Buffalo (N.Y.)--Emigration and immigration]]> Immigrants--New York (State)--Buffalo--History]]> Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y. and N.J.) -- History.]]> Originally aired on WIVB-TV.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Mombrea, Mike Sr. (Photographer, Editor)]]> eng]]> Gangs--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Teenagers--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> ]]> Originally aired on WIVB-TV.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Mombrea, Mike, Jr. (Producer, Photographer, Editor)]]> eng]]> Paige, Lenny]]> Vaudeville--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Entertainers--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> New York (State)--History]]> Originally aired on WIVB-TV.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Beauchamp, Steve (Photographer, Editor)]]> eng]]> John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005]]> Popes--Biography]]> Catholic Church--History]]> Originally aired on WIVB-TV.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Mombrea, Mike, Jr. (Producer, Photographer, Editor)]]> eng]]> Sliwa, Curtis, 1954-]]> Sliwa, Lisa]]> Guardian Angels (Organization)]]> Crime prevention--United States--Citizen participation]]> Originally aired on WIVB-TV.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Mombrea, Mike, Sr. (Photographer, Editor)]]> Sliwa, Curtis (Guardian Angels Founder)]]> Sliwa, Lisa (Guardian Angels Founder)]]> eng]]> King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968]]> African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--History]]> African Americans--Civil rights--New York (State)--Buffalo--History]]> African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--Economic conditions]]> African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--Social conditions]]> Buffalo civil rights leaders reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King's dream vs. reality. Revisits the urban riots of the turbulent 1960s. The series raises the question: Are Buffalo's African American citizens better off now than they were during those times? Segments feature reflections from William Gaiter, George Arthur, Jim Pitts. There is archival footage of black leaders of the B.U.I.L.D. organization confronting Mayor Frank Sedita about the need to create jobs. Black Buffalo police Lt. John Eberhart says he joined the Buffalo Police Department in the 1960s as an act of self-defense, “to keep myself from the police.” Former Buffalo police officer Ted Kirkland reflects on his federal lawsuit against the city over the lack of black officers on the force. Former Buffalo School Board president Florence Baugh recalls the condition of the schools before desegregation. She calls desegregation “the most exciting social revolution occurring in the City of Buffalo.” School Superintendent Eugene Reville said English and math scores are up, while the drop out rate is down. The suspension rate for black students, however, was twice as high as that of white students.

]]> Originally aired on WIVB-TV.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Root, Kim (Photographer, Editor)]]> eng]]> Panama—History—American Invasion, 1989]]> Drug control -- Latin America.
]]> Drug control -- United States.]]> Military assistance, American. ]]>
The mission took place about three years after U.S. forces invaded Panama, removing dictator Manuel Noriega from power. Some members of the 914th had participated in the invasion, called Operation Just Cause.

Noriega was brought to the U.S. where he was tried and convicted of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering.

WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Paul Woodson accompanied the 914th on the mission and produced a four part series for the station. ]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)]]> Woodson, Paul (Photographer, editor)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Nolf, Neil (Niagara Falls Airbase Public Affairs Officer)]]> eng]]> Testament to Courage, Commitment and Compassion]]> Fire fighters--New York (State)--Buffalo--History]]> Buffalo--Official and employees--History]]> Herbert, Donny--Health]]> September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001.]]> The Rescue and Awakening of Don Herbert
A month after Buffalo firefighter Don Herbert was rescued from an attic of a burning house, WIVB-TV senior correspondent Rich Newberg and photographer Tom Vetter reported on the dedication and sacrifices of those who fight fires for a living.

On December 28, 1995, Herbert became trapped after the roof collapsed. He ran out of oxygen before fellow firefighters could locate him. They saved his life but he suffered from brain damage and blindness.

Rich Newberg visited the veteran firefighter whose speech was impaired but who was determined to do anything necessary to regain his strength and communication skills. Despite his strength of character and will to survive, Herbert later lapsed into a decade-long coma.

On April 30, 2005, Don Herbert suddenly awakened and made international news when he began talking to family members and friends as if it were yesterday. He had been given drugs normally used to treat Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression.

Anderson Cooper, reporting for CBS’s 60 Minutes, produced a major story on what many were calling a “miraculous awakening.” Herbert broke into tears when a fellow firefighter told him he had been unresponsive for about ten years.

Subsequently, Don Herbert took a fall out of bed, which again weakened his condition. He developed pneumonia and passed away on February 21, 2006.

