Jim Heaney (Buffalo News) spends time reading local blogs each day. “I’m always learning from them. I get a kick out of The Answer Lady. She does her homework and has spunk. I’d like to see more neighborhood blogs like hers." BuffaloSpree.com
There's quite a little scandal brewing at the University of Buffalo. Students have had to resort to social networking and articles in the Spectrum (Library Disarray, Quality of Libraries Questioned) to bring attention to the deplorable condition of the University's Libraries.
I guess we have John B. Simpson to thank for this real life lesson in the dirty little secret of higher ed: research universities really aren't all that interested in educating undergrads.
Now before you start hurling abuse, raise your hand if any or all of these are true:
You've had a class taught by an unprepared, overworked TA/grad student.
You have been or are a grad student who thought you were going to be studying philosphy, history, chemistry, english etc., only to find yourself thrown in front of a bunch of sullen undergrads. And to top it off you were given absolutely no prep/training/guidance in how to teach them.
You have had a class taught by someone who could barely speak english.
You have had a class taught by an overworked adjunct professor who is unaccessible utside of class. (Common, give him/her a break. Your adjuncts are working two, three jobs or more to make up for the non-livable wage the Corporate U is paying them.)
Administrators at the Corporate U are much more interested in those fun public/private partnerships, than hiring faculty that actually care about and want to teach. Simpson can hardly wait to build a hotel/covention center for you. Now that will further the acadmic mission, won't it?
Six years, $4 million and 250 pages later, and, oops, the plan is to close down the Libraries, merge and rename what's left as "Informal Learning Environments". But don't you worry, "“Everything is still in the early stages of planning".
So all you widgets that are upset because you won't be around in 2020, 2030, 2200, or whenever "The Plan" will finally be hatched and want to see some focus on the now, you are
Last years NYS tax increases on the richest New Yorkers was met with the gnashing of millionaire teeth and threats to move. How many of them actually moved?
In September 2009, NYS was home to 66 billionaires. The billionaires had a net worth $251,700,0000 and, as Forbes so thoughtfully points out, 1 out of every $11,076 in NY is a billionaire dollar.
A record number of state employees are earning over $100,000 a year. According to WGRZ, these salaries account for $3 billion out of the $13 billion State payroll. And, big surprise, most of them are from SUNY.
Here's a look at some of the top earners among state employees in 2009, according to the state Comptroller's Office. (WGRZ)
PRESS & SUN-BULLETIN
Name...Dept....Position...Salary in dollars
Lois DeFleur...SUNY Binghamton...President...326,102.66
Seshu Desu...SUNY Binghamton...Dean (Engineering)...271,632.83
Mary Ann Swain...SUNY Binghamton...Provost...254,828.86
Krishnaswami Srihari...SUNY Binghamton...Dean (Engineering)...252,823.87
Subal Kumbhakar...SUNY Binghamton...Distinguished Professor...242,366.40
Solomon Polachek...SUNY Binghamton...Distinguished Professor...239,441.82
STAR-GAZETTE
Name...Dept....Position...Salary in dollars
Venkatta Satti...Elmira Psychiatric Center...Clinical Director...225,976.27
THE ITHACA JOURNAL
Name...Dept....Position...Salary in dollars
Erik Bitterbaum...SUNY Cortland...President...204,437.48
POUGHKEEPSIE JOURNAL
Name...Dept....Position...Salary in dollars
Salil Kathpalia...Fishkill Correctional Facility, Hudson Valley DDSO...Psychiatrist...253,095.54
Steven Poskanzer...SUNY New Paltz...President...238,842.76
David Lavalee...SUNY New Paltz...Provost...228,887.27
Pushpa Patil...Hudson River Psychiatric Center...Psychiatrist...204,565.87
ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
Name...Dept....Position...Salary in dollars
Gwendolyn Cole-Hoover...Albion Correctional Facility...Clinical Physician...266,571.92
Christopher Dahl...SUNY Geneseo...President...214,709.30
John Halstead...SUNY Brockport...President...214,410.04
THE JOURNAL NEWS
Name...Dept....Position...Salary in dollars
Gowramma Shivashankar...Hudson Valley DDSO, Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center...Psychiatrist...284,681.39
Salil Kathpalia...Fishkill Correctional Facility, Hudson Valley DDSO...Psychiatrist...253,095.54
Thomas Schwartz...SUNY Purchase...President...250,311.10
Mercy Mathew...Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women...Nurse...227,529.96
Damian Fernandez...SUNY Purchase...Vice President...214,410.04
Prasad Vasireddy...Rockland Psychiatric Center, Hudson Valley DDSO...Psychiatrist...204,186.68
WGRZ-TV
Name...Dept....Position...Salary in dollars
Turner Gill...SUNY Buffalo...Head Coach (football)...407,166.91
David Dunn...SUNY Buffalo...Vice President for Health Sciences...381,461.18
Michael Cain...SUNY Buffalo...Dean of Medical School...334,180.60
Isaac Ehrlich...SUNY Buffalo...Distinguished Professor...331,319.10
Marsha Henderson...SUNY Buffalo...Vice President...300,616.78
Arjang Assad...SUNY Buffalo...Dean, School of Management...299,176.80
The Albany Project today, tells us about Spitzer floating a trial balloon in a run for U.S. Senate. Spitzer is thinking of joining "Harold Ford of Tennessee, Merrill Lynch, the DLC, NBC and the Park Avenue Regency in challenging the excellent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand this year."
I agree with Adama D. Brown, Spitzer has "the IQ of a rusty fencepost when it comes to women".
