Tuesday News Brief

The Buffalo Zoo offered a unique opportunity for visitors during its solar eclipse event yesterday. Visitors were able to see how animals reacted to the celestial event. Zoo officials say the lions roared just before totality hit and birds began screaming as the moon covered the sun with darkness.

Two Buffalo residents are facing felony drug charges after a traffic stop. Thirty-one-year-old Unique Williams and 29-year-old Ayanna Pace have been charged on multiple counts, including possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. This comes after police pulled their vehicle over on Sunday night on Kensington Expressway for a traffic violation. Police say officers found several baggies containing suspected cocaine, crack, and fentanyl, along with a large amount of cash.

Four counties in Western New York are getting federal funding to help with responses to severe weather. Senator Chuck Schumer announced an investment of more than $1.6 million dollars for Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties yesterday. The money will be used to help local officials develop emergency response plans ahead of major snowstorms. Schumer also announced $39 million in federal funding for upgrades to the Grand Island Bridge.

A man is hospitalized following an ATV crash in Ontario County this past weekend. Emergency responders were called to Flint Creek near the Ontario Pathways Sunday evening after someone reported a drowning man. Arriving officials reportedly found that the man was riding an ATV along the creek when the vehicle overturned in the water. He was pulled from the creek and flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Authorities say the man is still in the ICU but his condition has been upgraded to stable.

It appears New York State lawmakers and Governor Kathy Hochul are close to a housing deal as they continue to negotiate the state budget, which is late. Sources tell the New York Post that Hochul is agreeing to some parts of the Good Cause Eviction bill. The bill would cap rent increases at 3% per year. However, the Post reports the deal being worked out would limit it to 10% or 5% plus having it tied to inflation.

The Buffalo Sabres are in Austin, Texas for a game tonight against the Dallas Stars; they’ll be back home to host the Washington Capitols on Thursday evening.

Those eclipse glasses everyone used yesterday still have a purpose — by donating them to charity. The group Astronomers Without Borders is accepting donated glasses to send to Africa, Asia and North and South America for future eclipse events. They can be donated at any Warby Parker store; there’s a location in Victor. Also, the organization called Eclipse Glasses USA is accepting glasses to send to students in Latin America for the October annular eclipse (eclipse23.com). If you happen to go into Erie County, all libraries there are collecting eclipse glasses now that the eclipse is over. The glasses will be donated to schools in Latin America for the annular eclipse in October. The glasses can be dropped off at bins inside of Erie County Libraries. Or, of course, the glasses can also be saved for the next eclipse event, with the most notable one coming in 2044.