Missing Senior Found at ECMC

Buffalo Police have located an 83-year-old woman who'd been missing since a visit to the Broadway Market yesterday. Stella Szudcik was shopping with her sister, but the two separated and Stella did not return. She was later found at ECMC where she'd been admitted after being hit by a car at Broadway and Lombard Street. Szudcik is in critical condition with head trauma. Because Szudzik had no identification on her, she was taken to the hospital as a Jane Doe. The driver was not charged.

Public Meeting on Wilson Hazing

Hundreds of students and parents gathered at a public meeting last night to discuss the Wilson High hazing case. Two baseball coaches and three students were arrested earlier this week. Police and school administrators did not share any new information, but about 50 attendees spoke out, many on behalf of the coaches. Others talked about a need to change school policies.

Arrest in Lockport Stranger Case

Police in Lockport have charged 24-year old Daniel Bowser of Newfane with the attempted abduction of a ten-year-old girl who was on her way to John Pound Elementary School. Police say the man waved at the girl and when she waved back he stopped his car and tried to talk her into getting in. The incident was witnessed by a crossing guard. Lockport Mayor Michael Tucker had more details this morning with Donahue and Moore on WECK.

Daughter Testifies in Giambra Case

Dennis Donohue's trial for the 1993 murder of Joan Giambra continues. On the stand yesterday was 26-year-old Kathleen Giambra, who was just eleven years old when her mother was killed. A firefighter described how he found the girl curled up next to her nude mother's body when he arrived at the Hillside Avenue house. Donohue is being tried after cold case detectives identified his DNA under Giambra's fingernails. He is also a person of interest in the 1975 strangulation of Carol Reed.

Cote Laid to Rest

More than 850 gathered today to say a final farewell to Jonathon Cote, at a funeral mass at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Clarence. Family members estimate that 1,000 mourners each day attended Cote's wake Wednesday and Thursday. His body will be laid to rest at Mount Calvary Cemetery.

April 2008 Was Third-Warmest on Record

The month just ended was the third-warmest April on record, and the warmest since 1991. April 2008 averaged 50.85 degrees, the average in 1955 was 51, and the record year of 1921 was 51.3 degrees.

Teen Leads Cops on Car Chase

A wild early morning car chase led to a crash along Transit Road. A 17-year-old female driver led police from Clarence to Elma, ending up in a ditch in the Town of Elma about 2 a.m. At least one other vehicle was hit, and the unidentified youth was taken to ECMC for psychiatric evaluation and treatment of a superficial wound to her throat. She faces multiple charges including driving while substance-impaired.

Mayor Brown Unveils Buffalo Budget

Mayor Byron Brown unveils his city spending plan today. Buffalo homeowners will see a 4-point-eight percent in property tax rates, and a flat garbage fee. The city plans to tap into state grants to ease the tax burden on Buffalo residents, as overall property tax revenues will decline by nearly three million dollars. The total budget spending will be less than one percent over the current fiscal year, but will add 40 police officers and 35 firefighters to the rolls. Retirements in other departments will mean that the overall city payroll will go up by only 28 employees.

Wilson High Meeting Tonight

Wilson High parents gather tonight to get an update on the case of alleged hazing in the district. J.V. coach William Atlas and varsity coach Thomas Baia are charged with endangering the welfare of a child, and three students were also arrested.

GOP Backs Lee for Congress

Another twist in the effort to congressional seat being vacated by Republican Tom Reynolds. Erie County Republican Chairman Jim Domagalski now says he's backing Christopher Lee for the position. Lee has never held public office. In fact the Republican Chairpersons from all seven counties in the 26th District say they are backing Lee. Earlier in the process Domagalski had backed candidate Rick Lewis. It's not know yet if Lewis and two others who are interested in the job will run in a primary. Both Lee and Domagalski were interviewed by Donahue & Moore this morning.

Iraq Veteran Gains Appeal

Twenty-six-year-old James Raymond has served in Iraq. He came home with a hearing injury and was put on a ten-percent disability pension of 120-dollars a month. He enrolled at the University of Buffalo and then got orders to report back for duty. Raymond complained that he isn't sure it would be safe for his comrades in arms for him to be back on the front lines with his hearing impairment. Local political pressure has lead the army to allow Raymond to finish the semester at UB and they say they will take up to three months to review his appeal. He won't have to report to Fort Benning by May 18th as originally ordered.

State, County Gas Tax Cuts Debated

Republicans in the State Senate say they want to have the state drop taxes on gasoline this summer. It would save some 32-cents per gallon. Democrats however point to the huge state deficit and say this is not the time for such actions. The debate has even filtered down to the local level. One Republican in the Erie County Legislature wants county taxes on gas also dropped for the summer, but County Executive Chris Collins, also a Republican, says we don't have the ability to absorb that kind of revenue hit at this time.

Cote Wake Draws Hundreds

Hundreds gathered last night to paid their final respects to Jonathon Cote, the 25-year-old Getzville native who was killed in Iraq while working as a private security guard. He was kidnapped in 2006 and his body was finally found and identified last week. Calling hours continue tonight at the Dengler and Roberts Funeral Home in Amherst. The funeral is Friday at the Blessed Virgin Church in Clarence.

Dems Back Powers for Congress

Len Lenihan and the Erie County Democratic Committee have decided to back Iraq war veteran Jon Powers of Clarence to run for Republican Tom Reynolds seat... not Jack Davis, who ran against Reynolds twice and lost. Davis still wants to run again, which sets up a a September primary between Powers, Davis and local attorney Alice Kryzan.

