Bridge Debris Blocks Youngman

A number of motorists had tires go flat after driving over debris on the Youngman. Parts of a metal bridge fell into the lanes, which were then closed for a few hours.

Nader in Fredonia

Ralph Nader makes a stop in Western New York tonight. The independent Presidential candidate and consumer activist visits Fredonia State to make a speech and sign books.

Grand Jury in UB Beating

A grand jury is hearing testimony in the case of University of Buffalo student Michael Bliss, who remains paralyzed from the waist down after he was beaten by three men after leaving a bar near the UB campus in Main Street last month. Two of the three were UB students while the other was a former student.

Thruway Approves Toll Hikes

As gasoline prices climb we'll be seeing Thruway tolls go up again. The Thruway Authority approved another ten percent raise over the next two years. They already raised tolls ten-percent earlier this year.

Cycle Accident in Alfred

With gasoline prices continuing to climb it seems that more and more people are riding their motorcycles, and we're seeing an increase in accidents. Sixty-five-year-old Rita Common of Bolivar was killed when the motorcycle driven by her 68-year-old husband John hit a guard rail in the Town of Alfred.

Anchor Bar Makes Top Beer List

It's not near the top of the list, but it's nice to know that Buffalo did make the list! All About Beer Magazine has ranked the best places in the world to get a cold brew "before you die." The home of the Buffalo chicken wing, the Anchor Bar is listed as number 116 out of 125. The magazine, which is published in North Carolina says that the Great American Beer Festival in Denver is at the top of the list.

Bridge Design for the Birds

Officials say that the latest design for a new Peace Bridge in Buffalo is going to have to be changed. Apparently there are environmental concerns that the design could be harmful to birds, the common tern and to fish, the silvery emerald shiner. The bridge is located on a "bird travel corridor" and federal and state officials say it needs to be lower. The current design is 567-feet-high.

Collins Soldier Closer to Home

An Army sergeant from the Town of Collins, who lost his legs in a roadside bombing in Iraq in March has been moved by medical flight to a rehabilitation center in Boston. Twenty-six-year old James Hackemer had been undergoing treatment at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center. He'll eventually go to Walter Reed to be fitted for artificial limbs. Sergeant Hackemer is married with two young children. His wife was on the flight with him.

Cote Family to Speak Today

Sad word from the family of Jonathon Cote. The former resident of Amherst's body has been officially identified by the U.S. government. It was found recently in Iraq where Jonathon had been working as a private security guard. He and four co-workers were kidnapped in November of 2006. The bodies of the others were recovered last month. The 25-year-old Cote had been missing for some 17 months and his family in Western New York was holding out hope that he was still alive. His father has been keeping an internet site concerning his son. The family says they will talk with the media later today.

Contractor Threatened With Contempt

Hamburg contractor Ronald Timmermann is in trouble again. He agreed last year to stop doing home improvements and pay 30-thousand dollars in restitution for work he never completed. Now the state Attorney General says he has continued to work, in violation of that agreement. Timmermann may face criminal contempt charges and jail time.

Jack Davis' Case Argued Before Supreme Court

Jack Davis is gearing up for a third run at Congress, and his attorneys appeared before the US Supreme Court to argue against a congressional amendment that he thinks puts self-funded candidates like him at a disadvantage. Davis wants to spend 3-million dollars of his own money this year. When Davis last ran against Tom Reynolds in 2006, Reynolds was able to raise more money because Davis spent so much of his own funds.

Chiacchia Leaves Hospital

Springville's Olympic rider Darren Chiacchia is out of the hospital now and continuing rehab at home. Chiacchia suffered severe head, rib and lung injuries when he fell off his horse at an event in Florida in March. He is now able to walk short distances with assistance.

Homeland Security Hard Drives Missing

Three hard drives with sensitive data about homeland security are missing from county offices, and the FBI has been notified. Former Central Police Services head Kevin Comerford says he placed the hard drives in a county storeroom for safekeeping, when he left for a new job at ECMC. But when County employees looked for them they were gone, and Comerford's story is being disputed. The County Comptroller's office is "urgently" investigating.

Chancellor Criticizes Buffalo Board

The State Board of Regents has reviewed allegations of test tampering at McKinley High, and found no evidence to support the charges. School board member Ralph Hernandez requested the review, but it does not appear that students had advanced knowledge of test questions. Regents Chancellor Robert Bennett criticized the Board for its handling of recent issues, telling Channel 2 News that academic performance should be the number one priority. Bennett said that one solution could be removing all nine members, and that he will send a deputy commissioner to Buffalo soon to talk to school officials. Teachers Union head Phil Rumore disagrees, saying the board is doing a good job.

