The Buffalo News from Buffalo, New York • 3

NIAGARA WHEATIELD Bond issue for new school SANBORN Voter approval of a $228 million building and renovation bond issue in the Niag ara Wheatfield Central School I District allow the district to prepare our students for the ex pectations of the 21st School Superintendent Carol A Beebe said riday 4 Voters approved the bond issue Tuesday by a vote of 740 609 next few years will be ex citing times for Niagara Wheat 5 field and the entire community We will be continuously looking for available monies grant possi bilities and ways to make a district that we all will be ex tremely proud the superinten dent said She thanked district residents for supporting the bond issue Groundbreaking for a new ele mentary school to serve 600 pupils is planned for August or Septem ber with completion scheduled by September 1997 Other work will i include a new wing linking the high school and middle school re pairs to the existing elementary schools relocation of administra tive offices and districtwide im 4 provements such as cable televi sion in each classroom and the in stallation of fiber optics The impact of the bond issue on property taxes will vary throughout the four towns in the school district but each of them will face an increase of about 3 percent MICROILM THIS PAST Niagara News Channel 49 seeks to purchase WNYB TV The Buffalo NewsSaturday December Area Briefs Man is struck by UPS truck TOWN NIAGARA A man was in jured at 5:50 pm riday when he was hit by a United Parcel Service delivery truck on Mil itary Road at Homestead Avenue Trooper Keith Lucas said Michael Valenza 40 of Griffin Avenue Niagara alls suffered head leg and other injuries when he apparently stepped off the curb and into the path of the truck driven by David Isenman of 57th Street Niagara alls Lucas said Valenza was taken by ambulance to Niaga ra alls Memorial Medical Center where he was being evaluated riday night state police said 63 charged with speeding on 1 190 TOWN NIAGARA State police charged 63 motorists with speeding after set ting up speed traps on the 1 190 here from noon to 6 pm riday Trooper Rick lores said lores said six troopers conducted the op eration noting the highest speed recorded during that time was 80 mph He said one woman was given a speeding ticket here and then received another one 20 minutes later by Trooper William Conway who was on routine patrol on the Grand Island section of the I 190 There were also two motorists cited for seat belt violations he said lores said he was involved in the speed blitz along with troopers Tony Palmer Daniel Dedo Robery Harrer Larry Lakeman and William Gibbons Youngstown library meets goal YOUNGSTOWN The 1995 fund raising drive for the Youngstown ree Library has gone over the top Co chairmen itch Cady and Betsy Di achun said riday that nearly 700 individuals businesses and organizations had contributed a total of $15143 for library books and pro grams The goal was $15000 The drive held annually by the riends of the Library included a door to door canvass of homes in the service area About 70 volunteers participated Principal is named board chairman NIAGARA ALLS William Ross prin cipal of Niagara Wheatfield High School has been elected to a two year term as chairman of the board of directors of Leadership Niag ara Elected to the Leadership Niagara execu tive committee for two year terms were vice chairwoman Jane Haenle treasurer Louis Santiago secretary Betsy Diachun and past chairwoman Barbara Northan Leadership Niagara is an adult develop ment program that provides a forum for par ticipants to form networks build teams inte grate their leadership skills and learn more about Niagara County The 10 month pro gram addresses issues affecting Niagara Coun ty and its future The annual programs started in 1983 and there are more than 300 home needs $30253 LOCKPORT Wyndham Lawn Home for Children has to raise an additional $30253 in contributions by riday in order to qualify for a challenge grant of $25000 An anonymous benefactor said the $25000 grant would be awarded to Wyndham Lawn if the home for children could raise $73440 on its own by the last business day of this year So far 384 donors have contributed a total of $43187 toward that challenge according to Executive Director Michael Moran The money will be used toward the $15 million cost of two residences and renovations to the century old main building at Wyndham Lawn The home has raised $1444747 of the needed $15 million and if it raises the $73440 challenge by riday the building campaign will be completed Moran said Wyndham Lawn has been a refuge for children since 1871 The first residents were children of Civil War casualties Today the home helps Western New York children who have social and emotional problems are learning disabled or who have been abused Moran said contributions to the building fund may be sent to the home at 6395 Old Niagara Road Roswell seeks platelet donors Roswell Park Cancer Institute is running low on blood platelets and seeks donors who are at least 17 years old in good health and weighing more than 110 pounds The process similar to a blood donation takes about two