erie county

ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — A jailed Erie County man has filed papers in federal court alleging that Gov. Kathy Hochul had a sexual relationship with Tonawanda Democratic Chairman John Crangle when both worked in the Erie County Clerk’s Office, and that local political figures later retaliated against him after he accused them of corruption. Hochul is married to former US Attorney for the Western District of NY, William Hochul. An extramarital affair is not a crime. But the allegation, if substantiated, would place Hochul’s early political career inside the same Tonawanda patronage network that Flynn alleges has protected insiders and

Ice Boom Installation Complete, Along with Our Fleecing The New York Power Authority (NYPA) successfully installed the three remaining floating sections of the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom on December 28, completing the work for the 20http://southbuffalonews.com5-20http://southbuffalonews.com6 season. The official Lake Erie water temperature on December 28 was 42 degrees F. The ice boom is a steel pontoon structure that keeps the Niagara River free of large chunks of ice. It was installed in the mid http://southbuffalonews.com960’s and is owned by NYPA. The main purpose of the ice boom is to enrich NYPA since it allows for millions of dollars of

Now, a relative of Pigeon has commented after reading Coercive Plea Bargain? Pigeon Chooses Eight Months Over Gambling Life in Prison: By a Relative of Both Pigeon and His Sister I’m a relative of Steve’s by marriage, and he is still a friend of my family and myself. His niece, his pathological liar’s sister’s fifth and last child, is just like her mom. She is like her because her mom brainwashed her to lie, just like the mom has done all her life. Her mom is a grown-up, but hasn’t grown up. Steve’s sister has had mental health problems her

Erie County – Nearly two years ago, former Erie County Democratic Chairman, G. Steven Pigeon, was indicted on charges related to an alleged one-time rape of his niece when she was nine years old. His trial is in 35 days. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced the charges on December 2, 2021, five years after the rape reportedly took place. The niece was 14 at the time and is now 16. Pigeon faces two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child. Flynn said

Fox Run at Orchard Park is excited to announce a new art exhibit called The People’s Paintress is now open in their Community Art Gallery. The collection by artist Barbara L. Rickard of Buffalo, NY, includes colorful oil paintings and prints inspired by her “love affair with color” and the lifelong connection to her city. Ten and 20 years ago, Rickard was called “The Painter Lady of the Chip Strip” because her work was everywhere in the Chippewa district. More recently, the artist was called something that resonated with her: “While painting a mural in a mall, a small child was being dragged past me

The Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo location of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches has closed after less than two years in operation. No explanation was given by the nationwide Jimmy John’s chain for the failure of its franchise on the busy commercial street, bounded by economically upscale neighborhoods and student housing for Buffalo State College. The rapid closure may have been related to a joint Reporter/Artvoice story of March, 2016 (“Great White Hunter Opens Sandwich Shop on Elmwood”), which revealed to the local Elmwood community the appalling hobby of multimillionaire owner Jimmy John Liautaud. According to numerous sources, the sandwich tycoon loves to

By Nate McMurray; Town of Grand Island Supervisor Welcome Center  As you may have heard, a brand new, state of the art Welcome Center is coming to Grand Island. The Governor visited last week and he mentioned it specifically in his speech. I’ve been pushing for it as soon as I heard of the possibility, and so has our Chamber of Commerce, led by Eric Fiebelkorn’s efforts. It’s a fantastic thing! And we are not just talking about something like the old dump of a building near the roundabout. That place is a nightmare. If I had the power to tear it

Readers of the Buffalo News are no strangers to the guest editorials written by local author and noted environmentalist Larry Beahan of Williamsville. Now a number of his thoughtful and erudite columns, spanning two decades, have been neatly tied together in book form, entitled “Buffalo View”. Wide-ranging topics from climate change (“Dunkirk’s Fossil Fuel Trap”) to wildlife protection (“Kodiak Island Fox” and “Disturbing Sturgeon”) and his beloved parks under threat (“Allegany for Sale”) to poignant personal memoirs, have all served as the fascinating focus of this committed conservationist’s pen. Beahan, a retired physician, has served as Conservation Director of the

Island Without Fear Part 3 of 4: by Nate McMurray Freedom from the fear of others Diversity is not just an empty motto. It’s an ideal we strive for because diversity brings strength. Even on a basic level, genetic diversity helps us survive and adapt. And cultural diversity (meaning drawing upon the ideas and skills of those with different backgrounds and perspectives) can help us find solutions to new challenges. To put it in silly terms, would the Avengers be better off with 10 Captain Americas or would it help to throw in a Hulk, a Thor, a Spider-man, and

