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December 29, 2008 Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/December/08-nsd-1151.html Former Maryland Man Charged with Conspiracy to Act as an Iraqi Agent Defendant Allegedly Worked for the Government of Iraq and Assisted the Iraqi Intelligence Service WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint was filed today charging Mouyad Mahmoud Darwish, age 47, formerly of Maryland, with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, specifically, as an agent of Iraq, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Patrick Rowan, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. Darwish is a Canadian citizen born in Iraq....

Farmers Panic About a ‘Cow Tax’ By Kate Galbraith Should their greenhouse gases be taxed? (Photo: Steve Ruark for The New York Times) The comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency’s exploration of greenhouse gas regulation ended last Friday, with farmers lobbying furiously against the notion of a “cow tax” on methane, a potent greenhouse gas emitted by livestock. The New York Farm Bureau issued a statement last week (PDF) saying it feared that a tax could reach $175 per cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and upward of $20 for each hog. Such a tax would represent a...

Hey, Cuomo, stand up and fight. I’m talking to Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general of New York. Stand up and fight. For the last two weeks, as the Caroline Kennedy coronation has been going on, the man whose career she is destroying has been silent. It’s as if he fell off the face of the earth. The story is that Caroline Kennedy has announced that she wants to be a U.S. senator from New York. She has no experience, no preparation, no training. She has never stood before the voters. She has never even visited vast stretches of the state...

Kennedy Takes A Beating From Upstate Media Reporters Jump All Over Mostly Silent Princess Of Camelot; Mayor Of Syracuse Doesn't Offer Endorsement Who Should Get Senate Gig? Siena Poll: Cuomo 26, Kennedy 23 Reporting Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) Caroline Kennedy took a page from Hillary Clinton's playbook and began an upstate listening tour On Wednesday. The road trip included stops in Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo to help convince Gov. David Paterson and voters she's the one to replace Clinton in the U.S. Senate. But it was a tough crowd. The black SUV pulled up to Syracuse city hall Wednesday...

Gov. David Paterson is heading near Indian Country to sign a bill that would call for the state to collect taxes on sales by Indian retailers. Despite urgings by the Seneca Nation for the governor to veto the measure, he is traveling to Oneida County to sign the legislation in Utica on Monday

New taxes, deep cuts to education and health care, and a restructuring of the state's economic development programs will be hallmarks of Gov. David Paterson's first budget plan to be released in two days, according to interviews of people briefed on components. The plan will come with a host of revenue raisers — increased taxes on hospitals and insurance policies, for instance — and at least one new assessment, a so-called obesity tax on non-diet soda to raise $404 million. The governor also is contemplating requiring new license plates to raise cash, reviving sales tax on clothing purchases, removing the...

Thirty-four years ago, it took Pierre Trudeau's formidable glare to back American football off Canada's doorstep. Today, on the eve of the 96th Grey Cup in Montreal, they're warily allowed in. But the mammoth NFL has found the first step is a doozy. By contrast, the CFL finds itself in an uncommonly healthy spot ahead of tomorrow's dream match-up between host Montreal and Calgary. That's led to a feeling of cautious optimism that maybe, just maybe, Canadian football won't be pancaked by its southern cousin. "We're much different. We are grass roots. We have a loyal fan base," CFL commissioner...

ONE of the most cynical clichés in architecture is that poverty is good for preservation. The poor don’t bulldoze historic neighborhoods to make way for fancy new high-rises. That assumption came to mind when I stepped off a plane here recently. Buffalo is home to some of the greatest American architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with major architects like Henry Hobson Richardson, Frederick Law Olmsted, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright building marvels here. Together they shaped one of the grandest early visions of the democratic American city. Yet Buffalo is more commonly identified with the...

The man accused of arranging for the killing of 32 bison on a neighbor's property struck a deal this morning in which he'll face minimal or no jail time but will have to open his wallet wide. Jeffrey Scott Hawn, CEO of Seattle-based software firm Attachmate, pleaded guilty to a class 3 felony of criminal mischief and to a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals in Park County Court. At his Jan. 28 sentencing he could get up to two years of probation and up to 10 days in Park County Jail. Four generations of the Downare family, in cowboy...

