NEW LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

State Senator George Maziarz says yesterday's
appointment of Richard Ravitch as Lieutenant
Governor comes just as the Senate was about
to resolve its leadership problem. He says a
group of 35 to 40 Senators were ready to
announce a power sharing agreement today
that would have run till 2010. He says State
Attorney General Andy Cuomo believes it
is unconstitutional and will probably file a
lawsuit. He also expects a group of Senators
will also file a similiar suit today. Maziarz says
it'll take them back to square one and wonders
whether Paterson made the appointment for
political reasons. He says the Governor knows
the chaos in Albany is helping his poll numbers
and is desperate. He called it Paterson's Hail Mary pass.

CANADIAN COMPANY ASKS FOR HELP TO REOPEN TWO HOTELS

The County IDA Wednesday accepted applications
from a Canadian company looking for payment in
lieu of taxes deals to re-open two hotels in the
Falls. The Merani Group of Companies is based
in the Falls, Onatrio. They wanted a 15 year deal
to reopen the former Inn On The River and the
former Fallside Inn. The IDA voted instead to
offer as many as five years totally tax free for
the Fallside. The company's attorney, Damon
DeCastro, said it would take two years or more
to renovate the two and there would be no
income. The Fallside could be torn down and
replaced with a new highrise hotel that could
cost as much as $20 to $30-million. The company
plans to invest another $15-million to reopen the
fire damaged Inn On The River. They would also
pay about $1.6-million in delinquent taxes. They
already own two hotels on the Canadian side and
the Holiday Inn on Buffalo Avenue.

THREATS AGAINST JUDGE

A 40 year old Lockport man was charged yesterday
with making threats against City Court Judge Bill
Watson. John Peace of 20 Robinson Place was
charged with criminal contempt. The charges were
filed by Sergeant Peter Robinson of the New York
State Unifed Court System. Peace was arrested when
he showed up for a city court appearance yesterday.

SNOW PARK TO GET CHEAP ELECTRICITY

The County legislature's Economic Development
Committee o-k'd a plan last night to provide low
cost electricity to recently opened Snow Park in
the Falls. The Legislature must still o-k the deal
which would provide 400 kilowatts each year
for three years. The power would come from the
allocation the County received as part of it's
support for the relicensing of the Power Project.

COCAINE RING

Three men involved in last year's cocaine sales
operation at the Waterworks Bar in the Falls
learned their fate yesterday in County Court.
Judge Sara Sheldon Sperrezza sentenced
35 year old Joseph "Bone" Williams of South
Avenue to two years in prison. Twenty-one
year old Chonte Holland of Elmwood Avenue
was placed on five years probation, and
52 year old Edward Mayberry of 56th Street
was given three years probation. A defense
attorney said Holland had been forced into
participating by his 27 year old cousin
DeWayne Holland who set up the operation.
He has yet to be sentenced. Officials say
Williams supplied the cocaine.

LOCKPORT SCHOOL BOARD

Marietta Schrader and John Linderman were
re-elected President and Vice President of the
Lockport School Board during last night's
re-organizational meeting. Allan Jack was
also given another term as Secretary. School
Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone told the
Board they would hold a retreat to review their
long term curriculum and instruction plans.
It'll most likely be held August 12 at a location
yet to be determined. Carbone said their
highest priority would be to increase graduation
rates and cut the number of those dropping out.

LUCILLE BRITT PASSES AWAY

Former County Republican Elections Commissioner
Lucille Britt passed away Tuesday at the age of 71
in Sisters Hospital in Buffalo. She was the first woman
to be GOP Elections Commissioner and held the post
until 1999. She also served as a committe member of
the Town of Hartland Republican Committee and then as
Secretary for the County GOP Committee. Britt was
known for her fiesty spirit and dedication to the people
of Niagara County. She co-hosted the election returns
for many years with John Raymond on WLVL and
provided a wealth of insight and knowledge. Funeral
services will be held at 10am Saturday in Holy Trinity
Parish/ Saint Stephens Catholic Church at 21 Vernon
Street in Middleport. Her husband Frank passed
away in 2002.

CONCERTS AT GILL CREEK PARK

The Bob Volkman band will perform tonight as
a series of eight free Wednesday night concerts
get underway at Gill Creek Park in the Falls. The
show starts at 7 near the corner of Hyde Park and
Niagara Street. There'll be snacks for sale and
a 50-50 raffle. The shows continue every Wednesday
night, rain or shine, through August 26.

WILSON SIGNS

More signs have been reported damaged in
Wilson. Village DPW Director Keith Dixon
told the Sheriff's Department yesterday several
street signs have been spray painted over the
past two weeks. A paint can was found near one
of them. The damge esttimated at $250. A
"Welcome To Wilson" sign on Ide Road was
damaged by an ax July 1.