Every time the press even mentions Spitzer, I get an image of an ugly naked white guy in black socks. The fact that only the women in this scandal did any jail time, doesn't help matters much either.
Multi-billionaire Bill Gates weighs in at $50 billion, and a stack of money 31.6 miles high. Poor Golisano, at paltry $1.35 billion, has a hard time measuring up at just 4488 feet for his stack of cash.
To make matters even worse, New York State raised his taxes from 6.85% to 8.97%.
Golisano was so angry at the state taking and extra 3.7 feet of cash that he moved to Florida to protest. (Note that not many tears were shed in NY over this.)
NY’s new share of the Golisano pile would have been 15.8 feet of cash. Hard to see how anyone could live on a pile of cash 4472 feet high, isn’t it?
(Note for math challenged: that’s almost a mile high pile of cash. 0.85 miles to be exact)
Golisano told a gathering of Rochester business executives that he will remain as owner of the Buffalo hockey team, but he is fleeing the Empire State to avoid paying $13,000 a day in state income taxes.
The state filed three liens seeking unpaid income taxes against Russell and her husband, Robert, who has been a City Court judge since 1992.
The Department of Taxation and Finance filed a lien for $573 in 1994 and two separate liens in 2004 that totaled $3,574. The liens sought unpaid income taxes from 1990, 1998 and 1999. All liens were satisfied shortly after they were filed.
Russell took much longer to pay off a lien filed in 2005 for $9,620. She said it involved her son's loans that she co-signed for. The lien was satisfied last September.
Russell, 50, didn't have a recollection of the 1994 tax lien and said those filed in 2004 were the byproduct of "marital related issues" that she declined to discuss further.
Public records also show that the state Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended her car registrations three times — on two vehicles in 2004 and one in 2006 — for a lapse in insurance. She was at a loss to explain those suspensions. Her vehicle registrations are now current. (Jim Heaney, Buffalo News - Smith, Russell cited on bad debts)
So we called in Gorlock, Steven Colbert's financial adviser to give Ms. Russell a few refreshers. Gorlock would like to remind City Councilwoman Bonnie Russell and City and Erie County Judge Robert T. Russell that:
Marital issues are no excuse for not paying your taxes.
If your kid defaults on loan you co-signed, you are expected to pay up, promptly.
Income taxes are due every year, April 15th.
If you drive a car, you must keep your insurance up-to-date.
“Despite the current crisis that has affected every sector of our society, the City of Buffalo is Safer, Stronger and Smarter, I am confident we’re moving in the right direction – despite the statewide and national challenges we all face - and I believe Buffalo is in a good position to withstand this current crisis and is ready for further investment and development.”Mayor Brown - State of the City Address 2009
2/6/10 A bandit armed with a semi-automatic handgun made off with an undetermined amount of cash after tying up an employee shortly before 4:30 p. m. at Bucks for Books on Millersport Highway in Amherst.
Amherst police said the robber— wearing a dark-colored uniform and a dark blue vest with a blue bandanna covering his face—fled the business, at 1325 Millersport, on foot. The bandit was described as a black male, 25 to 30 years old, about 6 feet tall, of medium build and wearing a dark-colored winter hat. (Buffalo News)
2/4/10 A 20-year-old man who was assaulted and robbed by three men at midnight Thursday night on Minnesota Avenue was taken to Erie County Medical Center with head and forearm injuries, Buffalo police reported.
He told Northeast District police that he was robbed of his cell phone, book bag, paycheck and other items after being attacked while entering the front door of the home. (Buffalo News)
1/25/10 Three men were arrested late Saturday after a shot was fired at a police lieutenant as he was questioning a robbery suspect at Suffolk and Lisbon avenues.
The suspect was among a large group of men at the corner when the lieutenant approached him at about 10:30 p. m. and began to question him, according to a police report. Someone in the group fired a shot at the officer and fled, the report said. The officer was not hurt.
Police gave chase and noticed one man giving a semiautomatic handgun to another, who tried to hide it in a house. Police also chased down another man, who fought with them when apprehended. Police said two of the men were found with crack cocaine after they were in custody. Javon Hayes, 19, of Shirley Avenue, faces charges that include felony possession of a weapon and tampering with evidence. Charges against Freddie Brown, 60, of Rounds Avenue, include felony possession of a weapon, tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution and promoting prison contraband. Jorden Davis, 19, of Minnesota Avenue, was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing police, tampering with evidence and promoting prison contraband. (Buffalo News)
1/24/10 Amherst police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred at an Eggert Road apartment building Saturday night. Details were still sketchy late Saturday, but the robbery occurred just after 8 p. m. at an apartment at 1963 Eggert, police said. (Buffalo News)
1/16/10 Two people remained in Erie County Medical Center Friday following a triple shooting that occurred in the 3100 block of Bailey Avenue about 3:45 p. m. Thursday. Felisha D. Martin, 18, of Berkshire Avenue, who was struck by gunfire near the spine and underwent surgery at ECMC, was listed in serious condition Friday. Deon Allen, 18, of Dartmouth Avenue, who was struck in the right ankle was listed in stable condition. Authorities said Javier Baez, 33, of Kensington Avenue, was treated for an arm injury at ECMC and released. (Buffalo News)
1/15/10 Six girls attack two on Bailey Avenue. Six teenage girls attacked a pregnant woman and another female on Bailey Avenue late Friday, stealing earrings and other jewelry. The woman, who is 11 weeks pregnant, was struck in the head and body, suffering cuts to her mouth and back. She was treated in Sisters Hospital for cuts and cramping, Buffalo police said. The robbery occurred about 9:20 p.m. near Bailey and Berkshire avenues. The assailants were believed to be ages 15 to 17. (Buffalo News)
1/10/10 A North Buffalo man was tied up and robbed of guns and ammunition as two men forced their way into his apartment about 9 p. m. Friday, Buffalo police said Saturday. The invasion occurred in an apartment on Sterling Avenue, just off Hertel Avenue. The 21-year-old victim told police his doorbell rang, and when he answered the door he was met by two men, one of them brandishing a silver handgun. The two bandits ordered the resident to the floor, and placed the handgun to his head, then tied him up with an extension cord. Stolen from a bedroom were four rifles, including an an AK-47 replica rifle, and 40 rounds of ammunition (Buffalo News)
1/4/10 Phillip M. Perry, 30, of Camden Avenue, was charged with assault by Buffalo police Sunday.
