Latest news with #BrianCoons
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Luna Lounge in Cheektowaga announces permanent closure
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Luna Lounge bar in Cheektowaga announced its permanent closure in a social media post on Thursday, which follows concerns from residents and an order by the town to shut down earlier this month. Residents voiced their concerns after shots were fired outside of the Dingens Street bar on April 28, along with instances of noise, people gathering outside of the bar, speeding in the area and dealing with overflow from the parking lot. Cheektowaga residents concerned after shooting outside bar Jacob Piorkowski, the attorney who represents the owners of Luna Lounge, previously said several steps were taken to regulate the noise and crowds in the bar's parking lot. Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Coons said police have responded to the lounge 114 times in the past year. The cease and desist from the town cited the dance halls' capacity as a reason for the order, according to Piorkowski. Piorkowski said his clients asked for a dancing permit from the town two times, but were told that it doesn't exist. He also said at the time that his clients were willing to work with the town in order to reopen. Attorney cites dancing as reason for Luna Lounge closure following 'shots fired' incident 'While we can fight this in court, it's evident that neighborhood challenges would hinder peaceful operation,' the Luna Lounge said in the social media announcement. 'We sincerely appreciate your support and love throughout this journey. Rest assured, we're working on something even better.' The bar said it will announce updates and upcoming shows on its social media. Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Attorney cites dancing as reason for Luna Lounge closure following ‘shots fired' incident
CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Luna Lounge bar in Cheektowaga was ordered to shut down by the town just three days after we brought you news of neighbors' concerns last week. Now, dancing has become an argument for the bar's closure. Concerns were first raised by residents following a 'shots fired' incident that happened in the bar's parking lot in the early morning hours of Monday, April 28. The incident stemmed from the bar, according to Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Coons, who said it started as a verbal altercation that turned physical, resulting in a shot being fired into the air. The bar was ordered to close and cease operations by the Town of Cheektowaga Code Enforcement on May 5. The attorney representing the owners of Luna Lounge, Jacob Piorkowski, tells us that the Town of Cheektowaga is using dancing as part of the reasoning for their closure. 'My clients have gone to the town clerk on two occasions and asked for a permit for dancing, and were informed that no such permit exists, and that I believe a permit such as that has not been issued in over 16 years,' Piorkowski said. Piorkowski then went on to explain how his clients are willing to work with the town, saying they'd even be willing to revise their operations in order to reopen. 'One of my questions to the town was, well, can we operate as a tavern without dancing, until this permit issue is worked out?' Piorkowski asked. 'I haven't received a response that's definitive on that yet.' Cheektowaga Town Supervisor Brian Nowak appeared Friday on Buffalo Brief, streamed on WIVB+, where he was asked about their proposal to operate as a tavern with no dancing. 'In that particular case, this is something that the Town Board is got to talk about, and it gets into an area where we're dealing with our attorneys on that,' Nowak said. 'So, I don't want to speak in detail on that.' Moving forward, Piorkowski said his clients remain frustrated by the closure of their bar, and that he's hopeful they can work something out with the town to reopen. If not, they will be considering filing a petition in court to be able to resume operations. In our initial story, Chief Coons said his department had been called to the bar frequently for all kinds of complaints. He said they've responded to a total of 114 times in the past year as of last Friday. Rob Petree is an anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in 2025. See more of his work by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
