Anchored by Tom Schuh:
Attorney Thomas Burton has revealed more details of a fatal Amherst shooting. Burton says his client, David D’Amico, warned the intruder that he was armed with a shotgun and would use it, if the man didn’t leave D’Amico’s Millbrook Court home. David Park of Albany was shot to death early Sunday morning. Police say Park had been at a party at a house next door earlier in the day. Burton says his clients woke up at about around 1:00 a.m. Sunday after hearing a crashing sound downstairs. The lawyer says David D’Amico yelled for the man to leave then went to get a shotgun, while his wife called 911. Burton says D’Amico instructed Park to leave numerous times but when Park started to walk up the stairs, D’Amico fired a shot.
A Buffalo man faces at least five years in federal prison after admitting that he tried to bomb a church last summer. 29-year-old Richard Blonski pleaded guilty to throwing a homemade pipe bomb into the Redeeming Fire Fellowship Church on Lewis Street last July 4th. Blonski will be sentenced on July 7th.
A Chautauqua County man will spend 25 years behind bars for killing his stepfather. 21-year-old Daniel Hyers was handed that sentence for gunni
ng down 51-year-old Dean Nagel in the family’s Town of Villenova home in September, 2008. Authorities say Hyers has a history of mental problems. Two months ago, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter.
The Chautauqua County Republican chairman has thrown his support behind Rick Lazio for Governor. John Walker says Lazio has visited Western New York many times and knows local issues. Walker says Lazio has the right plan to cut taxes and slash spending. Lazio has already picked up the backing of Niagara County Republican chairman Michael Norris.
“The Drive That Never Fails” wrapped up its Appeal Week three-quarters of the way to its goal . Nearly eight-million dollars has been raised in support of Catholic Charities’ 2010 fund drive. That’s 77-percent of its ten-point-five-million-dollar goal. The appeal runs until the the last day of the Catholic Charities fiscal year, June 30th.
The city of Buffalo and its firefighters union have extinguished a flare-up over funeral expenses. The city had been refusing to reimburse the union for alcohol-related expenses from last year’s funerals for Jonathan Croom and Charles McCarthy. The union was threatening to take the matter to an arbitrator after accusing the city of not meeting its obligations. Both sides have now agreed to a settlement in which the city will pay for additional catering costs while not paying for any alcohol. The union will be reimbursed 25-thousand dollars for the two funerals.
Talks are continuing between Buffalo and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy over the long-term future of of the city’s major parks. Thomas Herrera-Mishler, CEO of the Conservancy, told the Common Council that the city has sent his orgainiztionan offer, and the non-profit group has submitted a counter-proposal. Herrera-Mishler says that cautiously optimistic that a final agreement will be announced soon. The city reclaimed control of its parks this year, terminating a maintenance agreement with the county.
A group of local college students chose to skip the beaches and sun during their spring break. Student volunteers from Buffalo State College have been spending their time helping out with different causes in the area, such as the planting of garden beds on Harvard Place.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
A new poll finds Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand could have a real fight on her hands if former New York Governor George Pataki decides to challenge for her Senate seat. The Marist Poll finds that 47 percent of respondents say they would vote for Pataki if the election was held today, compared to 45 percent for Gillibrand. Should Pataki decide not to run for the U.S. Senate, Gillibrand’s chances become much brighter. Gillibrand holds commanding leads over Joseph DioGuardi and David Malpass, both of whom are running on the GOP ticket.
Governor Paterson is calling on the federal government to help out Empire State counties hit by a ig storm earlier this month. Paterson says he’s asked President Obama to provide a major disaster declaration for Nassau, Orange, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties as a result of the March 13th through 15th storm that caused heavy flooding and severe beach erosion. The storm also left over 270-thousand people without power, some for over a week. State insurance officials say over 45-million dollars in claims have been submitted so far by homeowners for private property damage caused by the storm.
