LEGISLATURE QUESTIONS CORONERS DEALINGS WITH PARLOR OWNER :: Wednesday, May 7th::

A board of inquiry will be convened to look into the business dealings of embattled Niagara County Coroner James Joyce.

Members of the Niagara County Legislature voted unanimously Tuesday to establish a board comprised of six county lawmakers who will examine whether Joyce violated any laws or ethical guidelines by associating with the owners of four local spas implicated in a prostitution ring.

While the measure ultimately received support from the entire Legislature, Minority Leader Dennis Virtuoso, D-Niagara Falls, initially questioned the wisdom of forming the board at this time. While Joyce is currently under investigation by federal law enforcement officials for his relationship with spa owner Che Ngan “Alan” Tsui, Virtuoso noted that he has not yet been formally charged with any crimes.

“You don’t just form a board of inquiry on a hunch,” he said.

Legislator and resolution co-sponsor Paul Wojtaszek, R-North Tonawanda, explained that forming the board of inquiry would allow the Legislature to get some answers to questions about whether Joyce did anything inappropriate in dealing with the spa owners while serving as county coroner.

“As elected officials, we have a duty to conduct ourselves ethically and legally,” Wojtaszek said.

Under county law, the board of inquiry would have the power to access relevant records and to subpoena witnesses as it conducts its investigation.

Individual board members will be chosen by Chairman Bill Ross, C-Wheatfield, who has previously said the body will consist of an equal number of lawmakers from both the majority and minority in the Legislature. Ross said Tuesday he plans to announce the names of the board members later this week.

SECOND REPORTED HAZING INCIDENT IN WILSON ::Wednesday, May 7th::

FROM THE BUFFALO NEWS...

A player on the Wilson high school baseball team was sexually harassed last year by older teammates during a bus ride for an away game.

The boy and his parent complained to a team coach, and for some time after that, one coach rode the bus in front and the other at the back to keep an eye on the players who had been involved in unruly behavior.

The hazing complaint apparently went no further.

But this year, when both coaches were riding at the front of the bus, some of the older players sexually abused two junior varsity players.

That is the story emerging from two law enforcement officials familiar with the Wilson investigation.

The sources did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to release information, but they came forward because of concern that a pattern has repeated itself in Wilson.

“The kid who complained [last year] was then singled out for the rest of last year by fellow teammates as a ‘narc’ and was punched by other teammates for telling his parent,” one of the sources said.

The coaching staff knew of hazing problems on the bus trip last year and, at one point, instituted a policy of having coaches sit at the back and front of the bus.

But that practice was discontinued prior to the new sexual-hazing incident during a bus ride home from an April 17 game in Niagara Falls.

Last week, Thomas J. Baia, 40, varsity baseball coach and middle school teacher, and William M. Atlas, 35, junior varsity coach and elementary gym teacher, were criminally charged with endangering the welfare of a child for failing to take action to prevent the April assaults.

It is because of the coaching staff’s knowledge of last year’s incident and an expectation that it could again occur that Baia and Atlas were charged, one of the law enforcement sources explained.

After learning of last year’s incident, one of the baseball coaches punished the varsity team by making members run “10 minutes of laps,” the law enforcement sources said.

The 2007 incident and disciplinary action were never reported up the chain of command, district officials told The Buffalo News on Tuesday.

District officials said that if they had known about last year’s incident, they would have taken strong measures.

“Had I been aware that there was a problem on the bus, I would have taken swift and immediate action to eliminate it,” said Wilson High School Principal Daniel Johnson. “But I was never made aware that there was a problem on the bus.”

Charles Jufer, the district’s athletic director, also said he was unaware of any previous problems.

“There are many things that are taken care of by a teacher or coach that never reach my office,” Jufer said Tuesday.

The practice of placing a coach at both the rear and front of the bus ended prior to the 2008 season because a member of the coaching staff tired of sitting in the rear of the bus with the high level of noise from players, the law enforcement sources said.

The two coaches have been suspended with pay from the district. The teaching contract requires they receive their salary.

In the April 17 attack, coaches and other adults were seated in the front of the bus.

“One of the victims was dragged in a headlock from his bus seat about two seats behind one of the coaches” to the back of the bus, one of the sources said. “The boy did not scream for fear of provoking an even worse attack by annoying his attackers. The other kids did not say anything or look back for fear they would be targeted next.”