Choppers Sponsor Darien Coaster

Darien Lake has a name and sponsor for it's new roller coaster. "Orange County Choppers" has attached its name to the MotoCoaster, which features motorcycle-style seats, and will debut at the theme park this season.

State Commission Recommends Shared Services

A state commission report will recommend more than 70 ways to save money by merging towns, villages and schools in Erie County. County Executive Chris Collins supports the report, saying there is too much government. Collins uses the Rochester area as an example of savings for shared services. All Monroe County snow plowing is done by towns, since the county doesn't have a highway department.

WNYer Out at Thruway Board

Lewiston's Jeff Williams is on his way out at the state Thruway Authority. His term ends June 30th, and Governor Patterson is replacing him. Williams thinks he's being ousted for being too vocal on some issues. He supports letting the state Department of Transportation take over the 190 and Grand Island Bridges, and is against toll increases in 2009 and 2010. On Friday, the Thruway Authority Board will vote on those toll hikes. Once Depew's Donna Luh is confirmed, she'll be the only Western New Yorker on the board.

Recycle Computers Saturday

You can recycle your obsolete computer this weekend. Erie County residents can discard computer hardware for recycling on Saturday from 9 to 1 at Central Park Plaza. Everything including CPUs, monitors, printers and mice. For more details, call 894-0914. That's 894-0914.

Prof. Kurtz Cleared of Charges

UB Art Professor Steven Kurtz has had federal mail and wire fraud charges dropped against him. In 2004, Kurtz's wife died of a heart attack, and authorities who investigated found suspicious bacteria cultures in his apartment. Kurtz was charged with obtaining them illegally, after first being suspected of bioterrorism. Now Federal Judge Richard Arcara has thrown out all charges, ruling the indictment was insufficient on its face.

More Charges for Riverside Woman

In November 2005, Kevin Kalinowski of Riverside was shot in the head as he slept. His wife Robin claimed it was an accident, but was charged with her husband's murder. Now she's also being charged with trying to hire a hitman to kill the man she was having an affair with at the time her husband died, so her lover wouldn't testify against her. The hitman was actually an undercover State Trooper, and the new charges now go to a Grand Jury.

Hearings in School Bus Violence Case

School district officials say they will hold hearings this week for 5 girls and one boy who were suspended after a fight on a school bus Friday that lead to shots being fired. The students from the North Park Academy, School 66, on Parkside Avenue were fighting on the bus in the Walden-Bailey area of the city. One man was stabbed with box cutters, a 33-year-old woman was punched in the face and someone fired four shots at the bus.

More Amherst Trees May Be Cut

Last week residents of Snyder went to court to try and stop the town from taking down trees damaged in the 2006 storm. They got a temporary halt, but the town fought it and got to resume the cutting. Town officials say that 8-thousand more trees still need to come down, but they add that they only have until this coming Thursday when federal funds run out.

Concern for Cote Family

The family of missing private security contractor Jonathon Cote has been visited by government officials who told them a sixth body has been recovered in Iraq. Cote was among a group of contractors kidnapped in 2006. The unidentified body is being flown back to Dover, Delaware for identification.

School Bus Crash Shakes Students

Five children and three adults injured in a school bus accident this morning. According to police, the bus was headed for a drop off at Lydia Wright school when it collided with a minivan at Michigan and Clinton.

Buffalo Woman Accused of Conspiracy to Kill 2nd Man

A Buffalo woman accused of murdering her husband is facing new charges. Robin Kalinowski now charged with conspiracy for allegedly trying to pay an undercover officer three-thousand-dollars to kill the man she was having an affair, with when her husband was killed. She's already facing 25 years to life and could face another 50 years to life.

Case to Challenge Clark

Kenneth Case has officially announced that he'll be running for Erie County D-A. Case, who has worked in the District Attorney's Office for the last 14 years, will get his shot against incumbent Frank Clark in the September primary. Case is currently working for a private firm and was a part of the group that connected Altemio Sanchez to a number of rapes in the area.

Kurtz Charges Dropped

UB professor Steve Kurtz has had mail and wire fraud and charges against him thrown out. In May 2004, FBI agents in Haz-Mat suits went into Kurtz's home and found biological samples. After a long investigation, Kurtz was charged with fraudulently obtaining two of the samples. Thise charges were dismissed today by Federal Judge Richard Arcara.