a petition by area residents calling for a ban on any further nuclear waste to West Valley, as well as the removal of all present nuclear waste stored at the site. <br /><br />Dairy farmer Emil Zimmerman, who owns 7 cows and 175 acres of land in West Valley, expresses his concerns. He can see the site from his farm. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:55)</em><br /><br /><strong>5.</strong> Reporter Rich Newberg’s story showing deer heading toward the low level nuclear burial site.<br />They are then seen eating grass twenty feet above radioactive waste. The New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) says its samples of deer in the area shows the animals safe for human consumption. <br /><br />However, in the early 1970s when the plant was active, state environmental officials became concerned when high levels of radioactive strontium 90 and cesium 137 were found in deer and fish. Even then, the levels were deemed not to pose an imminent danger to humans. <br /><br />Since the plant’s closing, leaks were detected in the low level burial ground area. <br /><br />Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, a nuclear physicist and staff scientist to the Radioactive Waste Campaign, says the grass where the deer were grazing is contaminated. <br /><br />Newberg reports that contaminated water will soon be drained from the site and placed in a holding pond, but that there are no plans to fence off the pond from area animals. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:47)</em><br /><br /><strong>6.</strong> Rich Newberg’s report on concerned citizens meeting to map out a strategy to fight a proposal to reopen the nuclear waste storage facility at West Valley. 82 communities in 10 states have banned the transportation of nuclear waste within their borders. The citizens against the proposal express concerns that a major accident involving a vehicle transporting nuclear waste, or an accident at the plant, could threatened the entire region. They say the environmental risks would outweigh the economic gains if the plant facility were to reopen as a storage site. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:32)</em><br /><br /><strong>7.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on concerns by the Buffalo nuclear medical and research communities about a lack of storage space for low level nuclear waste. They support the reopening of the West Valley burial site for this type of waste. Only South Carolina and the state of Washington are accepting radioactive waste from Buffalo and other hospitals and research labs around the country. <br /><br />Dr. Monte Blau, PhD., the chairmen of the University at Buffalo Department of Nuclear Medicine (1976 - 1983) believes low level nuclear waste should be stored in the regions where they are generated. <br /><br />The use of radioactive isotopes injected into patients are able to help identify tumors in the body. Radioactive tracers have been powerful tools in fundamental studies of the nature of cancer. <br />With South Carolina and Washington having second thoughts about accepting waste from other states, there is a growing concern that the practice of nuclear medicine might be forced to come to a halt. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:57)</em><br /><br /><strong>8.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on the Department of Energy assuring New York Governor Hugh Carey that the federal government will manage and pay for cleanup efforts at West Valley. However, in order for that to happen, Congress must pass a bill that environmentalists warn could lead to a reopening of the site as a nuclear storage facility. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:19)</em><br /><br /><strong>9.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on environmentalists warning that the West Valley low level nuclear burial site has serious issues that should rule it out as a repository for future nuclear waste. They say plutonium is buried there, even though that practice was prohibited in 1977. <br /><br />They also point to leaks in the burial ground in 1975. Water, they say infiltrated the ditches where radioactive waste is stored. They say strontium 90 and plutonium should be unearthed and put in bins above ground.<br /><br />Another issue brought to light focuses on sand “lenses” discovered in a clay burial ground area.<br />Radioactive tritium was said to have migrated from the sides of trenches in 1977. <br /><br />Activists say there is inadequate monitoring of the soil composition.<br /><br />Those who favor reopening the burial grounds say it is becoming more difficult to dispose of waste from nuclear medicine. <br /><em>(Runs: 2:23)</em><br /><br /><strong>10.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on the federal General Accounting Office (GAO) proposal for full funding of the West Valley cleanup in exchange for a reopening of the site for more nuclear waste. <br />Judith McConnell of the Sierra Club Radioactive Waste Campaign says, “that’s like sweeping up a pile of dirt and then turning around and dumping another one on the floor.”<br /><br />Governor Hugh Carey’s office says the GAO proposal carries little weight. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:58)</em><br /><br /><strong>11.