Morning News Brief

There is a wind advisory affecting Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties till 5pm tonight.  Weather experts are expecting southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.  Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.  Be careful when driving high profile vehicles as a gust could cause the vehicle to tip over.

The USS The Sullivans at Buffalo’s Naval and Military Park is slipping beneath the waves due to what the park leaders say is a major breach in the hull below the water level.  The naval park says the breach is aft of midship on the starboard side, causing the ship to tilt back and to the right.  By Thursday night the rear of the ship’s deck was submerged with water pouring in through the hatches.  It is estimated the ship has taken on more than 3 million gallons of water.  The naval park has asked for emergency pumps from the New York State Office of Emergency Management and is now removing roughly 10,000 gallons a minute from the ship.  Naval Park President and CEO Paul Marzello says “There is no chance that the ship is actually going to sink.”  The USS The Sullivans was commissioned in 1943 and operated in the Pacific Theater during World War II. It is named after five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. It was decommissioned in 1965 and has been in Buffalo since 1977.

The Giant Wheel at Darien Lake Amusement park, closed last year, is being dismantled.  The 38 year old former World’s Fair attraction is being taken down and the park says they are attempting to determine a replacement.  They said that the ride had reached the end of its useful life.

A line in the New York State Budget would change how school buses work by 2035.  The budget specifies that all school buses will have to be zero emissions in 13 years.  School superintendents are skeptical about their ability to make this change as electric buses are nearly twice as expensive as diesel buses carrying a price tag of 250,000 dollars a bus on average.  At this time, New York State has not produced any information regarding repercussions if this quota is not met. However, school districts can apply for a two year moratorium if the time frame is too short.

Do you speed through work zones on the thruway?  Well you wouldn’t be alone and this is a problem the state wants to tackle.  The NYS Dept of Transportation is planning to deploy speed cameras as they say the average speed of drivers through work zones on I90 is 83 miles per hour.  There were 175 crashes in work zones last year.  These cameras would take pictures of drivers who are speeding and then they would be assessed for fines which would come in the mail.  The cameras are expected to be installed by the end of the year, but their location – and number – is still yet to be determined.

The Sabres caught a bit of the blues themselves when they lost Friday night to the St Louis team 6 to 2.  The Blues started behind as the Sabres scored first with Rasmus Asplund and then the Sabres tied it up later with Alex Tuch bringing it to 2 and 2.  But then several power plays lead to unanswered goals leaving the Sabres in the dust.  The Sabres go up against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at 7pm at the Keybank Arena.