By Nathan Winograd (Editor’s note: A world renowned animal advocate, Nathan Winograd is considered to be the father of the No Kill movement. His comments on our Oct. 13 article “SPCA Report Contradicts Police Version of Shootings that Killed Pit Bulls in Drug Raids” for his national animal rights audience on Facebook drew wide attention. He has kindly consented to have his comments republished for Artvoice.) Winograd authored the seminal “No Kill Equation,” the bible of the No Kill movement, which describes steps animal shelters should take to achieve a policy where no healthy animal is euthanized. Here he lends

Lawsuit may hinge on necropsies of Damian and Gotham Buffalo, NY – Necropsies by the Erie County SPCA on a pair of pit bulls shot and killed during ‘No Knock’ raids last summer contradict ‘Use of Force’ reports of the law enforcement officers who fired the fatal shots. The SPCA reports support claims by two Buffalo pit bull owners, Michael Urban, 36, and Corey Meer, 23, that their dogs presented no danger when police shot and killed them. Meer and Urban are represented by Buffalo attorney Matt Albert, and both have filed a notice of claim for Federal lawsuits (42

Invites Public to “Come and Enjoy” the Glorious Eight Miles of West River By Bonnie Fitzgerald West River Rd. Resident Grand Island NY — In connection with the debate raging about the proposed West River Parkway bike path, we believe that the recent article entitled “The Great Nimby” was written in poor taste, biased, one-sided and unequivocally not true.  Unfortunately, it has incited anger and hatred toward us, and we would like to tell you our side of the story. The residents of West River are kind, generous, hardworking people who are by no means rich or wealthy. We take

If all goes according to schedule, opponents of the West River Greenway Connector Trail, the $2.5 million state and federally-funded initiative to close the West River Parkway and convert it into a bike trail, will meet tonight at 7 p.m at Grand Island High School, 1100 Ransom Road, in the main auditorium. As we reported last week, a backlash from some West River Road residents against the project, which was originally approved by various government agencies going back to 2013 and has been the subject of public meetings and information sessions over the past two years, is taking shape. We published photos

Opposition to Grand Island bike path heats up as Public Meeting to be held next week A group of NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) -inspired residents on Grand Island appear to be gaining momentum in their efforts to halt New York State Parks’ plans to convert the virtually unused West River Parkway into a beautiful bike path along miles of the glorious west branch of the world famous Niagara River.  These residents, who, to a man and woman, live on West River Road, claim they object to the state’s proposed bike path for various reasons such as safety and the

By Nate McMurray Supervisor of Grand Island I read a book about Nikola Tesla earlier this year called “Wizard, The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla.” I thought I knew about Tesla, and especially his work at Niagara Falls. It was Tesla who finally mastered the mighty cataracts to generate electricity and transmit it over long distances. But Tesla did so much more, including research and development of technologies related to remote control, super-conductivity, fluorescent lighting, the bladeless turbine engine, and many other works that helped define the modern world. Unlike his peer Thomas Edison, however, Tesla never achieved

Mark Sacha, the former Erie County Deputy District Attorney who is credited for launching the investigation into alleged election law violations of G. Steven Pigeon that led circuitously to his indictment, is now “concerned” that Pigeon’s due process rights are being compromised. Pigeon was charged by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office of nine felony counts of bribery and extortion. Sacha, who is running for Erie County DA, claims Schneiderman’s office is “allowing politics to influence” the Pigeon case and that the lead prosecutor for the state, Assistant Attorney General Susan Sadinsky, must be removed because of a

Two readers have offered their opposing views of a state plan to create a bike path on Grand Island that is supported by Grand Island Supervisor Nate McMurray. Kris writes: Nate McMurray’s campaign for Grand Island Supervisor was about keeping our beautiful, quiet Island rural and to stop the tourist homes from attracting “transients” and now the idea is to attract millions of people to stop here to use the West River waterfront? Where there is no beach to swim at, no boat launches, (not one public boat launch on Grand Island!), and the Canadian border is so

By Mike Hudson; A great percentage of the visitors coming to see Niagara Falls arrive via the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. About halfway between the airport and the falls themselves is Grand Island, a charming, almost rustic community in the middle of the Niagara River that tourists must cross to get to the falls. For most of its history, Grand Island has served as a bedroom community for Buffalo and Niagara Falls, a quiet place where 20,000 or so residents find respite from the urban environs to the north and south. That may be about to change, and that

