Mayor Byron Brown’s decision to nominate interim police commissioner Daniel Derenda for a permanent appointment is raising questions. The 24-year-veteran of the Buffalo police department has been serving since Brown removed McCarthy Gipson from the post at the end of last year. Derenda has a reputation as a hard-nosed street cop whom Brown has praised as a “results oriented individual.” Derenda is credited with starting a new public housing unit within the department, creating the text a tip program and opening an Internal Affairs office at City Hall. But Councilman David Rivera, a retired Buffalo cop, questions why Derenda never made it past the rank of sergeant before being appointed as deputy commissioner in 2006 and then promoted to interim commissioner. And Alan Bedenko from our on-line partner WNYMedia.net has questioned whether the nominee meets Buffalo residency requirements. Derenda owns property both in Clarence and on Buffalo’s East Side. The nomination needs Common Council approval.
Buffalo police are searching for a man who held up a Family Dollar store. The suspect pulled out a gun Tuesday night just after 9:00 at the store on Niagara Street, demanded cash from the registers and then fled with an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect is described as a black male in his late 20s, wearing gold-framed sunglasses, with tattoos on the backs of his hands. Anyone with information is urged to call police.
A Porter man is in critical condition after crashing a home-made go-kart into a mailbox. 27-year-old Jason Smith was driving the vehicle on Lake Road at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. He smashed into the mailbox, suffering head and face injuries. Investigators say alcohol was not a factor, but witnesses say Smith had been known to drive the go-kart a high speeds in the area. Authorities say he was not wearing a helmet, and that the home-made vehicle should not have been on the roads.
Good news for motorists this holiday. The Thruway Authority has announced that it is suspending construction on the South Grand Island Bridges for the long weekend. Work will be halted at six AM Friday through 9 p.m. Tuesday July 6th. Drivers are urged to watch electronic road signs for updates on lane closures and delays.
A Niagara County man has been found guilty of a traffic violation in connection with a fatal crash which killed an elderly pedestrian. 70-year-old Robert Payne of Wrights Corners was convicted of failing to exercise due care. Prosecutors say Payne struck and killed 85-year-old Virginia Barnwell as she tried to cross a Lockport street on March 30th. Payne has been ordered to pay 200-dollars in fines and surcharges. His defense attorney says Payne did not want to admit guilt because of possible future civil action against him.
The former long-time Alden town clerk has avoided jail time after admitting to stealing more than 12-thousand dollars in town funds. A judge sentenced 73-year-old Dorothy Bycina to five years of probation and 300 hours of community service. In March, Bycina admitted to tampering with public records, by failing to record some transactions and pocketing the fees. Prosecutors say the scheme lasted from July of 2005 until October of last year. Bycina has since resigned her post and repaid all of the money. She will serve her community service with the Alden Meals on Wheels program.
Common Council members are considering a tobacco law that would bar some new businesses from selling smokes, while requiring tobacconists to pay a user fee to sell in the city of Buffalo. Opponents of the measure say it will create additional restrictions that should be the responsibility of federal regulators. Some 50 people showed up at the first public hearing on the subject earlier this week.
The Erie County Health Commissioner says a new scam is spreading through the area, targeting restaurants. Local eateries have been receiving calls from an impostor who pretends to be a health inspector, in an attempt to get personal information from restaurant. Investigators believe the calls are connected to a scam on Craigslist, and ask anyone who receives a fake inspection call to contact them.
The state Senate will wait until after the Fourth of July holiday to hold a final vote on New York’s late state budget. Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson says he wants to work out a Medicaid contingency agreement with Governor David Paterson and state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver before moving forward. Governor Paterson came back from a trip to Washington doubtful that the federal government will provide one-billion-dollars in Medicaid funding. Senate Republicans blasted the decision to hold off the vote as a failure of government.
State budgets cuts are set to claim plenty of victims, but nonprofits may be the hardest hit. 69-hundred items Governor David Paterson has planned to veto include thousands of dollars for organizations including the Meals on Wheels program throughout many New York state cities. Since budget talks began, Paterson has tried to cut nine-billion dollars out of the 136-billion-dollar budget.
The State Labor Commissioner is making a last-ditch attempt to get unemployed New York residents extra money. Commissioner Colleen Gardner yesterday implored state legislators to consider raising the amount of money unemployed residents receive to meet the standards of neighboring states. Currently New Yorkers receiving benefits receive up to 405 dollars per week, while the maximum amount in Connecticut is 615 dollars. Gardner says the amount of money given to the 590-thousand residents who collect it is not enough.
A person familiar with the investigation says Tiger Woods has been interviewed in the Anthony Galea case. As the investigation of Dr. Galea continues, Buffalo-based AP reporter confirmed a NY Times story that Woods has been contacted. The interview did not take place in Buffalo. Wawrow says the information provided by the anonymous source was later confirmed by another source much closer to Woods himself.
