Local News
HAZING CASE: Civil suit looms for Wilson School District
Lawyers for the alleged victims in the Wilson baseball team case are preparing to take their civil lawsuits to court against the school district.
A jury trial made up from a Niagara County pool is expected. Attorney Terry Connors represents parents of two junior varsity players. Chris O’Brien and Steve Boyd represent the parents of one. The lawyers would not divulge what monetary damages the families are seeking, and no trial date for the lawsuit has been set.
“If there were a way for the jury to turn back the clock, the parents would take that in a heartbeat,” O’Brien said Wednesday. “No one wants to be involved in a lawsuit.”
At the coaches’ news conference Wednesday, Kary Sidote, mother of player defendant Christopher Sidote Jr., called the civil suit “baloney” and said the lawsuit is about money.
“They’ve even put their kids on the line for cash,” she said. “You want to know what the main motivation is? They want money.”
Chris Sidote Sr. offered: “The student body has moved past it. It’s the parents.”
However, O’Brien said his firm has made overtures to the school district and tried to get the matter resolved short of a lawsuit. “Whatever the jury decides, we don’t want a penny more,” the lawyer said.
O’Brien said the families of the victims have incurred expenses, including counseling, since charges were brought against three varsity players and two coaches. Connors said the civil suit was not affected by charges being dismissed against coaches William Atlas and Thomas Baia by Town Justice George Berger.
O’Brien said the facts show that boys were being hazed on the back of the bus, that one of the charged boys had been hazed before, and that there were no coaches on the back of the bus. He asserts there was negligence, and that the civil case is against the school district, not the players or the coaches.
“We stand by our kids,” Connors said. “We stand by their statements and we’re moving forward.
“We’re going to be filing a lawsuit in next two weeks.”
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NIAGARA FALLS: St. Patrick’s Day tradition kicks off with World’s Shortest Parade
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NIAGARA-WHEATFIELD: Technology budget to take a big hit
Niagara-Wheatfield officials came one step closer to arriving at a proposed 2010-11 district budget Wednesday as Technology Director Mary Ann Buch proposed lopping $475,940 from her department budget next year in an effort to help the district deal with a tight fiscal situation.
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COURTS: New lawyer for DelRio
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CITY DPW: Request made for ‘modest’ wage increases for director, staff
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ALBANY: Schimminger, Thompson rank high on expense list
Albany may be having trouble with its finances, but that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from spending big dollars on staff and office supplies.
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AFTERNOON UPDATE for March 17
A look at the news in today's — and tomorrow's Gazette
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NIAGARA FALLS: Police, ATF pick up gang members
Two gang members being sought in connection with the recent rash of violence in the city were picked up Monday and Tuesday by Falls police.
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HOUSING AUTHORITY: Bringing in the garbage
The Niagara Falls Housing Authority will spend $94,000 on a garbage collection system upgrade at Packard Court and Jordan Gardens.
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LEW-PORT: Students, teachers defend programs
A parent defending Advanced Placement classes, young musicians telling the school board of their love for the trumpet and a high school principal recognizing hard-working students and the best graduation rate in Niagara County, all brought resounding applause to the crowd of more than 95 teachers, parents and taxpayers at Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Lewiston-Porter school board.
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LEW-PORT: District targeted for audit
The office of the State Comptroller has begun an audit of the Lewiston-Porter School District, a representative told the Niagara Gazette Tuesday.
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