BLACK FRIDAY

Wal-Mart's plan to avoid lines in front of their
stores backfired in Lockport today. The store
had opened at midnight but was already filled
to capacity before many shoppers arrived and
they ended up waiting in a line that was actually
longer than in past years. Roger from Gasport
was near the front of that line. He had arrived
about an hour earlier and was told they would
let in about ten people at a time as customers
already inside left. One woman told us she
had dropper her grandkids off at 3 and now
she couldn't immediately get back in to find
them. A young lady named Ashley was waiting
for a TV set that was probably already gone...
and was "ticked off." The stores lot was
completely full and shoppers were parking at
the nearby Tops. We're told a similiar thing
happened at the Superstore on Military Road
in the Falls. Things started happening late last
night at the Fashion Outlets Mall. Marketing
Director Julie Clark said they moved their
tailgate party indoors. They opened the doors
at 11pm and some of the stores actually
opened then. She said they had a well rounded mix
of shoppers, Canadians and a strong prescence
from Western New York. The Kohl's store on Niagara
Falls Boulevard in Amherst opened at 4 and the
lot was full when we drove by at 4:30. Traffic
on the Boulevard was brisk and most of the
drivers were headed in the direction of the
Boulevard Mall. Back in the Falls, the manager of
the K-Mart said shoppers started lining up at 2am
for specials that included TV sets, clothing,toys and
games. Debbie said she's been working there for
25 years and described it as a fairly normal
Black Friday.

NEW VEHICLE POLICY

County Manager Greg Lewis wants a change
made in the County's policy on taking vehicles
home from work. He told a Committee this week
he wants to do away with a 1997 amendment that
allows several department heads to do so. The new
policy would give the County Manager the power
to approve such permanent car assignments. The
County's Risk and Insurance Director said they've
been working on the revision for months and it was
not motivated by any particular incident.

PROPOSED LAW IN TOWN OF LOCKPORT

Lawmakers in the Town of Lockport will
consider a local law next Wednesday that
would do away with tax breaks for anyone
converting a home into a condominium.
The 140 condo units already in the Town
would not be affected and it would not
prevent you from making the change, but
you wouldn't have the right to have your
assessment lowered. A public hearing on the
proposal is set for 7:30 Wednesday night.

LOCKPORT CAR BREAK IN

A Lockport woman teling police yesterday her
2002 Saturn was broken into overnight. The
Walnut Street resident said she found the
drivers side window smashed around 9:30am.
Over $600 in items were taken including a Nexus
GPS System, an I-pod Nanno, a hundred dollars
in Christmas decorations,and a couple of
flashlights. The damage to the window was
estimated at $300.

LOCKPORT MAN CHARGED IN BREAK-IN

A 19 year old Lockport man has been charged with
breaking into the Youth X-Clusive Store at 56 Locust
earlier this month. Phillip Ruiz Junior of Lockport
Olcott Road is charged with third degree burglary.
Police say he kicked in the door November 3. A
surveillance camera captured his image. The manager
of the building found clothing strewn all over the
parking lot and at the nearby corner of Locust and
South Streets the next morning.

LONG GUNS STOLEN

Two long guns were reported stolen from a
home on Lockport-Olcott Road in Newfane.
The victim told the Sheriff's Department an SGS
22 caliber assault rifle and a Winchester 300
20 gauge pump action shotgun were taken between
3pm Wednesday and 5pm Thanksgiving Day. The
victim's mom said she heard a noise while in the
shower around 3:45 pm Wednesday but thought it
was her son so she didn't think anything of it until
the guns were discovered to be missing. The victim
said he normally keeps them at his grandfathers house
but brought them home to clean. They were in a
downstairs bedroom. He said they were worth
$950.

NEWFANE HOUSE FIRE

Firefighters from Wrights Corners and Miller
Hose battled a stubborn blaze Wednesday night
at a home at 7106 Ellicott Road in Newfane. It
was reported by a couple living on the same
street around 8:30. They were driving by and saw
flames coming from the roof on the West side of
the structure. Harry Daubney grabbed a garden
houise and tried to put it out but smoke was still
coming from the home. The owner of the property,
Michael Molnar of Gasport, said he had been doing
roofing work with a torch but had finished around
4:30. None of the three residents were home at the
time of the blaze. The outer walls were damaged
on the West side but no figure was placed on the
damage.

THE RUDY COURAGE AWARD

A Senior at Niagara Falls High School could
win the national Rudy Courage Award. Anthony
Braham was nomated by football coach Don Bass.
Braham has not had an easy life. He was diagnosed
with Crohn's Disease at age 12 and is waiting on a
kidney transplant. His mother died about two weeks
ago from pneumonia. Despite that, he's known for
always having a smile on his face. The Rudy Courage
Award is named after the legendary Dan Ruettiger
who was made famous by the movie. You can vote
for Braham at High Schools Rudy Awards. com.
Voting closes Monday. The winner gets a $10,000
scholarship and a chance to meet Ruettiger.

NEW NAME/SETTLEMENT REACHED

The Pine Avenue Business Association will be
getting a new name. Board of Trustee Chair
Jerry Genova said it was decided Tuesday
night to change the name to The 62 North
Little Italy Business District. He also said
they had reached a deal with 18 members to
end last year's insurance problems. They've
agreed to accept 31 per cent of PABA's debt
to them. He said a certified letter would be sent
to others who were not at the meeting about
the proposed settlement. Ernie Lucantonio was
also hired to serve as Community Relations
Cooridantor. He'll be paid $12,000 a year. City
Council member Sam Fruscione and School
Board Member Jim Cancemi were also elected
to the Board.

QUALITY MARKETS MAY CLOSE

The 13 Quality Markets in Western New York
could be closing by February 15. The stores are
owned by Penn Traffic of Syracuse. They filed for
bankrupcty protection last week. They're looking
for a company to buy the stores but were required
to file a notice with the State Labor Department
about their possible closure. About 700 people
work in the stores including 71 at the Lockport
location. The closure would also affect Penn
Traffic's other stores that operate under the
Bi-Lo and P&C names in New York, Pennsylvania,
Vermont, and New Hampshire..plus workers at
their warehouse. In all, about 4100 jobs are at
risk.