</strong> Rich Newberg’s story on New York Governor Hugh Cary’s signing of a bill that sets up a five member siting board for future burial of radioactive waste. <br /><br />While he assures the public there will be no future burial of high level radioactive waste at the West Valley site, he leaves the door open for future nuclear medical waste disposal at the low level radioactive burial grounds. <br /><br />Carol Mongerson of the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes reacts by saying, “that will never be acceptable to the people of the area.”<br /><em>(Runs: 1:47)</em><br /><br /><strong>12.</strong> WIVB-TV’s Washington D.C reporter Bob Patrick’s story on New York Governor Hugh Carey’s support of a bill sponsored by Congressman Stanley Lundine (D-Jamestown). The bill would separate the federal government’s willingness to clean up the high level nuclear waste at West Valley from the insistence by some federal energy officials that the site remain open for the disposal of more radioactive waste. <br /><em>(Runs: 1:33)</em><br /><br /><strong>13.</strong> Rich Newberg’s report on Cattaraugus County lawmakers hearing from area residents opposed to reopening West Valley for the storage of nuclear waste. <br /><br />Dairy farmer Emil Zimmerman testifies that conditions exist where contaminated water could leak from radioactive trenches where waste is buried. He cites one such case. <br /><br />There is a speaker in favor of burying solid, low level nuclear waste at the site. He is Kenneth Dufrane, a former worker at Nuclear Fuel Services who now represents Chem-Nuclear Systems, a company interested in the site. He says the radioactive leaks are “very minor…and did not cause any kind of a problem to anyone at any time.” <br /><br />Twelve thousand petitions are signed by citizens against future burial at the site. <br /><em>(Runs: 2:00)</em><br /><br /><strong>14.</strong> Aerial and ground video of West Valley site<br /><em>(Runs: 3:29)</em>
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Beard, John (Reporter)
Petrick, Bob (Reporter)
D’Arrigo, Diane (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
Resnikoff, Marvin (Nuclear Physicist)
Ameister, Joanne (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Vaughan, Ray (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Shepp, Amanda (Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1980
Subject
The topic of the resource
Radioactive waste disposal in the ground -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State)
Reactor fuel reprocessing -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
(publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
opyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/b8998c3ca25035ee477871489c6ba712.mp4
98dcf175b61625118344326783380a91
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Remembering Van Miller : "The Voice of the Buffalo Bills"
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
Swenson, Scott (Photographer, Editor)
Description
An account of the resource
Van Miller (1927 - 2015) is remembered as one of the greatest local broadcasters of the National Football League. As “The Voice of the Buffalo Bills” for thirty-seven years, Miller reflected the unyielding enthusiasm of the Buffalo fans who reveled in their team’s four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
Born in Dunkirk, New York, south of Buffalo, Miller’s career echoed his calls in the booth, building to a crescendo from humble beginnings as a summer replacement announcer at WBEN-TV (now WIVB-TV) in the mid-1950s to the station’s legendary sports anchor. His upbeat delivery was punctuated by humor and wit, which became his trademarks on the air. He retired from WIVB in 1998 after a forty-three year run.
In 2004, Van Miller became the first local play-by-play announcer to be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ten years later his name was added to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame at the team’s home stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
During his final interview with WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg, Miller reflected on his broadcast career in Buffalo, saying, “ That was a great ride. I was the luckiest man in the world.”
Miller coined many phrases and catchwords that added to his signature style during Bills games. During the final days of his life, when he was barely able to speak, Van Miller mustered enough energy to raise his hands from his bedsheets and utter a parting word to his Channel 4 colleagues who came to say their final goodbye. It was his word describing the euphoria when the Bills would score a winning touchdown. “Fan-damonium!” Van’s longtime WIVB-TV colleagues who were at his bedside, anchor Jacquie Walker, senior correspondent Rich Newberg, and meteorologist Don Paul, believe Miller wanted Buffalo fans to know they were still number one on his mind.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-20-07
Subject
The topic of the resource
Miller, Van, 1907-2015.
Buffalo Bills (Football team) -- History.
Radio broadcasting of sports -- New York (State) -- Buffalo -- History
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
(publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/b7102a1651cf9b8490fd7ff1a663b8f5.mp4
9e25276c4df81edc701e034997d8c200
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Survival of Gayle Wolfer : the movie made about her tragic shooting
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
Keller, Jack (Photographer, Editor)
Description
An account of the resource
On March 25, 1988 Western New York real estate agent Gayle Wolfer was showing a house in Sardinia, southeast of Buffalo, when a man posing as a prospective buyer shot her in the face, chest and neck. He had been tipped-off that there was alleged drug money stashed in the house.
