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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Buffalo, New York —Judge Justice Christopher Burns of the New York State Supreme Court has ordered a halt to an emergency demolition on a 19th century stable and livery on 428-430 Jersey Street in Buffalo, New York that partially collapsed on Wednesday June 11, initially causing at least 15 homes to be evacuated. At least two homes remain evacuated.

Burns orders that both the city and the group Save The Livery (www.savethelivery.com) have to come to an agreement on what to do with the building, and try to work out ways of saving at least some portions if it including the facade, side walls and a lift tower. Save The Livery is comprised of concerned area residents who have grown to love the building’s historic and unique character. On June 14, they won a temporary restraining order to stop demolition. The court ruled that the city was only allowed to remove material in immediate danger to residents and pedestrians, but stated that the demolition could only be performed with “hand tools.” The court also ordered that any rubble which had fallen into neighboring yards when the building collapsed, to be removed.

“It is in the interest of the city to have a safe environment–but also important to maintain a sense of historical preservation,” stated Burns in his ruling. Burns has given the sides until tomorrow (Friday June 20) to come to an agreement and has ordered both parties to return to court at 9:30 a.m. (eastern time) “sharp.” Activists of Save The Livery urge supporters of the stable to “fill the courtroom” to show “continued and ongoing support.” The hearing is scheduled to take place at 25 Delaware Avenue in the Supreme Court building, 3rd Floor, trial part 19.

Currently the building is owned by Bob Freudenheim who has several building violations against him because of the buildings poor condition. He has received at least five violations in three months and residents who live near the building state that Freudenheim should be “100% responsible” for his actions. Many are afraid that if the building is demolished, Freudenheim’s charges of neglect will be abolished.

On June 17, developer and CEO of Savarino Companies, Sam Savarino was at the site of the stable, discussing the building with residents and preservationists. In 2006, Savarino proposed and planned The Elmwood Village Hotel, a ‘botique’ hotel on the Southeast corner of Elmwood and Forest Avenues. The project was later withdrawn after residents filed a lawsuit against Savarino and the city. Wikinews extensively covered the story, and contacted Savarino for his professional opinion on the building.

“[I would] love to see it preserved. I was there to see if there was anything we could do to help, to see if anything can be salvaged. I just want to see the right thing happen, and so does the city,” stated Savarino to Wikinews who added that he was allowed inside the building for a brief period.

“The side walls are beyond repair. The roof has rotted and it could come down at any time,” added Savarino who also said that the building “below the second floor appears to be stable.” He also states that the back wall of the building, which borders several homes, appears to be intact.

“Eliminating the back wall could be a problem for the neighbors. It is not unreasonable to leave at least 12 feet” of the back wall standing, added Savarino.

Savarino did not say if he was interested in buying the property, but did state, “I am sure there are a couple of people interested” in buying the property. On Thursday, Buffalo News reported that a “businessman” might be interested in purchasing the property, though Wikinews is not able to independently confirm the report. Savarino says that with the property still slated for emergency demolition, a potential buyer could face tax fees of nearly US$300,000.

Freudenheim gave the city permission to demolish the building on Thursday June 12 during an emergency Preservation Board meeting, because he would not be “rehabilitating the building anytime soon.” Freudenheim, along with his wife Nina, were part-owners of the Hotel Lenox at 140 North Street in Buffalo and were advocates to stop the Elmwood Village Hotel. They also financially supported a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the hotel from being built. Though it is not known exactly how long Freudenheim has owned the stable, Wikinews has learned that he was the owner while fighting to stop the hotel from being built. Residents say that he has been the owner for at least 22 years.

The building was first owned by a company called White Bros. and was used as a stable for a farm which once covered the land around the building for several blocks. The Buffalo Fire Department believes the building was built around 1814, while the city property database states it was built in 1870. Servants and workers of the farm were housed inside resident quarters situated at the rear of the building on what is now Summer Street, but are now cottages where area residents currently reside. Some date as far back as 1829.

At about 1950, the stable was converted into an automobile body shop and gasoline station.A property record search showed that in 1950 at least four fuel storage tanks were installed on the property. Two are listed as 550 square feet while the other two are 2,000 square feet. All of the tanks are designated as a TK4, which New York State says is used for “below ground horizontal bulk fuel storage.” The cost of installing a tank of that nature according to the state, at that time, included the tank itself, “excavation and backfill,” but did not include “the piping, ballast, or hold-down slab orring.” It is not known if the tanks are still on the property, but residents are concerned the city was not taking the precautions to find out.

Monday, December 31, 2007

What would you tell your grandchildren about 2007 if they asked you about it in, let’s say, 20 year’s time? If the answer to a quiz question was 2007, what would the question be? The year that you first signed on to Facebook? The year Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse fell apart? The year author Kurt Vonnegut or mime Marcel Marceau died, both at 84?

Let’s take a look at some of the international stories of 2007. Links to the original Wikinews articles are in bold.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Australian poker player Joseph Hachem outlasted nearly 6,000 other players and a final table that lasted until nearly 7:00 AM local time to win the 36th World Series of Poker main event title. Hachem won a top prize of US$7.5 million.

On the sixth hand of heads-up play against American Steve Dannenman, Hachem made a seven-high straight on the flop, which held up until the river to give him the win. Dannenman took home US$4.25 million for the second place finish.

Hachem became the first non-American player to win the main event since Spaniard Carlos Mortensen won the title in 2001. He is also the first since Mortensen to win without qualifying through an Internet poker portal.