Herbert left behind a wife and four sons. Two became firefighters. The amazing story of his awakening gave hope to families with brain damaged loved ones in a coma. Herbert will always be remembered for his bravery and courage as part of a rescue team, and for his desire to do the very best he could under debilitating circumstances.

SEGMENT 2
The Ultimate Sacrifice on North Division Street
On December 27, 1983, a propane tank explosion at a four story radiator warehouse in Buffalo claimed the lives of five Buffalo firefighters. It remains the largest single day loss of life in the history of the Buffalo Fire Department. In addition, two civilians living near the warehouse were killed in their home.

The explosion occurred shortly after the firefighters arrived on the scene, responding to the call of a propane gas leak. All five crew members from Ladder 5 were killed instantly. Eleven others were injured when the blast occurred. There were more injuries during rescue efforts. More than 150 civilians were taken to hospitals.The warehouse was destroyed as were buildings within a four-block radius. It was later determined that the 500 gallon propane tank had been illegally housed in the warehouse.

A memorial service honoring the memory of the fallen firefighters takes place every year on December 27th at 8:23 p.m., the time of the explosion. It is held at fire call box number 191 at the intersection where the explosion took place.

SEGMENT 3
Buffalo Firefighters Respond to 9/11 Attacks at Ground Zero
When the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were attacked and destroyed by terrorists on 9/11/2001, Lt. Tony Liberatore, now a captain in the Buffalo Fire Department, said at the time, “A group of us felt we had to go there and we had to go there now. So we got there as quick as we possibly could.”

WIVB’s Lisa Flynn and photographer Steve Beauchamp produced a segment for the hour special, “Day of Sorrow: Year of Change,” featuring the role Buffalo firefighters played in recovery efforts at Ground Zero. They called the story, “Forever Changed.”

In the year following the attack, Liberatore returned to New York City, helping to train firefighter recruits. Flynn reported that the recruits were “desperately needed to fill the loss of 343 firefighters and a host of others who retired…”]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic artist)]]> Vetter, Tom (Photographer, Editor)]]> Cooper, Anderson (60 Minutes Reporter)]]> Richert, George (Reporter)]]> Mongiovi, Rachele (Reporter)]]> Flynn, Lisa (Reporter)]]> Beauchamp, Steve (Photographer, Editor)]]> eng]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--History--Newspapers.]]>
This News 4 television special hosted by the late Bob Koop looks back on the reasons why the newspaper could no longer compete with The Buffalo News and the impact of the Courier’s folding on its former staff members and its readers.

Staff members of the Courier Express voted down the opportunity to work under Rupert Murdoch’s News America. It would have meant transitioning to a tabloid newspaper as well as staff cuts of between 30 and 40 percent. When the paper shut down, eleven hundred people were out of work. Buffalo’s depressed economy at the time made it difficult for many of those workers to find jobs. Some had to go on welfare.

The demise of the Courier Express followed the closings of other major newspapers throughout the country, including the Cleveland Press, which shut down three months earlier. It had been operating for 103 years.

The roots of The Courier Express date back to 1828 according to SUNY Buffalo State, which has possession of the Courier Express archives. As the E.H. Butler Library at Buffalo State points out, “From 1828 to 1926, twelve separate newspapers merged during those years, ending with the formation of the Buffalo Courier-Express…” Mark Twain once was a columnist for one of those papers, the Buffalo Morning Express.]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)]]> Koop, Bob (Program Host)]]> Smith, Doug (Former Courier Express Entertainment Editor/News 4 “Fun Ranger")]]> Baker, Jim (Former Courier Express Radio-TV Critic)]]> Lapping, Ed (Veteran Newspaper Editor)]]> Jasen, Carol (WIVB-TV Reporter)]]> Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)]]> Sacks, Karen (Producer)]]> Vandivort, Dave (Director)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Wigginton, Chris (Photographer, Editor)]]> Cantwell, Bill (Photographer)]]> Santana, Dave (Photographer)]]> Ayers, Don (Technical Staff)]]> Clemons, Mickey (Technical Staff)]]> Johnson, Len (Technical Staff)]]> Johnson, Rex (Technical Staff)]]> Kerner, Kathy (Technical Staff)]]> Novelli, John (Technical Staff)]]> Pels, Godon (Technical Staff)]]> Rozek, Dan (Technical Staff)]]> eng]]> Homelessness--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Homeless persons--New York (State)--Buffalo]]>
Only half a block away from the place where bread was being distributed, a poverty-stricken, laid-off shipping clerk tried to offer his services to load and unload trucks in a desperate attempt to provide milk and other essentials for his two children.