SCHOOL ANNEX VANDALIZED

A records room in the basement of the Niagara
Falls School Board annex at 606 6th street
was the target of vandals in the past month.
Records Specialist John Owens discovered
the damage yesterday. He told police a
$100 table was smashed, tape was pulled
from 25 cassettes, two file cabinets were
damaged, and a window was broken. The
incident happened sometime since May 15.

WOMAN ATTACKED TWICE BY SAME MAN ON SAME DAY

Police in the Falls are looking for a 26 year old
man who allegedly attacked a Whitney Avenue
woman twice in her home early Tuesday. The
victim said she already has an order of protection
against him. She told police he showed up at
2:30am and ordered her out of bed. He punched
her in the face and choked her before leaving
with her cell phone and keys. He came back
about four hours later , jumped in her bed,
and punched her in the eye , kicked her in the
ribs, and knocked over a burning candle
damaging the carpet.

PORTER MAN BURNED

A Porter man is in fair condition at ECMC
after he was burned Tuesday night while
pouring gasoline on a fire as he tried to
ignite some wet wood. Sean Gray suffered
second degree burns to his arms and left
wrist and was taken to the hospital by
Mercy Flight. It happened in his backyard at
2324 Youngstown-Lockport Road. The Sheriff's
department says the gas splashed on him
causing his clothing to catch fire.

OUTDOOR MOVIES

The Lockport Recreation Department will offer
the first of six free "family friendly" outdoor
movies tonight at Altro Park. "Hotel For Dogs"
starts at dusk. The films are being made
possible by local sponsors. Tonight's movie,
and next week's presentation of "Twilight" are
being sponsored by Reality Check. The other
films include "Madagascar" on July 22, "Goonies"
on July 29, "Coraline" on August 5, and "Night
At The Museum-Battle Of The Smithsonian" August
12. The seating is up to you, bring a blanket or
chair.

ROYALTON WOMAN SENTENCED

A lot of tears were shed in one county courtroom
yesterday. Forty-nine year old Deborah Kozody
of Royalton started crying when her case was
called and she continued to do so until she was
led away. Kozody was sentenced to 3 1/2 to 7
years by Judge Matt Murphy for trying to smother
her 79 year old mother to death in January. She
had been charged with attempted murder but was
permitted to plead guilty to reckless endangerment.
Murphy said she had subjected her parents to a
reign of terror and he had to seperate her from them.
Assistant D-A Stephen Foley said the mother survived
because she turned her head to the side as the pillow
was put over her head.

WILSON COACHES TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE

The two Wilson baseball coaches who had the
charges against them dropped yesterday aren't
going to let the issue fade away. Thomas Baia
and Bill Atlas will hold their own press conference
Wednesday. It'll be led by a longtime friend of
Atlas. Mike Paul has a nationally known public
relations firm that specializes in reputation
management. He says the coaches believe that
the District Attorney, the Judge, and the State
Police need to be held accoutable. The State Police
are holding their own internal investigation to see
if the case was handled properly. Charges against
the coaches were dropped at the request of the DA.
Assistant DA Robert Zucco said they would not
say why until Wilson Town Justice George Berger
issues his written decision on the fate of two of the
three teens charged in the case. Their non jury
trial wrapped up last week. The third teen involved
accepted a plea deal in May and will be sentenced
August 18. School Superintendent Mike Wendt said
yesterday the District appreciated the patience of
the two coaches as the justice system held it's
investigation. He said he would reccomend they
be re-instated. They had been suspended wiith pay
for more than a year.

DELPHI RETIREES

Senator Chuck Schumer believes GM should
absorb the pension obligations of Delphi's
15-thousand salaried employees....and he
said so yesterday in a letter to the company's
CEO Fritz Henderson. Schumer said the way
they're being treated is fundamentally unfair.
He asked Henderson to reverse the decision to
refer their pension plans to the Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corporation. He urged the company
to treat them in the same manner as all other
Delphi workers absorbed by GM.

NEW TENANT FOR FORMER KENYONS STORE

A "rent to own" store is moving into the former
Kenyon's location in downtown Lockport. Aarons
is expected to open next Monday in the building
at 1 Walnut. They plan to add floor to ceiling
glass panels on the Walnut Street side so pedestrians
can look inside. Their current location in the
Lockport Plaza will stay open till they make the
move. The Planning Board Monday o-k'd their
site and sign plans. A consignment store will
take over their spot in the plaza.

