Excitement around the Blue and Red scrimmage at new Highmark Stadium

Have you ever felt like you are living just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that more dangerous than a B minus or a C plus life because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think it's good enough. Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming You. People think, okay, an A plus life is not available to me, but there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to becoming you wherever you get your podcasts. The WBEN, All Local. A daily look at what's happening in Buffalo, Western New York, and the world. Good morning. I'm Tom Puckett. I'm Lucas Buckley. We're filling in for Brian and Susan today on this Friday, August 7th. Here are the stories we're following. Bill's fans are already eager to get into the new Highmark Stadium. Hopefully all that bad juju's gone. We finally making the Super Bowl with a new stadium. This is Brayton Wilson with more after this. Attorney General Letitia James releases a report on an Erie County Holding Center death three years ago. a mother and her young son dead after an ATV crash in Wellsville. Your exclusive WBEN 7 weather forecast, mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers and thunder showers today. Highs near 80. Your full forecast coming up. 71 degrees at 601. Here's what's happening right now. Today marks the final practice of Buffalo Bills training camp this year at St. John Fisher University before the team comes back to Western New York for the remainder of camp and the preseason. But the biggest storyline surrounding the bills heading into the season remains the opening of the new Highmark Stadium a little more than three years after ground broke on the major $2.2 billion project. Saturday's return of the blue and red scrimmage will Marco Rubio milestone day for the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park as it will be the first chance for players to take the field for football action in their new environment and also the first chance for Bill's fans to check out the new state-of-the-art facility. It's been a long time coming for many Bill's fans to catch their first glimpse inside the new stadium after ground broke on the project more than three years ago. I think it's really top of the line, like all the schematics of what they've done, you know, like heating the field for like the winter, like melt the snow. I think it's really on par with all the other like new stadiums that are being built. And I'm really excited to go in and see all like the little things, you know, pictures and videos recently of the new folding table like sculptured that. did. So I'm excited to see what else I've done inside. While most fans have only gotten the chance to see what's been posted on social media, there are certain elements to the new stadium that they're most looking forward to checking out. I love the Buffalo family. I think that's really cool. I love the way that everything's red and blue in there. Everyone loves the table. So what kind of urgency do Bill's fans have to get into the building after waiting three plus years? For some fans, they'll take whatever chance they can get, especially if they happen to be coming from out of town like this fan from San Diego. It's better than going to a race. That's horrible. I love being at home. Just being in Buffalo feels crazy different to me. Hear more from Bill's fans on the new stadium online. Brayton Wilson, WBEN.com News. The state attorney general's office says there is no evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. Deputies were responsible for the death of a person held at the Erie County Holding Center three years ago. On August 8, 2023, Sean Humphrey was at the holding center in a pre-classification cell when a deputies saw Humphrey display seizure-like behavior and roll off his bed onto the floor.