2 For some of Buffalo’s homeless, living quarters are concrete spaces under the New York State Thruway. Some use cardboard to shield themselves from the elements. 67 year old Harvey Bryant was one of them. He was a “hobo” who was barely surviving on food from trash cans. His health was failing when a Buffalo family came to his aid. The City of Buffalo’s Human Resources Department and Catholic Charities were made aware of the case and immediately provided Mr. Bryant with shelter, while also addressing some of his other basic needs.

3 Buffalo soup kitchens faced increased demand in the 1980s during a period when the city experienced economic decline. Families suddenly found themselves in dire need. The federal government set aside money for cities hoping to do more for the homeless and the hungry. Buffalo’s Department of Human Services vowed to cut through red tape in order to help the neediest.

4 Sunny Miano, a modern day Robin Hood, stole money to provide for the needy of Buffalo. He served time for writing bad checks. He then established a soup kitchen called Helping Hands. He became a beloved life-saver for the poor. His operating philosophy: “If we can’t help somebody along the way, what good are we? We’re nothing!”

5 As we entered the new millennium, there were still more than hundred homeless people in Buffalo living in tunnels, under bridges, in abandoned homes, and on the streets.

One of the most compelling and heartbreaking stories was about a man named “Jeff.” He lost both legs to frostbite. Various agencies came to his aid. He was provided a furnished apartment, but sadly, according to reports, he reverted back to heavy drinking and passed away.]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Terranova, Michael (Digital Editor)]]> A Life in the Balance: Struggles of the Mentally Ill]]> eng]]>
Anderson was held for six years and nine months, the longest of a group of Americans taken hostage at the time. The abductions were an attempt to drive U.S. military forces from Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war. Anderson was released on December 4, 1991.

From the time of his abduction, his sister Peggy Say worked tirelessly for his release. Her efforts were covered extensively by the Buffalo news media and often made national and world headlines. She was perhaps the most covered of all the hostages’ relatives.

On December 4, 1991, Terry Anderson was finally released by his captors. His 2,455 days as a prisoner included about a year and a half in solitary confinement. WIVB-TV anchor, the late Bob Koop, traveled to Wiesbaden, Germany for Anderson’s first meeting with the press. His report includes Peggy Say’s joyful embrace of her brother, one of the most moving moments of his newly found freedom.

This series of reports begins with a CNN recap of Anderson’s ordeal and later life activities. A sequence of reports follows, beginning with the time leading up to his release, his reunion with his sister, first statements as a free man, reaction in Batavia, and finally, Anderson’s return to Batavia in 2011 while on a “mission of peace.” ]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)]]> Rich Newberg Reports Collection]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Michael Terranova (Digital Editor)]]> Koop, Bob (Reporter)]]> McClintick, Michele (Reporter)]]> CNN (from YouTube)]]> Rich Newberg Reports Collection]]> eng]]> 1990-2015]]> PS 076 Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy]]> Journalism, Elementary school]]> Journalism and education]]>
News 4 anchor Rich Newberg and news photographer Tom Vetter conducted workshops with the final goal of creating a TV news magazine program called “The Badillo Beat.” Fernando Correa, an 8th grade student who showed great potential in front of the camera, anchored the program, taking viewers into the heart of Buffalo’s Hispanic community. The purpose was to address important unresolved social issues.

The items featured in this compilation include reports on
what transpired during the course of the project and the student produced program that was presented to the school on June 23, 1998.

Buffalo mayor Anthony Masiello had praised the initiative, telling students at the partnership signing ceremony that they were being given “an opportunity to grow” at a time when “communications is everything.”
He said, “We live in an international marketplace. By the time you are adults, we’ll be communicating with all parts of the world every single day visa-a-vis TV and journalism, computers and telecommunications.”

The Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy already had facilities and equipment used to videotape important school events. Rich Newberg told them that having entry into a television station and a professional newsroom could be a major step toward a career in broadcast journalism. However, he cautioned them that, “Unless you go for it, unless you want want it badly enough and work for it, it is not going to come to you. All we can offer you is the opportunity to see what television is all about.”]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)]]> Vetter, Tom (News photographer)]]> Rice, Marie (Reporter)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic artist)]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Biography.]]> Women--New York (State)--Buffalo--Biography.]]>
WIVB-TV’s Rich Newberg covered the O’Brien story for years,
capturing the spirit of John, who honored the wish of his late sister and helped raise funds for a play about her life. “Hit Me Again” was in presented in Buffalo in April 1991.

