HTN: Grand Island School Cuts

The Grand Island School District is eyeing close to a-million dollars in budget cuts.School officials are counting on an estimated one-and-a-half million dollars in federal stimulus money, but Superintendent Robert Christmann says federal stimulus money will last only two years, so the school board is working on a preliminary long-term plan. The board is looking to save money in bus transportation by rearranging schedules. Personnel, extracurricular activities and energy also could see budget cuts.

HTN: Health Threat at Grand Island Bridges?

The Department of Environmental Conservation has found that benzene levels at the south Grand Island bridges are 100 times greater than what the state considers a risk level. The carcinogen is being released by vehicles idling on the bridge, waiting to pay their tolls. A resolution, which calls the tolls "a major health risk," was passed Thursday to support their removal. Legislators will appeal to Governor Paterson to use funds from the recently passed 787-billion-dollar federal stimulus package to pay for the removal of the toll barriers.

Domestic Dispute on Grand Island

When Erie County deputies arrived at the Wakefield home on Staley Road in Grand Island they found the husband standing next to his smashed in car. While they were talking, his wife, 39-year-old Ann Wakefield, returned to the scene in her vehicle. She failed a field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol level over double the legal limit. She's been charged with criminal mischief for running into her husband's car and with DWI.