A Chinese restaurant in the Town of Hamburg was shut down by the Erie County Health Department Friday after an inspector found employees butchering a deer inside. Officials don’t know whether the dead deer at China King, 5999 South Park Ave., had been hunted or if it was road kill...

Down in the place where they can't build (or expand) churches fast enough -- namely, The Entire South -- a friend always keeps musing, and grieving, that they can't just bring relocate at least some of the (many) closed Northeastern temples of old and keep 'em in good use. Windows, statues and other pieces from decommissioned structures have routinely been recycled... but now, in a first as monumental as the building itself, a wholesale relocation just might happen to a grand, now-shuttered Buffalo church: A parish in the Archdiocese of Atlanta wants to buy St. Gerard Church at Bailey...

A software CEO from Texas accused of allowing the killing of his neighbor's bison in South Park last winter is due in court. Forty-four-year-old Jeffrey Scott Hawn of Austin has been charged with 32 counts of animal cruelty, one count of theft of more than $20,000 and a one count of criminal mischief. Prosecutors allege that he "tortured, needlessly mutilated or needlessly killed" the bison, who belonged to another rancher.

Possible settlement in South Park bison slaughter FAIRPLAY — The software chief executive accused in the killing of 32 of his neighbor's bison is considering a plea agreement. Jeff Hawn appeared at the Park County courthouse Monday with his attorney, Pam Mackey, to enter a plea. Minutes before the hearing was to begin, an assistant district attorney asked Mackey to step outside, and when they returned for the hearing, Mackey said Hawn needed 30 days to consider a plea agreement that had been offered. The judge approved the delay. Neither side would discuss the details of what had been offered...

SIERRA VISTA — A Vietnam War hero whose father served with a black division during World War II will be honored at this year’s Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers gala and fundraiser. Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, known as the “Drug Czar” during the Clinton administration, also will be the guest speaker at the annual event on Sept. 27. The association is presenting McCaffrey its annual “Spirit of the Buffalo Soldier Award” to honor both his military career and that of his father, the late Lt. Gen. William J. McCaffrey who served as the chief of staff with 92nd Infantry...

The principal of an Islamic boarding school on Buffalo’s East Side has been forced to resign after allegations that he was sexually involved with one of his students and that he claimed to have taken her as a second wife. Evidence suggests Mohammed Ibrahim Memon, a father of seven, persuaded Sajidah Khan, then 21, to marry under Islamic law as a pretense to sleep with her.

He may have taken student as second wife The principal of an Islamic boarding school on Buffalo’s East Side has been forced to resign after allegations that he was sexually involved with one of his students and that he claimed to have taken her as a second wife. Evidence suggests Mohammed Ibrahim Memon, a father of seven, persuaded Sajidah Khan, then 21, to marry under Islamic law as a pretense to sleep with her. Memon, an Islamic scholar and imam, has agreed to leave his post at Darul-Uloom Al-Madania, 182 Sobieski St., for a minimum of seven years...

The fact that charter schools have posted some of the highest state test scores among Buffalo schools this year speaks to the validity of what was once considered an educational experiment. As recently reported, a couple of city-based charter schools posted math and English test results among the best of any schools in Erie and Niagara counties — and charter schools significantly outperformed the city’s traditional public schools. Tapestry, South Buffalo, Elmwood Village and Buffalo United consistently ranked in the Top 10 among all Buffalo schools in the recent math and English tests. Community, Westminster and Pinnacle schools appeared in...

A federal judge today ruled against the Seneca Nation's Buffalo Creek Casino, saying that casino gambling cannot legally take place on the nine-acre site on Michigan Avenue. U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny, in a 127-page decision, vacated the earlier decision by the commissioner of the National Indian Gaming Commission to allow gambling. It was not immediately clear whether Skretny's ruling will halt construction on the $333 million permanent casino, but it is clear that the temporary casino no longer has the legal right to operate. Skretny ruled that the parcel is indeed Indian country. "However, the court finds that...

"Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain might not burn up the campaign trail around Western New York this election year, but the University at Buffalo may have scheduled the next best thing. GOP strategist Karl Rove and former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards will debate the issues of the presidential campaign Sept. 26 as part of the university’s Distinguished Speakers Series, The Buffalo News has learned. As surrogates for the parties’ standard bearers, the two also could square off more than once at other locations around the nation. “We’re working on something like that for our Distinguished Speakers Series,”...

By T.J. Pignataro - News Staff Reporter 03/26/08 A public alert was issued early this evening by Buffalo Police, warning that a gang could be staging rear-end collisions tonight on area roadways and then attacking drivers as part of an initiation ritual. Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson called an emergency news conference at police headquarters just before 6:30 p.m. to make the announcement. He said police received "credible information" late this afternoon suggesting that the initiation ritual could involve gang member recruits intentionally causing rear-end collisions and then robbing or assaulting the other driver. Gipson suggested motorists be aware of their...

m they'd never met before, nine people boarded the raft in Niagara Falls, Ont. With a puttering motor dragging the overloaded vessel -- carrying at least twice the 660 pounds for which it was rated -- across the current of the upper Niagara River, with no oars, anchor or even lifejackets to protect them if it failed, they made their way to Grand Island. Where the United States Border Patrol was waiting. Smuggling certainly isn't what it used to be in Niagara Falls. The area's role as one of the busiest crossings for bootleggers during Prohibition remains part of regional...

Two U.S. Border Patrol agents parked near the tracks at Union Station on a recent morning. Amtrak passengers filed out onto the platform, ready to board. The train screeched to a stop on the southbound tracks. The agents set to work. They checked passengers boarding the train. Then the agents got on the train. They walked down the aisles of two coach cars, asking some of the 150 riders -- many half-asleep in their seats -- for identification. The conductor stood outside on the platform. This is part of his routine -- the daily visit from federal agents whom some...

MESA, Ariz. - Fire officials say a Cave Creek man who was trying to ride his pet buffalo was mauled by the animal after it bucked him off. The man, 75, was flown to a Scottsdale hospital after the incident at his home about 20 miles north of downtown Phoenix on Monday. John Kraetz, a district chief for the Rural/Metro fire department, said the unidentified man suffered non-life threatening injuries. The man owned two of the animals. Kraetz said he's never been on a similar call. "People do have buffalo on their property, but it's pretty darn uncommon," he said.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Gary Roberts pulled his 41-year-old legs out of his skates in the warmth of the visitors dressing room at Madison Square Garden. The mere thought of playing a real NHL game outside in the elements of Western New York on New Year's Day suddenly shook him from his comfort zone. The "Winter Classic" is just days away, and the longtime veteran's list of preparations consists of one. "Yeah, how I'm going to get out of it," he said, causing an eruption of laughter from his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates. Come Tuesday, the Penguins will hit the...

The elderly man crying on the sidewalk outside Precious Blood on Lewis Street didn’t have money or influence. All he had was pride — and love for his church.His family had saved for years to install a stained-glass window in Precious Blood, a towering stone landmark built in 1899 on the Polish East Side. Now, Precious Blood has gone dark.That old man, crying for his loss one afternoon this fall, is weakened by it. So too are the rest of us.Christmas, the season of new birth, has become for many Catholics in Western New York a time of mourning and...

Once out of the snow, the Cleveland Browns slid closer to a spot in the AFC playoffs. Jamal Lewis plowed for 163 yards and Phil Dawson somehow kicked two field goals through harsh, wintry winds as the surprising Browns improved their postseason chances with an 8-0 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. In blizzard-like conditions better suited for the Iditarod sled-dog race, the Browns (9-5), who never figured to be playing meaningful games in December when the season started, picked up one of their biggest wins since returning as an expansion franchise in 1999. Cleveland needed a win and...

