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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Three former University at Buffalo basketball players were implicated in a federal indictment that alleges they accepted bribes to rig point totals during multiple Bulls games in the 2023-24 season.

It’s part of a scheme that federal prosecutors say involved players from more than a dozen colleges and universities, along with fixers, who recruited players to purposefully underperform during games in exchange for payments.

The fixers placed big bets against those players’ teams in those games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors, according to the indictment that was unsealed Thursday.

Former UB players Shawn Fulcher, Isaiah Adams and an unnamed individual are listed in the federal indictment.

Fulcher is the only one of the three charged in this particular indictment. He is charged with bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aiding and abetting.

Adams is "charged elsewhere."

WATCH: Former University at Buffalo basketball players named in gambling scandal indictment

The indictment says that during the 2023-24 season, the three players agreed to help ensure that Buffalo failed to cover the first-half spread in three separate games that season: February 24 against Western Michigan, February 27 against Kent State and March 5 against Ohio.

Bets against Buffalo to cover the first-half spreads of the Western Michigan and Ohio games were won, earning thousands of dollars in winnings for the conspirators from several sportsbooks, according to investigators.

According to investigators, bets against Buffalo to cover the first half spread of the Kent State game did not win, missing by one-half of a point. The indictment states that “with the score tied at 27 with 4:40 left to go in the first half of this game, Kent State scored the last points of the half, and Buffalo did not score again.” Also saying that Fulcher, Adams and the unnamed players scored 1 point over the last 13 minutes of the half, “missing several shots, including layups and dunks, and committing several turnovers.”

Both Fulcher and Adams transferred away from Buffalo following the 2023-24 season.

The University at Buffalo is expected to comment on the scandal later Thursday afternoon.

Mark Alnutt, UB Director of Athletics, released the following statement on Thursday:

"We are aware of these deeply concerning allegations. We believe these to be isolated incidents that in no way reflect the values and core ethics of the Division of Athletics or our men’s basketball program. Our department will continue to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities. Preserving the integrity and fairness of sport is a responsibility we take very seriously.The two former student-athletes named in the indictment are no longer enrolled at UB and transferred to other programs after the 2023-24 season.With the investigation ongoing, UB Athletics will have no further comment at this time."

Copyright 2026 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(TNS) — National Grid this month will expand its rollout of electric smart meters to its 121,000 customers in Buffalo, giving homeowners and business owners new ways to track their energy use and spending.

Customers will be able to track their energy use through a portal, and the utility will be able to immediately identify where power outages happen.

The utility has been installing the devices across upstate New York, replacing technology nearing the end of its lifespan.

Customers can use smart meters to track their energy use in nearly real time through a portal and see where they can conserve energy, said Ken Kujawa, National Grid's regional director.

"The hope is that the more information that we can put in front of our customers, relative to their energy consumption, the better decisions they're going to make when it comes to running appliances in their house, making sure that they're being smart consumers of energy," he said.

The new technology will also enable National Grid to immediately identify where power outages happen, providing operational benefits for the utility.

Smart meters communicate wirelessly with National Grid's control centers through a secure network. Replacing the older technology with a smart meter won't cause customers' bills to rise, Kujawa said.

"We're not seeing any significant issues with bill complaints or anything along those lines," he said. "The nice thing is that the customers' meters will continue to be read every month by National Grid."

National Grid is trying to avoid the headaches New York State Electric & Gas experienced in 2024, when the utility was installing smart meters for its own customers in the Buffalo Niagara region.

NYSEG faced claims from some customers that the new meters were driving up their bills. NYSEG insisted that was not the case, instead saying it was switching to generating bills based on a customer's actual electricity usage, instead of an estimate. The utility said weather, supply costs and customer usage were likely factors in any increases.

It takes about 10 minutes for a worker to remove the old meter and install a smart meter. If the old meter is inside a customer's home, as is the case in many city residences, an appointment will be needed for an employee to get access to it. The meters will be installed by a combination of crews from National Grid and Utility Partners of America.

National Grid has about 543,000 customers in its 11-county Western division and has installed smart meters for about 25% of those customers so far. The utility has installed over 1 million smart meters across upstate New York, and is aiming to complete its Western New York installations in 2027.

Customers can opt out of having a smart meter installed, but they will have to pay a monthly fee of $15.45, or about $185 a year. Kujawa said that is to cover the cost of sending an employee to a residence to read a meter, since the current system involving vehicles reading signals from the street will go away.

Around the state, less than 1% of National Grid customers have opted out of smart meters.

©2026 The Buffalo News, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Buffalo. N.Y. (WBEN) - A blanket of fresh snow and bitter cold temperatures have overtaken the weather across the Buffalo-Niagara region, slowing travel and closing many school districts.