The owner of the house, Craig Bush, was allegedly a cocaine dealer looking to sell his home and get out of the drug dealing business. He was also shot and suffered brain damage. His fiancé had been handcuffed by the shooter but managed to escape from the house during the time when Ms. Wolfer was being shot.
Wolfer put up a struggle after the assailant’s handgun initially jammed. She survived her three bullet wounds and less than five months later, by sheer coincidence, came upon the man who shot her. She identified the shooter as Edward Beaufort-Cutner, an Erie County sheriff’s deputy who happened to be mounted on a horse during a patrol at the Erie County Fair.
During his trial it was determined Beaufort-Cutner had stolen $2,600 cash from Bush’s home before he shot his victims. Beaufort-Cutter was convicted of attempted murder, robbery, burglary, and weapons counts. He was sentenced to 29 to 50 years in prison.
Ms. Wolfer’s story was so compelling that a made-for-TV movie called “With Murder In Mind” aired on CBS in 1992. The late actress Elizabeth Montgomery played Wolfer’s character. Gayle and her companion Robert Sprague, who had played a key role in her recovery, attended the filming in Atlanta and served as extras in the movie.
Sprague’s character was played by Robert Foxworth.
WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg and photographer-editor Jack Keller documented the making of the movie in a four-part series that aired in May 1992. There were two other Buffalo connections to the making of the movie. Jack Maurer, the executive producer, and Joanie Cuff, an associate producer, were from Western New York. Cuff personally knew Ms. Wolfer and attended school with her children.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1992-05-10
1992-05-12
Subject
The topic of the resource
Wolfer, Gayle.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/463a557d6b3b64c570ef6017d052bb5d.mp4
debfe8ffa4cf1983f9d3d3d5e43abd17
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Remembers Governor Mario Cuomo
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Editor)
Description
An account of the resource
The late three term New York governor Mario Cuomo (June 15, 1932 - January 1, 2015) had a soft spot in his heart for Buffalo, according to former Queen City Mayor Anthony Masiello.
In 2015, following Cuomo’s death at age 82, WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg talked with Masiello and the governor’s former spokesman in Buffalo, Tim Clark, about Cuomo’s unique ability to connect with people, even if they did not agree with him politically.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-01-02
Subject
The topic of the resource
Cuomo, Mario M., 1932-2015.
Governors--New York (State)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/303b1f720f72dac8454ade2b198fee1e.mp4
aefcf63370064883f7405e8d9d3af200
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Judge John Curtin: Reflections on Affirmative Action
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Interviewer)
Root, Kim (Photographer, Editor)
Description
An account of the resource
<div><span style="color:#454545;">U.S. District Court Judge John Thomas Curtin (August 24, 1921 - April 14, 2017) was interviewed by WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg on April 18, 1995. The subject was affirmative action.</span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;">Judge Curtin issued rulings establishing minority hiring quotas in Buffalo’s police and fire departments and within the Buffalo School District. He believed minorities lacked opportunities for jobs and a quality education, resulting in what he once called “a poorly trained underclass” that became reliant on welfare. </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;">Born in Buffalo, Curtin served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York from 1961 to 1967 before being nominated by President Lyndon Johnson for a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. He had been recommended by New York Senator Robert Kennedy. John Curtin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 14, 1967.</span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;">In 1976 Judge Curtin ordered that Buffalo public schools be desegregated. He ruled that minority students in Buffalo had been denied equal protection under the law, and that a segregated school system in Buffalo had been intentionally maintained. </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;">His rulings led to the hiring of more minority teachers and the creation of academically strong magnet schools that would encourage students of all races to accept being bused to these high level schools. </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;"> </span></div>
<div><span style="color:#454545;">Though Judge Curtin was targeted for criticism and sometimes even death threats by those who felt his rulings were overreaching, he consistently ruled in favor of removing barriers that had been built on “unfairness, bigotry (and) bias” against minorities, women, children, and those with special challenges.</span></div>
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1995-04-18
Subject
The topic of the resource
Curtin, John T., 1921-2017
Affirmative action programs
Race discrimination
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
http://digital.buffalolib.org/files/original/10ef4854109deb4bb0bbe767c2b2375f.mp4
66291c430bd62ef567296986086b7d8b
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of long-form reports by retired WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg covers a wide range of social issues, Buffalo history and the arts. Mr. Newberg retired from the Buffalo CBS network affiliate at the end of 2015, after serving the station for thirty-seven years in various roles including main anchor, reporter and documentarian. <br /><br />His New York Emmy Award winning pieces explore the abortion debate, care of the mentally ill, the African American struggle for civil rights, and the lessons of the Holocaust, among many topics. His video memoir, “One Reporter’s Journey, “ reflects on his forty-six year career, beginning as an advocate for those without a voice. <br /><br />"My hope," says Newberg, “is that this collection will provide a lasting chronicle of life and issues in Buffalo during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium."
