Good morning, Buffalo.

Buffalo Bills fans gathered Thursday at Niagara Square for a night of music, dancing and fireworks that celebrated team pride and drew visitors, with Visit Buffalo reporting hotel occupancy around the home opener at 94% and downtown businesses saying fans boosted restaurants + bars.

Pistol Pete, the University of Wyoming mascot, is visiting Buffalo this week to promote the school and will join Explore and More Children’s Museum's Halloween event today, with 300 free tickets (100 each at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon) and indoor trick-or-treating from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Businesses including Kaleida Health, People Inc., Spectrum, and the NFTA will hire at a job fair today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Northwest Amherst Community Center (roles include medical coordinators, bus mechanics, rail electricians); bring multiple resumes and professional attire.

Before a school Bills pep rally, Futures Academy prekindergarten teacher Jenna Rivera received a donation of matching Lets Go Bills sweatshirts from local shop Store716 to outfit students and boost school spirit.

Buffalo plans a $30 million new animal shelter (expected by 2028), and the overcrowded Oak Street shelter needs adoptions, fosters, volunteers, and social shares now to care for pets until the new facility opens.

A Depew retailer donated Buffalo Bills jerseys and gear + the teacher organized the drive for a prekindergarten class of 4-year-olds in their first month of school; students will receive the items this week.

Warby Parker + Alo Yoga and The North Face are among the first five stores set to open Thursday at the Station Twelve development in Amherst, bringing national retail options to the new shopping hub.

IMA Life manufactures freeze-drying machines and related equipment in Tonawanda that pharmaceutical companies use to make vaccines & antibiotics, and the plant supplies drugmakers worldwide.

The EPA is seeking about $32 million from three companies accused of releasing radioactive waste across Niagara County to recover cleanup costs and penalties.

Crews removed booms from the Buffalo River (on Friday) near the South Ogden Street Bridge, but an oily, rainbow-colored sheen remains and the DEC says it has not yet identified the source after checking drains, pipelines, and brownfield sites.

New York's Home Energy Assistance Program will begin regular applications Monday, Nov.

2 to help eligible households pay heating bills; Erie County residents can apply online at myBenefits.ny.gov, request forms by emailing [email protected] or call 716-858-7644, and paper applications are accepted at 460 Main St.

The Alison Rose Foundation donated $25,000 to Mercy Hospital to buy two postpartum hemorrhage carts for its Mother Baby and Labor and Delivery units, and hospital staff held a blessing Friday; the carts keep life-saving medications + supplies at the bedside for faster response.

The Goo Goo Dolls will perform at halftime of the Bills' first-ever home Thanksgiving game on Nov.

26 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the band also plans benefit shows at the Town Ballroom on Nov. 20 & Nov. 21 for FeedMore Western New York.