11/30/09: Healthier Niagara Falls Community Task Force Wages Wellness Battle

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO

National Urban Fellow Cathy Mays, RN says Niagara Falls is a community in crisis.
She is working with 17 Niagara Falls community leaders to help find cures for the city’s health woes. They have their work cut out for them.
*Thirty seven percent of the Falls’ residents are regular smokers.
*The Cataract City has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Upstate New York.
*It also has the highest rate of low birth weight babies from teenage mothers.
*Niagara Falls exceeds the national average for diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and arthritis.
*Less than half of Falls Seniors get the seasonal flu shot…
*Only 50% of women over 40 get routine mammograms.
The Healthier Niagara Falls Task Force is comprised of Medical, religious and economic leaders hoping to give residents a wellness booster shot in the arm.
“We have 1.5 million people in Western New York. Fifty thousand in Niagara Falls. How do we get people motivated to really take control of their own health?” said Shelley Hirshberg with the P2 Collaborative of WNY, Inc.
“We have to motivate the community. We have to motivate the residents of the city to use the resources of the city. And that’s what the task force is all about,” added Mays.
According to the task force, Niagara Falls has the highest rate of emergency room visits for preventable conditions in Western New York. The group wants to reduce the number of unnecessary trips to the ER, by encouraging people to get primary care physicians. But with more people falling on tough economic times, more people are turning to public health care options.
“Stop using the emergency room for acute care when preventative care could have happened maybe six months ago or even two years ago,” Mays said.
The group plans to meet monthly throughout 2010 to devise and action plan for the City.
“It isn’t just this task force, it’s exponential. You know how do we work with the block clubs? How do we work with the churches? How do we work with everyone, all the community organizations that touch people in Niagara Falls,” added Hirshberg.

11/29/09: WNY Security Officials Urge Holiday Shopping Safety

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO
Tis’ the season for shopping and unfortunately stealing. Recent bank robberies and church thefts have many Western New Yorkers on edge this holiday season. Area malls and shopping centers are reminding people to keep a close eye on their belongings. Security officials at the Boulevard Mall say it’s important to keep your valuables close to your body.
“Keep personal information, credit cards, social security cards in a known locations that you keep close,” said Boulevard Mall Security Director Robert McMahon.
“I think the reason we keep our purses on the table is so that we can see them,” said shopper Roberta Baker. The Ontario bargain hunter says she doesn’t put her bags near her feet because people could easily kick or take them.
“There’s money in it,” said fellow Canadian shopper Kelly Mazzotta. ”It’s the Christmas season and I have my passport in here.”
The mall food court is where many shoppers go to rest their feet and their bags. But security officials say make sure you’re resting those bags in perfect line of sight. Our cameras spotted several purses and shopping bags unattended, under chairs and near tables at the Boulevard Mall. Many valuables were away from the shoppers line of sight, but in perfect view for a bag snatcher. One bag sat on this chair unattended for 10 minutes. Some shoppers say they never take their eyes off their bags.
“When it’s here I know where it is. It’s safe. All my stuff is on me,” said Baker.
“Numerous times throughout the mall we’re picking up purses and coats that have been left behind. Especially by kids. they’re difficult to keep track,” said McMahon.
When it comes to keeping kids safe, parents should devise an emergency plan for your children in case you get separated.
“I go to a counter and talk to them and tell them I’m lost and my parent is lost. And then I tell them their name and they use the microphone,” said Charles Tabone. Shoppers should also avoid loading up vehicles with bags and big ticket items in plain sight of passersby.
“Make a plan to leave the parking lot and return those items home,” said Robert McMahon.

11/28/09: Black Friday Down, on to Cyber Monday

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO

"Shopping online is more convenient. You don’t have to go through all the crowds,” said Jessc Christopher holding her rambunctious toddler at the Stereo Advantage store. The Kenmore’s wife and mother of two says her 3½ year old takes up a lot of her time so she prefers to shop online.
PriceGrabber.com surveyed holiday shoppers and found 2/3rds plan to bargain hunt online November 30th, better known as “Cyber Monday.”
“They give you free shipping, the more you purchase. It’s just an easier way to do it,” added Christopher.
Free shipping and one day sales are just a few of the perks retailers are offering online holiday shoppers. The National Retail Federation survey reports 87% of retailers are planning Cyber Monday promotions. The same survey also shows 54% of employees are planning to shop on the company clock. It’s mostly men and people 18 to 24 years old.
“Black Friday’s been very busy as you can see we’re running a lot of specials on HD-TVs,” said Stereo Advantage CEO Al Walters.
Stereo Advantage in Williamsville workers say shopper traffic has been heavy all weekend, but they are ready for the online influx.
“We expect to see a lot of sales on small devices like digital cameras camcorders and blue ray players will be very big also,” Walters added. Digital Cameras are one of the most popular items bought online since buyers tend to know what features they are looking for; but many shoppers say they feel more confident heading to the store for big ticket items like computers and flat screen tvs.
“I think people want to see the TV, more than a product that they can identify from the specifications. Picking zooms and megapixels is easier than picking picture quality,” said Walters.
“I’d like to see it in front of me so that I can get the affect of the color TV,” Jessc Christopher added.

11/27/09: ECMC H1N1 Clinic Vaccinates 150 Pregnant Women

BY NICKI MAY YNN BUFFALO
Erie County Health officials take steps to vaccinate pregnant women for the H1N1 virus.
“I think it’s overwhelming being pregnant with your first child and having information coming from everyone,” said expectant mother Kellena Kane. The West Buffalonian says she had questions about getting the H1N1 vaccine; but she has no questions when it comes to protecting her unborn baby.
“I did have big concerns with mercury with the Thermasol being included in the shots. So both my regular seasonal shot and this swine flu shot, both did not have the mercury in it,” she added.
University Travel Health held a H1N1 vaccination clinic at Erie County Medical Center to offer shots to 150 pregnant women. The shots cost $19.57. The mothers say that’s a small price to pay for pre-natal care and a healthy baby.
“I work with kids all day. They have their little germs,” said Buffalo’s Keary Constantine. “I have a two-year-old at home. So I wanted to get it to protect myself as well as my unborn and the rest of my family,” Constantine added.
“We’ve kind of polled the health resources in the area and have found that it’s been a need for expectant mothers to receive the vaccine and they have not been able to get a hold of it,” said Dr. David Hughes with University Occupational Health and University Travel Health. Medical officials are urging expectant mothers to get the H1N1 shot because their immunity tends to drop a little bit while they’re pregnant. They say this is just another way mothers can protect their babies before they are born.
“Mothers who contract the H1N1 virus without having the vaccine have a higher incidence of morbidity, mortality and a higher incidence of hospitalization,” added Dr. Hughes.
Kellena Kane says she hopes getting the H1N1 shot will keep her out of the hospital bed until her big day.
“I thought that it was better to get it than take the risk of getting sick and having complications,” Kane said.

11/26/09: YMCA’s 114th Turkey Trot Attracts 12,000 Runners

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO

Twelve thousand runners hit the streets for the YMCA’s 114th annual Turkey Trot. The race kicked off at Delaware and Shoreham and spanned down the road to Niagara Square. It ended with a party at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.
YMCA organizers say the 8K Turkey Trot is the oldest continually running footrace in the county. This year's race had a couple characters along the way.. We saw everything from Pink flamingos to superheroes.
Trot runners come in all shapes, sizes and ages. We caught up with one of the largest groups in the run. The Nardin Academy brought more than 250 students to race for the cause.
“This is the first year we put a team together and we thought it would be great fun to form the largest ever team to run the Turkey Trot,” said Nardin Academy President Marsha Joy Sullivan.
“We had to put a cap on the race this year just because of safety and the enjoyment of everyone participating we really have to be cautious about that so we decided to cap it this year, but we hope to continue to grow it every year,’ said Kathy Vallone with YMCA Buffalo Niagara.
The YMCA services more than 100,000 people a year at seven branches around Buffalo. Proceeds from the Turkey Trot for its financial assistance program that helps families that can afford Y-services and membership.

11/24/09: BCC Still Waiting to Review Mayor's City Parks Plan

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO
Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy CEO Thomas Herrera-Mishler says there are more than four million dollars worth of projects lined up for city parks in 2010.
“A lot of that money is contingent on this contract with the city being nailed down,” said Herrera-Mishler.
Erie County managed Buffalo City parks since 2004, but the power will shift back to the city by 2010. The city takes over Buffalo’s 180 parks, playgrounds and recreation centers January first.
Buffalo’s Common Council members say they are ready to review the Mayor’s plans for area parks… but they haven’t gotten it yet.
"We’ll be submitting to the council before the deadline but the focus is to make sure the transition is as seamless as possible December 31st,” said City Attorney Brendan Mehaffy explaining the delay in getting the documents to Common Council members.
Mayor Byron Brown’s administration is working on plans to hire back 50 workers and request a deputy parks commissioner position. That leadership role would reportedly pay $85,000 a year.
“We don’t know who this person is. We don’t know what their duties and responsibilities will be,” said South Buffalo Councilman Michael Kearns.
Some council members say the December 31st deadline is fast approaching and they are not getting enough time to carefully review the mayor’s plan.
“This has been something that has been going on for six months. Not six weeks," said Kearns. "This is a very detailed contract with a lot of things that have to be discussed,” he added. The Council plans to stringently vet the mayor's parks plan.
Members of the Council majority are openly skeptical of creating a new $85,000 position. The Council as a whole wants to know what role will Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy will play in the plan.
Common Council Parks Committee Chair Demone Smith says he has asked repeated times for the Mayor's parks plan. So far he's been told there are employee, union, and various operations issues that need to be ironed out. Councilman Smith says he is willing to hold additional committee meetings if necessary to get the plan through council review by the December 31st deadline.
“We can have a committee meeting whenever you want. It doesn’t necessarily have to fall on a timeline," said Smith.
"As soon as I get a finalized document detailing what we want to do in the parks I’m ready to go,” the Masten District councilman added.
Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy leaders say 2009 was a tough financial year for the parks, but they are ready to start winter preps and activities around the city.
“We’ve been really struggling this year like all non-profits this year to do what we need to do. We really need our public partners to do what they can,” said Herrera-Mishler.

11/23/09: Tonawanda Wife Slashed Sentenced

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO

Stephen Shepherd, the Tonawanda man who pleaded guilty to killing his wife with a sword learned his fate Monday in court.
Guards lead Shepherd in shackles into Judge Michalski's courtroom.
The 59 year old was arrested May 21st for slashing his wife Constance Ann,42, with a sword, in what reportedly was a suicide pact that Stephen couldn’t carry it out.
Shepherd kept his head bowed and did not speak in court, but his defense attorney John Jordan submitted a three and a half page letter from his client to the court as an exhibit. In the letter, Shepherd says he is truly sorry for killing his wife.
“He is remorseful. He is contrite. He has accepted responsibility for his actions. The commitment was for 21 years. I see no reason to deviate from that commitment. I ask for him to sentence him accordingly," said Jordan.
Shepherd will spend the next 21-years behind bars, followed by five years close supervision.