Officers said Perry is accused of stabbing a Hartwell Avenue man in the arm and head during an incident on Minnesota Avenue early on the morning of New Year’s Day. Buffalo News
1/3/10 A man was shot during an attempted robbery Friday in a University Heights neighborhood, Buffalo police said Saturday. Leon Garner, no age or address available, was shot in the right shoulder.
The shooting occurred at Minnesota Avenue and Suffolk Street about 9:30 p. m. Friday, according to police.
The victim told police he was accosted by four males who tried to rob him.
Buffalo News
12/27/09 Nathaniel Guy, of Texas, was getting out of a vehicle when he was struck by gunfire. He was transported to ECMC in a private vehicle, and is listed in critical condition. The incident happened around 4 a.m. Sunday in the 400 block of Hewitt Ave. near Orleans St. WGRZ
12/20/09 A man told police he was beat up and robbed early Saturday at Main Street and Lisbon Avenue in the city’s University Heights neighborhood.
The victim was attacked by four people just before 5 a.m. The muggers made off with $3 and a cell phone, police said. Buffalo News
12/20/09 a 16-year-old University Heights boy was shot by an unknown assailant at about 11:15 p.m. at West Delavan Avenue and Grant Street.
A couple of hours earlier, a man told police he was walking along Bailey Avenue, near Hewitt Avenue, when he heard several shots. He said he felt something strike him in the back, according to a police report. He was treated at ECMC for a superficial gunshot wound to his back.
Buffalo News
12/05/09 A woman on her way to work about 7 a. m. Saturday told police a man tried to force her into a van at gunpoint in University Heights. Police said the van—described as a late-model tan or gold Dodge Caravan —pulled alongside of her on Custer Street, and the driver, wielding a black handgun, said, “Get in the van.” The woman, who told police she noticed another man and a woman in the van, ran to a neighborhood store and summoned police. Buffalo News
11/20/09 Buffalo Police are investigating a strong-armed robbery that occurred on Nov. 19, 2009, at about 10:25 p.m. on Main Street at Englewood Avenue in the City of Buffalo.
The suspect is described as a black male, 5-feet 4-inches tall, wearing dark clothing, and a white and gray knit cap. The suspect may have followed the victim from the Main Circle bus stop down to Main Street, where he forcibly stole the victim's purse. UB Reporter
11/15/09 A 22 year old woman told police she was getting out of her car on Elam Place and Crescent Avenue in Buffalo around 11 p.m. Saturday night when two men came out of nowhere. The victim was bound, blind folded and taken back to her apartment in Kenmore, where her roommate was awakened at knife point by the suspects. The two men blind folded and tied up the roommate as well. Both women were then told to get in the back seat of the car. With a gun and a knife in hand, the two suspects then forced the women to hand over their ATM cards and their pin numbers. They drove around to a number of ATM machines, withdrawing 800 dollars in cash. When they were done, the two suspects dropped the women back off where it all started, on Elam Place and Crescent Avenue in Buffalo. WIVB
11/15/09 The University Police are investigating an assault that occurred on Nov. 15 at 2 a.m. on the sidewalk next to the Townsend Parking Lot on the South Campus. The victim was assaulted as he and his girlfriend walked from Main Street to the Main Circle bus stop. The suspects were described as four or five white males, with the primary aggressor described as wearing a white t-shirt and Timberland boots, with dark hair styled into a faux-hawk. The victim was knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly. The suspects were not known to the victim. WIVB
11/11/09 Two University at Buffalo students walking home from the South Campus were victims of a strong-armed robbery late Tuesday night, Amherst police said. The two male assailants grabbed the students from behind, demanded their cell phones and wallets and threw one of the victims to the ground, shortly after 10:30 p.m. The robbers fled north on Springville Avenue. Buffalo News
11/11/09 Apparently this is one of two violent-crime incidents that happened within an hour of each other. The other incident which occurred at approximately 9:30 P.M., the same night near the address of 46 Minnesota. A young woman was walking on Minnesota (en route home?) and was attacked at gunpoint. The perpetrator was apprehended and taken to the Ferry Street Detention Center and
avoided being arrested and taken to jail, because of his age. It didn't make today's paper as I thought it would. The incident was told to me by Captain Stabler of the E-District. (Email from neighbor)
10/31/09 Buffalo Police are stating that an early morning dispute has claimed the life of a young adult on Lisbon Avenue. The victim, who was stabbed multiple times, is believed to be a 19-year-old white male. He died a short time after the incident. The stabbing occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. at a home in the 100 block of Lisbon Avenue. Detectives believe some type of dispute broke out as people were leaving a large house party. (WKBW)
10/31/09 Home Invasion. The victim reported that two gun-toting men wearing hockey masks broke into his home in the first block of Tyler between Flower Street and West Winspear Avenue. One suspect ordered him to the ground and put a gun to his head, while the other assailant searched the house. Buffalo News
10/21/09 Seven separate police raids Monday night at homes in University Heights netted $73,000 in cash from a drug dealer’s safe on Davidson Avenue, seven guns, cocaine and marijuana, ammunition and the arrests of six individuals, authorities said. Arrested on weapons and drug charges were Andre Banks, 41, of Poultney Avenue; Uriah Grant, 27, of Shirley Avenue; Tyree Lemon, 20, of Shirley; Darius Ofield, 22, of Stockbridge Avenue; Lavelle Reeves, 19, of Davidson; and Donte Walker, 18, of Poultney. The raids were conducted at two homes on the 100 block of Poultney and at homes on the 100 block of Bickford Avenue, the 100 and 200 blocks of Shirley, the 200 block of Davidson and the 500 block of Stockbridge. (Buffalo News)