A Conservative Website for Rochester, NY, Launched Today, RochesterConservative.com I'd like to invite all Freepers to come on over and visit RochesterConservative.com, the Conservative website for the Greater Rochester, NY area. Our country is currently in the midst of a cultural war between the left and right, liberal versus conservative, athiest versus Judeo/Christian. Anybody who’s been following or participating in blogs and internet forums has probably taken note of this. RochesterConservative.com is a grassroots effort to spread the word that smaller government is good government and self reliance and love of God and Country is still considered a virtue in...

In the 75 years that followed [the Great Depression], this once-mighty metropolis lost 55% of its population,, one of the 20 most quickly deteriorating [metropolitan] regions in the nation. 27% of Buffalo's residents are poor, more than twice the national average. The median family income is just $33,000, less than 60% of the nationwide figure of $55,000. Buffalo's collapse...—seems to cry out for a policy response. Couldn't Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer use their influence on Capitol Hill to bring some needed relief? The truth is, the federal government has already spent vast sums of taxpayer money over the...

Queen City Cigarettes & Candy, a Clinton Street warehouse owned by food broker Mohamed T. Albanna, is one element of investigators' picture of a money-transmitting business that sent large sums to Yemen. A leader of Lackawanna's Yemeni-American community and two other men were in custody today on charges they operated an illegal money-transmitting business that sent funds from Western New York to Yemen. Mohamed T. Albanna, vice president of the American Muslim Council of Western New York and a frequent spokesman for the defendants known as the "Lackawanna Six," appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott on Tuesday after...

Man of the people - arrested By SANDRA TAN News Staff Reporter 12/18/2002 Mohamed T. Albanna, photographed in his Clinton Street store last July, is considered outspoken on issues crucial to Lackawanna. Business owner Andrea Haxton saw Mohamed T. Albanna several days a week. He was her main cigarette distributor and regularly dropped off boxes at her A&E Goods store on Ridge Road and Ingham Avenue on his way home from work. "He delivers them, we pay him, chit-chat, and he goes home," the Lackawanna business owner said. "We talk about politics all the time." Albanna came by Monday night...

It was eagerly anticipated news when the Bills provided an update on Kevin Everett Monday afternoon, following his game halting spine injury on the second half kickoff of Sunday's loss to Denver. But the update only gave a clearer picture as to the severity of what is still a potentially lethal injury, and the steps that were taken to give him the greatest chance for recovery. Everett suffered a fracture dislocation between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. So there was an injury to the cervical spine and cervical spinal cord. But the spinal cord was intact. There was disc...

A search for answers in the case against the Lackawanna SixBy Mark Sommer NEWS BOOK REVIEWER Updated: 09/09/07 6:29 AM The arraignment of the Lackawanna Six attracted national attention. Derek Gee/Buffalo News It was five years ago today that police apprehended the first member of what was quickly dubbed the Lackawanna Six. Headlines blared far beyond Western New York, as news stories raised the specter of homegrown terrorists training with al-Qaida in southern Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden, it would later be revealed, was present, too. President Bush, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller quickly proclaimed the Lackawanna...

The body of a missing priest from St. Bonaventure University was found Monday night in the Kinzua Dam Reservoir. Father Greg Brennan vanished over the weekend while boating along the New York-Pennsylvania border. Two priests from St. Bonaventure identified Father Brennan's body. In a written statement, St. Bonaventure President Sister Margaret Carney said "Our hearts are broken, both personally and professionally here at St. Bonaventure and for all of the people in the Southern Tier whose lives Father Greg touched, especially his parishioners at St. Pacificus and all of the fire company members in Olean and Allegany to whom he...

