CONCERT PLUS CHOSEN TO PROMOTE GATEWAY SERIES!!

In North Tonawanda, city officials have selected Concerts Plus of Western New York as the promoter for a free summer concert series at Gateway Park. The Commen Council Tuesday night unanimously approved a 3 year contract with the firm, which will be working with New York City based Metropolitan Entertainment, a booking agent. City officials selected Concerts Plus in early January out of two proposals submitted. But withheld the name of the promoter until a contract could be worked out. The move follows the high-profile departure late last year of Canal Concert promoter Kathy Paradowski, who moved those concerts to the Ulrich City Center in Lockport. A representative of the promoter said there are plans to improve the experience for concert-goers at Gateway Park, which is on the North Tonawanda side of the Erie Canal, adjacent to the City of Tonawanda. The tentative date for the first concert of the season is June 21st.

BUDWEY OWNER MEETS WITH NEWFANE SUPERVISOR!!

Newfane Supervisor Tim Horanburg met with Budwey's owner Frank Budwey on Tuesday, to discuss the possibility of a Budwey's Supermarket moving into the former Shurefine Food Center on Main Street. The 90 minute meeting was held at the Niagara County IDA. Frank Budwey called Horanburg 3 weeks ago about a Budweys coming to Newfane. Shurefine closed last month after many years in the town, leaving a void for many shoppers in Newfane and the surrounding areas. In an interview on WLVL Radio on Wednesday morning, Horanburg said he thought there was an 80% chance of Budwey's coming to town. There are currently 2 Budwey's in Western New York, in North Tonawanda and in Buffalo. Horanburg also said the goal is to get Budwey's up and running in Newfane by this summer.

LOCKPORT SCHOOLS REMAIN OPEN DESPITE BRUTAL WIND CHILL!!

Despite wind chills that reached as low as 20 degrees below zero, Lockport School Superintendent Terry Ann Carbonedecided to keep Lockport Schools open today, drawing the ire of some parents who felt they should have been closed. In an exclusive interview on Hometown 1340 WLVL, Carbone said it was a very close call, and that at 4:30 this morning, she was leaning towards closing the schools. But upon further review, Carbone decided to keep them open, in part because the wind wasn't blowing that hard, and that their was no blowing snow. And also, because the forecast called for a high of 15 to 20 degrees, and that the wind chill advisory was cancelled at 9am. Carbone say no child would be punished if their parents decided it was just too cold to send them to school. Carbone also said that if today was yesterday, school would have been closed because of the blowing snow, high winds and the brutally cold tempertures and wind chill.

PANTHER PLAYER SEVERS JUGULAR DURING SABRES GAME!!

A horrifying scene last night at HSBC Arena where Richard Zednick of the Florida Panthers suffered a severed jugular vein in his neck, when he was slashed by the skate of a team-mate. The incident happened with 9:56 left in the game when Oli Jokinen collided with Clarke McCarthur of the Sabres in the corner. As Yokinen fell, his right leg went airborn. Zednick was skating towards the play and Jokinen's skate sliced into the right side of Zednick's neck. Blood spurted from the wound onto the ice as players and fans alike gasped at the ugly sight. Zednick skated to his bench where trainers went to work immediately. He was taken to the lockerroom, and then to Buffalo General, where he underwent emergency surgury. Thankfully, it was a success, and Zednick is listed today in stable condition. The Sabres ended up winning the game 5-3. The injury brought back memories of a similar injury to the Sabres Clint Malarchuck back in 1989, when he needed some 300 stiches to sow up his neck. Meantime, Zednick's wife is now with her husband, after being flown up from MIami last night.

HEPATITIS A SHOTS CONTINUE!!

Thousand more are expected to get vaccinated today at ECC's North Campus, in what has become one of the largest vaccination clinics in New York state in recent memory, according to state health officials. By the end of the day Sunday, some 5 thousand people were expected to have received a vaccination for Hepatitis A over a 2 day period. An additional clinic is scheduled again today, from noon to 8pm. Health officials recommend the precautionary shots for customers at the Wegman's located at 5275 Sheridan Drive, who purchased produce that was exposed to a produce department employee diagnosed on Friday with Hepatitis A. Today's clinic will treat people who bought the produce from the Wegman's Sheridan Drive location after January 7th, and ate it (uncooked only) after January 28th.

