Carolyn Thompson

The gooey, sticky and often-homemade plaything slime was enshrined into the National Toy Hall of Fame on Thursday along with perennial bestselling games Battleship and Trivial Pursuit. The Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, honors toys that inspire creative play across generations. Battleship and Trivial Pursuit have each sold over 100 million copies. Slime has been sold commercially since 1976 but is also a popular DIY project. The National Toy Hall of Fame is located inside The Strong Nation

The National Comedy Center has begun hosting regular "Memory Cafes,” inviting people with conditions like dementia and Alzheimer's through the western New York museum to share laughs and connection. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates more than 7 million older Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and an even higher number of people care for them. Memory cafes have emerged around the world as a way to connect and support individuals and caregivers. The National Comedy Center held its

The upstate New York village of Manlius is known for the majestic white swans that have inhabited a village pond for more than 100 years. But after one of the swans was taken by teenagers and killed last year, New York state stepped in with plans to change things. The state says the mute swans are an invasive species and wants the village to stop allowing them to reproduce. It’s given the village until the end of the year to decide how. Village officials want to maintain the current practice of

The owner of an 34-year-old alligator seized by conservation officers near Buffalo is fighting for its return. Tony Cavallaro says the reptile he named Albert is a gentle giant he treated like family and who lived in a custom addition in his house. Officers a week ago sedated and seized the more than 11-foot, 750-pound alligator. State environmental officials say Cavallaro’s license to keep Albert had expired in 2021, and that he'd let children and others pet him, which is illegal. Cavallaro say

Tributes are pouring in for Flaco, the beloved Eurasian eagle-owl that became a feel-good New York story after escaping its Central Park Zoo enclosure and flying free around Manhattan. Flaco was found dead on a New York City sidewalk Friday night after apparently flying into a building. It was a heartbreaking end for the birders who have been documenting the owl’s daily movements and the admirers eagerly following along. A necropsy is expected to determine the cause of death. Flaco was freed fro

The National Toy Hall of Fame is celebrating its 25th anniversary with more public participation in the induction process. The Hall of Fame Tuesday announced that one extra toy will be inducted this year, chosen by fans, from among five toys that have been finalists multiple times. On that list are the Fisher-Price Corn Popper, My Little Pony, PEZ, the pogo stick, and Transformers. Fans can cast one vote per day through Oct. 24 on the National Toy Hall of Fame website. The winner, along with the

Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who is still recovering after going into cardiac arrest on the field in Cincinnati two weeks ago, was cheering via Twitter from home Sunday during Buffalo’s wild-card playoff home game against the Miami Dolphins. Hamlin tweeted less than an hour before kickoff, saying there is nothing he wants more than to be with his teammates. But he says he is supporting them from home as he focuses on his recovery. Hamlin visited teammates at the Bills' stadium on Saturday.

A Cornell University freshman found dead at the bottom of a nearby gorge was the victim of an elaborate hazing that forced fraternity pledges to drink dangerous quantities of alcohol while cycling th…

Cold that has brought misery to much of the nation has created an icy winter wonderland at Niagara Falls. Mist from the surging waters is freezing instantly on everything it touches, coating trees and walkways in bright white. Hardy visitors from across the nation are braving temperatures in the teens to quickly capture selfies and snapshots. It's not going anywhere anytime soon. Severely cold weather is in the forecast through the week from Texas to Canada and from Montana through New England.

It is public art made of private wishes. In a phenomenon spreading across the globe, oversized blackboards, painted on buildings and freestanding displays, invite passers-by to complete the sentenc…

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the late former first lady Betty Ford and Title IX advocate Bernice Sandler are among the nine women set to be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame on…

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Seneca Indian President Barry Snyder Sr. celebrated the end of a four-year dispute over gambling rights Wednesday by handing out oversized checks for casino funds that were with…

Daredevil Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk on a tightrope across the Niagara Falls, taking steady, measured steps Friday night for 1,800 feet across the mist-fogged brink of the roaring f…

ByCarolyn Thompson