Good evening, Buffalo. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

Temperatures will remain in the 70s Thursday with partly cloudy skies throughout the day. Temps will fall down into the low 50s later on.

Tomorrow’s Forecast

 Highs: Low 70s
 Lows: Low 50s
 Mostly Sunny

7-Day Forecast | Interactive Radar


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Today’s Big Stories

1. Canadian border reopens to all commercial traffic Wednesday

Canadian border entry points have reopened to all commercial traffic Wednesday after an outage caused major traffic backups and delays late Monday and Tuesday.

2. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy

Poloncarz said his case is mild, adding that he began experiencing symptoms on Saturday and went to Buffalo General Hospital. He said that he initially thought he was having a stroke, but that was ruled out after tests.

3. Lower tax rate highlights new proposed budget in Town of Amherst

Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa presented the budget during a board meeting Tuesday night and said the budget would save the average household $0.32 in 2026. This is because he said the tax rate would remain essentially flat, even with a tax levy increase of 1.92%.

4. Niagara Falls City School District launches ‘Say Yes’ program

The new initiative will create a community school program featuring Saturday Academy programming, as well as a workforce development initiative that will have both apprenticeships and opportunities for jobs right out of high school and a mentorship and youth leadership program for young men of color called Breaking Barriers.

5. Two Marcy COs reject revised plea deals; trial dates set

On Wednesday morning, correction officers Matthew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer rejected revised plea deals in the case. Both face murder, manslaughter and gang assault charges.

6. Fresh cycle of uncertainty as government shutdown begins

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by Trump’s Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.

In Case You Missed It

The Buffalo Sabres logo on a jersey. (Spectrum News 1/Ryan Beiter Photo)

Expectations remain low in Buffalo, where Sabres seek to snap 14-season playoff drought

The Sabres have languished at the bottom of NHL standings since the end of head coach Lindy Ruff’s first tenure as coach. He’s back for a second stint and entering his second season says he’s got a better grasp of what needs to be addressed. Ruff wants Buffalo to be more defensively responsible and play with a grittier style.

The Sabres have talent but there are questions about chemistry and culture. They’re further challenged playing in an Atlantic Division steeped in high-end teams.