Evening News Briefing
Written by Dan Fischer on December 4, 2019
The Vatican announced this morning that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone.
Over the past two years, Malone ignored repeated calls from political leaders, clergymen and parishioners to step down.
Malone was sharply criticized for his handling of the child sex abuse allegations lodged against several priests in the Western New York Diocese, which includes Genesee County.
The Bishop of Albany, Edward Scharfenberger will take over as Apostolic Administrator for the Buffalo Diocese.
He said this morning his first priority will be to listen
PHOTO: Bishop Edward Scharfenberger
Pope Francis will ultimately name a new bishop of Buffalo, a process that could take several months.
The Batavia Muckdogs today break their silence over a proposal by Major League Baseball that would eliminate the local team.
Muckdogs General Manager Brendan Kelly issued a brief statement this afternoon praising a group of congressman who have organized a task force to save minor league baseball.
Baseball has proposed eliminating 42 teams – including the Muckdogs – in an effort to reduce the expense of player development in the minor league system.
Complaints from WNY Republicans over a special election date for the empty 27th Congressional District seat has drawn response from Governor Cuomo.
The governor said that he is looking to hold the special election on April 28th the same day as New York’s presidential primary.
Republicans say that date could put their candidate at a disadvantage as there would be a heavy Democratic turnout.
Cuomo says if the Republicans want a separate election for the congressional seat, they can pay for it.
Fans of the Buffalo Bills can start grabbing their wallets tomorrow to purchase playoff tickets. Even though the Bills haven’t officially clinched a postseason spot, a new NFL rule requires teams to make playoff tickets not held by season ticket holders available tomorrow. It’s important to note, there’s no guarantee the Bills will actually play at New Era Field. For wild-card and division playoff games, regular seats will cost $65 to $164 each. Tickets for the AFC Championship game will $140 to $230 each for a regular seat. If the Bills don’t make the playoffs or if there’s no chance they’ll play a home game, purchases will be refunded.