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Victims of Addiction
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
Mombrea, Mike, Jr. (Photographer)
Alexander, Scott (Photographer)
Description
An account of the resource
<p><span>In an effort to better understand the nature of addiction, WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg presents a series of reports featuring addicts speaking intimately about their drug habits and how their lives are controlled by substance abuse. </span></p>
<p><span><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Out of Control</span> <br /></span><em>(:00 - 8:38) Air Date: June 29, 1989</em><span></span></p>
<p><span>These reports by Rich Newberg and Mike Mombrea, Jr. are unique in that some addicts allow themselves to be recorded as the illicit drugs enter their bloodstreams and take effect. The viewer learns first hand why it is so difficult for these individuals to straighten out their lives. </span></p>
<p><span>Delving even further into the dark side of drug abuse, Newberg and Mombrea record addicts Julie and Randy as they suffer through the pain of withdrawal. They are documented desperately seek help at the county hospital only to be told they must come back in two days because there are no beds available.</span></p>
<p><span>During their two day ordeal, Julie and Randy turn to alcohol in an attempt to steady their nerves. They also take part in a group therapy session, candidly sharing the feelings they are experiencing. They long for “a nice, healthy, normal life.” Two weeks after detoxification, the couple appears to be energized and eager to continue on the road to recovery. They are determined to beat the odds, which are generally against addicts leaving detox centers. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Living on Drug Row</span><br /></span><em>(8:45 - 19:09) Air Dates: May 9, 10, 11, 1989</em></p>
<p><span>Reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Scott Alexander explore the ease in which heroin and cocaine are obtainable within Buffalo’s inner city. Citizens bemoan the fact that when a low level dealer is arrested, another fills his place almost immediately.</span></p>
<p><span>Drug abuse is so prevalent in the city’s housing projects, that children are exposed to hypodermic needles where they play.</span></p>
<p><span>We meet two five year old girls whose mothers are deeply concerned that their daughters might suffer long term effects due to their contact with discarded needles. One child drank the contents of a syringe. The other girl pricked her finger on a needle. </span></p>
<p><span>A cocaine dealer speaking candidly says five thousand dollars a day can be made on the streets. He adds that “young kids” </span><span>are recruited to sell because there is less risk to the dealer. He claims it is easy for those arrested to “beat” the family court system. </span></p>
<p><span><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Saving the Kids</span><br /></span><em>(19:15 - 23:08) November 15, 1989</em></p>
<p><span>A shortage of long-term drug treatment centers and clinics in Western New York requires families of means to send their addicted children out of the region for help. </span></p>
<p><span>Rich Newberg presents the case of Matthew, outwardly the “All American Boy” from suburban Amherst, New York, who hid his drug problems from his loved ones until he became alienated from his family. Matthew attended one of the area’s most highly rated high schools, but disclosed that drug abuse “before, during, and after school” was a hidden but festering problem. </span></p>
<p><span>Matthew’s father was in denial until his son completely cut himself off from the family. Matthew, along with about a dozen other Amherst children who were abusing drugs, became enrolled in the Straight Program in Plymouth, Michigan. The success rate is seventy-five percent and relies on a combination of rigid exercise and an open sharing of feelings to wean teenagers off of drugs. </span></p>
<p><span>Matthew’s program lasted twenty-two months and cost $12,000 dollars. Most of the drug treatment programs in the Buffalo area at the time lasted twenty-eight days. While programs like the one in Plymouth offered hope to upscale families who could afford the tuition, there appeared to be a sense of hopelessness in the inner city, where drug dealers ruled the streets and controlled the lives of those who became dependent on them to feed their addictions.</span></p>
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1989-06-29
1989-05
1989-11-15
Subject
The topic of the resource
Drug addiction--Treatment
Drug addiction--Rehabilitation
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
A related resource
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng