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Gov. Cuomo expressed criticism for the National Weather Service and its forecast of the storm that ravaged the region in a news conference late Saturday.Cuomo said the NWS didn't indicate that the heavy snow bands would remain stationary and blast South Buffalo and the Southtowns with unprecedented snowfall.Cuomo indicated that's a big reason why New York is building its own weather forecasting system, that he states will be superior to any other state system in the country."No one had an idea that it was gonna be that much snow that fast. Snow coming down at the rate of about five...

<p>MUNICH (AFP) -- Germany's world-famous Oktoberfest kicked off Saturday with the traditional tapping of the first barrel of beer, as millions of revellers are set to soak up the frothy atmosphere in the 16-day annual extravaganza.</p> <p>With the cry of "O'zapft is" ("The keg is tapped"), the amber fluid officially began to flow at noon after Munich's mayor, Dieter Reiter, with due pomp and ceremony, took a mallet and in four swings breached the 200-litre barrel.</p>

A Hamburg resident who was ordered to take down an anti-SAFE Act and  anti-Governor Cuomo signs along his fence will be allowed to leave it there for at least the next 30 days after a ruling in State Supreme Court Thursday  Scott Zwierucha is accused of a village code violation for the large banner on the fence of his South Park Avenue property. Right now, the sign says "New York is not Safe - Fight Cuomo- preserve your rights.", and he was under a order from the Hamburg town court to remove the signs by tomorrow. New York State Supreme Court Justice...

In her upcoming book “Off the Sidelines,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., reveals she was the subject of insensitive comments about her weight from male colleagues in the House and Senate. According to an excerpt posted by PEOPLE magazine, Gillibrand details an incident in her book where a male colleague  saw her in the gym said, “Good thing you’re working out, because you wouldn’t want to get porky!” According to the Huffington Post, Gillibrand responded, “”Thanks, a–hole.”

WILKES-BARRE, Pa., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A stolen life-sized statue of United States President Barack Obama was has been returned to its Northern Pennsylvania owner after being discovered on a nearby picnic bench with an empty six-pack of Twisted Tea and a cigarette butt hanging from its mouth.The statue was a staple of the Wilkes-Barre, Pa., neighborhood it was stolen from, where owner Tiffany Bruce prominently displayed it on her porch and decorated it for holidays."I peeked my head out the door and Obama's gone and I kind of went into a panic," described a distressed Bruce when the statue...

Kathleen C. Hochul, a former member of Congress and Erie County clerk with a reputation as a personable politician and strong campaigner, is Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s choice to run for lieutenant governor.Hochul, 55, would replace Robert Duffy, the former mayor of Rochester, who opted not to seek a second term as lieutenant governor.“This should be another big boost for Buffalo,” Cuomo said. “This is a big deal to have a lieutenant governor from your town.”After months of speculation, Cuomo this afternoon made his selection known to the delegates attending the convention here that Hochul will be running with him...

Amherst police responded to a 911 call early Wednesday morning at the Williamsville home of WBEN talk show host Tom Bauerle, who told officers he was under surveillance by operatives of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the situation. Two police sources, who did not want to be identified because Amherst officials have not released reports on the incident, said officers took a licensed, loaded, semi-automatic handgun from Bauerle when they encountered him in his backyard as he claimed a suspicious person was spying on him. The two sources also said the radio...

<p>WASHINGTON -- A beaming President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday — a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown.</p> <p>The Blackhawks have been the only Chicago team to win championships during Obama's presidency. They also won in 2010.</p>

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD and SANDY COHEN 2 hours ago LOS ANGELES (AP) — The health care overhaul might get a Hollywood rewrite. The California Endowment, a private foundation that is spending millions to promote President Barack Obama's signature law, recently provided a $500,000 grant to ensure TV writers and producers have information about the Affordable Care Act that can be stitched into plot lines watched by millions. he aim is to produce compelling prime-time narratives that encourage Americans to enroll, especially the young and healthy, Hispanics and other key demographic groups needed to make the overhaul a success. "We...

Bystanders Aid Bicyclist Hit by Car in Tonawanda Tonawanda, NY (WBEN) A young bicyclist was rescued by a number of onlookers after he was hit by a car at a busy Tonawanda intersection Thursday afternoon. Angelo tells WBEN's Tom Bauerle he was about to make a turn at Sheridan and Delaware when he saw a car hit a young man on a bicycle. "She says he just came in front of her," says Angelo. He cleared the intersection and jumped into action, and was not alone. "It had to be at least a dozen people, everybody, men, women..." described Angelo....

