The Hungry and the Homeless of Buffalo
subject: Homelessness--New York (State)--Buffalo
subject: Homeless persons--New York (State)--Buffalo
description: 1 In 1979 the Buffalo Food Pantry was created to assist residents who couldn’t afford to feed their families. As the project developed, there were still independent efforts to feed the hungry. In 1980, the Bread Giveaway was one such effort. An organizer expressed the hope that the community would become aware of the fact that, “There are hungry people and there’s an agency now to deal with it.” 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 t…
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1981-2015
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
contributor: Terranova, Michael (Digital Editor)
rights: 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
relation: A Life in the Balance: Struggles of the Mentally Ill
format: Video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving image

Terry Anderson: Freed Hostage
description: Terry Anderson, who grew up in Batavia, New York, was abducted by Hezbollah militants in Beirut, Lebanon on March 16, 1985. He was serving as the Associated Press’ chief Middle East correspondent at the time he was taken hostage. 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.”
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1985 - 2011
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
contributor: Michael Terranova (Digital Editor)
contributor: Koop, Bob (Reporter)
contributor: McClintick, Michele (Reporter)
contributor: CNN (from YouTube)
rights: 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
relation: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
format: Video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image
coverage: 1990-2015

The Badillo Beat: A Unique Partnership
subject: PS 076 Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy
subject: Journalism, Elementary school
subject: Journalism and education
description: On September 30, 1997, WIVB-TV created a mentoring program for high school students at the Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy in Buffalo. The goal was to initially expose them to the inner workings of a television newsroom and teach them the basics of broadcast journalism and production. 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.”
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1997-09-30
date: 1998-06-23
contributor: Vetter, Tom (News photographer)
contributor: Rice, Marie (Reporter)
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic artist)
rights: 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
format: video/mp4
type: Moving Image

Love Is Stronger Than Pain
subject: Buffalo (N.Y.)--Biography.
subject: Women--New York (State)--Buffalo--Biography.
description: “Love is Stronger than Pain” is the title of Michael O’Brien’s book memorializing the legacy of his mother, Irene Corcoran O’Brien. She lived a life of daily sacrifice, tending to the critical needs of two of her children stricken with a rare, debilitating, painful disease which causes blistering of the skin and deformities. Her faith and unconditional love of John and Maureen enabled them to experience joy in life and inspire others to do the same. 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.”
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1991
date: 1992
date: 2015
contributor: Grosvenor Room of B&ECPL (repository)
rights: 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Victims of Addiction
subject: Drug addiction--Treatment
subject: Drug addiction--Rehabilitation
description: 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 pri…
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
creator: Mombrea, Mike, Jr. (Photographer)
creator: Alexander, Scott (Photographer)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1989-06-29
date: 1989-05
date: 1989-11-15
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Crisis at West Valley 1 : Overview
subject: Radioactive waste disposal in the ground -- New York (State) -- West Valley
subject: Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State) -- West Valley
subject: Reactor fuel reprocessing -- New York (State) -- West Valley
description: This series of reports deals with the challenges involved in cleaning up one of Western New York’s most toxic hot spots, located in West Valley, about thirty miles south of Buffalo. 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…
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1979 - 2020
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (WIVB-TV Graphic Arts Director)
contributor: Vetter, Tom (Editor)
contributor: Schackne, Robert (CBS News Correspondent)
contributor: Roberts, John (WIS-TV Columbia, South Carolina)
contributor: Curtis, Bill (CBS News Morning Anchor)
contributor: Costantini, Allen (WIVB-TV Reporter)
contributor: Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)
contributor: Lauder, Jay (WIVB-TV Photographer)
contributor: D’Arrigo, Diane (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
contributor: Resnikoff, Marvin (Nuclear Physicist)
contributor: Hameister, Joanne (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
contributor: Vaughan, Ray (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
contributor: Shepp, Amanda (Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia)
contributor: Pillittere, Joe (Communications Manager for West Valley contractor)
contributor: Bower, Brian (DOE Director for West Valley Demonstration Project)
contributor: Bembia, Paul (NYSERDA Director at West Valley)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Turning Anger Into Action [The Story of Love Canal Pt.3]
subject: Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)
subject: Chemical plants -- Waste disposal -- Environmental aspects -- New York (State) -- Niagara Falls
description: These selected reports beginning in 1978 provide insight into how Love Canal homeowners were able to channel their fears and anger into action in terms of personal injury lawsuits against the Hooker Chemical Corporation and pressure applied to their local, state and federal government representatives. 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.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1970-1980
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
contributor: Rice, Marie (Reporter)
contributor: Beard, John (Co-host)
contributor: Gunter, Gary (Reporter)
rights: 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
relation: 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]
format: Video/mp3
language: eng
type: Moving Image
identifier: Rich Newberg Reports Collection