LOCKPORT MAN DIES AFTER HELPING STRANDED MOTORIST!!

A good samaritan was killed Wednesday night near his house on Bowmiller road,while helping a motorist who had slid into a ditch. Icy conditions on Bowmiller caused a 2006 Pontiac driven by 37 year old Angela Goodman of Lockport to lose control at about 5:15. 73 year old Roy Dietz, a Bowmiller Road resident, came out of his house and attempted to help Goodman get out of her car. But while he was standing next to the vehicle, a 2nd car driven by 41 year old Andrea Walton of Middleport lost control and slid into Goodman's car, striking Dietz. He was taken by ambulance to Lockport Memorial and then to ECMC where he died from his injuries at 6:30. Both drivers received tickets for speeding in unsafe conditions. Dietz grew up in Lockport and worked for 38 years at Harrison Radiator, retiring 16 years ago.

FALLS MOTHER IS RULED FIT TO BE TRIED!!

For the third time, a psychiatrist has found Shauna Mahoney mentally competent to stand trial on a murder charge. She's the young Niagara Falls mother who told police she smothered her infant son to death last summer. Two doctors had made that recommendation after interviewing Mahoney in September, but Judge Sara Sperrazza found their reports inadequate. However, the third time was evidently the charm, and Sperrazza was very satisfied with the final doctor's findings. She says of all of them it's the most thorough and that she was very pleased with it. The 20 year old Mahoney of Laughlin Drive called 911 on September 5th to announce to the police that she had just killed her 19 month old son Trevor Schneider by smothering him. A hearing on the admissibility of those statements is set for February 28th.

SEAN O'CONNOR WILL BE INSURED IN FULL!!

The controversy surrounding the health care benefits for county legislator Sean O'Connor will likely come to an end as early as next week. County officials have determined that O'Conor does indeed qualify for lifetime health insurance benefits paid for by the county. In addition, they have made arrangements with O'connor for recouping the pay he received at the end of last year when he was technically retired. A relieved O'Connor says the situation is being resolved. He resigned from office on December 21st, citing personal reasons. A few days later, he changed his mind and was sworn in for his current term, which started January 1st.In the meantime, the county sent him a paycheck for several days of service for which he did not perform. That amount will now be deducted from his next paycheck, which is due next Friday.O'Connor has served in the legislature for more than 20 years, and normally would have qualified for full lifetime health insurance from the county. But a change in the law last year would have prohibited him from receiving the benefits had he been sworn in on January 1st, without a break in service.

HILLARY AND MCCAIN WIN BIG IN NEW YORK AND IN NIAGARA COUNTY!!

Super Tuesday proved to be a super night for Hillary Clinton and John McCain in New York state, as both presidential candidates swept to victory with the greatest of ease, over Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Statewide, Clinton got 57 percent of the vote, to Obama's 40 percent. While McCain just beat up Romney 51 to 28 percent, and thus took all 101 Republican delegates in the winner take all contest. Meantime, Hillary won 89 New York state delegates, to 56 for Obama. And in Niagara County voting, Clinton won easily with 66 percent of the vote to just 29 percent for Obama. Republican county voters supported McCain 47 percent to Romney's almost 28 percent. Mike Huckabee ended up a poor 3rd with almost 16 percent.

A TRAGIC END IN THE SEARCH FOR ARNOLD BARNETT...

A missing school administrator from Lockport was found dead Tuesday, a short distance from his car at the edge of the lower Niagara River. 57 year old Arnold Barnett was reported missing by his wife last Thursday after he failed to return home from the Seneca Niagara Casino in the Falls, where he had spent Wednesday evening. State police investigating the case said fishermen spotted Barnett's car Tuesday morning at the river's edge. Barnett's body was found about 100 feet from the vehicle. Preliminary findings suggest Barnett drove past a stop sign at a T-shaped intersection at Church and Main street in Youngstown, and his car jumped a curb and plunged about 50 feet down an embankment. Troopers believe Barnett may have been disoriented from the crash, left his car to get help and collapsed, succumbing to exposure. An autopsy is planned to determine the exact cause of his death.