Kemp, Jack, 1935-2009]]> Reagan, Ronald--Assassination attempts]]> Presidents--Assassination--United States]]> Hinckley, John W. (John Warnock), Jr.]]> D’Amato, Alfonse]]> Rich Newberg reported from the nation's capital and got reaction and updates from Senator Alfonse D'Amato and Congressman Jack Kemp.

On March 30, 1981, just after Ronald Reagan was waving to a crowd outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., shots rang out from a .22 caliber revolver fired by John Hinckley, Jr. who was only fifteen feet away.

The 70 year old president, who was about two months into his first term, took a bullet that ricocheted off his limousine and lodged in his chest, just missing his heart. His press secretary James Brady was shot in the head and suffered brain damage. Police officer Thomas Delahanty was hit in the back. Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy was wounded in the chest. McCarthy had positioned himself between Hinckley and the president. President Reagan's life was saved by the medical team at George Washington University Hospital.

Hinckley, who would later be found not guilty by reason of insanity, had fantasized that his attempt on the life of President Reagan would somehow impress actress Jodie Foster, who appeared in the movie Taxi Driver. In that movie the character played by Robert De Niro plots to assassinate a presidential candidate. Hinckley was committed to a psychiatric hospital and released in 2016.]]> Newberg, Rich]]> eng]]> Buffalo (N.Y.). Office of the Mayor]]> Griffin, Jimmy]]>
His followers respected the fact that he always said what was on his mind, regardless of the consequences. He was often critical of the news media when his policies were challenged. At times he got physical with his opponents, once punching a former aide in the face, yanking the tie of a Buffalo councilman and challenging another city lawmaker to a fist fight. In an interview with WIVB-TV senior correspondent Rich Newberg, Griffin admitted he was "pugnacious," but added that he was always true to himself.

"Remembering Mayor Jimmy Griffin" begins with his obituary on November 6, 2003. He was raised in Buffalo's rough and tumble Irish Old First Ward and scooped grain out of Great Lakes freighters as a teenager. He fought in the Korean war and entered Buffalo politics in 1961, winning a seat on the city's Common Council. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1966.

Griffin blamed the local news media for negative stories about his Parks commissioner Robert Delano, who ended up spending more than two years in federal prison for theft and extortion.

During his one-on-one interview with Rich Newberg, Griffin looks back on his accomplishments as mayor. A new downtown baseball stadium and housing and commercial buildings on the Erie Basin Marina are among them.]]> Newberg, Rich]]> eng]]> Refugees]]> Refugees--Poland]]> Catholic Charities of Buffalo]]> St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr Parish (Buffalo, N.Y.)]]> Saint Mary's School for the Deaf (Buffalo, N.Y.)]]>
WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg flew with Casey to JFK Airport in New York the day he was reunited with his family. They all embraced. His wife Katrina is also deaf and worked as a tailor in Gdansk to make ends meet.

Daughter Kataryna was able to speak for the family through an interpreter. She said, "Without father there is no life." In Buffalo, Catholic Charities and St. Mary's School for the Deaf were prepared to help the family start life over again.

In a follow-up report almost a year-and-a half later, we see Katrina working as a seamstress. Daughters Katrina and Monica learned to speak English at St. Stanislaus School in Buffalo. Monica had become best friends with a fellow student. Katrina was having a harder time adjusting to life in America.

The Catholic Church continued to play a major role in their lives. Msgr. John Gabalski of St. Stanislaus Church said of the Wrobel family, "They preach a better sermon by their behavior than I can preach orally." Monica had just celebrated her first communion.]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Gabalski, John]]> eng]]> Refugees--Syrian--United States--2000-2020]]>
In 2015, a media studies graduate of the University at Buffalo produced a message to the world about Syrian citizens fleeing oppression in their country. Documentary filmmaker Akrom Shipley, a Syrian American, had accompanied his father and sister on a journey to refugee camps in Jordan.

These two reports by WIVB-TV senior correspondent Rich Newberg deal with Shipley's plea for Americans to understand the plight of Syrian children who lost fathers in the Syrian civil war. "With losing their fathers," he said, "they lost a sense of their childhood."

Rebel groups. with support from NATO, had taken up arms fighting the oppressive regime of Bashar al-Assad. Russia and Iran were providing arms to Assad. The death toll of the Syrian civil war is estimated to be as high as 617,910. Civilian deaths alone are believed to number more than 306,000.

Shipley said the ultimate goal of the Syrian migrants "isn't just to flood our borders and take our jobs." He said their goal is to "rebuild hope and return home."

Rich Newberg also presented a story of two Syrian brothers who made it to Buffalo and were able to bring their wives and children to safety in the Queen City. They said their city in Syria had been leveled by bombs and fighting.]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Hill, Ahmir]]> eng]]> Childbirth]]> Blizzards--New York (State)--Buffalo]]>
Two miles away from the hospital, Bethany Hojnacki went into labor. Her husband Jared began a desperate search for help, trudging through the snow while carrying his 19 month old son to the boy's anxious grandparents a mile away.

Jared spotted a Buffalo fire crew assisting stranded motorists. Against all odds, one of them, Denise Perry, happened to be a labor nurse! Another close by was Stacey Braymiller, a maternity nurse!

The firehouse was reachable and Bethany was transported there with contractions four minutes apart. With the help of the nurses, Bethany gave birth to Lucy Grace after just two pushes.

Bethany explains that Lucy means "illuminated." She says her baby's name represents "grace illuminated," which she says "really does capture how she came into the world." Nurse Denise Perry believes it was divine intervention.

