QUALITY MARKETS

A decision could come today on the future of the
79 Quality supermarket stores. A bid to buy them
is expected to be presented to a Delaware bankruptcy
court at 2pm. Tops offered $90-million for the stores
last month. Their current owner, Penn Traffic, filed
for chapter 11 bankruptcy in November. The court has
also gotten a bid from the Schenectady based Price
Chopper chain for 22 of the stores. G-E Capitol is the
major lender in the case, but the decision on who gets
what will be made by Bankruptcy Court Judge Peter
Walsh. The store on Rochester Road employs 71
people, 66 are members of United Food and
Commercial Workers Local One.

HOME INVASION IN WHEATFIELD

Three Buffalo men are being held on $25,000
bail in the County Jail after they allegedly forced
their way into a Wheatfield home around 9:30
Wednesday night and stole $6,000. It happened
at 3634 Moyer Road. A 28 year old woman said the
three masked men, one armed with a gun, forced
their way after she answered the door and demanded
money. She said one of them also pressed a sharp
instrument, possibly a knife, into her back. They
allegedly took the cash and tied her up but she was
freed by a man who was upstairs while the incident
was going on. She called the Sheriff's department
and the three were arrested near Ellicott Creek
Park in Tonawanda. Investigators believe the
incident was drug related. Police sources say
the home has been the site of two raids and activity
there is part of an ongoing investigation. The victim's
boyfriend is currently in jail on drug charges. The three
men are 23 year old Joseph Cruz, 18 year old Eusebio
Morales, and 17 year old Luis Davilla, all of Buffalo.
They are all charged with second degree robbery.

SCHUMER SAYS THE BILLS WILL STAY HERE

Senator Chuck Schumer says not to worry about the
Bills leaving Buffalo. He says Ralph Wilson told him
they are not entertaining any offers to move to Los
Angeles. He said Wilson told him the team has never
spoken to the Majestic Reality Company. It's been
rumored they're trying to lure either Buffalo or
Jacksonville to L.A. The senator called it a figment
of Majestic's imagination. He said Ralph Wilson is
committed to Western New York and flatly told him
the Bills are staying in Buffalo. Period.

HOUSE FIRES CLAIM SEVERAL PETS

Several pets lost their lives in two seperate
house fires in the county Thursday. A dog and
a cat died of smoke exposure last night in a
blaze at 8501 West Somerset Road in Barker.
The homeowner, Timothy Myers, said he got
home from work around 5:30, opened the door,
and was overcome by smoke. He said he found
a fire in front of his wood burning stove and yelled
for his wife to call 911. He then went to look for his
animals and found they had already died. Barker
Fire Chief Randy Hillenbrand said the blaze was
confined to the living room and basement.
Anorher fire in the Falls around 10:30am yesterday
claimed the life of a pet cat and a dog was taken to
a vet. The fire at 3335 C Street was in a 2 story wood
frame home. The resident told officials he left
around 10 and found the home ablaze around
10:40. Fire Chief Bill MacKay said it originated
in the living room and was possibly started by a
lit cigarette. He estimated the damage to be $25,000.

HOUSE BURGLARY IN ROYALTON

A 50 inch plasma TV was among the items taken
within three hours time yesterday in a break in
at a home on Riddle Road in Royalton. The 65
year old victim said it happened between 9:30 am
and 12:30 pm. The Sheriff's department says it
appeared entry was made through the attached
garage. An $850 Lincoln welder, a $200 digitial
camera, and $200 in silver coins were also taken.
The man showed them footprints in the snow
that apparently belonged to the suspects...along
with tracks from their vehicle. The total loss was
a little over $3,700.

DESIGNATED STROKE CENTER

The Falls Memorial Medical Center is the first
hospital in the County to be named a designated
stroke center under a statewide program to speed
up the treatment of strokes. Hospital officials say
it took them more than a year to obtain the
designation. They had to prove they could meet
a series of benchmarks where patients showing
signs of a stroke are assessed and treated within
certain time frames. The designation means more
County residents with signs of a stroke will be
taken to the Medical Center rather than out of
county hospitals.

TWO TRIALS FOR WARME

Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara ruled
Thursday that suspended Falls Police Officer
Ryan Warme will get two seperate trials for the
various charges against him. He also tossed out
two of the eleven criminal counts he faced. One
of them accused Warme of extorting sexual
favors from a prostitute and the other claimed he
deprived the citizens of Niagara Falls of his
honest services. The judge will rule today on the
dates for the seperate trials.

FALLS TO TRY FOR RACE TO TOP GRANT

The Niagara Falls School District decided
last night to try to get part of a $700-million
federal grant that'll be doled out to states
later in the year. The cash will be awarded
under a program called "Race to The Top."
It requires that school districts give teachers
merit pay, that they allow more charter schools,
and that they build data systems to track
student performance. They would also have
to adopt certain benchmarks and improve low
performing schools. State winners will be
announced in April and September and the
money will be distributed to participating
districts.

WILLOW PARK

Two teens are facing drug charges after
Lockport Police were called to Altro Park
around 6 last night to investigate a report
a car was driving on the ice rink. Police say
they found a white Pontiac Bonneville stuck
in the snow halfway onto the rink. The driver and
two other males were inside, they said they
thought the rink was a parking lot so they
tried to turn around on it. Officers smelled
a strong odor of marijuana and asked if there
was anything illegal in the vehicle. The driver,
18 year old Jacob Roselund of 5741 Tonawanda
Creek Road said there was some marijuana in
the car, and a passenger, 17 year old Tyler
Johnson of 5062 Tonawanda Creek Road, said
he had some in his pocket. Roselund was also
charged with unlawfully driving on the rink and
unsafe lane change.

LOCKPORT CITY COUNCIL

Lockport lawmakers last night passed a declaration
saying a plan to put a $1.5-million banquet facility
atop the city-owned Electric Building along the Canal
would have no environmental impact. New alderman
Andrew Chapman raised some eyebrows during the
5pm work session when he told City Attorney John
Ottaviano the proposed addition would actually have
some negative effects ..and Ottaviano ended up agreeing
with Chapman and it changed the answers lawmakers
made when they answered a series of questions on it's
impact during the official meeting. It did not affect the
final vote though and Mayor Mike Tucker pointed out
the declaration did not commit the City to do the
project. He said it was needed to get the State grant that
paid half of the City's $67,000 cost for hiring an
architecural firm to look into new signs for city attractions.
The meeting started with ceremonies swearing in new
city officials. The husband of new Council President
Richelle Pisceri held the bible as she took her oath of
office. Tucker also made some appointments. Alderman
at large Joe Kibler and former alderman Pat Schrader
were given seats on the Fire Board. Third ward
represenative Flora McKenzie and ex-alderman Tate
Pitrello were re-appointed to the Police Board where
there is still one vacant seat. McKenzie was also
appointed to the Lockport Community Cable Commission.
Tucker reappointed Sandra Harmon, Kevin Foltz, and
Mike Worthington to the Zoning Board and Brian Bower,
Julie Muscato, and Howard Luff will remain on the Planning
Board.