LOCK CITY METALS

The Lockport Planning Board last night
reccomended the City Council grant a
special use permit to Lock City Metals
so they can move into a vacant lot off
West Avenue. The company's president
said they need more room to expand into
electronics and vehicle recycling. The new
location is roughly behind Thrifty Oil on
Richfield Street. It's about 900 feet deep
and is already screened on two sides by
trees. The company is currently at 490
Ohio in a section of High Tread International.
The Council last year o-k'd a five year permit
for them over the objections of nearby
residents. The move would not take place
for six to twelve months if the Council grants
the new request.

UNCONSTITUTIONAL

State Attorney General Andy Cuomo calls a
plan to appoint a Lieutenant Governor to break
the Senate stalemate unconstitutional. Two
government watchdog groups and a Democratic
member of the Assembly say a section of State law
permits the Governor to choose someone. Cuomo
says the State's constitution specifies the Senate
President takes over the duties if the post is vacant.
The Senate met for less than ten minutes yesterday
and passed no bills. Democratic Senators held
a long closed door session late in the day to
discuss a leadership fight within their own ranks.
Sources say they are beginning to warm up to the
idea of having Pedro Espada rejoin their conference
but they can't decide what title he should hold.

TOURISM FUNDS

Falls councilmember Sam Fruscione saying
Monday he wants to withhold casino revenue
from the Niagara Tourism and Convention
Corporation until they provide more information
about their finances. He'll have a resolution
on the agenda for next Monday's council meeting
calling for the city to freeze the agency's casino
revenue until they get answers to 29 questions
about their budget. NTCC President John Percy
said they would but they're waiting for last year's
audited financial statements to be completed. City
officials were given a two page list of revenues and
expenses in May when they asked for more
details about the agency's expenses in 2007.
They want more information about salaries,
bonuses, benefits, media trade shows, and
marketing consultants.

HIT & RUN ROLLOVER

Police in the Town of Niagara are looking for
witnesses after an elderly Falls couple were
hurt around 1:15pm Monday in a hit and run
rollover crash in front of Praxair Welding
Supply on Porter Road. Eighty year old
Patricia McKay and her 85 year old husband
Albert were taken to ECMC by ambulance.
The Whitney Avenue couple telling police a
gray four door vehicle pulled out in front of
them heading East on Packard. They avoided
hitting it but lost control and went into a gully.
They came up on the driveway at Praxair
and hit the company's sign post. Their car
then went airborne and flipped over and
rolled. Witnesses who stopped to help
gave police numerous descriptions of what
happened but they still want to talk to anyone
else who may have seen the accident. Call
215-1480.

SMOKIN JOE'S

A 33 year old Lockport woman admitted in
court yesterday she stole as much as
$82,000 from Smokin Joe's in Sanborn
between July 2005 and last December.
Grace Price worked in the office and gave
herself return credits for items she never
bought. She plead guilty to third degree
grand larceny and could get as much as
seven years in prison when she's sentenced
in September. The exact amount she took
has to be determined through further
analysis of her bank account. It's
believed to be between $75,000 and
$82,000.

POWER OUTAGE

Generators were used to run the traffic signals
along Center Street in Lewiston yesterday
afternoon during a weather related power outage.
The problem started around 1:30 when a lightning
bolt hit a high tension line during heavy rain
on Upper Mountain Road at Old Pekin Hill.
Pekin firefighters were there for about a half an
hour and said they were not sure if the strike or
heavy hail caused the wire to burn. The outage
affected more than a thousand village residents,
about 200 in the town, and nearly a hundred in
Cambria.

CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST WILSON COACHES

Wilson Town Justice George Berger this
morning dismissed the case against two
former high school baseball coaches in
connection with last year's hazing incident
aboard a district bus. Thomas Baia and
Bill Atlas were facing three counts each of
endangering the welfare of a child for failing
to step in and stop the alledged abuse.
The County DA's office requested the
dismissal and the motion was accepted
by the judge. Assistant DA Robert Zucco
told WLVL the case against two of the
three students involved finished up last
week and they are still awaiting a decision
by Judge Berger. He said they would have
nothing more to say on the reasons why
they asked for the dismissal until after
Berger issues his decision. The two
teens were charged with forcible touching
and second degree hazing. The third boy
involved accepted a plea deal to child
endangerment in May and is slated to
be sentenced August 18. School Superintendent
Mike Wendt was out of the office when we
called for his comments.

WHEATFIELD BOY BADLY BURNED

A 15 year old Wheatfield boy is being treated at
the Shriner's Hospital in Cincinnati after suffering
burns to over 40% of his body Saturday. The
Sheriff's department says he spilled gasoline on
his shorts and they caught fire as he was adding
fuel toa smouldering log fire. The teen jumped into
the swimming pool to douse the flames, but he
suffered burns to his arms and legs and genital
area. The accident happened on Ashkar Court
off Witmer Road. He was first taken to Women
& Childrens Hospital, then transferred to Ohio.