Deputies and medical staff began providing aid, including Narcan. When Humphrey came to, Letitia James, the attorney general says Humphrey became combative, and deputies had to restrain him, including handcuffing him and putting shackles on him when he became combative again. A few minutes later, Humphrey became unresponsive. James says deputies removed Humphrey from his cell, and along with medical staff provided life-saving measures, including CPR, before he was taken to a local hospital. Humphrey died a week later. James says proving criminally negligent homicide or manslaughter in the... second degree requires proving beyond a reasonable doubt a person caused a death when they failed to perceive or disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk that death would occur. James says in this case, Humphrey became combative when medical staff administered Narcan and needed to be restrained to receive further care. James says the investigation does not indicate the restraint was excessive or deputies administered blows or held Humphrey in a prone position longer than necessary to get him restrained. Also noting when they noticed Humphrey was unresponsive, They made all efforts to restrain him, that stopped, all efforts to restrain him stopped, rather, and medical staff immediately initiated life-saving measures. And she says her office concluded there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges in the matter. Well, a tragedy in Wellsville yesterday afternoon as a mother and her six-year-old boy were killed in an ATV accident. State troopers out of Amity responded at 2.30 yesterday. 38-year-old Ashley Robichaud and her two children were riding on a four-wheeler near the fence line in a pasture on Niles Hill Road. When the four-wheeler hit the lowest point of the pasture, it overturned, pinning Ashley and the six-year-old Emerson Robeshade underneath the ATV. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. The other child, just three years old, was taken to Gallasano Children's Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Flight with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash remains under investigation. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs have agreed on a vote to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he decided to plead the fifth more than 100 times at a recent hearing last week. Anthony Fauci also refused to answer questions about his handling of the COVID pandemic response during the first Trump administration. The subcommittee, during their investigation, obtained a conference. of Anthony Fauci's phone as it hopes to find answers to some of the questions Anthony Fauci refused to answer. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson on the incremental discusses how they will use the phone for evidence. We'll compare key moments, see who he was texting. We'll compare what we see on the phone to other FOIA requests where he provided text. provide all the texts. Because we know obviously his henchman, David Morins, had a foyer lady, showed him how to delete email. Democrats argue Anthony Fauci had every right to invoke the fifth, and doing so is not in admission of guilt. Some of them also praised Anthony Fauci for his work during the pandemic.

President Trump says the United States military has, quote, massive amounts of munitions, quote, or unquote, available in their arsenal that in response to reports that the war with Iran has depleted stocks of munitions, particularly air defense missiles. One official speaking to ABC News characterized the levels of defense missiles as being, quote, extremely low. ABC's Luis Martinez covers the Pentagon and has more on those missile supplies, particularly Patriot missiles and THAAD missiles, which are used to intercept incoming attacks at a high altitude. There have been some public estimates that maybe the U.S. had about maybe 2,500 Patriot missiles at the start of this conflict with Iran. We have heard from at least one U.S. official who says that the U.S. has gone through at least two-thirds of that. With regards to the THAAD missiles, we've been told that maybe more than half of the missiles that were available at the start of the war are, have been depleted or used against Iran. The White House has denied that munitions levels are low, saying, quote, the United States military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump's strategic goals and beyond. And Operation Epic Fury has exposed what happens when you mess with the United States, unquote. The Trump administration is again looking to change the rules about citizenship at birth in America. ABC's Karen Hwa is in Washington. President Trump is taking another swing at birthright citizenship. months after the Supreme Court struck down his first attempt. We had a very unfortunate decision in the Supreme Court concerning birthright people are building businesses around it from wealthy people are building businesses around birthright citizenship. That's not the way it was supposed to work. Trump signed two executive orders Thursday. And one of the orders banned so-called birth tourism where a pregnant woman comes to the U.S. for the purpose of giving birth to an American citizen. The other order puts limits on who is eligible for citizenship at birth, banning it for children of alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organizations, and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments. Buffalo School's interim superintendent, Dr. Ebony Prophet Bullock, was sworn in yesterday afternoon. WBEN's Jim Fink was there. Buffalo School's interim superintendent, Dr. Ebony Prophet Bullock, has a distinct advantage in her new role. The daughter of a respected educator and the product of the Buffalo school system, Prophet Bullock knows what it is like to be a student in an urban district. And having spent 10 years as a teacher and 16 years working in the administrative offices gives Prophet Bullock even more insight into the Buffalo Public School system. For Prophet Bullock, it is all about one thing.

