Tonawanda Creek

Freshwater mussels once filled the Great Lakes and all of its tributaries, only to have the population erode as the water went bad and overseas invasive species became a problem. However, research at the University at Buffalo is suggesting some mussels are recovering, as are the lakes.

Around 4 p.m. Thursday, something went terribly wrong on a Norfolk Southern freight train heading east through Attica, on its way from Bison Yard in Cheektowaga to Mechanicville, near Albany. The train's two engines flew off a high embankment, dragging train cars along with them.

A drastic change in weather has taken Western New York from a near 60 degree meltdown to frigid temperatures and nearly 8 inches of new snow.