10/20/09 Buffalo police were searching for three men in connection with a Monday afternoon home invasion on Tyler Street, according to police reports. A 24-year-old resident told police that at about 4 p. m., the three men removed pins from the hinges on a door and forced their way into his apartment while he was sleeping. The victim woke up to find the three burglars in his house, and they threw a blanket over him, sitting on top of him and threatening to shoot him.(Buffalo News)
10/18/09 Buffalo police were called Saturday night to restore order outside a Buffalo roller rink, where teenagers who got turned away turned it into a chaotic scene. At least three arrests were made and one person was injured. The incident near Arcadia Roller Skating Rink, 30 E. Amherst St. near Main Street, erupted about 8 p. m. after a skating party at the rink quickly filled to capacity. There were a lot of young people milling around outside waiting to get in and frustrations about being shut out may have boiled over, police said. There were reports of as many as hundreds of teenagers in and around the rink.Tempers flared and fights broke out, spilling onto the streets, and police from at least three districts were called to restore order and move traffic. There were at least three arrests, but charges are pending. (Buffalo News)
10/11/2009 University Police are investigating a robbery reported October 11 at approximately 10:45 p.m. on Rensch Road near the Audubon Parkway intersection. The victim was approached from behind and shoved to the ground. (UB News Center)
10/10/2009 One male was shot in the upper body at about 8:30 p. m. in the 200 block of Minnesota Avenue. A woman was hit in the leg and her injuries were not life-threatening. (Buffalo News)
10/5/2009 University Police received a report at 10:10 p.m. on Oct. 4 from a student who stated he was robbed at gun point on Lee road near Jarvis B Parking Lot. A second student also reported being robbed between Ketter Hall and Putnam Way shortly after the first incident was reported. According to the victims, the suspects were two black males, both wearing dark clothing, one wearing a black scarf on his head and armed with a silver handgun. (UB News Center)
9/25/09 Buffalo police from three districts as well as officers from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police converged on a large fight involving as many as 30 students on Main Street near Hertel and LaSalle avenues Thursday afternoon, police reported.
The incident began about 3:30 p. m. Police were called to the area for the report of a large fight after school. It was believed that some of the students involved were from nearby Bennett High School, but it was unclear how many, authorities said. (Buffalo News)
9/21/09 A Buffalo man who was shot on Allenhurst Road in Amherst early Saturday was listed in fair condition Sunday in Erie County Medical Center.
Shawn Wilson, 34, of Dodge Avenue, was found with several bullet wounds when Amherst police responded to a report of shots fired at about 1:20 a. m. in the 500 block of Allenhurst. A dark-colored SUV was seen leaving the area shortly after the report of gunshots. (Buffalo News)
9/10/09 The operator of a Bailey Avenue video rental business was arrested today by Buffalo police and federal agents who called him one of the region's major cocaine suppliers. Sean Washington, 40, of Englewood Avenue, was arrested after more than six pounds of cocaine and four handguns were found in a "stash house" he allegedly operates on Eller Avenue. "[Washington] is a big cocaine supplier, a dangerous individual and we're glad to get him off the streets," said Charles Tomaszewski, resident agent in charge of the Buffalo DEA office. "He has a past record of felony drug convictions and we believe he has supplied a number of drug rings in the area for years. "SWAT teams from Buffalo and the Town of Tonawanda took part in the arrests of Washington and his son, Lamar Washington, 19, of Minnesota Avenue. They face felony charges of drug distribution, drug possession and gun possession. (Buffalo News)
9/5/09 A Highgate Avenue woman told police someone fired a shotgun blast through the front window of her house early Friday morning. No one was injured, but the 12:39 a. m. shooting left a spray of birdshot in the drywall and molding of the house on Highgate, between Suffolk and Orleans streets.(Buffalo News)
9/2/09 A woman walking around Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park about 6 p. m. Monday was punched in the head and kicked by an assailant who also robbed her of her wallet, which contained $500 and some credit cards, Northwest District police report. The attacker was described in police reports as a black man in his late 20s, about 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, wearing a black hooded sweat shirt. Buffalo News
9/2/09 E District Police are investigating a shooting on the city's East Side early today in which a man fired more than two-dozen shots into a house on Wade Avenue. Buffalo News
8/31/09 A surveillance camera got two photos of a suspect in an armed robbery Sunday at a Mobil station on Bailey Avenue at Winspear Avenue. Police officials say the gunman entered the Mobil station at 3444 Bailey just before 5:30 p. m. and demanded money. He made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes. Buffalo News
8/30/09 A Colvin Avenue woman was attacked this morning as she walked to her vehicle in a quiet North Buffalo neighborhood. The woman told police a man approached her at around 6:30 a.m. at Avery and Virgil avenues. "Do you have any money?" the man asked her, according to police records. When the woman said she had no money, the man struck her in the face several times.The victim described the suspect as a 5-foot-9 black male who weighs about 160 pounds and was wearing a brown hoodie and jeans. Buffalo News
8/12/09 Two armed men entered a Mighty Taco restaurant in North Buffalo early this morning and ordered everyone to the floor, while demanding cash from the manager and fleeing with an undisclosed amount of money, Buffalo police reported. The robbery occurred between 1 and 1:30 a.m. at the Mighty Taco on Delaware Avenue, near Hertel Avenue. (Buffalo News)
7/21/09 Residents of Buffalo's Central Park area say they're living in fear, as gangs take over their neighborhood. Neighbors say desperate calls for help have fallen on deaf ears.