John died in 1992 at the age of 39. He was the oldest survivor of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Maureen was 27 when she passed away in 1984. She died as her mother was changing here dressings. Both brother and sister appeared much older than their years. At John’s funeral it was said by his brothers that “he made friends out of strangers and family out of friends.”

The series of reports ends with the tribute to Irene. Newberg interviews Michael who recalls Mother Theresa giving Irene her rosary. There is a scene of the brother and sister in the audience during Mother Theresa’s presentation at Niagara University. Speaking of his mother’s spirit, Michael says, “It was genuine humility…” He added, “She just thought that she was fulfilling God’s will and purpose for her life.”
]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)]]> Grosvenor Room of B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Drug addiction--Treatment]]> Drug addiction--Rehabilitation]]> 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.

Out of Control
(:00 - 8:38) Air Date: June 29, 1989

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.

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.

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.

Living on Drug Row
(8:45 - 19:09) Air Dates: May 9, 10, 11, 1989

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.

Drug abuse is so prevalent in the city’s housing projects, that children are exposed to hypodermic needles where they play.

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.

A cocaine dealer speaking candidly says five thousand dollars a day can be made on the streets. He adds that “young kids” 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.

Saving the Kids
(19:15 - 23:08) November 15, 1989

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.

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.

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.

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.

]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter)]]> Mombrea, Mike, Jr. (Photographer)]]> Alexander, Scott (Photographer)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)]]> eng]]> 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]]>
Initial projections for the cleanup of radioactive waste pegged costs at $235 million dollars. The project, it was thought, would take seventeen years to complete. By 2018 the amount spent totaled $2.3 billion dollars. The full cleanup price tag could be in the range of $10 billion dollars, according to earlier estimates by the U.S. Department of Energy.

In 2020, forty years after the site was declared a National Demonstration Project, efforts were still underway to dismantle and remove the remaining contaminated buildings still standing on the site. Other efforts were focused on either dismantling and removing radioactive waste material from burial and storage areas or making them more secure. Environmental watchdog groups continue to raise serious questions about public safety and health.

WIVB-TV, the CBS affiliate in Buffalo, closely covered the West Valley story and presented many reports that focused on the grassroots efforts that helped shape the massive cleanup project. The movement grew in intensity as New York State and the federal government considered proposals to accept more nuclear waste at the site.

This overview is the first of five groups of television news reports, videos, and films documenting the political, economic, and social processes that led to a forty-year cleanup effort that is still in progress. The multi-billion-dollar undertaking continues to serve as a national demonstration project.

The reports and summaries that follow are compiled by WIVB-TV senior correspondent (ret.) Rich Newberg. He played a major role in covering initial events as they unfolded in the early 1980s.

Overview Summary: (1979 - 2020)

1. The Nuclear Waste Challenge
CBS report by Robert Schackne lays out the challenge: 1979
“Some 600,000 gallons of lethally radioactive liquid waste that must be disposed of by a technology that has never been developed.”

2. Migrating Radioactive Waste
WIVB-TV report by Rich Newberg: 1982
Sand “lenses” in trenches containing low level nuclear waste provide paths for migration of contaminated rain water. Sierra Club issues a warning that the “flaky” bedrock is not a suitable barrier.

3. Lessons Learned the Hard Way
Reports by WIS-TV, Columbia South Carolina: 1983
Problems at West Valley lead to a rethinking of plans to activate a similar privately-owed nuclear reprocessing plant in Barnwell, South Carolina.

4. Who Would Accept Radioactive Waste?
CBS report by Bill Curtis: 1982
The small Texas Town of Tulia considers accepting radioactive waste from sites such as West Valley. Tulia sits on top of one of the biggest salt beds in the country. Salt beds are one of three geological formations deemed suitable by the federal government to store radioactive waste.

5. West Valley Chosen for a National Demonstration Project (1980)
WIVB-TV Report by Allen Costantini: 1982
Ten years after Nuclear Fuel Services stopped operations at West Valley, control of the site is turned over to the state and federal governments and the Westinghouse Corporation. Westinghouse is the primary contractor hired to clean up the site at West Valley. The 600,000 gallons of high-level liquid waste is to be solidified into a glasslike substance and then moved to a secure storage outside of the region.