CHECK: WBEN CLOSINGS

Winter Storm Warnings are posted for the region through Thursday, with additional snowfall in the forecast and lake effect snow expected to develop both north and south of the Buffalo metro region.

The snow will continue to fall through the day Thursday, adding to accumulations.

"For the metro area, probably looking at about an additional 2 to 4 inches," National Weather Service meteorologist Tony Ansuini tells WBEN. "Then we'll transition over to some lake effect snow...mainly north of the metro area, and also south of the metro area."

Once the general snowfall subsides across the general Western New York area, the lake effect snow will begin to setup, however the metro area will escape the bullseye of that, Ansuini says. "It should focus across Niagara and Orleans counties off Lake Ontario, and then off Lake Erie, most of the snow will be confined to the hills and the southern tier."

"Tomorrow morning's commute will probably be pretty tricky," Reynolds notes. "The system will just be pulling through here, and it will also be turning quite cold behind it, so any untreated roadways might become slippery."

Accumulations will be heavier well to the south of Buffalo. "Once the colder air comes in here, we will have some lake effect," Reynolds cautions. "Typical places south of Buffalo, across the Chautauqua Ridge and ski country will probably receive a little bit more, up to 10 inches are possible across those areas."

It's not just the snow that is thrusting the region into a more January-like forecast, it's the bitter cold temperatures.

Arctic air will move into the region today and tonight. Temperatures will fall to the teens and lower 20's this morning and remain steady through the day. Wind chill values will be near zero Thursday, forecasters say.

A brief break in the arctic air is in the weekend forecast, before temperatures again take a dive beginning Sunday.

The cold temperatures and active weather looks to continue for a while with just a few breaks of near normal temperatures values for a day or two at a time through late next week.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM EST THURSDAY... * WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations 5 to 10 inches. The greatest accumulation will be across northern Niagara and Orleans counties. * WHERE...Niagara, Orleans, Northern Erie, and Genesee Counties. * WHEN...From 4 PM this afternoon to 7 PM EST Thursday. * IMPACTS...Travel will be difficult. The hazardous conditions will impact the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning commutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Widespread accumulating snow will create dangerous travel conditions.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST FRIDAY * WHAT...Heavy snow. Additional snow accumulations 6 to 12 inches. The highest amounts will be across the Chautauqua Ridge and Boston Hills. Wind chills below zero are expected Thursday and Thursday night. * WHERE...Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Southern Erie Counties. * WHEN...Until 1 AM EST Friday. * IMPACTS...Travel will be difficult. The hazardous conditions will impact the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning commutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Widespread accumulating snow will create dangerous travel conditions.

Featured Image Photo Credit: NOAA Buffalo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Whether it was catching passes from Drew Brees as a rookie in New Orleans, or teaming up with Buffalo’s Josh Allen 11 years later, wide receiver Brandin Cooks has stuck to a tried and tested method in building a quarterback's trust.

The key, Cooks said on Tuesday, is deferring to the quarterback’s direction and preferences when running any given route, rather than the other way around.

The approach has served him well over a career in which Cooks is now on his seventh stop, including two in New Orleans; has topped 1,000 yards receiving six times; and played with Tom Brady in New England, Dak Prescott in Dallas and Jared Goff with the Rams.

“Josh is very similar. There’s a way that your quarterback wants it,” Cooks said. “So I’m used to the aspect of like, hey, if they see it a certain way and maybe I don’t, well, I’ve got to come up on the same page and figure it out.”

The quicker the better for the 32-year-old who has already established a rapport with Allen in the seven weeks since landing in Buffalo.

And Cooks’ emerging role in the Bills’ passing game will take on even greater emphasis on Saturday, when Buffalo travels to play the AFC’s top-seeded Denver Broncos in a divisional round playoff matchup.

Not only has the speedster provided Buffalo a downfield option the offense had been lacking, the team heads to Denver depleted at the position.

Cooks, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman are the only three healthy receivers on Buffalo's active roster after Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers injured their knees in a 27-24 wild-card playoff win at Jacksonville on Sunday. And that came a day after the Bills placed Joshua Palmer on injured reserve.

“Obviously not an ideal situation. But I still trust that room completely,” Allen said.

And that's especially true of Cooks.

“You don’t stay around the league as long as he has without being athletically gifted,” Allen said. “He’s a very good football player. We communicate extremely well.”

It was apparent in a 13-12 loss to Philadelphia three weeks ago, when Cooks had four catches for 101 yards — the 25th 100-yard outing of his career, and first in two years.