Concerned neighbors on Manhattan Avenue are armed with video cameras capturing scenes several times a week.
Bolden reached out to News 4 to say she and her neighbors are tired of dozens of teens invading their street, "They're trashing people's houses, busting out people's windows, jumping on people's kids. It's just a melee." WGRZ
7/9/09 Two Buffalo men in their 20s were stabbed during a fight outside a restaurant near that intersection early today, less than four hours after an armed bandit waved a small handgun at a fast-food restaurant worker almost directly across the street.
The double stabbing occurred during a fight involving four to eight men at about 2:55 a.m., outside Louie's Texas Red Hots, at 2350 Delaware, just north of Hertel. Both men who were stabbed, Ernest Bishop, 26, of Hopkins Street, and Robert Carlock, 24, of Roberts Street, have been treated and released from Erie County Medical Center. Bishop was stabbed in the back, while Carlock was stabbed in the stomach.
The armed robbery occurred at about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday, when a lone gunman stole an undisclosed amount of money from the Mighty Taco restaurant at 2363 Delaware Ave.
The thief, who wore a black scarf over his face, pulled out the handgun and demanded money from the clerk while waving the weapon around inside the restaurant. (Buffalo News)
7/6/09 A North Buffalo man who was calling police to report that four young people fired Roman candles at his home was beaten over the head with his phone and struck across the back with a metal bike chain early Sunday morning, police reported today. Northwest District police said the man was beaten repeatedly and dragged down the street. The assault occurred on Villa Avenue, which is one block south of Kenmore Avenue, between Delaware and Colvin avenues. Police early today announced the arrest of two boys, ages 12 and 14, who are being petitioned to Family Court on what would be charges of gang assault, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, according to police reports. (Buffalo News)
6/23/09 An Englewood Avenue man accused of robbing someone sitting in a parked car at gunpoint early Sunday was arrested by Northeast District officers, Buffalo police reported. Steven A. Talley, 24, is charged with first-degree robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property, reckless endangerment and possession of marijuana.
6/1/09 A gang of youths armed with bricks and rocks went on a rampage Saturday night, shattering windows on houses and cars in a normally quiet Buffalo neighborhood.
At least three reports were filed with the Buffalo Police Department on Sunday about the incidents on Shirley Avenue between Bailey Avenue and Eggert Road. They included the smashing of a plate glass window at a plumbing store at 484 Shirley, a house at 407 Shirley, and damage to a number of cars on the street.
He said at 10:20 Saturday night, about 40 to 50 kids ran screaming down the street, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.
“One car across the street had its hood bashed,” he said. His own car was struck by a brick that was thrown at it with such force that it smashed his back window and wound up on the dashboard.
He said Saturday’s vandalism is just the latest in a series of incidents that have been happening in the neighborhood, a problem that is relatively new.
“I’ve lived here a very long time,” he said. Much of the commotion seems to be coming from one house in particular, one he calls the “fun house.”
“It was a quiet area here before they moved in,” he said. There are “so many” kids coming and going at all hours, something he says is generating much of the trouble. Buffalo News
6/1/09 A drive-by BB gun shooting on Main Street in University Heights led to the arrest of four Buffalo teens. Two women and a man told police Sunday a passenger in a gold vehicle shot at them with a BB gun while they were at Main and Custer streets. The suspects later were found by Cheektowaga and Buffalo police on Treehaven Road with a BB gun in plain sight, according to police. Arrested were Donald Silmon, 17, of Winspear Avenue; Jeffrey E. Campbell, 17, of Treehaven Road; and Davaughn D. Dantzler and Justin Ward, both 17 and both of Highgate Avenue. All four were charged with felony assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. Buffalo News
5/31/09 5/31/09 Several cars were vandalized between Saturday night and tonight by a gang of 6-8 young black men around the ages of 13-16.
A friend of mine was walking in Shoshone park about 6pm when she was harassed by this group of kids, who also smashed her car windows and headlights while she was parked in the La Salle lot near the day care center. She could only identify two of the boys as the others were hiding in the brush. She said one wearing a very bright orange t-shirt and the other was wearing a black t-shirt and they were taunting her as if they were the gang leaders. They threw rocks at her and her dog while screaming and cursing at her. Neighbor Report
5/26/09 WIVB Police are searching for a man they say is armed and dangerous. He's wanted in connection with the murder of a man in Amherst.
Richard Garnett is visibly distraught. You can understand why. Monday night, his twin brother, Jesse, was shot and killed in Amherst.Two weeks ago in Buffalo, their roommate, University at Buffalo graduate Javon Jackson, was gunned down. The three young men grew up in the Bronx together and shared an apartment in a Lisbon Avenue home. Garnett said, "My roommate, now my brother. Everything is taken away. My dream is gone."
Richard says his brother was visiting his girlfriend and her two-year-old son at a Yale Avenue apartment when he was shot multiple times Monday night, possibly by her ex-boyfriend.
