ACQUITTED SUPREME COURT JUDGE NOW SEEKS RETIREMENT ::Tuesday, June 17th::

State Supreme Court Judge Amy Jo Fricano intends to step down from her judgeship and begin collecting retirement payments after not hearing a single case since her arrest last year on drugged driving charges; of which she was eventually acquitted. The 53 year old Fricano - who reported a long list of health woes during testimony at her trial last summer - has filed paperwork requesting a disability retirement and a special payment of two-thirds of her $136-thousand a year salary that would continue until her elected term expires at the end of 2013, according to her attorney Joel Daniels. Daniels says that the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court in Rochester must review the request for the special disability allowance. He said he expects action soon. After 2013, Fricano would receive a normal state pension. Meantime, a spokesman for the State Office of Court Administration confirmed Monday that Fricano has handed in her retirement notice to take effect on July 31st. Fricano could not be reached for comment. Daniels called her decision the toughest of her personal life, and that she was in too much physical pain to do what she was elected to do.

LOCKPORT NATIVE FALCONS SAFETY ARRESTED ON D.U.I. CHARGES ::Tuesday, June 17th::

Darren Stone - a Lockport High School graduate who made the NFL as a rookie last year - was charged Sunday with D.U.I. in Atlanta. Stone - the former Lions defensive back, now a strong safety for the Falcons - was arrested in downtown Atlanta early Sunday morning and charged with driving under the influence, according the the Atlanta Constitution. He was released at about 5:30pm that afternoon after posting $15-hundred bail. Stone is expected to meet with Falcons officials Tuesday to discuss the incident. His agent declined to comment on the case. Stone primarily played on special teams but also backed up former Buffalo Bill Lawyer Malloy. He appeared in 12 games and recorded 10 tackles.

'FREE NIAGARA' TO TAKE STATE UP ON ISSUE OF GRANT-GIVING ::Monday, June 16th::

A Lockport businessman who gained fame by erecting a billboard that was critical of Niagara County's economic climate is now hard at work on his next project: filing a lawsuit against the state of New York. Lee Bordeleau - the man who paid for a billboard on South Transit Road that proclaimed Niagara County as the highest taxes county in the country - has so far raised $35-hundred from residents willing to join him as plaintiffs in a suit against the state that he intends to file in the coming weeks. The investment company owner who heads the taxpayer advocacy group 'Free Niagara' intends to prove in court that state lawmakers violate the state's constitution each time they offer cash assistance in the form of tax dollars to business owners. His legal challenge will center around Article VII, Section 8 of the constitution which governs the ways in which state officials can use tax dollars. Bordeleau says quote, "they are robbing you and me, and they are giving the money to a private corporation." Individuals interested in signing on as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are encouraged to call Bordeleau at 433-0574.

MAN FLOATS 12 HOURS IN LAKE ERIE BEFORE BEING RESCUED ::Monday, June 16th::

A 47 year old Ontario man is lucky to be alive after he fell over board from his sailboat and spent more than 12 hours treading water in Lake Erie without a life jacket. Paul Epp, Jr. of Welland managed to stay afloat in the lake from Saturday night until 11:45 Sunday morning when he was rescued by Canadian and U.S. authorities who had spent the night searching for him. When rescuers plucked Epp from the waters, he was alert and talking, but suffered from hypothermia. The lake temperature off Buffalo was 66 degrees Sunday. Epp was treated Sunday in Port Colborne General Hospital where his condition was not considered life threatening. A good Samaritan noticed Epp clinging to a breakwater off Port Colborne at about 11:45 Sunday and tried to reach him. When he was unable to pull Epp from the water, he notified officials. Two helicopters were on the scene within minutes and he was pulled from safety, and taken to the hospital.