The two were at it again on Sunday at Jacksonville, where Cooks helped set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Trailing by four, and facing first-and-10 at the Buffalo 44, Cooks ran up the left sideline, cut in toward the middle to find space in the Jaguars coverage and made a 36-yard catch just before the two-minute warning. Allen scored on a 1-yard run a minute later.

“He’s showed up huge for us the last few games,” Allen said, noting the two worked on the play in practice last week. “For him to go out there and execute the way he did is pretty awesome.”

For coach Sean McDermott, Cooks’ catch showed how the receiver combines speed and intuitiveness.

“Instincts, that to me is the game of football. It’s not track, it’s not a 40-yard dash, weightlifting,” McDermott said. “And usually when you bring in good football players, you have a chance.”

Including Sunday, Cooks has eight catches — seven for first downs — for 172 yards in six games with Buffalo. He’s already surpassed his yardage total of 165 in 10 games to open the season in his second stint with New Orleans.

Cooks, who also spent three seasons in Houston, believed he had much more to offer than being a bit player with the Saints. He was granted his request to be cut on Nov. 19 and signed with Buffalo six days later.

“He’s added a level to our offense that at times this year we didn’t have,” coordinator Joe Brady said. “We’re grateful that we were able to get him on our football team.”

Cook has no reason to look back at how his days ended in New Orleans. He’s instead focused on the present, and the opportunity to make his third career Super Bowl appearance after losing the past two — in the 2017 season with New England and a year later with the Rams.

“I’m so in the moment right now,” Cooks said. “I’m blessed to be able to play in January. And I’m focused on the task at hand.”

ALBANY — Who do you Bill-eve?

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman insisted Tuesday he’s a longtime supporter of the Buffalo Bills after Gov. Kathy Hochul apparently labeled him a “new fan” of the western New York team.

“I went to a Bills game last week,” the Nassau County executive said, in an apparent reference to the team’s final home game at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 4.

“The governor saw me in a Bills golf shirt and said that I was a new Bills fan, when actually my son gave me that shirt for Father’s Day about 12 to 15 years ago because I was upset that the [New York] Jets left Long Island and went to New Jersey,” he said about Gang Green no longer using Hofstra University’s football facility for practice in 2008.

“So I’ve been a Bills fan for a long time,” he added.

During the game, Blakeman posed for a photo with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Dunn and her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes.

But the Long Island pol, who’s attempting to make inroads in upstate New York voters, fumbled part of his answer when he listed his favorite Buffalo gridiron stars – and inadvertently dropped the name of a New York Yankees legendary catcher.

“My favorite player is Bruce Smith, for obvious reasons, we’re both Bruce, but you can talk about Thurman Munson, Andre Reed, Jim Kelly, and you go back even to Jack Kemp,” he said before a reporter with the Buffalo News mentioned Munson was a former Yanks great.

“I mean, I meant … Thurman Thomas,” he said in reference to the former Bills running back. “But Thurman Munson was my favorite Yankee, so that’s probably why I thought of him.”

“Bruce Blakeman is a wannabe fan who couldn’t name his favorite Bills player – New Yorkers know that no matter which jersey Blakeman throws on for the photo op, he only plays for one team: Donald Trump’s,” Hochul spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki wrote in a statement to The Post.

Hochul, who grew up minutes away from the stadium in Hamburg, hasn’t been shy about her loyalty to the Bills Mafia.

She’s known to attend games and cheer on social media after the Bills clinch victory, including the team’s dramatic 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL’s Wild Card round on Saturday.

“What a game. Let’s go Buff-a-lo!” she wrote on her personal X account.

She even repeatedly mentioned the Bills during her State of the State address Tuesday and walked off the stage with a team hat on and a photo of star quarterback Josh Allen on the large screen as the Bills “Shout” song blared.

Her press office on its X account even photoshopped a picture of her diving onto folding table — a longtime ritual for the Bills faithful.

She told Politico if the Bills win the Super Bowl, she might actually do it for real.

“I’d have to rethink that one, but I’ll do my best. If they win the Super Bowl, I’ll do anything,” she said.

Hochul has faced heat for doling out taxpayer funds to help finance the new Bills stadium that will open for the 2026 season.

She agreed to fork over roughly $600 million in state funds in 2022 with Erie County leaders kicking in another $250 million for the privately owned stadium after the Bills’ ownership threatened to leave western New York.

Despite the backlash, Blakeman sat out that pile-on, stating he was generally supportive of using state funds to finance the new stadium.

“I think that there is a role for the state in economic development, and I think there’s a role for public and private partnerships,” he said.

“And I think that eventually having the Bills stay in Buffalo rather than move to another city would have a positive economic benefit.”