6. Entering the First Radioactive Cell for Testing
WIVB-TV Report by Rich Newberg: 1983
Rich Newberg and photographer Jay Lauder cover the first tests conducted by Westinghouse experts inside a radioactive cell where uranium was extracted from spent fuel rods. The tests would help establish the best techniques for preparing the facility for the task of solidifying the high-level liquid radioactive waste.

7. Storing the High Level Radioactive Waste
Video by CHBWV West Valley Decommissioning Team: 2015
The West Valley Demonstration project becomes the first site in U.S. history to place high level radioactive waste into long term outdoor storage. This video traces the history of the nation’s first and only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and the enormous task of cleaning up the waste it generated during its six year run, from 1966 to 1972. (see West Valley File 5 of 5 in this collection for present and future safety concerns.)

Background
West Valley is located In the Cattaraugus County Town of Ashford. It is here where Nuclear Fuel Services once served as the nation’s only commercial plant that reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods used to produce atomic energy. The rods contained plutonium and uranium which could be recovered for reuse. The first rods were delivered to the plant in 1966, but when federal regulations toughened, the costs were deemed too much to bare. The plant closed in 1972.

The entire site initially became the responsibility of the state of New York. In 1961 the state had bought and leased 3,300 acres of West Valley land for atomic industrial use. The plant was first owned by a subsidiary of the W.R. Grace Company, which later sold the operation to Getty Oil.

The Cleanup Challenge
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of high-level radioactive liquid waste needed to be removed from underground steel storage tanks located on an eight-acre burial ground site. Another fifteen acres of burial land is also of major concern because it served as one of the nation’s six commercial burial grounds for radioactive waste. The material was buried in unlined soil trenches and included at least fourteen pounds of plutonium. Yet another burial site contained waste from the reprocessing operations at West Valley, including damaged irradiated fuel. This waste was buried in fifty-foot-deep holes.

Environmental activists, scientists from the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and professors from the University at Buffalo pointed out that the trenches were geologically unstable, and that ground water could be contaminated and migrate from the site. In addition, the area is situated on a fault line and is potentially susceptible to earthquakes.

A group called The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes was formed in 1974. Some of its members specialized in technical aspects of radioactive waste disposal and health effects of radiation. The Coalition began putting pressure on the state and federal governments to have the West Valley site stabilized and cleaned up. It also fought against proposals to have additional nuclear waste material brought to the site for burial, incineration, other waste processing, or disposal.

The Coalition played a major role in the creation of the West Valley Demonstration Project Act which was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. It gave the U.S. Department of Energy the responsibility to solidify the high-level waste. It also granted the D.O.E. the authority to address the issues involved in decontaminating and decommissioning the facilities. West Valley is believed to be the only radioactive waste site in the country with its own act of Congress.

In 1982, the federal government took control of two hundred acres at the West Valley site, including the underground high level radioactive waste tanks, the high level waste burial grounds, and the contaminated buildings where nuclear fuel rods had been reprocessed.

In 1985 Congress required states to assume responsibility for the storage and management of what it termed “low level” radioactive waste generated within their borders. Watchdog groups say much of this waste is “high level” and dangerous. At West Valley, New York State maintains control over the fifteen acres of “low level” burial grounds mentioned above. This area had closed in 1975 after radioactive water had filtered through an inadequate landfill cap and found its way into surrounding streams that eventually drain into Lake Erie.

The greatest challenge to the federal government was finding a company that was capable of turning the liquid high level waste into a solid and more stable material for storage. Between 1996 and 2002, Westinghouse removed most of the high level liquid waste from the underground tanks and converted it into glass logs. It used a process known as vitrification. 275 intensely radioactive logs were formed and initially stored deep in the bowels of the reprocessing building, which helped provide shielding from the radioactivity.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy selected the company that goes by the name CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, LLC as its contractor. Its tasks were to secure the storage of the high-level waste and to demolish the closed radioactive buildings and the underground piping.

In order to secure the storage of what came out of the underground tanks, 275 stainless steel canisters containing the vitrified waste were placed in steel-lined giant concrete storage casks, each weighing 87 1/2 tons.

A 16,000 square foot reinforced concrete storage pad now holds 56 casks for what is termed “long term passive storage.” The casks are certified to hold the high-level waste for fifty years. Since there is no designated national repository for high level nuclear waste, the material must remain on the grounds of the West Valley site, at least for now.