What Have We Learned? [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 4]
subject: Chemical plants -- Waste disposal -- Environmental aspects -- New York (State) -- Niagara Falls
subject: Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)
description: During the decades that followed the Love Canal disaster, WIVB-TV reporters have sought to gain a big picture perspective of the disaster that laid the groundwork for the environmental justice movement in the United States. 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.’”
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1980-2020
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
contributor: Rice, Marie (Reporter)
contributor: McClintick, Michelle (Reporter)
contributor: Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
contributor: Williams, Jordan (Reporter)
contributor: Schanz, Jenn (Reporter)
rights: 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. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
relation: 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]
format: Video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Spring of Life : Abortion Battleground in Buffalo
subject: Operation Rescue (Organization)
subject: Pro-choice movement--New York (State)--Buffalo
subject: Pro-life movement--New York (State)--Buffalo
subject: Terry, Randall A.
subject: Griffin, James D. (James Donald), 1929-
subject: Slepian, Barnett, 1946-1998
description: 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-ab…
description: Description from creator.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
publisher: WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1992-04-26
date: 1992-05-02
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
contributor: Rice, Marie (Reporter)
contributor: Walker, Jacquie (Reporter)
contributor: Pfeiffer, Rick (Reporter)
contributor: Koop, Bob (Reporter)
rights: 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: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Life and Legacy of Rev. Bennett Walker Smith
subject: Smith, Bennet Walker
subject: African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--History
subject: African Americans--Civil rights--New York (State)--Buffalo--History
description: Series of reports on the life of Rev. Bennett Smith of Buffalo, who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s. He died on August 7, 2001. Reports cover Rev. Smith's funeral, attended by New York Senator Hillary Clinton, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, among the dignitaries. Archival interviews with Rev. Smith are included, as he reflects on his efforts to help those he once referred to as 'the least, the lost, and the left out.' He was the pastor of St. John Baptist Church in Buffalo for twenty-nine years. He was a player on the national civil rights stage. Interviews include Buffalo NAACP President Frank Mesiah, Rev. Smith's widow, Marilyn Smith, Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark, and former New York Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur O. Eve. Rev. Smith's funeral lasted four hours. His last project was building the Family Life Center for education, health, recreation and counseling. Speakers at his funeral included Hillary Clinton, Governor George Pataki, Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello, and Buffalo Common Council President Jim Pitts.
description: Originally aired on WIVB-TV.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2001-08
contributor: Schultz, Laurie (Writer, Reporter)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Lynn DeJac Exonerated
subject: DeJac, Lynn
subject: Criminal investigation--United States--Case studies
description: Lynn DeJac of Buffalo, New York served thirteen years in prison for a crime she did not commit. In 1994 she was wrongly convicted of murdering her fourteen-year-old daughter, Crystallynn Girard. 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.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, Editor)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2007-11-28
date: 2014-6-18
contributor: Hutchinson, Dave (Photographer)
contributor: Micole, Mike (Live truck technician)
contributor: Meegan, Martha (WIVB-TV Assignment Editor)
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic artist)
rights: 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.