The source said it was important for the Wilson community and district officials to know the details so that something could be done to break what may be a continual string of incidents over the last few baseball seasons.

“At this time, it is important for the victims to get support. They are being brave and by coming forward, it is not just about them. It’s about preventing incidents in the future,” the police source said.

The source cited a story quoting psychologists that appeared in The Buffalo News on Sunday, stating that such hazing can become a tradition of behavior victimizing new children each year and eventually turning the innocent victims into future predators who pick on the weakest or lower-level players.

A form of secondary hazing, they said, occurs as the victims are ostracized by teammates and the community, which rallies around the coaches and the accused.

Many of the 650 people who showed up Thursday for a district-wide meeting voiced support for Baia and Atlas, with only a handful expressing concern for the junior varsity players who were attacked.

“Besides the victims of the hazings, there’s another group of innocent victims,” one of the police sources said. “It’s all of these other student baseball players who have now been denied the opportunity to play the sport that they love and possibly it could affect college scholarships.”

The Wilson varsity baseball season was canceled by district officials in response to the allegations.

FALLS TATTOOIST RESPONSIBLE FOR SPREADING DISEASE NAMED; WARNINGS ISSUED ::Wednesday, May 7th::

Health officials are urging clients of a Niagara Falls tattoo artist to be tested for HIV and hepatitis. Authorities say an investigation found that eight people developed skin infections after receiving tattoos from John Portik. While no one is known to have contracted HIV or hepatitis from the tattooing, Niagara and Erie County health officials say clients should be tested for the diseases, because they don’t know whether Portik took proper infection control precautions.
A telephone listing for Portik was not in service Tuesday afternoon. Portik has been ordered to stop tattooing and has surrendered his tattooing equipment. Anyone who has gotten a tattoo from him since approximately January 2001 is being encouraged to get tested.

Portik’s clients who are seeking testing should contact their health care provider. If they do not have a health care provider or do not have health care insurance, they should call the Niagara County Health Department at 439-7470. Portik performed tattoos at his home and in clients’ homes. According to Portik, he was also employed for a short time at two former Niagara Falls tattoo studios known as Monsters Ink and Murder Ink. Portik also reported working in Erie County during 2004 and/or 2005 as an independent contractor for Hardcore Tattoo.

TRAINS WILL ONCE AGAIN TRAVEL 'UPSIDE-DOWN' IN LOCKPORT ::Wednesday, April 30::

Senator George Maziarz announcing Tuesday that the Falls Railroad Company is slated to receive $950-thousand to fix-up the famous 'Upside-Down' tressel that crosses the canal in Lockport. He says the money will be used to repair, paint, and ultimately reopen the currently unused bridge because of increased train traffic to the Orleans County ethanol plant. The money comes from the Passenger and Frieght Rail Assistance Program - administered by the New York DOT - which funds track and bridge improvements.

NAMES OF 5 PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH WILSON HAZING IDENTIFIED ::Wednesday, April 30::

The three baseball players in the case have been identified as 18 year old Geoffrey Seefeldt of Ransomville, and 16 year old's Colton Sherman and Christopher Sidote. Seefeldt was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, while Sherman and Sidote were only charged with one count a peice, with all three also being charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The trio allegedly took their victims to the back of the bus after an April 17th baseball game in the Falls, where they sexually abused their fellow teammates with a foreign object. The State Police have also arrested the coaches who were on the bus at the time; who apparently didn't do anything to stop the criminal attacks. William Atlas, the school's JV coach, and Thomas Baia, the Varsity coach, have too been charged with the class A misdemeanor of endangering. Atlas and Baia are scheduled to appear in Wilson Town Court on May 8th at 7pm. As for the three students, their court date is on the 22nd.

NEW TATTOO PARLOR REGULATIONS IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTY ::Friday, April 25::

The Niagara County Board of Health unanimously passed regulations on tattoo artists that the health department chief said are designed to protect the public. The measure allows the health department to shut down any tattoo parlor that doesn't comply with the regulations, but public heath director Dan Stapleton says the plan is not to put people out of business. The plan is to have people follow the regulations and have a safe environment for their clients. The issue of tattooing came to the board's attention after a tattoo artist in the Falls was blamed for causing infections among at least seven customers. Three of the infections were case of MRSA - the antibiotic resistant staph bacteria . Stapleton said further investigation has disclosed that the man - who remains unidentified for legal reasons - caused infections in some Erie County residents too. The tattooer was forced to surrender his equipment to the health department on March 10th, and was fined $250 for failing to show up for a hearing before Stapleton. Assistant county attorney Michael Fitzgerald says the fine has not been paid. Stapleton says the man has been calling to ask for his equipment back, but that won't happen until the fine is paid and the man follows regulations.