NT Drug Busts

In North Tonawanda police and the D-E-A were rounding up drug dealers. Four locations in North Tonawanda were raided. Arrested was 23-year-old Tornell Brewer, who was charged with two felonies including possession of cocaine. Forty-eight-year-old Daniel Creigbaum was charged with misdemeanor possession.

NT Drug Busts

In North Tonawanda police and the D-E-A were rounding up drug dealers. Four locations in North Tonawanda were raided. Arrested was 23-year-old Tornell Brewer, who was charged with two felonies including possession of cocaine. Forty-eight-year-old Daniel Creigbaum was charged with misdemeanor possession.

NT Drug Busts

In North Tonawanda police and the D-E-A were rounding up drug dealers. Four locations in North Tonawanda were raided. Arrested was 23-year-old Tornell Brewer, who was charged with two felonies including possession of cocaine. Forty-eight-year-old Daniel Creigbaum was charged with misdemeanor possession.

Pachyderms Presented in Columbus

The Columbus Zoo is hosting the three female Asian elephants from the Buffalo Zoo. Buki, Surapa and Jothi took up temporary quarters earlier this month while the Buffalo Zoo's Elephant House undergoes an expansion. Zookeepers had kept them quarantined for two weeks after their long road trip, but they were introduced to Columbus zoo patrons yesterday.

State Gas Tax Proposal

State Republican leaders presented a proposal to eliminate New York's tax on gasoline for the summer. State Senator George Maziarz spoke out in favor of the proposal this morning with Donahue and Moore on WECK, and explained why Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is opposed.

Coaches Charged in Wilson

More charges in the Wilson High Hazing case. Two baseball coaches face charges of endangering the welfare of a child, for allegedly not stepping in to prevent the incident. Varsity coach Thomas Baia and JV coach William Atlas had been suspended from coaching, and are now barred from teaching as well. The misdemeanor charges carry a maximum sentence of a year in jail. The two coaches are due back in court a week from Thursday.

Shea's Show Raises Eyebrows

Keep your eyes on the road as you drive along the Kensington Expressway. Some drivers have objected to a billboard placed by Shea's Performing Arts Center which shows cleavage. What you don't see is that it belongs to a puppet, one of the cast members of a show called "Avenue Q" which opens tonight. Shea's officials told a local reporter that they thought the billboard would make it clear that the show, even though it involves puppets, is strictly for adults.

Shea's Show Raises Eyebrows

Keep your eyes on the road as you drive along the Kensington Expressway. Some drivers have objected to a billboard placed by Shea's Performing Arts Center which shows cleavage. What you don't see is that it belongs to a puppet, one of the cast members of a show called "Avenue Q" which opens tonight. Shea's officials told a local reporter that they thought the billboard would make it clear that the show, even though it involves puppets, is strictly for adults.

Goodwill Robbery Case Cracked

Five years ago someone robbed the Goodwill Store on Genesee and Union Street and pistol-whipped three employees. He got away but a sample of his DNA was found. Three and a half years later a man was arrested for another crime and his DNA was collected and has since been matched to the earlier robbery. Charged now with the crime is 34-year-old Samuel Toliver, who was arrested on Niagara Street. One of the victims identified him from a photo lineup.

Schumer Speaks Up on Bridge Design

Last week an environmental review said that the design for a new Peace Bridge would have to be changed because the cables that would hold up the sections of roadway would be detrimental to some birds. Now, Senator Chuck Schumer says he has been talking with federal officials and the design may not be dead after all. Schumer says that a decision hasn't been made yet at the top and that he feels the bridge would not have that big of an impact on wildlife.

Statements on Wilson Hazing Case

State Police Major Christopher Cummings and Wilson School Superintendent Dr. Michael Wendt held a news conference to talk about the sex abuse charges stemming from an April 17th incident aboard a school bus bringing baseball players back to Wilson. Three students have been arrested for allegedly attacking younger members of the team in the back of the bus. State Police Lieutenant Rick Allen spoke with Donahue and Moore this morning on WECK. The two coaches on board have been suspended and the two or three other adults who were present are being questioned by police. The superintendent praised the students who came forward and reported the attack. Major Cummings is concerned that this type of hazing may have gone on in other years and wants to hear from anyone with any additional information. Cummings says he's never seen anything like this in his entire career. The three students are not being identified at this point in case they receive youthful offender status.

Hazing at Wilson High

Officials at the Wilson Central School District held a news conference in Lockport this afternoon to give further details on a hazing incident involving three high school baseball players who were arrested Friday night. The three allegedly hazed younger students on the team bus. They have been charged with aggravated sexual assault and the baseball season has been suspended.

More Copper Theft on East Side

A vacant house located on Buffalo's East Side was broken into and stripped of its copper piping this past weekend. According to police, the house which is up for sale was broken into on Saint Joseph Street in the Walden-Bailey area. The property is owned by the HSBC Mortgage Corporation.

Texting Leads To Crash

A Williamsville woman was injured in a single vehicle accident after she took her eyes off the road to send a text message from her cell phone on Sunday night. According to police, 20-year-old Christina Curtis was heading down Route 5 in the Town of Pembroke when she sent a text message, missed the curve in the road and drove into a ditch, striking a tree. Curtis did sustain injuries and was taken to ECMC.