By Tony Farina; “The 9,500 patients of indicted pain doctor Eugene Gosy are being well treated,” says Joel Daniels, the attorney who represents Gosy who is accused in a federal indictment of issuing over 300,000 illegal painkiller prescriptions over four years. Under a new arrangement, Dr. James Hitt, a pain management specialist who formerly worked at Roswell Park and the Veterans Administration hospital, is the medical director at the Williamsville offices of Gosy & Associates Pain Treatment Center, and Dr. Gosy is there every day. Daniels said that everything is working out well at the pain center for patients who

The ongoing controversy about whether to close Grand Island’s  West River Parkway to create a bike path can be seen as part of a larger conflict, one that pits longtime residents against more recent arrivals in determining the future of what has traditionally been a semi-rural bedroom community. The lightning rod is Town Supervisor Nate McMurray, who scored an upset victory over longtime incumbent Mary S. Cooke in the November election by a margin of fewer than 15 votes. He favors the state’s bike path proposal.   McMurray is an attorney and a vice president at Delaware North, which he’s

It was a setup. That’s how longtime Grand Island activist Russ Thompson described the series of events that led to his being charged with felony of false voter registration and using that false registration to cast ballots on Grand Island. Thompson turned down an offered plea bargain, and the charge carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.   Thompson is perhaps best known for his advocacy to end the tolls at the Grand Island Bridge, a toll he’s long maintained has hurt businesses on the island. He lived on the island for more than 20 years and

Guest View: By a ‘Concerned Grand Island Resident; The town of Grand Island recently elected a new Town Supervisor, Delaware North’s Nate McMurray, VP of Business Development. The North Tonawanda native won by less than 10 votes. He is currently pushing projects to open rural Grand Island to a larger audience including VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owners), markets, shopping facilities, a new bike path and would like to rid the bridges of the tolls. All of these issues have their pros and cons and the residents of Grand Island should be able to freely speak their minds. This is not the current vibe. On July

Political operative and former Erie County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon faces nine felony counts in a state prosecution involving former State Supreme Court Justice John Michalek who has already pleaded guilty to two felony counts, including taking bribe, and who is expected to be a key witness against Pigeon if the case goes to trial. But Pigeon and his lawyer, prominent defense attorney Paul Cambria, seem prepared to vigorously fight the charges brought by the attorney general’s special grand jury, claiming Pigeon did nothing wrong in his dealings with Michalek. A look at the discovery and bill of particulars filed

By Frank Parlato Here’s something different. On Saturday evening, July 30, starting at 7:30, the Penn Dixie Paleontological & Outdoor Education Center will afford the public an opportunity, weather permitting, to view through telescopes “The Classical Planets of Antiquity”. Absent significant cloud cover, all in one night people will be able to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. In classical antiquity, the naked eye planets were these five, plus the Sun and the Moon. Penn Dixie is in Blasdell, a 54 acre, outdoor educational center, located at 4050 North Street. Penn Dixie’s astronomers will be there to guide the

Carrie Cohen was a big-time prosecutor with corruption-fighting U. S. Attorney Preet Bharara in the Southern District of New York and before that, with the State Attorney General’s office.  But she left it all behind a few months ago to return to possibly greener financial pastures in private practice with the New York firm of Morrison & Foerster where she once worked as an associate. Well, Cohen’s first high-profile defense case could hardly be called a win compared to her Shelly Silver days as she represented then-State Supreme Court Justice John Michalek last month as he pleaded guilty to two

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “Buffalo Billion” project, now under investigation by both the U.S. Justice Department and state Attorney General Eric Schniederman, is in major league trouble and the massive project may be derailed by growing nervousness from IBM and other investors over the continuing corruption probes. According to veteran New York Post investigative reporter Frederic U. Dicker, IBM — a major player in the state’s high-tech development efforts for more than a decade — has decided to “cease all new investments and additional hiring’’ regarding the plans until the probes are concluded. And a major Japanese clean-energy company that had

By James Hufnagel True to form, and doing exactly what we predicted he would do in our March 31 issue, Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week approved the diversion of millions of gallons of Great Lakes water to the small city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, a few miles west of Milwaukee. Cuomo discounted the express opposition of dozens of environmental groups, regional newspaper editorial boards and various politicians of his own party in giving the green light to the unprecedented water withdrawal. Briefly, Waukesha (pronounced “War-cah-choo”) was ordered nearly two decades ago by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take measures

By Jim Ostrowski What better topic to introduce my new column in this paper than Trump’s visit to Buffalo Monday night?  So there I was, in the press pen, literally walled off from the event with no food, no booze, no nothing.  What a glamorous life the media lead.  Most of the press sat stoically at their laptops, hammering away and rarely even looking up at the speakers.  I had intended to schmooze some of them and get some inside scoops but I wasn’t feeling the warmth. I did chat with a few local reporters whom I know.  One wanted

The Niagara Falls Reporter makes no comment on the actual case, however are posting as we received as a press release.