SPCA HAS BREWING ANGER WITH CATARACT CITY ::Friday, April 25::

The Niagara County SPCA has warned that it will stop providing services to the city in May if it does not get paid for work it has done during the last four months. The agency has been working in the Falls without a contract since January. Al Chile - the executive director of the county SPCA - says that in good faith, he has continued to provide services in the absence of a signed contract, but "if you don't have dollars, you can't pay the bill... and we have to pay our bills in order to operate. The mayor and city council received letters Thursday from the SPCA that warned of the May deadline. The council earlier this month delayed a vote to renew the agency's contract. Councilman Bob Anderson says the council wants several issues regarding the SPCA's services addressed before the contract is renewed. Chile met the a city attorney Thursday to discuss the contract, and a list of issues the council and city clerk want resolved. Chile says he believes the issues between the city and SPCA can be worked out before next month.

COMMON COUNCIL TO SUPPORT A STATE GRANT FOR UNION STATION ::Friday, April 25::

In Lockport the city may sponsor a state grant application to restore the burned out Union Station. The city did the same for a previous owner in the 1990's, but that project fell through. A similar request was brought before the board of the city's Economic Development Agency Thursday; who didn't act on it, but are expected to do so at a future meeting. Mark Davidson - a 43 year old set dresser who works in various Hollywood movie studios - and his wife Michelle - a Lockport native - bought the station for $80-thousand in 2006. Like the previous owner - Brian Yaiser of Royalton - they have notions of making the gutted train station into a profitable business and attraction. The station as a restaurant after regular train service stopped, but it was ruined in a fire in the early 1970's. Since then, little has been done there.

LOCK-CITY TRASH TALK ::Thursday, April 24::

The Lock-City this week ordered the party responsible for a big mess on John Street to clean it up or face arrest. In between two nicely kept John St. homes a trash pile had grown as a couple losing their Pine St. home to foreclosure put the house's contents to the curb. The garage was set out behind the house, at the foot of the driveway leading from 267 Pine west to John. Furniture, boxes, wood, glass panels, and miscellaneous junk was deposited at the curb unbagged, and at least two feet high over the width of the lot. A John St. homeowner claimed the pile emerged several weeks ago and changed in size as garbage pickers helped themselves; and passerby's added to it. After taking a complaint about the mess, Mayor Michael Tucker took the bull by the horn and tracked down the former owner - John Preston - at his new residence. Tucker says he told Preston that city garbage crews won't pick up the pile, that he'd have to get rid of it on his own or be cited for multiple violations of the local garbage ordinance. Preston promised to hire a truck and have the garbage taken away immediately.

That was on Tuesday.

When the pickup didn't happen, Tucker said he was preparing to send police after Preston when his contractor and a representative of Hunt Real Estate each appealed to Tucker to give it a little more time.

And now - according to the Mayor - the garbage has been cleaned up.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT DOUG YOUNG'S 8:25 INTERVIEW WITH THE MAYOR, AS WELL AS HIS APPEARANCE ON DIALOG... ONLY IN WLVL'S INFAMOUS PODCAST SECTION!

MAGIC POTHOLE FIXER IN THE FALLS? ::Thursday, April 24::

Well it's not real magic...

Officials plan to negotiate with a Pennsylvania based company to lease a one man pothole patching machine this spring for a 'pothole blitz.' With that plan being announced by Mayor Paul Dyster Wednesday. Representatives from Patch Management of Morrisville demonstrated a spray injection patcher Wednesday morning to the Mayor and council members Chris Robins and Steve Fournier. Dyster says officials are considering leasing the equipment this spring to supplement existing equipment that fixes potholes. The machine can address potholes quicker than the equipment the city currently uses. Meantime - on Monday - the city council approved the use of $77-thousand to hire temporary workers who will be assigned to fill potholes during the next few months.