hours More information is available by calling the Platelet Donor Center at Roswell 2 teens plead guilty to burglaiy LOCKPORT Two 16 year old youths who pleaded guilty riday to third degree burglary in separate cases will be sentenced next month in Niagara County Court Robert A Gardiner of 9103 St John Park way Niagara alls will be sentenced Jan 26 by County Judge Charles Hannigan He was arrested on charges of second degree burglary and third degree criminal mischief stemming from a Sept 15 break in at the Grand Avenue residence of Kelly Lesinski in Niagara alls Nathaniel Clark of 4436 Dickersonville Road Ransomville will be sentenced Jan 18 by County Judge Amy ricano He was originally charged with third degree robbery stemming from the Oct 23 forcible theft of property from Jennifer Vandenbosch a clerk at the Ms Thank You store in Lewiston In a separate case Judge ricano set sen tencing for eb 2 for an Amherst man who pleaded guilty riday to attempted fifth de gree criminal possession of a controlled sub stance Martin Comer 29 of 145 Somerset St was arrested Oct 2 for fifth degree crimi nal drug possession after police said he had 131 grams of cocaine in Niagara alls lorida firm By DAVE CONDREN News Religion Reporter A lorida based television company is seeking au thorization from the ederal Communications Com mission to buy WNYB TV Channel 49 which broad casts religious programs in the Buffalo area The plan calls for Channel 49 to switch its programming to an inactive Jamestown station A petition filed by Tri State Christian TV which owns Channel 49 asks for approval to transfer its op eration permit to Grant Television Inc The for profit firm is headed by Milton Grant of ort Lauderdale la Lou lis general manager of Channel 49 said if the transfer is approved the programming that Chan nel 49 carries would be switched to Channel 26 in Jamestown means we would be on Channel said lis adding he did not know how wide a viewing area the Jamestown station is capable of serving The future of Channel 49 lis said is There is speculation within the broadcast industry that Channel 49 which will operate as an indepen dent will affiliate with the new Warner Brothers Net work But Grant could not be reached Thursday or ri day to talk about his plans for the Buffalo station The WB Network began operating in January and has no affiliate in Buffalo Grant Television recently purchased Channel 26 a company employee said The full power Jamestown station has been inactive Maryvale Middle school V' '4 7 r' 7 IRggj 7 1 I ft i 21 7 I JAMES McCOYBuffalo News Tom Kaminski shows students where they should store supplies for the food distribution program in Maryvale Middle School Teacher masters food drive distribution By MOLLY McCARTHY News Cheektowaga Bureau A distribution system this sophisti cated could only be equaled at the North Pole Imagine being handed 6000 bags cans or boxes of food from hundreds of students in the Maryvale school system along with dozens of card board boxes to put them in Now up to you to sort pack and stack the food before the 60 or so families arrive riday afternoon to pick them up to make their Christmas holiday brighter taken Thomas Kaminski a vo cal music teacher at Maryvale Middle School in Cheektowaga about 25 years to perfect his system And by now he has gotten it just right down to a Ka minski said riday standing in the midst of chattering seventh graders hunched over boxes in his large cho rus room Kaminski jokes about how he got to be the distribution guru for the an nual food drive sponsored by a group called More Opportunities and Re sources for Education (MORE) in the Maryvale School District part I do it because I have the room it can be done he said referring to his chorale room that can squeeze in more than 100 students But seriously Kaminski says he does it to give back a bit of what the Maryvale community has given to him after more than two decades of work ing in the district is giving something back to the community I live in the district and they have supported me all these he said I do enjoy it I have a good time with the Once work is done Nancy and Jim Moxon who are coor dinating the food drive for MORE step in to finish the job handing out the food and gifts that Kaminski and his students have organized Just like Kris Kringle Kaminski begins his monumental task by mak ing a list Actually a few lists one for each kind of box The list includes food items such as tuna fish macaroni and cheese fruit a breakfast food and cake that will be put into boxes lined up on the floor beside the baby grand piano in classroom These are boxes and each family gets one in addition to a second box a bag and gifts for the youngsters in the family Kaminski then recruits his chorus students stealing a few minutes here and there from regular class periods to get the work done make the little list and tell the students this must be in the box and they go and find the he said By riday morning most of the boxes were overflowing So the stu dents had to each box mak ing them look neat and discarding cans or other items that were rusted old or tom looks really chaotic but every one knows exactly what do said