WBFO News

The American Lung Association gives New York State a mix of grades, ranging from A to F, in its latest “State of Tobacco Control” report, released Wednesday.

The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees has approved economic development awards to three companies that will create 79 new jobs and spur nearly $46 million in capital investments.

A major solar farm is on the way to Ripley in Chautauqua County, with millions of dollars to local governments and to the landowners who host the solar panels.

COVID-19 cases in Erie County are sliding rapidly, as Omicron is starting to run its course. However, County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the death toll is rising and it's rising among younger people.

The population decline, first reported in December, is the largest number of people moving out of the state since New York City’s fiscal crisis in the 1970s.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie pushed back on claims Tuesday that the rise in violent crime in New York has been a result of the state’s bail reform law, which eliminated the option of cash bail for most lower-level and nonviolent charges two years ago.

New York's mask mandate for public, indoor spaces that don't have a vaccination requirement will remain in effect for at least the next three days while a legal challenge against the rule is litigated before an appellate court.

January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and a local entity formed in 2006 to combat it is receiving a $1.5 million grant to further its efforts. Partners in the Western District of New York Human Trafficking Task Force will use the money to identify and support its survivors, while investigating and prosecuting the traffickers.

Following filing of federal lawsuit, Buffalo Public Schools to allow reasonable accommodations for a student with disabilities who cannot mask.

Ontario has reached a grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic. The province has now surpassed 1 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 11,000 related deaths.