The mother and child weren't hurt. Amherst Police spent much of the day going door to door, in search of the alleged gunman. They want to talk to 24-year-old Andre Ridgeway of Buffalo.
Amherst Assistant Police Chief Timothy Green said, "He's considered a person of interest and at this time he's considered armed and dangerous." Investigators wouldn't say whether Ridgeway was also considered a person of interest in the Mother's Day shooting of Javon Jackson.
5/24/09 A Woodbridge Avenue resident told police he was robbed while walking through Delaware Park late Friday night. The victim told police he was walking through the park near Parkside and Oakwood Place at about 11:15 p. m. Friday, when he was accosted by three males. “Give us what you got, and you won’t get hurt,” one of the suspects told him. Buffalo News
5/24/09 An employee at the Sunoco at 1301 Hertel told police that two males covering their faces and wearing hoodies entered the gas station at 4:45 a. m. Friday, displayed handguns and demanded cash. Buffalo News
5/14/09 About four months ago, a Buffalo mother of three young children began a relationship with a 29-year-old man who killed her late Tuesday, police and neighbors said Wednesday.
De’aira Wall, 21, was fatally shot at about 11:25 p. m. in the bathroom of her townhouse, and four hours later, the boyfriend, Jesse L. Jones, whom she let live with her, critically wounded himself with a gunshot to the upper body.
“It appears to be an apparent murder-attempted suicide,” Chief of Detectives Dennis J. Richards said Wednesday afternoon. “It’s very disturbing. We’re trying to determine why somebody would do this.”(Buffalo News)
5/10/09 Javon Jackson was shot to death early this morning in University Heights, less than a day after graduating from the University at Buffalo in front of parents who came here from out of town. (Buffalo News)
5/10/09 A Kensington Avenue man was hit in the face with a gun and robbed in front of his house early Sunday. The man told police he was outside at about 1 a. m. Sunday when someone walked up to him and said, “Give me everything you got.” The victim laughed and turned around. but his assailant hit him in the face with a chrome gun, then took $85 and his cell phone from his pocket. (Buffalo News)
5/8/09 A man was mugged late Friday night while at Comstock Avenue and East Amherst Street by two men, one of whom fired a weapon during the incident, police said.The victim said the mugging occurred about 11:20 p. m. He said a man took $40 in cash from him while a second man displayed a rifle and fired once in the air. The muggers then fled east on East Amherst. (Buffalo News)
5/8/09 Police were investigating a report of shots being fired through a window of a Shirley Avenue home early Friday morning. A resident of the home told Northeast District police that he thought he heard firecrackers sometime between 2:45 a. m. and 3:30 a. m. Friday. Buffalo News
5/1/09 An Appleton man said he was stabbed and slashed by three men at about 4 a. m. Thursday during a robbery in the 2800 block of Main Street. The attackers emerged from a vehicle and cut the victim in the face, eyes and stomach and punched him repeatedly. (Buffalo News)
4/30/09 Two teenagers have been arrested for robbing a University at Buffalo student early Wednesday morning on the South Campus on Main Street.
The two suspects approached a male and female student on campus at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, displayed a gun, and took off with the female's purse, said UB Police Chief Gerald Schoenle.
University police were called and dispatched a description of the suspects. Buffalo police stopped two suspects a short time later near the campus at Main Street and Winspear Avenue. The two allegedly had the victim's property, and a weapon was recovered. "It turned out to be an air gun," Schoenle said.
Charged by police with robbery, possession of stolen property and possession of a weapon were David Desouza, 17, of Buffalo, as well as a 15-year-old male, Schoenle said.
UB police are working with Buffalo detectives to determine if this robbery is connected to a holdup early Monday near the South Campus.
In that case, three males approached a UB student at about 2 a.m. at Main Street and Englewood Avenue. The robbers, who all covered their faces with the hoods of their sweat shirts, demanded money. One suspect put a gun to the victim's head and took the student's iPhone and laptop, before the three ran away through a campus parking lot. (Buffalo News)
4/30/09 Northeast District police charged a 16-year-old and two juveniles in a gang-related robbery late last week. Buffalo police said Rahim Dunston of the 400 block of Minnesota Street, with the two juveniles, kicked, punched and threatened a man and robbed him of $200 Saturday at Minnesota Avenue and Suffolk Street. The three were charged with first-degree robbery. The victim suffered a broken jaw in the attack. (Buffalo News)
4/30/09 Buffalo police are searching for a bandit who handed a note to a teller stating he had a bomb and demanded money, police said. The robbery occurred about 2:50 p. m. Wednesday in the HSBC Bank branch at 340 Kenmore Ave. According to reports, the robber was a black male, about 5-foot-6, dressed in a black hooded sweat shirt and wore blue jeans, latex gloves and sunglasses. The note also said, “I want 100s and 50s, no dye pack.” (Buffalo News)
4/29/09 Northeast District police are continuing to investigate the shooting of a man in North Buffalo late Monday afternoon. Keenon Fitzgerald told police he was shot in the right calf at about 5:45 p. m. in front of a home on Heath Street in the Main Street-Englewood Avenue neighborhood. (Buffalo News)
4/29/09 Several residents were rescued from a second-floor roof and porch and 11 people were left homeless after a fire — apparently sparked by fireplace ashes placed in a trash bin — caused extensive damage to two North Buffalo houses about 4 a.m. today, occupants said.
But according to Rebecca McSwain, who rents quarters on the second-floor of 143 Wellington, the fire was sparked when residents of another apartment placed hot fireplace ashes in a blue city trash bin between the two houses. The fire started at 143 Wellington and spread to the house next door, she said.