It may be bloody and highly controversial, but mixed martial arts will be coming to New York in the not too distant future, and the popular sport will then face the challenge of lining up promoters to meet the re-quirements contained in the bill passed by the Assembly this week and headed to the governor’s desk. Event promoters will be required to provide at least $500,000 in accident insurance coverage for com-petitions and they would have to provide fighters with a separate insurance benefit of at least $1 million for the treatment of life threatening brain injuries. But as Assemblyman

It could be more than an office scandal and financial pressures that drove State Sen. Marc Panepinto’s decision two weeks ago not to seek a second-term in the 60th District only days after the Erie County Democratic Committee endorsed him for re-election. Political sources tell this newspaper that his union support, which fueled his 2014 run with more than $1 million, was shaky at best given his high negatives in several polls, and that coupled with an ethics com-plaint by one of his staffers it was enough to drive him out of the race. There was no advance warning that

Flamboyant and entrepreneurial Rick Snowden, who owned a nightclub and the historic Miller Mansion on Nottingham Terrace in Buffalo where he hosted several spectacular parties between 2004 and 2010 – many of them to benefit local charities – has now become one of Donald Trump’s most ardent and visible supporters. A political junkie for most of his 64 years, the colorful Snowden was featured in a New York Post story last week where he was described as possibly the “Trumpiest of the Trumpsters,” given the fact he has attended 28 Trump rallies across 13 states.  And along the way, he

Just in case you are a newcomer to these parts, we’d like to remind you that St. Patrick’s Day next Thursday (March17) is more than a celebration of Irish and Irish American culture, it is the starting point of the political season and that’s particularly true this year with DA candidates Mike Flaherty and Johnny Flynn who will celebrate their Irish heritage and headline the annual civic luncheon on Friday (March 18) at the Irish Center on Abbott Rd. where politics is the main course. “I will be at the hall with some friends and colleagues,” said Flaherty, the acting

Some of the menu items at the recently-opened Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches on Elmwood Avenue may lend a whole new meaning to the term “bagging” lunch. That’s because Jimmy John’s owner, James John Liautaud, is an avid big game hunter who loves to travel to places like Africa, seek out big, beautiful, wild animals, and shoot them dead––his notion of “sport.” According to one hunting magazine his victims include elephant, rhino, bear, leopard, lynx, wolf, hyena and zebra. “I choose to hunt and I choose to fish,” he declared in a recent, Nov. 2015 Chicago Tribune interview. “Everything I’ve done has been

The carpenters, all 70 of them, are back on the job at SolarCity, but more than 120 plumbers were still out as of Tuesday as the state scrambled to make $82.5 million in late payments to contractors who hadn’t been paid since October on the much-hyped Buffalo Billion program. Empire State Development and the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute said in a joint release Monday that the payments are being processed and were slated to be delivered as early as Tuesday, our press deadline. For some reason, the state fell behind paying its hand-picked project developer, LP

State Sen. Marc Panepinto may face a Democratic primary in the 60th District this year and if he is victorious he will likely face a strong Republican challenge from the winner of an expected Republican primary between Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs and Tonawanda attorney Kevin Stocker, but Panepinto is prepared to run on his record of voting against tax increases, increasing school aid for Western New York, and fighting to remove microbeads from New York’s waterways as part of his environmental agenda. Panepinto was a narrow winner in a four-way race in 2014, collecting 34 percent of the vote

Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs, a Republican and a member of the prominent Jacobs family which owns the Delaware North companies, has told political leaders he is going to run for the 60th District State Senate seat now occupied by Sen. Marc Panepinto, a Democrat. “He told me he’s going to run,” said Erie County Conservative Party Chairman Ralph Lorigo this week, ending weeks of political speculation about whether Jacobs would take on Panepinto, a replay of his inner debate last year when he was considered the top GOP challenger to Democratic County Executive Mark Poloncarz only to disappoint party

If there’s a financial crisis at Erie Community College, as certainly appears the case, there’s no sign of it if you take a look at the salaries at the college headed by President Jack Quinn at $192,500 even though he spends many days away from the institution on outside paying assignments as far away as California. The recent state audit of ECC told the story of unauthorized pay raises and bonuses handed out by the Quinn regime to senior staff even as the burden of carrying the college was being shifted to students with a steady diet of tuition hikes

