Nushawn Williams will be staying behind bars after a judge yesterday refused to dismiss a civil confinement case against the Jamestown native. Williams infected at least 13 women with the HIV virus in the late 90s, and completed a 12 year prison sentence in April. He is still being held on allegations that he remains a threat to society. The judge’s refusal to dismiss means Williams will head to a civil trial on October 12th to try and win his release. Defense lawyers say Williams had already finished his rape sentence when the state’s civil confinement law for sex offenders went into effect in 2007, and that he might not have accepted a guilty plea in 1998 if he knew he could be held for life.
A Buffalo father will spend 22 years behind bars for killing his infant son. 27-year-old Darnell Miller admitted to beating his eight-month old son to stop the boy from crying. The incident took place last October in the family’s Humason Avenue home. Miller was indicted on a second degree murder count but pleaded guilty in April to a reduced charge of manslaughter. Defense lawyers brought up Miller’s health problems and learning disabilities when negotiating the plea.
State police say an Eden man was nabbed doing 95-miles-per-hour while allegedly drunk this past weekend. 24-year-old Michael Miller was busted Sunday in the Town of Boston on Route 219. Police say Miller’s blood alcohol level was point oh-eight, the legal limit for driving.
Senator Chuck Schumer wants a federal criminal investigation into allegations that BP may have helped broker the release of the Pan AM 103 bomber in exchange for an oil deal with Libya. Speaking outside the federal courthouse in Niagara Square, Schumer said the British oil giant may have been involved with the release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi from a Scottish prison in August of last year. The Scottish government released the Lockerbie bomber on compassionate grounds, claiming he only had three months to live. Al-Megrahi is still alive nearly a year later in Libya. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are requesting a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is in Washington today to meet with President Obama.
Metro Bus service to Bills home games is in question for this season. Last night, the NFTA held the first of two public hearings on a proposal to reduce or eliminate Sunday service to Ralph Wilson Stadium. Officials say the only way to keep the service as is would be for the Bills to help underwrite the seven routes that runs to Orchard Park on game days. Nearly 15-hundred fans attended Monday’s hearing at ECC Downtown. Residents in Niagara County will get a chance to have their opinions heard at a meeting tonight at 6 at the NFTA’s Transportation Center in Falls.
A smoky two-alarm blaze on Elmwood Avenue last night has been dubbed suspicious by firefighters. The blaze started in a vacant warehouse on Elmwood between Hertel Avenue and the Regal Movie Theaters at about 8 p.m. Firefighters are unsure of the cause, and no injuries have been reported.
Mayor Byron Brown and the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. have come up with a compromise to keep the Canalside project moving. In exchange for the deletion of “living wage” requirements for waterfront development, $10 million will be invested into city neighborhoods. The Common Council is being asked to accept yesterday’s neighborhood-revitalization proposal instead of a Community Benefit Agreement that might have stalled the project. Developer Larry Quinn says Canalside is turning into the biggest commercial undertaking in Buffalo’s history.
Opening ceremonies for the Empire State Games are tomorrow night, and 18,000 people are expected to attend events through the weekend. The games were cancelled last year because of state-budget problems, but strong efforts by local organizers brought them back to life in Buffalo this year. Events begin Wednesday morning and run through Sunday afternoon, with most being held on the UB North and Buff State campuses. The Games are expected to bring between 10 and 12 million dollars in revenue to our region.
New York’s red ink continues to grow. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli reports that the state is more than 87-million-dollars in debt, four months into the current fiscal year. DiNapoli says this is the second time in modern history that New York ended the first quarter with a negative balance. The Comptroller says available cash was limited to nearly three-billion-dollars due to delayed school aid payments and tax refund checks going out to New Yorkers. Comptroller DiNapoli warns New York’s cash umbrella may not be big enough with the next school aid payments due in September.
Democratic Attorney General candidate Eric Schneiderman has picked up several Western New York endorsements in a primary race which features five candidates. Schneiderman was in Buffalo Monday to collect the backing of the United Auto Workers and SEIU 1199 unions. Also supporting the state Senator is Citizen Action, the Hispanic Alliance of Western New York and Buffalo state Senator Antoine Thompson. Republicans have lined up behind Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan.