the students. The first thing I want to focus on, this is going to sound like a broken record. First thing is making sure our wonderful kids are in schools with kids or with teachers and leaders that are excited about having them. And so student attendance, student achievement, and making sure kids feel welcome. That is, that's the goal. Proffick Bullock knows she's taking over a beleaguered school district and is working with a school board that is also deep in issues. Yet, to her, it remains about getting the schools ready. for the students. My focus is to make sure that kids get to school. Prof. Bullock is the district's fourth superintendent in the past four years. This is Jim Fink for WBEN.com News. And with those season just around the corner, the FDA has approved an updated vaccine to try and keep you from getting sick. Here's News Nation's Blake Berman. The FDA approving an MRI flu vaccine for adults 50 and over. This first of its kind vaccine manufactured by Moderna and uses similar technology to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. It was found to be more effective than the regular flu shot. Scientists say it can be updated more quickly as flu strains change. Every week on the Moth podcast, real people tell their stories live on stage. I burst into tears. And I wasn't sure if I was crying because I hadn't been kissed in a really long time or if I had just never been kissed like that before. To hear fascinating, heartbreaking, and sometimes hilarious stories from astronauts, teachers, farmers, and people just like you, follow and listen to the Moth wherever you get your podcasts.

Moderna says it takes two to three months from picking this drain to rolling out its flu shot compared with about six months for traditional flu shots. Your exclusive WBEN 7 weather forecast, mostly cloudy skies today with some scattered showers and thunder showers, high temperatures near 80 degrees. For tonight's, it'll be mild and muggy, overnight lows in the upper 60s. Saturday, partly sunny, about a 40% chance for a shower, thunder shower, temperatures in the low 80s, low 80s with sunshine on Sunday. With your exclusive WBEN 7 weather forecast, I'm Chief Meteorologist Araminkowski. And on the Bison Automotive Live Line. Andy Major, Buffalo Bill's Senior Vice President of Stadium Operations and Fan Experience. Andy, good morning. Welcome to the show. It must be so exciting for you. Fans will fill up Highmark Stadium for the very first time tomorrow. How excited for you after being along for this entire journey? Yeah, good morning, Tom and Lucas. Great to be on. Yeah, we are so excited about Saturday tomorrow. It's coming to us. And, you know, we've been waiting a long time. We've been doing a lot of training with staff and getting prepared, but there's nothing like having the fans come to the stadium. It really brings the stadium to life. And I know the team is super excited as well, you know, to run out on that field in front of our Bill's Mafia fan base. What is going to be different for fans coming into Highmark Stadium that we already haven't shared? Wow, guys, yeah, I mean, this stadium is, it's beautiful. I mean, I can't wait for the fans to see it. Every time a fan comes in, you know, for a tour or to look at their space with one of the testing events we've had, the feedback from them has been just great, and our staff as well. But, you know, we're going to have 60,000 fans in this brand new place, and we're excited to see their faces to get their feedback. and feel the pulse of that energy. You know, the fan base in Buffalo, Bill's Mafia, second and none. We've got the best fans in the NFL, we believe. You know, they're so loyal and passionate. And they're responsible. They're charitable. They're going to be rocking and rolling on Saturday. And, yeah, there's a lot of new things. I think the biggest thing fans are going to notice is obviously a brand-new beautiful stadium. We encourage them to take a walk around, look at the different stadiums. you know, artwork pieces that are from Buffalo around the area. There's a lot of cool things that have been, you know, leaked on social media about the new stadium. Fans can check that stuff out. The food and beverage operation is going to be so much better and so much different in the new stadium. I really think that might be the thing that fans noticed the most is how great the food and beverage offerings are, you know, even just the basics. hot food, cold food, it's all cooked right there and served right there in front of the fans. So I think fans will notice, you know, a much improved food and beverage operation as well. But lots to see and lots to experience. It's going to be going to be a great day tomorrow. On that food and beverage topic, we noticed the beer horn is really making waves on social media. Was this inspired by the Beersaber?