For most area Catholics, the Latin Mass either is a hazy memory or a footnote in church history. But next month, the ancient rite, set aside nearly 40 years ago in favor of a new, vastly different Mass, will be welcomed back in area churches — thanks to a recent apostolic letter from Pope Benedict XVI. The letter is unlikely to change the way most Catholics in the Diocese of Buffalo experience their liturgies. Still, traditionalists were thrilled by the July announcement. “It’s lifted a stigma. It’s almost like being freed,� said Al Huntz, president of the local chapter of...

Catholic parishioners aren’t the only ones being uprooted from their churches as the Diocese of Buffalo follows through on its downsizing. As churches close and merge, scores of priests will be getting new parish assignments, and uncertainty about where they’re headed has some priests privately questioning the closings and raising concerns about future workloads and living arrangements. An unsigned letter distributed to priests has even urged clergy to form a union. “I know there’s quite a bit of uncertainty out there for priests,� said Monsignor W. Jerome Sullivan, coordinator of the diocese’s priest personnel board, which helps the bishop determine...

FORT HUACHUCA — Another step in honoring the historic presence of black soldiers was taken on this Southern Arizona post Friday as six shovels of dirt were turned over, breaking ground on the Buffalo Soldier Legacy Plaza. The event was appropriate, as 2007 is the Year of the Buffalo Soldier on the post, so designated by Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, former commander of the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca. “I had no real understanding of what service they (Buffalo Soldiers) did for the country.” said James Kimo Williams, a Vietnam War veteran, a speaker at the groundbreaking ceremony talking about...

They were an anachronism — soldiers on horseback in a war fought with tanks and B-17s. Nevertheless, here they were during World War II, patrolling the rugged hills and canyons along the border between California and Mexico. "They were about four-hour shifts. I would relieve you and your horse. We would ride back and forth looking for men. We never found any," says Andrew Whitaker. Whitaker, 87, was a member of the famed Buffalo Soldiers, all-black units formed by Congress after the Civil War. Nicknamed by the Indians they often battled against, the Buffalo Soldiers of the U.S. Army became...

San Antonio has grown accustomed to winning NBA titles. Its citizens are used to attending championship parades. Elsewhere in the United States, though, long-suffering fans are clamoring for a world championship. Callers to sports talk radio shows and Internet message board posters express their angst daily. "I've been a Buffalo sports fan all my life and except for the 64-65 AFL championships, well, you know the rest of the story," a poster identified as "Bilzfancy' wrote on Bills.com after the Sabres fell in the NHL's Eastern Conference finals. "I will not give up and will be a diehard but the...

Urban cowboy with holstered handgun arrested Updated: 06/02/07 11:06 AM A Best Street man was arrested late Friday on weapons possession charges after he was spotted by police wearing a holstered handgun in plain view. The incident happened just before midnight. Samuel Shannon, 23, was walking north on Myers Street with the revolver in a black holster on the right side of his waist, according to police, and he tried to conceal the weapon with his sweat shirt when he saw a marked police car. When police got out of the car, Shannon tried to remove the gun from the...

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration plans to accelerate deliveries of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles for the U.S. military in Iraq. Officials said not one Marine has been killed during 300 IED attacks on MRAPs. They said MRAP's raised, V-shaped underbelly deflected the force of IEDs. In all, the Marines have deployed 65 MRAPs in Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said MRAP offered improved troop protection over up-armored Humvees. Gates said MRAP would replace armored Humvees, particularly in the Marine Corps. "Our experience is that Marines in these vehicles have been four or five times safer than a Marine in...

WASHINGTON — The stakes are rising for nine companies vying to supply new armored vehicles to U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the Pentagon will name winners for a big chunk of the $8.4 billion contract in June, shares of one competitor — Force Protection Industries Inc. of Ladson, S.C. — soared Thursday on word that the Army plans to boost its order for next-generation armored vehicles. Force Protection, the maker of the largest mine-resistant vehicles, last month received the largest order to date — a deal worth $481.4 million to deliver 1,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP,...

