Ioseph Pennell Del.]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Christopher, Joseph G.]]> Serial murders -- New York (State) -- Buffalo]]> Racism -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.]]>
Catherine Pelonero, author of the book “Absolute Madness,” makes the case that “Christopher’s crimes might have been prevented if he had received the psychiatric help he was seeking.” Ms. Pelonero provides the on-camera introduction and conclusion to this compilation of WIVB-TV reports.

An intensive search for “The .22 Caliber Killer” ensued after the first four homicides.
Two more African American men were murdered on October 8th and 9th. They were taxi cab drivers who had their hearts cut out. Christopher would later confess to these two killings, although evidence pointed away from Christopher as the perpetrator. Both cases remain open and unsolved.

In November 1980, Christopher enlisted in the U.S. Army. While on Christmas furlough, he journeyed to Manhattan and, on December 22nd, allegedly stabbed four people to death. He then became known as “The Midtown Slasher.”

A week later, on December 29th, after returning to Buffalo, another black man was stabbed to death. The following day, on December 30th, an African American male in Rochester was slashed and died from his injuries.

In January, Christopher reported back to his Army base at Fort Benning, Georgia and attacked a black soldier with a knife. The soldier lived and Christopher was confined to the stockade, where he attempted to take his own life with a razor.

In a session with a psychiatrist at the base, it has been reported that Christopher said he “had to” kill Blacks. At that point, Christopher’s home was searched by the police. They found evidence linking him to three murders. In April 1981, Joseph Christopher was indicted based on this evidence.

At his trial in 1982, Christopher rejected attempts by his mother to provide him with lawyers. He represented himself before a trial judge and was found guilty. However, the ruling was overturned because the judge had not allowed psychiatric testimony about Christopher’s mental ability to stand trial.

In 1985, after being found competent to stand trial, he was again found guilty and sent to Attica Correctional Facility. At the prison he was quoted to have claimed credit for thirteen killings. Author Pelonero says Christopher allegedly claimed eighteen victims during “a savage four month reign of terror…”

Christopher died in prison on March 1, 1993. Although it was reported at the time that he died of a rare form of male breast cancer, Ms. Pelonero’s research determined that the cause of death was testicular cancer. He was 37 years old.

This compilation of WIVB-TV news reports includes the manhunt for Christopher and a massive Buffalo rally against racism. Reporter Rich Newberg traveled with photographer Mike Mombrea, Jr. to Fort Benning, Georgia for first hand accounts from soldiers in Joseph Christopher’s barracks. This retrospective also includes special WIVB-TV coverage of an appearance by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, during Christopher’s reign of terror.
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]]> Vetter, Tom (editor)]]> Terranova, Michael (editor)]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> National Guard State of New York]]> S.H. Knox & Co. (Duluth, Minn.)]]> S.H. Knox & Co.]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> National Guard State of New York]]> S.H. Knox & Co. (Duluth, Minn.)]]> S.H. Knox & Co.]]> [illegible] (author)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> National Guard State of New York]]> S.H. Knox & Co. (Duluth, Minn.)]]> S.H. Knox & Co.]]> [Aunt Malie?] (author)]]> ENG]]> Baldridge, Cyrus Leroy]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> 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]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> 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)]]> Edwards]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Canoes and canoeing--New York (State)--Buffalo--Societies, etc. Clubs.]]> Boats and boating--New York (State)--Buffalo--Societies, etc.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Societies and clubs.]]> The Buffalo News Company]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Canoes and canoeing--New York (State)--Buffalo--Societies, etc. Clubs.]]> Boats and boating--New York (State)--Buffalo--Societies, etc.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Societies and clubs.]]> The Buffalo News Company]]> Litho-Chrome (artist)]]> 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 Fine Arts Academy.]]> Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences.]]> Buffalo Historical Society.]]> Library architecture.]]> Buffalo Library]]> Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (N.Y.)]]> Grosvenor Room of B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)]]> Pan-American Exposition--(1901:Buffalo, N.Y.) --Songs and music]]> Brooke, Thomas Preston]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Television Broadcasting of news--New York (State)--Buffalo--History.]]> Television Journalists--New York (State)--Buffalo--History.]]> Social Justice--United States.]]> Black lives matter movement.]]> Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)--History]]> Radioactive waste disposal--New York (State)--West Valley. ]]> Buffalo Bills (Football team)--History.]]> McVeigh, Timothy.]]> Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1995.]]> John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005.]]> Waterfronts--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]>
The two major segments in the first half of the program deal with the pursuit of racial and environmental justice in the Buffalo-Niagara region. Buffalo’s legendary role in the civil rights movement and the notorious Love Canal disaster are revisited through key archival news and documentary footage.