TIM RUSSERT UPDATE ::Monday, June 16th::

Tim Russert's people came by the hundreds Sunday night to honor the memory of the South Buffalo man who never lost sight of his roots when he made it to the big time. Sunday's gather at Tim Russert Park in West Seneca was among the first of various opportunities for people to pay their respects to the newsman who died Friday at age 58 from an apparent heart attack. The public will be able to say goodbye to Russert during a wake from 2-9 tomorrow at St Alban's School in Washington D.C. A private funeral and memorial are set for Wednesday, according to NBC officials. There are no specific plans yet for a local service. Meanwhile, the moderator's chair on 'Meet the Press' was empty yesterday as NBC's Tom Brokaw conducted an hour's worth of tribute to the fallen network star. Russert was the head of the Washington Bureau for NBC News, and that's where he died Friday while doing a voice over for Sunday's show.

NIAGARA COUNTY DEED SCAM ::Thursday, June 12th::

Niagara County homeowners are being advised to beware of a direct mail offer that charges $60 to obtain a certified copy of a homeowner's deed. County Clerk Wayne Jagow called the direct mail solicitation a record retreival scam - which tells homeowners that the deed was recorded by the county clerk - and recommends that property owners should have their own certified copy of their deed. Jagow says no county homeowner needs to pay an excessive fee to obtain a certified copy of their deed, and they shouldn't be made to feel that they need a certified copy of a document which has been properly recorded in Jagow's office. He adds that homeowners can always obtain a certified copy of their deed from his office for $5 for up to five pages, and $1 for each additional page.

MARSHAWN LYNCH UPDATE ::Thursday, June 12th::

The case of the Marshawn Lynch hit and run incident could start getting nasty starting today! Buffalo Police plan on going to the Ralph this afternoon to question three Buffalo Bills about what happened on the night of May 31st. That's when an SUV owned by Lynch hit an Ontario woman at Delaware and Chippewa and drove off; leaving her injured in the crosswalk. Officer Allen Kasperzack has called the Bills and the NFL security office to complain about stonewalling by players in the case - including Lynch - who has so far refused to be questioned about the incident. Erie County DA Frank Clark says if the players question today are not truthful, they'll be called before a grand jury. That option remains the same for Lynch as well.

COUNTY SHERIFF'S INVESTIGATING SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE ::Wednesday, June 11th::

The Sheriff's Department interviewing three people Monday night who reported seeing a pick-up matching the description of a vehicle that a girl said had followed her on several occasions in Ransomville. A Porter woman said she saw the old white pick-up with rusted wheels in her mobile home community and it was driven by and older white man with a gray beard. The description of the driver also matched the one given by the girl. A short while later, two girls reported seeing the truck on Curtis Road in Ransomville. They said the older white man was driving slowly and looking at the residence. They walked to the corner and saw the same man leave the area in an older two door blue sports car.

SOMERSET LEADERS WISH TO NEGOTIATE WIND POWER DEAL ::Wednesday, June 11th::

In Somerset, the town board wants to renegotiate a community host agreement with Empire State Wind Energy. The board is willing to give up some of the profits anticipated from the wind turbine project in order to assume less risk. ESWE would be rewarded with more profits if it's willing to take more risk. Supervisor Richard Meyers said quote, "we decided to contact ESWE to see if they would be open to negotiating our profit sharing percents we would get in the host agreement." At their meeting last night, the board decided to send a letter to the Oneida based firm asking if they are indeed ready to negociate. Meyers added that they're still looking to work with ESWE. The board hopes for an answer by July 1st. The town board is willing to take less than 75%. The letter will go to Keith Pitman, President and CEO of ESWE.

LOCKPORT MAY NO LONGER PAY TAXES ON N-T WATER LINE ::Wednesday, June 11th::

The City of Lockport could finally get some relief on the county taxes it pays on its water line running from North Tonawanda. After being rejected several times in the past, the proposal sailed through last night's meeting of the county legislature's administration committee. The plan co-sponsored by Toni Nemi and Keith McNall. The resolution requires the city to use the savings to make repairs and replacements of city owned water lines. Nemi said he was very happy and was confident city leaders and Treasurer Mike White would make good use of the savings. The proposal passed 8-0. The committee took no action on the County Manager's recommendation that the county cut its contribution to NCCC by $177-thousand. The budget was tabled after majority leader Rick Updegrove said he was not prepared to go forward. It was decided the committee would discuss it further during a break in next Tuesday's legislature meeting and then bring it to the floor for a vote.