SIERRA VISTA — “Forget me not” is the plea of the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers, as the group begins a nationwide fundraiser. The Mountain View Colored Officers Club Restoration Project is what the group doesn’t want forgotten. The project has become even more important now that the association is required to put in $200,000 of repairs to Building 66050 on Fort Huachuca by the end of March 2008, according to an Oct. 30 lease between the Army and the nonprofit group. “The Army Corps of Engineers has taken our feet out of the mire and put them into the...

(CNN) -- Two men tried to re-enter Canada from the United States early Saturday with handguns and ammunition strapped to their bodies, Canadian police said. Ali Dirie, 22, and Yasin Mohamed, 23 -- both Canadians from the Toronto area -- face weapons-related charges and are in police custody in Niagara Falls, Ontario, according to a police statement. Ontario's Provincial Weapons Enforcement Team and the Niagara Regional Police Service are investigating.

BUFFALO NEWS Judge upholds ruling against Seneca casino By Dan Herbeck NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 04/21/07 6:55 AM A federal judge delivered another legal blow late Friday to the Seneca Nation of Indians' plans for a gambling casino in downtown Buffalo. In a 14-page ruling, District Judge William M. Skretny refused to overturn his January decision ordering a federal commission to reconsider the tribe's casino agreement with the state. The decision is anything but good news for the Senecas, who have been building a small temporary casino, which they hope to open this year near HSBC Arena. "For us, this...

Pfc. Richard Chamberlin, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, poses with the National Football League's Buffalo Bills' cheerleaders, the Jills, during their visit to Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Feb. 25. The Jills singed autographs, posed for pictures and preformed a routine for the Soldiers. BAQUBAH -- Most Soldiers stationed in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08 donÂ’t wake up to cheerleaders, but thatÂ’s exactly what happened to the Soldiers stationed on Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Feb. 25.The National Football LeagueÂ’s Buffalo BillsÂ’ cheerleaders, the Buffalo Jills, arrived in the morning...

Everyone is talking about a huge Sabres brawl. Many fans say it was the wildest game they ever saw! Here's how it happened Thursday night at HSBC Arena against the Ottawa Senators. It all started in the second period, when Buffalo Sabres captain Chris Drury got injured after taking a brutal hit by Senators forward Chris Neil.

Bison poop has more to offer than a field-clearing smell. Genetic analysis of the feces has revealed there are two breeding populations of bison in Yellowstone National Park, according to a new study. The discovery has implications for how to manage the roughly 4,000 bison (called Bison bison by scientists), which were previously considered one giant breeding population within the park's boundaries... The poop itself doesn’t contain the DNA. When a bison chows down, the roughage scoots through the digestive tract before a less-recognizable chunk of it passes out of the gut. During the descent, cells lining the gut slough...

BUFFALO, January 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Catholic deacon has been reprimanded for taking a pro-abortion Congressman to task on his voting record during a homily on “Respect Life Sunday.” Deacon Tom McDonnell pointed out that Democrat Rep. Brian Higgins, in attendance with his family, had voted in favour of legislation allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and suggested that parishioners could talk to him about his vote. The Congressman and his family walked out of the church. Rep. Brian Higgins was endorsed in 2006 by the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood for his support...

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo will close 14 elementary schools in June - its most dramatic and controversial effort to staunch enrollment declines and ensure the long-term viability of Catholic education in Western New York. Bishop Edward U. Kmiec is expected to announce the closings this morning at a news conference in the Catholic Center. The closures were spread among four municipalities in Erie County, as well as Dunkirk and Attica. They are: St. Agnes, St. Bernard and St. Rose of Lima in Buffalo; Kolbe Catholic School, Resurrection, St. Barnabas, St. Josaphat, Infant of Prague and St. Aloysius Gonzaga in...

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - WBEN has learned that a possible suspect was picked up for questioning in the Bike Path Rapist investigation this morning. Sources tell WBEN that the suspect, Altimio Sanchez, is under arrest. Police sources say Sanchez' DNA is a match to the three murders and nine sexual assaults along bike paths and other isolated areas since the 1980's. He is said to be a 48-year old Cheektowaga resident.