STEVE'S CYCLE SHOP

A Lockport man and a Buffalo man were caught
early yesterday after they allegedly broke into
Steve's Cycle Shop at 71 Gooding in Lockport.
K-9 Officer Steve Ritchie was treated and released
from ENH-Lockport after his foot went through the
floor on the second floor as he was searching for
one of the men. Twenty-four year Jeremy Hoover
of 140 Jackson Street, Lockport....and 24 year old
Steven Fowler of 17th Street in Buffalo are both
charged with burglary. Police say they got a call
around 2:30 saying someone may have broken into
the building. Ritchie was called in after initial
attempts to the find the two failed due to the
building's size. Fowler was found hiding in
the basement, Hoover on the second floor.

ROYALTON HOUSE FIRE

An elderly Royalton couple was treated for smoke
inhalation at Medina Memorial after flames destroyed
their two story home at 9464 Rochester Road just
before 1am Sunday. Seventy-one year old Donald
Lepkokse and his 70 year old wife Marion were
asleep when Middleport officers Roland Johnson
and Brandon Annable arrived and entered the smoke
filled home. The fire was reported by a 29 year old
passing motorist, George Richardson. Officer
Johnson said the smoke was so thick he had to
listen for Richardson yelling at the door to guide
everyone out safely. The two officers were also
treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The fire
did $150,000 damage. No cause has been determined
but it did not appear to be suspicious. The couple
is staying with relatives.

ALBANY

The State Senate stayed in Albany over the weekend
holding brief sessions where nothing was
accomplished. Talks to resolve the leadership
struggle are continuing behind the scenes. Some
say they are making progress on how the Senate
might be organized if there is a power sharing deal...
but Senator Pedro Espada and Senator Dean Skelos
still insist the Democrats must accept the outcome
of the surprise takeover by Republicans June 8.
The Governor is said to not be in favor of Espada's
push to the bring the leadership issue to the floor
in a special session agenda is no deal is reached
soon.

ERIE CANAL FISHING DERBY

Over $20,000 in prizes are being offered
in the 19th annual Erie Canal Fishing
Derby starting tomorow. Organzier
Steve Harrington says 50 tagged fish
are each worth $150 in merchandise.
There is one that, if it's caught, is
worth $2,500. One third will go to
Woodlawn Home, 1/3 to Mercy Flight,
and the other third to the angler who
reels it in. The grand prize is a boat,
motor, and trailer from Bryce Marine
in Rochester. The top finishers in
each of seven divisions are eligible.
The competition covers 50 miles of the
waterway from the Niagara River in
Tonawanda to Albion. There are
seven divisions including small and
large mouth bass, walleye, northern
pike, bullhead, carp, sheephead, and
catfish. Call 772-7972 for sign up
locations and more information. About
a thousand people usually take part.

FALLS HOME INVASION

Three men kicked in the door of an 8th Street
home in the Falls early Sunday morning and
robbed the victim of $400 in cash and credit
cards. The home invasion happening just
before 2:30am. Police say they forced the
victim to the ground and threatened to
shoot him.

VEHICLE BREAK-IN'S IN THE FALLS

About $10,000 worth of items were taken from
a vehicle parked in front of a Buffalo Avenue
motel in the Falls Saturday night. Three other
vehicles were also entered. The break-in's
happened near the Fallside Hotel & Conference
Center between 9 & 11pm. A group of four men
from California said the band's vehicle was
broken into after they parked to watch fireworks.
Three lap top computers, two I-pods, two
cell phones, a GPS unit, a camera, and about
$2,000 in cash were missing. Nothing was
taken from the other vehicles.

FIGHT

A 23 year old Lockport man was due in City
Court this morning following a fight at 7:30
Saturday night at 120 Ontario. Police reports
says Gary Hopper was fighting with another
man when they arrived. He was bleeding from
the head and the two were lying on the ground
yelling and punching each other. Hopper was
naked from the waist down. The two would not
stop fighting until police doused them both with
OC spray. Hopper was taken to ENH-Lockport
after he had trouble breathing.

VEHICLE HITS GARAGE & TWO PARKED CARS

A man was taken to ENH-lockport just after 7pm
Saturday after the vehicle he was driving allegedly
went through a stop sign at Ridgewood and Fernwood
Drives and struck a garage and two parked
vehicles. Deputies said John Mazzuca was
travelling at a high rate of speed when he hit
the garage at 1019 Ridgewood Drive. He complained
of chest pains. The accident caused significant
property and structural damage. A passenger in
the vehicle and the property owners were evaluated
for injuries and released by Rural Metro.