A coalition of radioactive waste experts and concerned citizens prevented more waste from coming into West Valley and has been providing oversight of cleanup efforts since the late 1970s. As final decisions for the site are expected to be made by 2022 or 2023, critical issues of health and safety continue to be raised by these citizen watchdogs. (See File 5 of 5 in this collection for detailed concerns involving air and water contamination.)

In May 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy said its Office of Environmental Management “is continuing to make safe and steady progress with decommissioning activities at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

With regard to ongoing concerns by citizen watchdog groups, the DOE statement reads, “The goal of the extensive demolition activity air and radiation monitoring program is to detect any change in radiological conditions, so that work can be slowed, modified, or even stopped to protect employees, general public and the environment. The work is carefully planned and carried out such that all contamination is controlled within the boundaries of the demolition area. (See File 5 of 5 in this collection for the full statement by the U.S. Department of Energy.)]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter)]]> (publisher of digital)]]> Murphy, Kurt (WIVB-TV Graphic Arts Director) ]]> Vetter, Tom (Editor)]]> Schackne, Robert (CBS News Correspondent)]]> Roberts, John (WIS-TV Columbia, South Carolina)]]> Curtis, Bill (CBS News Morning Anchor)]]> Costantini, Allen (WIVB-TV Reporter)]]> Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)]]> Lauder, Jay (WIVB-TV Photographer)]]> 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) ]]> Pillittere, Joe (Communications Manager for West Valley contractor)]]> Bower, Brian (DOE Director for West Valley Demonstration Project)]]> Bembia, Paul (NYSERDA Director at West Valley)]]> eng]]> Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)]]> Chemical plants -- Waste disposal -- Environmental aspects -- New York (State) -- Niagara Falls]]>
Beginning in the summer of 1978, when blood tests were first administered and only a selected number of households were ordered to evacuate their contaminated homes, Lois Gibbs and her Love Canal Homeowners Association demanded that arrangements be made to move out more families for permanent relocation.

After strong lobbying efforts, president Jimmy Carter took initial action in approving enough funds for New York State to buy 236 Love Canal homes. Families were relocated at a cost of $10 million dollars.

Three months later it was revealed that 200 tons of dioxin, one of the most lethal chemicals produced by humans, were buried in the canal. Residents said they witnessed the military also using the canal as a dumpsite.

In May 1980 the Environmental Protection Agency determined that some residents suffered from chromosome damage. Four days later President Carter declared Love Canal a national emergency. Eventually another 710 Love Canal families were relocated.

Love Canal families had originally sought $15 billion dollars in damages from Hooker Chemical’s parent company Occidental Chemical Corporation. In 1983, about 1,330 families got a settlement of $20 million dollars. In addition, a one million dollar medical trust fund was created.

In 1995, Occidental Chemical Corporation and Occidental Petroleum agreed to pay the federal government $129 million dollars as reimbursement for clean-up costs of the Love Canal landfill.]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Rice, Marie (Reporter)]]> Beard, John (Co-host)]]> Gunter, Gary (Reporter)]]> A Toxic Nightmare: The Awakening [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 1]

Love Canal: Neighborhood of Fear [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 2]

Turning Anger Into Action [The Story of Love Canal Pt.3]

What Have We Learned? [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 4]

An Interview with Michael Brown

An Interview with Lois Gibbs [Her Battle and Victory on Behalf of Love Canal Homeowners]

]]> eng]]> Chemical plants -- Waste disposal -- Environmental aspects -- New York (State) -- Niagara Falls]]> Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)]]>
In this series of reports presented ten to forty years after the evacuation of an entire Niagara Falls community due to toxic chemical exposure, a sad truth emerges. History appears to be repeating itself.

Viewers learn that the losses of life and property that received international attention beginning in the late 1970s failed to prevent others from establishing homes in close proximity to where 20,000 thousand tons of toxic chemicals remain buried in the ground. The industrial and military waste was capped and continues to be monitored by the federal government, which has insisted the area is safe.

However, new lawsuits have been filed claiming that chemicals have migrated from the site, again taking a toll on human health. Lois Gibbs, the environmental rights crusader who organized fellow homeowners when the Love Canal story first broke, revisited the neighborhood in 2013. She couldn’t understand how anyone could move anywhere near the Love Canal site.