John Rigas Trial and Conviction
subject: Rigas, John J., 1924-
subject: Adelphia Communications Corporation.
description: On July 8, 2004, John and Timothy were found guilty of conspiracy, securities and bank fraud. They were convicted of hiding $2.3 billion in debt, while looting Adelphia of $100 million. Michael avoided prison by pleading guilty to making a false entry in a financial record. Michael Mulcahey, the former director of internal reporting for Adelphia, was acquitted. The government’s main witness, James Brown, Adelphia’s former vice president for finance, had pleaded guilty to fraud in 2002. Less than a year later, on June 20, 2005, John Rigas, who at age 80 suffered from heart problems and bladder cancer, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His son Timothy received a 20-year prison sentence. John’s sentence was later reduced to 12 years, and Timothy’s to 17 years, after a federal appeals court threw out part of the government’s case. John and Timothy began serving their prison terms on August 13, 2007, when their initial appeals were denied. Two weeks earlier, John sat down with WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg, proclaiming his innocence and desire to clear the family name. U.S. District Judge Leonard Sand had also ruled that after serving two years, John could regain his freedom if he were diagnosed with less than three months to live. On February 19, 2016, after serving 8 years in federal prison,Rigas, at age 91, was granted a compassionate release. He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, Editor)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2004-02
date: 2004-03
date: 2004-07
date: 2007-07-31
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

John Rigas Indicted
subject: Rigas, John J., 1924-
subject: Adelphia Communications Corporation
description: On July 24, 2002, 77 year old John Rigas, the founder and CEO of Adelphia Communications Corporation, was indicted on charges of securities, wire, and bank fraud. Two of his sons, Timothy and Michael were also charged, along with two company executives. Timothy had been Adelphia’s financial officer. Michael served as chief operating officer. John Rigas, the son of Greek immigrants, had started Adelphia in 1952 with a $300 dollar investment. He grew the company to the nation’s fifth largest cable company. Following the indictments, John Rigas talked exclusively with WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg, refuting federal charges of conspiring to defraud investors, looting corporate accounts, and failing to disclose $2.3 billion dollars in company debts.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, editor)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2003-01
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

