Weekend News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on November 25, 2023
Kurt Villani and Son giving turkey 2014 Thanksgiving
Niagara Falls Police have identified the two people who died in the Rainbow Bridge crash on Wednesday as Grand Island residents Kurt Villani and Monica Villani. Both 53 years old. They were apparently returning home after trying to attend a KISS concert in Canada which was canceled due to band member illness. Witnesses to the fatal explosion said that their white Bentley was “fish-tailing” out of control at “over 100 miles an hour” ahead of a checkpoint before hitting a barrier, “flying” 30 feet in the air and exploding in “a ball of fire.” The Rainbow Bridge reopened Thursday evening. Niagara Falls Police are still investigating the crash.
Governor Hochul signed legislation Friday which makes it mandatory for youth sports programs and summer camps to have an Automated External Defibrillator on hand and have staff trained in their use. The legislation will require camps and youth sports programs with five or more teams participating to establish an AED implementation plan. Such plans will detail how AEDs will be made available or reasonably accessible at every camp, game or practice. The plans will also detail how the camps and programs will ensure that when practicable at least one employee, volunteer, coach, umpire or other qualified adult who has successfully completed a training course in the operation of an AED is present. The legislation is supported by Bills player Damar Hamlin who had a cardiac arrest on the field in Cincinnati playing against the Bengals last year.
Calling it a “failure of the governor’s office and her team,” State Sen. George Borrello voiced his frustration earlier this week with New York’s inability to forge a new gaming agreement with the Seneca Nation of Indians. The contract, officially known as the Seneca Nation Compact, expires on Dec. 9 — just 15 days away. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Seneca Nation leadership thought they had a preliminary deal five months ago, but that was quashed by state lawmakers when it was learned – after the fact — that the new compact terms included placement of a Seneca Nation-operated casino in Rochester. Borrello said that once the deadline passes, Seneca Nation has no obligation to pay out any funds to the state because the contract will have expired. Per the original compact, the Seneca Nation pays 25 percent of its revenues on slot machines and other games to the state in exchange for the right to offer gaming west of Route 14. Borrello, noting that the original compact was signed in 2002, said New York State “changed the rules of the game and pulled the rug out from underneath the Seneca Nation when they created three state-run casinos.”
A record number of runners came out to support those with Cystic Fibrosis in Wyoming County Thanksgiving morning. The 11th annual Turkey Trot drew 500 participants this year which is a record. The race raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder where the lungs and airways and other parts of the body become clogged up by a buildup of mucous causing difficulty breathing and metabolizing and also causing people to get infections easily. There is no known cure for Cystic Fibrosis and it results in a much shortened lifespan for those suffering from it. The race director, Carrie Bartholomew, started the race after her second child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3 to 2 on Friday night on their home ice. Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo scored goals for the Buffalo team. The sabres fell behind early and rallied in the Third. Coach Don Granato credits Kyle Okposo’s impassioned speech to the team during the second intermission for the win. The Sabres play the Devils in New Jersey Saturday at 7 and then the Rangers Monday at 7 in New York.