Several hours earlier, she called police because the son of the downstairs resident was "tearing the place apart and having a fight with his friends," McSwain said. "His mother is out of town picking up her other son, and the boy downstairs had started a fire in the fireplace," McSwain said. "The police handcuffed him and took him outside, but then released him. He went back inside and started cleaning up the house."
McSwain said that was when the son put the ashes in the trash bin, despite printed instructions on the bin not to do so. The ashes apparently smoldered for several hours before setting the house on fire, McSwain said. (Buffalo News)
4/27/09 Buffalo Police received a report of an armed robbery that occurred at the intersection of Main Street and Englewood Avenue at 2:05 a.m. on Monday April 27, 2009.
Three male suspects approached the victim and displayed a revolver. The suspects took the victim's iPhone and laptop. The suspects were last seen running through the Townsend parking lot and then behind Saint Joseph's Church.
The suspects were all described as black males wearing dark clothing. The shortest of the suspects displayed the revolver and had some kind of mask. (http://www.buffalo.edu/news/10075)
4/22/09 A Massachusetts Avenue man was the victim of a strong-arm robbery by two teenagers in Delaware Park on Tuesday afternoon.
The victim said he was in the park near the Hoyt Lake between 2:15 p. m. and 2:46 p. m. when he was approached by two teenagers, police said. He said he was held from behind and punched in the face. The teens took his wallet which contained $140 in cash, credit cards, a driver’s license and other items.(Buffalo News)
4/16/09 Several shots were fired late Wednesday at a home on Jewett Avenue, with one bullet whizzing through a window and almost hitting a woman who was sitting on the living room couch. Northeast district officers investigating the shooting recovered one bullet from the home and eight assault rifle shell casings from the street. (Buffalo News)
4/10/09 Buffalo police are investigating the home invasion of an Eggert Road address at about 10:30 a. m. Thursday.
Two men wearing masks, gloves and hooded sweat shirts, armed with a shotgun and a knife, entered the house in the 300 block of Eggert, threatened a 12-year-old with a knife and demanded drugs and money, police said. (Buffalo News)
4/8/09 Two would-be North Buffalo robbers and the two occupants of the house they targeted all ended up under arrest Monday afternoon.
When Darwin D. Brooks and Willie J. Carson kicked in the door of a residence in the 300 block of Huntington Avenue and pointed a handgun at Kalela Carter, she turned the tables and chased them out of the house and down the street.
Several Northwest District officers joined in the foot chase at about 11:30 a. m. and succeeded in catching Brooks, 33, of Hagen Street, in the 300 block of Woodbridge Avenue, and Carson, 24, of Melvin Place, at Depew and Linden avenues.
Officers also succeeded in recovering a 9 mm handgun that had been stashed inside the wheel well of a vehicle parked in the 400 block of Huntington.
Normally, that would have been the end of the story. But police suspected things were not in order in the house the robbers had targeted, and a search warrant was obtained. Officers’ suspicions paid off. Police said they recovered cocaine and marijuana that Carter, 25, and the other occupant, Samuel L. Rose, 24, intended to sell. Both were charged with criminal possession of narcotics by midafternoon. Brooks and Carson were charged with burglary, attempted robbery, criminal use of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon. (Buffalo News)
4/1/09 Two youths who robbed a North Buffalo resident at gunpoint after he refused to let them borrow his cell phone were caught late Monday night, Northwest District police said.
“You’re going to let me use your phone, or I am going to shoot you,” one of the robbers told the victim at about 9:40 p. m. at the intersection of Colvin Avenue and Taunton Place, police said.
The victim said he tried to grab the silver handgun one of the robbers pointed at him but was wrestled to the ground. The other robber then put a foot on top on his throat to keep him pinned while the accomplice searched his pockets and took his wallet and cell phone.
Police later caught Willie T. Jessie, 17, of the 300 block of Pine Street, and Justin A. Gist, 17, of the 200 block of Voorhees Avenue, in the 400 block of Voorhees. They were charged with robbery and a criminal possession of a weapon. (Buffalo News)
3/31/09 Michael R. Ralston, 16, of Kenmore Avenue, was arrested after he allegedly held a 9mmBaretta to the head of another man at about 4:10 p. m. Saturday. He told the victim he would be dead in an hour. Ralston was found in possession of brass knuckles and did not give police his real name when he was arrested on Kenmore Avenue near Toledo Place about 90 minutes later, according to the report. He was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C felony, as well as second-degree menacing, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and false personation. The gun was not recovered. (Buffalo News)
3/31/09 Buffalo police early Sunday arrested four men who are accused of violently assaulting three men in a fight in the University Heights neighborhood. Officers say the gang assault took place at about 12:45 a. m. at Englewood Avenue and Cornell Street when three friends were attacked by a group of four men. One victim suffered a broken nose when he was punched in the face. A second victim told police he was held in a headlock by one attacker and punched in the head by another. The third victim told police he was punched in the back of the head. The three sought treatment at Sisters Hospital.