Megan McMorrow a spe cial education teacher Seventh grader Jessica Walters 12 says she and her classmates like the packing and organizing because it gets them out of class it helps the people in the community that are less Jessica said The students do not know the identities of the families they are helping All of the care packages are organized by number and the fami lies pick up the boxes after the stu dents have all gone home Nevertheless Kaminski is hopeful his students understand what all of the work is for do tell them what this is all he said tell them that these are needy people living in the Maryvale School District who may not have as nice a Christmas as we Batavia Hospitals hold talks on consolidation By BILL BROWN Genesee County Correspondent BATAVIA A consolidation bp tween the two hospitals up der the leadership of a single board of directors is being recommended as col laboration talks continue between Gene see Memorial and St Jerome hospitals A steering committee of board mem bers physicians and management pres ented a report this week to a joint meeting of the two hospital boards the joint medical staff and employees Preliminary findings indicate the two hospital buildings would continue but services would be realigned to eliminate duplication Paul Battaglia chairman of the Genesee Memorial board said the goal to develop the best possible health care delivery system to serve the resi dents of the Genesee country while bal ancing quality access and Both boards are committed to main taining Catholic mission and directives in the new organization while assuring that local residents through the govern ing board continue to influence the key decisions The boards will study the recommen dation and action is expected early next year The timetable to bring the two fa cilities into a single hospital with two could be up to 24 months Battaglia and William Brown Jr St Jerome chairman pointed to drastic changes taking place in health care Is sues such as managed care and sweeping changes in Medicare and Medicaid reim bursement make collaboration even more necessary Both hospitals are already taking steps toward eliminating duplication and collaborating on quality management in fection control and wellness classes Genesee Memorial Hospital is a com munity owned facility that was organized in 1902 St Jerome Hospital was opened in 1917 by the Sisters of Mercy and is part of the Mercy Health System of Western New York libel Suit Court upholds $11 million award against former owners of WKBW By MATT GRYTA News Staff Reporter i A state appellate court riday unanimously upheld Niagara alls businessman John $11 million libel award against the former owners of WKBW IV but eliminated the $500000 in punitive damages that a jury awarded him last year The five member Appellate Divi sion of State Supreme Court in Roch ester found that Prozeralik was li beled in 1982 broadcasts by WKBW TV and radio station WKBW which were then owned by Capital Cities Broadcasting It was the second Appellate Divi sion ruling in two years upholding the libel award Richard Sullivan attorney on the appeal said he and his client and other attor ney rank Bayger absolutely hope this brings an end to his long struggle because we proved ev erything the courts said we had to Sullivan said separate juries have returned verdicts in his favor both of which have been upheld on appeal We think this puts an end to a very long Sullivan said with interest building on the case Capital Cities already owes Prozeralik more than $12 mil lion loyd Abrams Capital libel lawyer did not return telephone calls to his Manhattan office seeking com ment on whether the broadcaster will appeal Sullivan said he doubted the Court of Appeals in Albany would review the latest decision because that court does not review damage issues He added the Court of Appeals which sent the case back for a retrial in November 1993 already has ruled on all the legal issues in the case Prozeralik 71 owner of laming Hearth in Niagara alls sued Capital Cities for libel in May 1982 reports by WKBW TV and the former WKBW radio that falsely identified him as the victim of a mob kidnapping and beating Another Ni agara alls restaurateur actually had been abducted 2 2 Although both stations issued a re traction WKBW TV blamed an BI agent for its false report In his suit Prozeralik contended the false reports helped kill his fledg ling Air Niagara commuter airline After the first trial in 1991 a State Supreme Court jury awarded Prozera lik $185 million but it was later re duced to $155 million which was up held by the Appellate Division It was then overturned by the Court of Ap peals Nov 23 1993 and sent back for another trial because the judge did not let the jury decide the truth fulness of the retractions After the second trial in 1994 an other State Supreme Court jury awarded Prozeralik $115 million in cluding the $500000 in punitive dam ages ruling was issued by Asso ciate Justice Samuel Green of Buf falo In a dissent Appellate Justices John Doerr of Buffalo and John Lawton of Syracuse found the amount of the award excessive Capital Cities sold both stations in 1985 I MICROILM TO PftGB TL.