Campus
UB Athletics wins Emmy
“UB Football Insider: Training Camp Edition,” a behind-the-scenes television series produced by UB Athletics won an Emmy, in the Sports: Daily or Weekly Program category, the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, according to a UB press release.
The announcement came during the 61st Annual New York Emmy Awards, held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on Saturday. The program aired on WGRZ-TV, offering an in-depth look at the Bulls’ preseason preparation for the 2017 football season. The show followed players’ daily routines; balancing practices, workouts and meetings.
Professor recognized by Urban Affairs Commission
Henry Louis Taylor Jr., a professor in the urban and regional planning, is the 2018 recipient of the Urban Affairs Association Marilyn J. Gittell Activist Scholar Award, according to a UB press release.
The award, co-sponsored by Sage Publishing and the UAA, acknowledges scholars who promote the work of urban activists. Taylor’s research focuses on the relationship between city building and racial and class injustice.
Taylor is the founding director of UB’s Center for Urban Studies and is researching gentrification and displacement in Buffalo’s neighborhoods.
Local
Buffalo teacher who had sex with student back in jail
A Buffalo teacher who admitted to having sex with a student nine years ago is returning to jail, according to The Buffalo News. The former teacher was being held at the Erie County Holding Center Wednesday morning after breaking her parole.
The teacher pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape for having sex with a 14-year-old student in 2009. They have been in and out of prison since then, serving time in numerous prisons throughout the region.
The teacher was put back on parole in 2016. It is believed the parole violation involved drugs.
Mixed feelings as work begins on West River Parkway trail
Construction of the $2.5 million West River Parkway trail on Grand Island began this week, receiving mixed reactions from residents, according to The Buffalo News. Residents who enjoy biking are thrilled by the new trail, while others feel the trail will slow traffic and lower property values.
Detractors and residents of West River Road attended a town hall meeting Monday, voicing their concern over the construction and insulting Supervising Nathan McMurray, a supporter of the project.
Eight miles of the 55 miles per hour seasonal road is being converted into a trail with work expected to be completed in the fall.
National
Barbara Bush dies at 92
Barbara Bush, wife of the 41st president and mother of the 43rd, died Tuesday evening at her home in Houston, according to The New York Times. Family spokesperson Jim McGrath announced the former first lady’s death on Twitter.
On Sunday, the office of her husband, former President George Bush, released a statement saying after consulting with family and doctors, Bush “decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.”
The Bushes celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January, they were the longest-married couple in presidential history.
Southwest flight requires emergency landing, one dead
Roughly 20 minutes after departing New York, Southwest passengers said they heard explosions coming from one of the plane’s wings. The plane’s pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia.
Debris from an engine failure broke open a plane window, sucking a female passenger into the hole. It’s believed a metal fan blade caused the failure. Passengers managed to pull the female back into the plane, but she died at an area hospital. Seven other passengers were treated for minor injuries.
The pilot, a former Navy fighter, is being praised for her actions during the emergency.
Global
Belgian companies to be prosecuted for sending component of sarin gas to Syria
Three Belgian firms are being accused of sending chemicals that can be used to make the deadly nerve agent sarin to Syria between 2014 and 2016, according to BBC News. The Syrian government has been accused of using sarin gas in recent attacks, but the country’s stockpiles of the nerve agent were supposed to be destroyed.
The firms had been charged for making false customs declarations. The firms say they were unaware of new licensing requirements and had good intentions while continuing to trade with companies, with whom they’ve done business for over a decade.
The case will go to court on May 15.
Miguel Díaz-Canel replaces Castro
Cuba’s parliament picked Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel as the lone candidate to succeed Raúl Castro, ending the family’s nearly six decade rule, according to BBC News. The country's legislative body, The National Assembly, has yet to vote on the nomination, but Díaz-Canel will likely be confirmed. A formal announcement will take place Thursday.
Castro will continue his role as head of the Communist Party until its next congress in 2021.
News desk can be reached at news@ubspectrum.com.