City Grill Massacre
subject: McCray, Riccardo.
subject: Murderer--New York (State)--Buffalo.
subject: Murder investigation--New York (State)--Buffalo
description: One of the most horrific crimes in Buffalo history unfolded in the early morning hours of August 14, 2010. A gunman shot four people to death, execution style, and wounded four others. It happened at the City Grill restaurant on Buffalo’s Main Street. The shootings followed an argument inside the restaurant. One of the victims who were shot to death had been celebrating his first wedding anniversary. The gunman escaped, and during the days that followed, many Buffalo inner city residents lived in fear that there would be more bloodshed. Although there were more than a hundred patrons in the restaurant at the time of the shootings, authorities said they were having a hard time locating people willing to cooperate. Buffalo police had arrested a suspect less than 12 hours after the shootings, but he turned out to be the wrong man. Eleven days later, as authorities were closing in on another man who had emerged as the main “person of interest,” 23-year-old Riccardo McCray decided he would rather surrender peacefully than risk a showdown with Buffalo Police. On August 25, 2010, community activists Darnell Jackson and Bishop Perry Davis brought McCray to WIVB-TV studios in North Buffalo. Jackson had contacted the station’s senior correspondent, Rich Newberg, the night before, indicating McCray was seeking a safe haven to surrender. Newberg had a long history of reporting on the struggles of inner city residents, and had provided nightly updates following the City Grill shootings. While McCray waited for his attorney to arrive, Newberg interviewed the suspect, who volunteered the fact that he had been at the City Grill at the time of the shootings, but denied being the shooter. McCray was then peacefully taken into Buffalo Police custody and charged with first and second-degree murder and possession of a weapon. At McCray’s trial, Newberg was called as a witness for the prosecution. His entire interview of McCray was played for the jury in a packed courtroom. McCray was fo…
description: FEATURED REPORTS CITY GRILL MASSACRE RETROSPECTIVE 1. WIVB-TV Anchor/Reporter Dave Greber’s retrospective dating back almost ten years includes footage from the City Grill massacre that had never been made public before. Greber interviews former WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg who reflects on the day Riccardo McCray was brought to him to surrender. McCray was later convicted of murder, attempted murder, and criminal possession of a weapon. February 17, 2020 (Runs: 6:18) SURRENDER OF RICCARDO MCCRAY 2. Shortly after handling the surrender of Riccardo McCray, the primary suspect in the City Grill shootings, WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg gave a first hand account of how it all unfolded. It was posted on the WIVB-TV website. Newberg would later testify at McCray’s trial. He was a witness for the prosecution. His entire interview of McCray was played for the jury. August 2010 (Runs: 4:05) FIRST TELEVISED REPORTS OF MCCRAY’S SURRENDER WIVB-TV / News 4 Buffalo August 25, 2010 (Runs: 13:44) 3. Reports begin with “Breaking News” cut-in to programming followed by Rich Newberg’s first reports on McCray’s surrender, McCray being charged with the City Grill shootings, community reaction, and potential use of Newberg’s interview with McCray as evidence by prosecutors. MCCRAY ARRAIGNMENT WIVB-TV / News 4 Buffalo August 26, 2010 (Runs: 2:05) 4. Riccardo McCray is arraigned on charges including murder attempted murder, and weapons possession. EXPERTS REVIEW MCCRAY SURRENDER AND INTERVIEW September 3, 2010 (Runs: 3:00) 5. WIVB-TV Legal Analyst Terry Connors and former New York State Attorney General Dennis Vacco review the video showing the McCray surrender and interview. They believe the interview by Rich Newberg could be used in court. RICH NEWBERG TESTIFIES AT MCCRAY TRIAL (March 25, 2011) (Runs: 2:32) 6. WIVB-TV Investigative Reporter Luke Moretti reports on Rich Newberg’s testimony in court as a witness for the prosecution. Newberg said his role was to obta…
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, editor)
creator: Woodson, Paul (Photographer)
creator: Ersing, Rich (Photographer)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2010-08-14 (Shootings take place) 2010-08-25 (McCray surrenders) 2011-03-31 (Found Guilty) 2011-06-02 (Sentenced to life without parole)
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Cynthia Dwyer: 53rd Hostage
subject: Dwyer, Cynthia.
subject: Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981.
description: On April 10, 1980, Cynthia Dwyer, a 49 year old wife and mother of three young children, decided to travel to Iran to learn more about the revolution that had toppled the Shah, and to find out anything new about 52 people from the American Embassy in Tehran who had been taken hostage on November 4, 1979 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Mrs. Dwyer, a freelance writer and book editor, had obtained an Erie County Sheriff’s press card and had a long history of taking up causes of the underdog. Despite warnings that travel to Iran could be dangerous, she made the journey, only to be arrested on May 5th, 1980 and charged with being a spy for the CIA. She may have been set up for arrest by possible agents of the revolutionary government who had spoken to her of a plan to free five American hostages separated from the larger group. There had earlier been an aborted U.S. rescue attempt that ended with a helicopter crash and the loss of eight American service personnel. Inside the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, Mrs. Dwyer said she was subjected to about 50 hours of interrogation. She was quoted as saying she “heard executions of many Iranians accused of treason.” She later said she had lived in “constant fear of death” during her nine months of incarceration. On February 4, 1980, two weeks after the 52 hostages were released, Cynthia Dwyer was tried and convicted of espionage. She had been denied a lawyer and called the proceedings a “kangaroo trial…complete nonsense.” However, five days later, thanks, in part, to intervention by the Swiss government, Mrs. Dwyer was released by the Ayatollah Khomeini and expelled from Iran. She arrived at Kennedy Airport in New York on February 11, 1981 and was immediately reunited with her family. Her husband, John Dwyer, Chairman of the English Department at Buffalo State College, had kept Cynthia’s story in the headlines. WIVB-TV news reporter Rich Newberg had established a trusted relationship with the family and provided Buffalo, CN…
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, editor)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1980
date: 1981
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
contributor: Yearke, Don (Photographer)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Buffalo Remembers Governor Mario Cuomo
subject: Cuomo, Mario M., 1932-2015.
subject: Governors--New York (State)
description: 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.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Editor)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2015-01-02
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Survival of Gayle Wolfer : the movie made about her tragic shooting
subject: Wolfer, Gayle.
description: 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.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Keller, Jack (Photographer, Editor)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 1992-05-10
date: 1992-05-12
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

