WBEN

‘”I think it’s a remarkable situation, coincidence that Hamlin came down with cardiac arrest and now Kim Pegula, has now been documented by the family, specifically Jessica Pegula, in regard to the fact that her heart stopped and CPR was received by her other daughter [Kelly Pegula],” said Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, Medical Director of DENT Neurological Institute. “And basically her life was saved once more, due to the fact that there are individuals out there who went out and took a course on CPR, which is something that we recommending for everyone.”‘

‘Councilman Conor Flynn tells WBEN this is all at the proposal stage. “I have presented a proposal for this, and other council members have presented their proposals as well. We all have differing degrees of what we would like to see allowed there, but I think that as a full board, we’ll we’ll definitely be able to come together to settle on something,” says Flynn. He says his proposal is twofold. He calls for a stadium zone with a stadium overlay district included. “What I’m trying to push forward here is a recognition that our current zoning code, as it’s set up, is not conducive to the type of development that we might like to see around the stadium,” notes Flynn, including restrictions on the height hotels can be.’

‘”Definitely everything that was happening, the way that we all rallied around each other, the community, the coaching staff here, the players, everybody kind of rallied around each other to make sure that we keep on pushing forward and keep a positive mentality of just moving forward,” said Bills rookie wide receiver Khalil Shakir during his end-of-season media scrum. “It’s definitely something that we went through a lot this year, but I think the way that everybody rallied together as a community is special.”‘

‘”We got beat on the football field, and sometimes your energy is taken from you when the game’s not going your way and they’re having their way, the other team,” said McDermott during his end-of-season press conference on Monday. “We were playing from behind early, and we had a hard time catching up. So that drains you of your energy after a while when you’re playing from behind the way we were. I think there’s always things that come up through a season, and our team did a phenomenal, phenomenal job of handling those areas, probably more than any team I’ve been around or any team, in terms of what they’ve gone through this season. But that said, they’re not excuses as to why we get the result we got.”‘

‘The CBA includes requirements for 30% to benefit women and minority businesses, 30% of food used by concessionaire’s to be from Erie County sourcing, living wage standards and paid internships, 30% of which will benefit disadvantaged youth.’

‘”There’s huge demand on the Bills side for sure,” says Nick Giammusso of VIP Tix.com. He says he’s been getting calls from season ticket holders who got first crack at the tickets, and most have been getting the full allotment of six. “They’re wondering if they can get all six and then resell some of their seats,” notes Giammusso.’

‘”It feels good that it’s over with. We had multiple discussions on the topics. It’s good and we’re moving along,” said Erie County Legislator Tim Meyers, “Everything has been indicated that it has no negative impact on the environment, and it just goes to talking about the stadium size, drainage size. You have to remember when the old stadium was built, there was no SEQR process, no environmental review or anything like that. So it’s just a smaller footprint, and just the standards are higher and more efficient, I should say.”‘

‘”Mr. Wilson and the Wilson family, what they for me and my professional career, as I was transitioning out of the game, Buffalo was a special time for myself in particular. I’m here often, in particular, over at Niagara doing a lot of work in the domestic violence/sexual assault area. But it’s a special place for special people, and these young ladies are special leaders. So just being back here to be able to usher, working alongside the Bills, it’s a great time here in Western New York.”‘

‘For John Dutko of the Bills Backers of Atlanta, he has one big question. “I have no idea how the tickets will be allocated. I actually just kind of proactively sent an email to our Atlanta Falcons Group Sales contact,” says Dutko, who tells WBEN he hasn’t heard back yet. He says he’s heard rumors a certain amount of tickets will be allocated to Buffalo fans and certain amount will be allocated to KC. “Then I’m assuming some will be allocated here to local fans,” adds Dutko. Dutko anticipates high demand for tickets from both sides because of the playoff showdown last year. “The Chiefs had been good for a while they got a pretty decent fan base. Ravenous like the bills quite honestly but I think we I think we would have the edge for sure,” notes Dutko.’

‘During committee meetings at the Erie County Legislature on Thursday, representatives from the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, among others, were in attendance to present to the Legislature some finalized documents as part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) that was presented to the governing body last month.’

‘McDermott says the team will leave things up to Hamlin on when he wants to return to the team facility in Orchard Park. When he feels ready to return and see his teammates, McDermott says they will welcome him back with open arms.’

‘Capaccio also saw it as a community moment. “There were a lot of hugs, high fives and fist bumps. Everybody checking on each other. I can’t tell you how many people came up to me, and said how are you doing? We all came together knowing that what happened last week impacted everyone. And now that Damar is doing much better, we can all heal together.”‘

‘”We’re really here to give back to our community. Specifically today, in giving back to students locally in Buffalo and in the community. We’re going to be putting together over 1,500 backpacks [with help of] over 80 M&T volunteers over the next few days,” said Eric Feldstein, Western New York M&T Bank’s Regional President.’

‘”It’s real simple: ‘What would you want someone to do for your son?'” Beane said on Friday of his reasoning for staying back with Hamlin. “I’ve got two boys, and Sean wanted to stay as well, in fairness to him, and we were trying to figure it out. But as we’re dealing with this in minutes, trying to make these decisions, we decided it was, we are the leaders, and he needs to lead these coaches and this team, and help these guys get through back here, because we don’t know how long this is going to be, and we may have a game, which we do, to prepare for. So we divided it up, and I said, ‘Let me stay here. Let me support here. We’ll work this out.’ That’s why I love Sean. We were able to work this through, and he did a great job there. But it was a roller coaster.”‘

‘In addition, the team said Hamlin continues to show that his neurologic function remains intact, and is now able to speak to his family and medical personnel on-hand.’