WIVB-TV senior correspondent Rich Newberg revisited the Hojnacki's for Lucy Grace's first birthday. Bethany says Lucy is "very passionate and spunky and also kind of dramatic." The parents liken her personality to her birth. In Jared's words, "very dramatic and full of life!"]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Root, Kim]]> Hill, Ahmir]]> eng]]> Escaped prisoners]]> Phillips, Ralph James ]]> Fugitives from justice.]]> Ralph "Bucky" Phillips had appeared on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Background
On April 2, 2006, Ralph "Bucky" Phillips escaped from the Erie County Correctional Facility by using a can opener to cut through the metal roof of the kitchen.

He had been arrested on a parole violation following a burglary conviction in 2005. Although his criminal record also included grand larceny and other crimes,
he was initially not considered to be a violent person by friends and relatives, according to early reports.
Some believed he was intent on patching up his relationship with his daughter and grandchildren.

During the initial phases of his escape, the public became fixated on Phillips' ability to allude police, who at times were hot on his trail. Feeding into his "folk hero" status, one restaurant established the to-go "Bucky Burger," for those "On the Run." T-shirts were marketed saying "Run, Bucky, Run!" A song with the same title was written.

The Bucky Phillips saga turned dark when he shot and wounded New York State Trooper Sean Brown near Elmira on June 10, 2006. Trooper Brown was approaching a stolen Ford Mustang Phillips was driving.

A second shooting took place in the Chautauqua County town of Pomfret on August 31st. State Troopers Donald Baker Jr. and Joseph Longobardo were hit during a house stakeout of a relative of Phillips. Longobardo later died from his wounds.

Phillips was captured by Pennsylvania State Police on September 8, 2006. He surrendered in a wooded area with his hands raised. While in custody and taken in for processing, there were still supporters who cheered him on, much to the disgust of troopers.

On November 29, 2006, Phillips pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. He was sentenced in Chautauqua County Court to life without parole.]]> Newberg, Rich]]> eng]]> Humanitarian aid workers--Afghanistan]]> Mercer, Heather]]> Taliban]]> Shelter Now (Organization)]]>
Heather Mercer and her friend and co-worker Dayna Curry, were American aid workers arrested in Afghanistan by the Taliban on August 3, 2001. They were part of the Antioch International Movement of Churches and employed by a German-based Christian aid organization called Shelter Now International.

Following their arrest, six other Western aid workers and sixteen co-workers from Afghanistan were taken into custody and charged with preaching Christianity, a crime potentially punishable by death under Taliban law.

The workers were initially held as prisoners in Kabul. When Northern Alliance forces took control of Kabul on November 13, 2001, the aid workers from Afghanistan were freed. The Western aid workers, however, were moved by the Taliban to a prison in Ghazni. There, anti-Taliban forces freed those prisoners as well. They were airlifted to safety in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Heather Mercer grew up in suburban Virginia, outside of Washington. Her parents were divorced. Heather's mother, Deborah Eddy from Lewiston, and her grandmother, Norma Anderson from Niagara Falls, worked tirelessly for Heather's release.

Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry were welcomed home by President Bush and invited to join him at the White House.
The president said, "They had a calling to serve the poorest of the poor." Heather commented, "We know we're here because of the prayers of people all over the country, all over the world!"]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Hill, Ahmir (Graphic artist)]]> eng]]> Goodell, Lyndon]]> Drunk Driving]]> Trials (Manslaughter)--New York (State)]]>
The jury had to determine that it was 23 year old Goodell behind the wheel. His passenger, Carol Rokicki, was with him at the time of the accident. She had been granted immunity by the prosecution in exchange for her testimony.

Defense attorney Fern Acomb said it was Rokicki who supplied the alcohol and had the keys to the car, and that she was driving at the time of the crash. However, it was Goodell's chest injuries that convinced the jury that he was in the driver's seat.

The manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter convictions of Goodell were based on the belief that he knew, or should have known that his reckless drunken driving had the potential to kill. District Attorney Robert Noonan said, "...a guilty verdict on all counts was the only verdict that I would have been happy with."

The victims' relatives comforted each other after the two week trial ended with a guilty verdict. Tricia Collins, whose husband Patrick was killed in the accident, expressed the hope the trial would serve as a powerful lesson that drinking and driving can lead to tragic consequences.

Genesee County Judge Glenn Morton sentenced Goodell to 7 1/2 to 15 years in state prison. A wrongful-death settlement totaling $340,000 dollars was paid out by insurance companies to the families of all four of the victims. Goodell kept maintaining that he was not driving, but lost subsequent appeals.]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Reeve, Richard (Reporter)]]> eng]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> The Buffalo News Company, Buffalo N.Y.]]> May (author)]]> Henry (author)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> Parks--New York (State)--Buffalo--Delaware Park.]]> The S.O. Barnum & Son Co.]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> The Buffalo News Company]]> L.A.H (author)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> Curt Teich and Co.]]> Curteich-Chicago (Firm)]]> Buffalo Stationary Co.]]> Curteichcolor Color Transparencies (artist)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> Bea (author)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> Curt Teich and Co.]]> Curteich-Chicago (Firm)]]> Buffalo Stationary Co.]]> Curteichcolor Color Transparencies (artist)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> A & A Greeting Card Co.]]> Ike Beck (artist)]]> Colorpicture Publishers Inc (artist)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> Curt Teich and Co.]]> Curteich-Chicago (Firm)]]> Ernest Gunzburger]]> Curteichcolor 3-d Natural Color Reproductions (artist)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> T. P. & Co.]]> Kelly (author)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> Parks--New York (State)--Buffalo--Delaware Park.]]> [Emily?] (author)]]> J (author)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Albright-Knox Art Gallery]]> De Witt C. (author)]]> ENG]]>