The suspects, all of Buffalo, are Kevin Hoyler, 19; Kevin Langdon, 19; Matthew J. Bohack, 18; and Bryan R. Forbes, 18. They are charged with gang assault, assault and harassment. Forbes also is charged with obstructing governmental administration. (Buffalo News)
3/30/09 A woman was dragged by a man trying to steal her purse Saturday night in University Heights. The woman told Buffalo police the incident happened at Tyler and Cornell streets, just west of Main Street and Winspear Avenue, at 10:45 p. m., according to a police report. The robber grabbed the victim’s purse, knocked her to the ground and dragged her until she let it go. (Buffalo News)
3/30/09 An armed gunman stole potent prescription drugs at about 5:10 p. m. Sunday from the Walgreens drugstore at 3488 Main St. in the University Heights neighborhood, according to Buffalo police. The gunman displayed a weapon and demanded that the pharmacists give him Ambien and Sonata, both sleep aids; OxyContin, a narcotic pain reliever; and Lorazepam, which is used to treat anxiety disorders. The robber then ordered the employees to the ground and told them to count to 60. (Buffalo News)
3/28/09 Two 23-year-old men were arrested following a bar fight early Saturday at the Steer Restaurant & Saloon on Main Street in the University District. At about 3 a.m., Louis H. James of Staten Island allegedly threw a beer bottle at a man in the bar, hitting him on the left side of his face and causing severe bleeding, police said.The bouncer then tried to restrain James when Jason M. Legrett of Buffalo allegedly punched the bouncer. (Buffalo News)
3/22/09 Two men entered a home in the University Heights neighborhood Saturday and robbed the residents of cash and a cell phone. The victims told Buffalo police the two suspects entered the home on Lisbon Avenue through an open basement door at about 6:30 p. m. One of the intruders displayed a weapon and asked the residents where they kept the money, according to police reports. (Buffalo News)
Kiele Coleman 3/16/09 Two people are in critical condition at the Erie County Medical Center after they were shot in a car this afternoon on a St. Lawrence Ave. (Buffalo News)
Kiele Coleman, 22, remains hospitalized in critical condition at the hospital. She was shot in the head on Monday while riding in the front passenger seat of her boyfriend's car on St. Lawrence Ave. in North Buffalo. "She went through the one surgery," Bob Coleman said. "She still has a bullet in her head behind her eye socket. Every day, every hour, we just keep praying for her." Kiele's boyfriend, Frank Militello, 26, was also shot. He was driving the car and crashed it into a tree seconds after the shooting. Police are looking for Adrienne March, 21, of St. Lawrence Ave. She's being described as a person of interest. She may be using the alias Vanessa Gregory, according to police. (WKBW)
3/6/09 Custer Street man arrested last June on a first-degree rape charge was taken into custody again Thursday, charged with another rape, of an 18- year-old girl on Dartmouth Avenue, Buffalo police said. Rasheed I. Milton, 26, was arrested at about 7 p. m. by Officers Wendy Collier and Earl Perrin of the Mobile Response Unit along with detectives from the department’s Sex Offense Section. Milton, who forced the victim to have sexual intercourse, was charged with first-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment. Mr. Milton has quite a history in Buffalo. (Buffalo News)
2/12/09 Northeast District police responding to a call of a burglary in progress late Tuesday on the first block of Westminster Avenue caught three teenagers, one armed with a Taser, authorities said.
Thomas Benjamin, 17; Joshua Jackson, 17; and Christopher Sweat, 19, all of Lisbon Avenue, were charged with burglary and criminal possession of stolen property. Sweat was also charged with criminal possession of the Taser.
2/3/09 University Police are investigating a strong-arm robbery that occurred on Feb. 3, 2009, at approximately 7:55 p.m. in the Main/Bailey Parking Lot on the University at Buffalo South (Main Street) Campus. The victim was approached from behind and assaulted by a group described as four black males, 5-feet 10-inches to 6-feet tall, in their late teens to early 20s and all wearing dark clothing. (UB Reporter)
1/20/09 A 19-year-old Buffalo man is in fair condition in Erie County Medical Center today following a drive-by shooting in the Kensington-Bailey neighborhood. The shooting happened on the 500 block of Stockbridge Avenue, between Suffolk and Orleans streets, at about 2:10 p.m., Buffalo police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said. Police believe the victim was walking alone when someone inside what's being described only as a green vehicle fired several shots at him. The victim was struck by more than one bullet. (Buffalo News)
1/18/09 The Buffalo Police Dept.'s homicide squad is asking for the public's help identifying the victims of a Sunday morning fire at 39 Dartmouth Avenue. Fire investigators discovered the bodies of two adults - one male and one female - inside the house. Authorities say the bodies are too badly burned to be identified. (WGRZ) 1/24/09 The two people found burned beyond recognition in a University Heights house fire Sunday morning had been shot to death before the fire started, several sources confirmed Friday. (Buffalo News)
1/11/09 Three men were attacked during an early morning robbery in the Bailey-Kensington neighborhood today. One man was shot in the elbow and another was hit in the face with a gun, a blow which knocked out some teeth. (Buffalo News)
Oregon has budget troubles that rival New York's. To balance Oregon's budget deficit of $4.2 billion, cuts have been proposed to K-12 education, higher ed, pubic safety, health care, senior services, etc. No Oregon State agency will remain untouched. And, just like New York, Oregon had a fight on its hands when they tried to raise taxes on the rich.
So, who squealed the loudest, when Oregon tried to raise taxes on corporations and high income residents? Why, Oregon billionaires Nike Chairman Phil Knight (net worth over $9 billion) and Columbia SportswearCEO Tim Boyle (net worth $1 billion), of course.
The proposition to raise taxes passed on January 25. No word on whether Phil and Tim will be joining fellow billionaire Tom Golisano in Florida (although they have threatened).
In a study published in the January 18 issue of PLoS One, subjects were able to accurately identify candidates from the 2004 and 2006 U.S. Senate elections as either Democrats or Republicans based on black-and-white photos of their faces. And subjects were even able to correctly identify college students as belonging to Democratic or Republican clubs based on their yearbook photo (Scientific American Observations)
So here's a little test for you: Republican or Democrat?
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