The second half features Buffalo’s prominence as a television market for news and its ties to many historic developments and events of national and international significance. Examples include the terminus of the Erie Canal, the Buffalo woman shot along with Pope John Paul II during an assassination attempt, and the four consecutive Super Bowl appearances by the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s.

The one hour program highlights efforts by the Buffalo Broadcasters Association (BBA) to preserve the images on early news film and videotape before they deteriorate and are lost forever. It is written and hosted by WIVB-TV’s retired senior correspondent Rich Newberg. He was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the BBA’s Archive Project sixteen years earlier.

Newberg’s fellow producer and editor Tom Vetter also worked at WIVB-TV as a news photographer. Newberg and Vetter created the station’s documentary unit in 1999. Some segments of their New York Emmy Award winning pieces appear in this documentary.

Veteran WIVB anchor Jacquie Walker co-produced the program along with WIVB graphic arts director Kurt Murphy.

“The Buffalo Story: History Happens Here” is more than just a history lesson or a tribute to the local broadcast journalists who provided an extraordinary chronicle of life-changing events. It is a call to action to preserve the news footage that helped define a region and in some cases, a nation.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Host)]]> Vetter, Tom (Producer, Photographer, Editor)]]> ]]> Walker, Jacquie (Co-producer)]]> Murphy, Kurt (Co-producer, Graphic Arts Director)]]> Holland, Dan (Contributing Photographer)]]> Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Interviewee, Documentarian)]]> Ziemer, Heidi (Consulting Archivist)]]> Mombrea, John (Digital Archivist)]]> Terranova, Michael (Digital Archivist)]]> Newberg, David (Logo Designer)]]> Dworsky, Molly (Logo Designer)]]> 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 Rich Newberg, Tom Vetter, 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.]]> eng]]> 1970-2020]]> Education--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Education--New York (State)--Erie County]]> Bullying]]>
In Western New York, worried parents of young victims of bullying were concerned that their school districts were not dealing effectively with the issue. A rash of incidents on school buses targeted students as young as six years old.

WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg reported on young children being tormented and found that school superintendents were reluctant to go on-camera to discuss the issue. Parents said bullies were not being punished, even after repeated incidents were documented.

There was enough pubic interest in the growing problem to warrant a special WIVB-TV presentation. On March 2, 2011, large portions of the 5 and 6 o’clock newscasts were set aside to feature a panel of experts who took calls from concerned viewers. They addressed issues including whether or not a targeted child should fight back.

Parents were also advised to look for signs indicating that their child might be a victim of bullying. It was noted that victims can carry deep emotional scars. There were calls for serious interventions by school districts that had been reluctant to take direct action against known bullies.

The segments ended with high profile celebrities and politicians, including President Obama, offering words of encouragement to those who were being tormented at school. Students were urged not to remain silent and to seek help from those they trust, including parents and teachers.

Legendary Buffalo boxer “Baby Joe” Mesi told a group of public school children that he had been a victim of bullying. The former world heavyweight contender said he built up his self confidence by learning how to box.

“Too often the voice of the victim, the target of the bully, goes unheard,” said WIVB-TV General Manager Chris Musial. He added, “Young people still feel trapped, abused and tormented. We at WIVB-News 4 and CW23-WNLO are committed to digging deeper in our coverage of this important issue. Whether it begins in the schoolyard or school bus, or in cyberspace through online taunting or texting, we will continue our efforts to find solutions that lead to an end of these horrible actions by bullies.”

“The Bully Project” was honored with a national Sigma Delta Chi Public Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. ]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> George Richert (Reporter)]]> eng]]>