As we have been reporting for the last several weeks, Tonawanda Town Attorney John Flynn appears to have locked up the Erie County Democratic Party’s endorsement for district attorney, and he is expected to officially get the nod at the Executive Committee’s meeting on Saturday (Feb. 13). Sources say Flynn, a Tonawanda political heavyweight and former town judge is the first choice of the party over Acting DA Mike Flaherty and former assistant district attorney Mark Sacha, a strong critic of former DA Frank Sedita who Flaherty served as first deputy. The job of district attorney is one of

Carl Paladino will be the guest speaker on Wednesday, Feb. 24, when A. J. Verel of South Buffalo, a member of the martial arts Hall of Fame, will be sworn in as the 52nd president of the Judges and Police Conference of Erie County at DiPaolo’s Restaurant on South Park Ave. in Blasdell. The Judges and Police Conference was established in 1932 by Erie County Sheriff Charles A. Freidberg and was formed to provide a forum for interaction between the judiciary, law enforcement, and others engaged in related fields within the criminal justice system. Verel now works full time

Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael Flaherty who is facing a bruising Democratic primary battle against Tonawanda Town Attorney John Flynn this year, has tapped former Ch. 7 news anchor Joanna Pasceri to become the first public information officer in the history of the office. Flaherty announced the appointment this week, saying in a press release “we are excited to have Joanna join our outstanding leadership team, and welcome her to her new position serving the people of Erie County.  She will help the media communicate to the people we serve.”  Flaherty is also hoping the appointment of the long-time

The public will finally get a chance to weigh in on the Erie County bar closing debate next Tuesday (Feb. 2) at 5:30 p. m. at a public hearing in the legislative chambers in Old County Hall, 92 Franklin St., Buffalo. According to Majority Leader Joe Lorigo (C. – West Seneca), a vote on the resolution to close bars at 2 a. m, two hours earlier than the current 4 a. m. closing time, would follow on Thursday, Feb. 4.  Lorigo was unable to get the support to bring the measure, sponsored by Ted Morton (R. – Cheektowaga), to a

As embattled Erie Community College President Jack Quinn prepares to face county lawmakers today (Jan. 28) at 3 p.m. on the scathing state audit of the institution he leads, there are signs that Quinn has been working very hard to convince anyone who will listen that he’s not to blame for the problems at ECC and can fix them. Sources say Quinn has reached out to Carl McCall, the former state comptroller who is now chairman of the State University of New York Board of Trustees, in an attempt to deflect the public relations damage he has suffered in the

The issue of whether to roll back the bar closing time from 4 a. m. to 2 a. m. in Erie County is certainly a hot-button item right now. The idea is a bad one – or, at best, hastily conceived. Forget that this is a perfect example of an attempt by ‘big brother’ enthusiasts to impose their morality and an overreach, this is an attempt to enact a new regulation that would damage existing business and take away the choices people now have, whether they are late-working individuals or people coming from a neighboring community where the closings are earlier to enjoy some late night time with friends.

BUFFALO- New York National Guard troops, in conjunction with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, will be presenting a free disaster preparedness class twice on Wednesday, January 6 at the Catholic Charities office in Buffalo. The two-hour program will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Catholic Charities is 525 Washington ST, Buffalo. The event is opened to any interested citizen and no sign-up in advance is required. The taxpayer-funded event is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s continuing Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program, which “provides citizens with the knowledge and tools to prepare for

The local construction company suing the state over its termination as the Canalside contractor in July of 2013 has won a major victory in the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court. In a unanimous ruling handed down last week, the court reinstated DiPizio Construction’s claim that the president of the state’s Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) may have lacked the legal authority to terminate DiPizio from the $20 million replica canal project without authorization in the form of a vote from the Board of Directors, something DiPizio’s lawyers contend never happened. “The court’s decision calls into question whether

Joe Mascia, the elected tenant commissioner at the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority who was suspended by Mayor Byron Brown for racist remarks that were taped without his knowledge, will have a chance to make his case for reinstatement in front of a hearing officer Friday (Dec.18) at 9:30 a.m. in Buffalo City Court, Part 30. The 70-year-old activist insists he is not a racist, and said if he was, “it would have shown up a long time ago.”  He plans to challenge the circumstances of the recording made by Paul Christopher during a four-hour car ride to Albany earlier this

With the first state audit of Erie Community College in 20 years due to be released shortly at a time when the institution is facing serious financial challenges, new legal concerns are emerging for President Jack Quinn and his administration in the form of a discrimination complaint filed with the state by the black former associate vice president for legal affairs, Marsha Jackson, who says she was discriminated against “on the basis of my race and color” and denied the opportunity to apply for a higher position. Jackson, who has a Ph. D. from SUNY Buffalo in higher education administration