“We said it so many times, don’t bring people back here,” exclaimed Mrs. Gibbs during a walking tour of the site. She added, “they bamboozled them into believing it was safe…and they innocently went in and bought what I bought thirty-five years ago, ‘the American dream.’”]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Rice, Marie (Reporter)]]> McClintick, Michelle (Reporter)]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter)]]> Williams, Jordan (Reporter)]]> Schanz, Jenn (Reporter)]]> A Toxic Nightmare: The Awakening [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 1]

Love Canal: Neighborhood of Fear [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 2]

Turning Anger Into Action [The Story of Love Canal Pt.3]

An Interview with Michael Brown

An Interview with Lois Gibbs [Her Battle and Victory on Behalf of Love Canal Homeowners]

]]> eng]]> Operation Rescue (Organization)]]> Pro-choice movement--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Pro-life movement--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Terry, Randall A.]]> Griffin, James D. (James Donald), 1929-]]> Slepian, Barnett, 1946-1998]]> Following Easter Sunday in 1992, the pro-life group Operation Rescue staged its “Spring of Life” demonstrations in front of several Western New York abortion clinics. Anti-abortion activists had been invited by Buffalo mayor Jimmy Griffin to stage their demonstrations in Western New York. New York State abortion law had gone into effect in 1970, allowing abortions during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry and national director Rev. Keith Tucci made appearances. The campaign was modeled after a 46 day protest a year earlier in Wichita, Kansas. During those “Summer of Mercy” sit-ins and blockades, 2,600 people were arrested. Three abortion clinics were closed for a week.

The Buffalo demonstrations lasted two weeks, resulting in more than 620 arrests. Many pro-choice activists showed up, locking arms in front of the clinics, preventing them from closing. During the two weeks of demonstrations, one rear driveway to the Buffalo GYN Womenservices clinic on Main Street was blocked for a few hours.

The “Spring of Life” demonstrations attracted national media attention, and served as the lead news story on the nation’s major networks. The Rev. Robert Schenck, an anti-abortion activist, was arrested for disorderly conduct after carrying a 19 week old human fetus and holding it up to abortion-rights demonstrators. His brother Paul, also a minister, was arrested for trespassing after boarding the bus where his brother was being held by the police.

Dr. Barnett Slepian, who provided abortions at a women’s clinic Buffalo, was one of five doctors targeted by anti-abortion demonstrators. His house was picketed and he became increasingly concerned about the safety of his family and his own vulnerability. Six years after the Spring of Life demonstrations he was assassinated in his suburban Buffalo home while preparing soup in his kitchen. James Kopp, the man convicted of his murder, had been nicknamed “Atomic Dog” by radical elements in the anti-abortion movement.

Originally aired on WIVB-TV.

]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter) ]]>
]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)]]> Rice, Marie (Reporter)]]> Walker, Jacquie (Reporter)]]> Pfeiffer, Rick (Reporter)]]> Koop, Bob (Reporter)]]> eng]]> Smith, Bennet Walker]]> African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--History]]> African Americans--Civil rights--New York (State)--Buffalo--History]]> Originally aired on WIVB-TV.]]> Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)]]> Schultz, Laurie (Writer, Reporter)]]> eng]]> DeJac, Lynn]]> Criminal investigation--United States--Case studies]]>

In 2007, DeJac’s conviction was vacated after Buffalo Police cold case detective Dennis Delano brought forth DNA evidence he claimed linked DeJac’s ex-boyfriend, Dennis Donohue, to Crystallynn’s death. Donohue could not be charged because he had testified before a grand jury and was granted immunity from prosecution. However, he was later convicted of murdering a woman he had once dated.

DeJac, according to the Innocence Project, became the first woman to be exonerated of murdering someone based on DNA evidence. She had given birth to twin boys while behind bars and later married their father, Chuck Peters, while serving her sentence. She also had an older, estranged son, Edward.

WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg and News 4 Chief Photographer Mike Mombrea Jr. were with DeJac the day of her release and also documented the reunion with her family. During a live interview that evening, DeJac told Newberg, "The truth will set me free."

Shortly after the state of New York paid DeJac a settlement of $2.7 million dollars, she was diagnosed with cancer. She died at age fifty on June 18, 2014. Her husband and twin sons, Keith and Douglas were with their mother when she passed away.

]]> Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)]]> Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, Editor)]]> Hutchinson, Dave (Photographer)]]> Micole, Mike (Live truck technician)]]> Meegan, Martha (WIVB-TV Assignment Editor)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic artist)]]>