Remembering Van Miller : "The Voice of the Buffalo Bills"
subject: Miller, Van, 1907-2015.
subject: Buffalo Bills (Football team) -- History.
subject: Radio broadcasting of sports -- New York (State) -- Buffalo -- History
description: 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.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
creator: Swenson, Scott (Photographer, Editor)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2015-20-07
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
rights: 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: Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image

The Case Against The Lackawanna Six
subject: Terrorism--New York (State)
subject: Yemeni Americans --New York (State)--Lackawanna
description: In September 2002, six Yemeni-American friends from Lackawanna, New York, eight miles outside of Buffalo, were arrested and charged with giving material support to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. It was the one year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. They had attended a al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in the Spring of 2001, just months before the attacks on the United States. In his State of the Union address in 2003, President George W. Bush referred to the six as being part of an “al-Qaeda cell.” He said that along with other alleged cells broken in Hamburg, Milan, Madrid, London and Paris, “We have the terrorists on the run. We’re keeping them on the run. One by one the terrorists are learning the meaning of American justice.” The men had grown up in the second largest Yemeni community in America and were all native born or naturalized U.S. citizens. One was a soccer star in high school. Another was voted “friendliest” in his graduating class. There was never proof that the six had been plotting terror attacks on American soil or that they were, in fact a homegrown terrorist cell. However, in December 2003, faced with possible long prison sentences if found guilty during a trial, all pleaded guilty to “providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.” They were given sentences ranging from seven to ten years. Author Dina Temple-Raston, who wrote the book “The Jihad Next Door: The Lackawanna Six and Rough Justice in an Age of Terror,” says the men left the training camp early when they realized America would be a target. During a 2007 interview on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation,” Temple-Raston, NPR’s FBI correspondent, said the men were addressed by Osama bin Laden, who told them there were suicide bombers ready to take action against the United States and Israel. After returning to Lackawanna, she said the men were not truthful to the FBI about their activities in Afghanistan and were later arrested. As part of th…
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo,N.Y>) Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
date: 2002-09-10
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
rights: 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.

Manny Fried: A Guiding Presence
subject: Labor--New York (State)--Buffalo.
subject: Playwriting.
description: When Manny Fried was blacklisted during the McCarthy era in the 1950s, he says the union rank and file he represented as an organizer stood by him. He said he never lost hope in the American people because of that support. He was being investigated for his association with the Communist Party. His refusal to answer questions from the House Un-American Activities Committee earned the respect of Albert Einstein, who sent him a note on April 16, 1954 saying, “You did the right thing and fulfilled your duty as a citizen.” After finding it impossible to find work in the US, Fried took a job with a Canadian company as a life insurance salesmen. He established his voice as a playwright, author, actor and teacher. He began teaching creative writing at Buffalo State College in 1972. Later in life he sued the FBI for emotional and financial damage, claiming he and his family were harassed and intimidated by twenty-five agents under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover. Fried’s book, “The Un-American,” retells the nightmare he and his family were made to endure. When Manny Fried passed away in 2011 at the age of 97, Buffalo News columnist Colin Dabkowski wrote, “He remained a guiding presence in Buffalo’s theater, literary and social activist communities and was widely regarded as the most important figure on Buffalo’s theater scene.” Manny Fried told his story to Rich Newberg, who produced three reports in 1993 and 1994.
creator: Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
source: Rich Newberg Reports Collection
publisher: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
publisher: WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
date: 1993-03-01 1994-06-02 1994-06-09
contributor: Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
rights: 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: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image