Oh, of course, right? The fans loved it. The beer saver was tremendously popular. You know, our food and beverage operation. They've really looked at everything they possibly can to bring Buffalo into the stadium. You know, I think one of our chefs yesterday said that very well to the media. You know, that was one of the goals, overarching goals for our food and beverage operation, for our chefs. and that group and that team. And, you know, we think that, you know, you're going to see the chicken wings. You're going to see the beef on whack and the dogs and all the different offerings, the pizzas. And those are just the basics. But then there's the other stuff, you know, that we want fans to just check that stuff out on their own, you know, the barbecue and different food and beverage offerings in the clubs and the suites and the premium space is going to be such an uptick from what we've been used to. Our partner with legends, they've been tremendous, and I think they're really bringing Buffalo to the, you know, the Highmark Stadium as well with the food and beverage. And we know Buffalo sports fans eat that stuff off. I know the beerstein that was shaped like the Ralph was a really popular one, too, at the old stadium. Here's another thing for you. I've heard a lot of people say the practice is going to be secondary to them. They're really looking forward to just seeing the stadium. Will fans be able to explore wherever they want in the concourses, or will there be some restrictions to where people can go? Oh, no. The stadium is definitely – what's cool about the new stadium, guys, is it's a 360. You can walk in a circle around the entire stadium. So the concourses will be open for all the fans. Obviously, the premium spaces, those are for the people who have those tickets only, you know, the suites and those club levels. But, yeah, the fans can – the 300 level, they can walk to 300 level. They can walk to 100 level. There's a lot to see. I mean, I really think what's kind of cool is just experiencing the vision of the field and the stadium from your own seat. I mean, I've been up in the last row of the upper deck, and it's a great seat. I mean, those fans that are going to be sitting up there, there's more space, the view is incredible. You're really close to the field. We talked about this a little bit yesterday, the way the stadium was structured. I mean, geez, this could be the loudest stadium in the entire NFL if we get lucky there with the fan base, which we know they're going to be loud. But the seats in the upper level, they're built. kind of over the 100 level versus spread out and far away from the field like some of these other new stadiums. So we're excited about that, kind of, you know, making this an imposing stadium for the visiting team and loud and hopefully the loudest in the NFL. But Saturday is a great opportunity. It's a team practice. First time the fans get to see Josh Allen and the crew here at Highmark Stadium. They're going to run out on that field and the fans are going to have a great time.

you know, experiencing the stadium, but also seeing the bills. You know, this is what the stadium is all about. Bringing that energy and that life to the building that right now, it's empty and it looks beautiful, but, you know, there's nothing like having the fans inside that place going crazy and loud and seeing the team running out in their red, white, and blue. And Andy, I know a lot of fans have been wondering about tailgating for the upcoming season. And will tailgating be allowed at the practice on Saturday? Oh, sure. Yes. Yes. Well, the practice starts at 7 o'clock, but the parking lots open at 3 o'clock, or security Bill Gates open at 4 o'clock, and then the ticket entries open at 5 o'clock. So it gives fans kind of plenty of time to enjoy themselves if they want to do some tailgatings, they want to come in the stadium a little bit early. They want to go to Family Circle, see those beautiful Bisons out front. Don't have time to kind of do all of that. So, yeah, of course, we embrace the tailgating culture. Our fans are tremendous tailgators. Certainly, I think, the best in the NFL. And, you know, we think we've enhanced the tailgating this year. We've made, as part of the design of the new stadium, the parking lot spaces themselves are larger with room to put a nine or 10 by 10 foot tent behind their vehicle, depending on how big their vehicle is. And that gives us room to maintain an emergency vehicle lane. for any issues that might arise in the parking lots for our security teams to get around and emergency services to get around. So, yeah, I mean, tailgaining, we know that's the culture of the Bills and Bills Mafia, and we're excited to see them started out on Saturday. Andy, it's going to feel extremely surreal entering that building, I feel like. Thank you so much for joining us this morning, and best of luck tomorrow. Guys, thank you so much for having me. We're so excited about this stadium and this upcoming season. I hope you enjoy it. We hope the fans enjoy it as well. And go Bills. That's right. Go Bills. That is Andy Major, Buffalo Bills, Senior Vice President of Stadium Operations and Fan Experience. Hopefully answer them some questions you wanted to know before heading down to the stadium. That's the WBEN All Local. All new episodes are made available each weekday morning, produced by the award-winning WBEN Newsroom. Lemonade, fresh squeeze, lemonade. Lemonade?

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