Sure, bow ties are cool, but stamps are even cooler. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Britain’s Royal Mail is releasing a series of stamps featuring the 11 actors who have held the title role, the British postal service announced Wednesday. Everyone from William Hartnell, who first portrayed the Doctor from 1963-66, to Matt Smith, the current star, will be included. And don’t forget about those pesky foes: Daleks, Oods, Weeping Angels, and a Cyberman will all get their due on a miniature sheet with Second Class stamps, along with a stamp featuring the Doctor’s time travel machine,...

By TIM TALLEY Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY November 20, 2012 (AP) A federal judge Monday rejected a request by Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. to block part of the new federal health care law that requires it to provide the morning-after and week-after birth control pills. In a 28-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton denied a request by Hobby Lobby to prevent the government from enforcing portions of the health care law that will require it to include contraceptives the company considers objectionable in its health insurance plan. The Oklahoma City-based arts and craft supply company and a sister...

BERLIN (AP) — The world’s largest beer festival opened Saturday in Germany as Munich’s mayor tapped the first keg to kick off the 16-day Oktoberfest, known for its oompah music and traditional costumes. With only two blows of his hammer and a cry of ‘‘O'zapft is’’ — ‘‘It’s Tapped’’ — Mayor Christian Ude inserted the tap into the first keg, opening the 179th Oktoberfest to the cheering of thousands who were waiting to be served their first beer.

OLD FORGE, N.Y. (AP) — State troopers say a police officer in New York shot and killed his son, mistaking him for an intruder.Troopers say Parry Police Department Officer Michael Leach called 911 to report the shooting early Saturday. He was staying at the Clark Beach Motel and shot someone he believed to be an intruder. But the man turned out to be his 37-year-old son, Matthew Leach, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard (http://tinyurl.com/cdqn92c ).Troopers say Leach used his department-issued .45-caliber Glock handgun in the shooting. He was hospitalized after the shooting.The investigation is continuing.

Rick Martin, one-third of the most fabled line in Buffalo Sabres history, died today of a heart attack. He was 59. Martin reportedly had a heart attack while driving in Clarence, a law enforcement officer said on the condition of anonymity. Martin became etched in local lore as the high-scoring winger on the "French Connection," skating alongside Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert as the infant Sabres captured the area’s attention. Martin helped welcome new Sabres owner Terry Pegula to town late last month, skating onto the ice with Perreault and Robert and shaking Pegula’s hand at center ice as the...

LOS ANGELES – For NASA's stuck Mars rover, the Spirit may be willing, but the wheels could prove too weak. The space agency on Thursday outlined a rescue plan to try to free the rover Spirit, which has been bogged in a sand trap on the red planet for half a year. The risky operation is expected to last several months. "If it cannot make the great escape from this sand trap, it's likely that this lonely spot straddling the edge of this crater might be where Spirit ends its adventures on Mars," said Doug McCuistion, who heads the Mars...

Edward Lorenz, an MIT meteorologist who tried to explain why it is so hard to make good weather forecasts and wound up unleashing a scientific revolution called chaos theory, died April 16 of cancer at his home in Cambridge. He was 90.A professor at MIT, Lorenz was the first to recognize what is now called chaotic behavior in the mathematical modeling of weather systems. In the early 1960s, Lorenz realized that small differences in a dynamic system such as the atmosphere--or a model of the atmosphere--could trigger vast and often unsuspected results. These observations ultimately led him to formulate what...

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - WBEN has learned that a possible suspect was picked up for questioning in the Bike Path Rapist investigation this morning. Sources tell WBEN that the suspect, Altimio Sanchez, is under arrest. Police sources say Sanchez' DNA is a match to the three murders and nine sexual assaults along bike paths and other isolated areas since the 1980's. He is said to be a 48-year old Cheektowaga resident.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, left, and White House Counselor Dan Barlett, ride in a military helicopter wearing helmets and flak jackets for a trip from Baghdad International Airport to U.S. Embassy in the Greenzone.

DURHAM, N.C. — A man who pleaded guilty to lobbing a homemade bomb at his girlfriend said he was actually aiming for a beaver dam. In the end, he was the only person injured, and he now faces 10 months in prison as well. Otis Cecil Wilkins, 45, pleaded guilty Wednesday to assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 300 days in jail. He had been charged with attempted first-degree murder. According to sheriff's deputies, Wilkins had threatened the ex-girlfriend, then threw the bottle bomb at her car as she drove into her yard in Rougemont, N.C., about...