Notable finishers include Irish professional Andrew Black in fifth place, American professional Mike Matusow in ninth, American professional Phil Ivey in 20th, and 2004 champion Greg Raymer in 25th.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Photos showing Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) leader Warren Jeffs with child brides were entered into evidence Friday in a Texas court case involving children seized from the Yearning For Zion (YFZ) Ranch by State authorities in April. Texas officials removed over 400 children from the Eldorado, Texas YFZ Ranch in early April on suspicion of widespread child abuse.

The photos were entered into evidence as part of the case in Tom Green County District Court. Officials claim there is a “pervasive pattern” of underage girls forced into marriage with older men. The photos show Warren Jeffs kissing and hugging young girls, and attorneys for Texas Child Protective Services claim that one of the girls shown in the photos is a 12-year old “bride”. The photos are dated from July 2006 and January 2005.

The State of Texas is seeking custody of a baby boy born to Louisa Bradshaw and her “husband” Dan Jessop. According to the Deseret News, Jessop was asked if he thought the photos of Jeffs and the girls was evidence of sexual abuse, to which he responded, “I do not consider a girl kissing a man sex abuse.” Child Protective Services lawyers told the court that the photos show Jeffs kissing the girls similar to “how a husband kisses a wife”.

Deseret News reported that Protective Services lawyers did not say how the images of Jeffs were obtained, but said that the photos illustrate a culture of abuse at the compound. According to CNN, information revealed in court shows that one of the girls in the photos is an aunt to the children involved in the Texas custody hearing and lived on the YFZ Ranch. CNN reports that the girl’s birth date was given as July 1994 and she is 13 years old. She was taken into state custody by Texas officials along with other children in April.

ABC News reported that an alleged child bride shown in the photographs was set to give testimony in court, but state attorneys and FLDS representatives came to a resolution and agreed that Protective Services would retain custody of Louisa Bradshaw’s baby. The baby was born in Texas state custody. Bradshaw was initially taken into custody as well because authorities thought she was under age, but it has since been revealed that she is over the age of 18. According to ABC News Bradshaw will remain with her baby in a shelter. Protective Services said that Bradshaw and Jessop lived in the same building as the 12-year old girl shown in the photographs with Jeffs.

Jeffs is seen in one set of photos from January 26, 2005 labeled “First anniversary” with a girl called “Loretta”. In another set dated July 27, 2005, Jeffs is shown with a girl referred to as “Merrianne”. Child Protective Services officials said that they have evidence that “Merrianne” was 12 years old when she was married to Jeffs at the YFZ compound. The Vancouver Sun reported that, per a family member, “Loretta” was no older than 12 when she was married. Portions from the set of photos were displayed at media sites including Radar Online, CNN, FOX News, National Nine News and ABC News, and the website The Smoking Gun made three of the court exhibits available for viewing.

In a statement made Tuesday to CNN, Salt Lake City, Utah attorney and spokesman for FLDS families Rod Parker said the photos were an effort by Child Protective Services to “get publicity” and “paint everybody with the same brush”. “What I’m saying is, that isn’t fair, and each parent of each family is entitled to stand on its own. And these photos have no ties to this particular family in a way that’s relevant to these proceedings,” said Parker.

“I’m sure law enforcement in several states will take a look to see what more can be done,” said Utah Attorney General‘s Office Paul Murphy in a statement to ABC News. Murphy said that investigators may look further into the photographs to determine if evidence shows the girls were abused, and if so where, before charges could be brought. “Everyone who saw those photos did a complete gasp. I think they’re shocking,” he said.

In a ruling made last week in a case involving 38 FLDS mothers and 124 children, the Texas 3rd District Court of Appeals said that the state did not have the right to remove those children from the compound. The appeals court said that Child Protective Services was unable to prove that the children in the compound were at risk of immediate physical harm. Texas law states that “a danger to the physical health or safety of the child which was caused by an act or failure to act of the person entitled to possession and for the child to remain in the home is contrary to the welfare of the child” must be shown in order to remove that child from the home.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services filed court papers Wednesday asserting that FLDS families may flee the state if they are reunited with their children after the Texas appeals court ruling. Protective Services officials are worried that if the families leave the court’s jurisdiction, children could be at risk of abuse. In response, attorneys for mothers of the children in custody filed a counter-motion. The mothers claim that the children are under “continuing, irreparable harm every day that they are separated from their parents”.

Warren Jeffs was convicted in September 2007 of two counts of being an accomplice to rape related to a 2001 wedding he arranged between a 14-year old girl and her 19-year old cousin. He was sentenced to two consecutive five-year prison sentences in Utah, and faces an impending trial in Arizona on eight charges including sexual conduct with a minor, incest and conspiracy.

The FLDS group has approximately 10,000 members total, and was founded in the 1930s. It split from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) after the LDS Church abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

The United States House of Representatives has passed The Affordable Health Care for America Act or HR 3962, a bill which would ensure that 95–96% of US citizens receive affordable health care.

HR 3962 was passed with 220 yeas and 215 nays. Democrats in the house needed at least 218 votes to pass the bill. 39 Democrats voted against the bill, which contained the Stupak amendment. This amendment curtailed women’s abortion rights. One Republican, Representative Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted for the bill.

The US Senate has drafted their own health care bill, S. 1679. It is not yet known when the Senate will vote on their version of the bill, but in the end both versions must be merged into one with both the House and Senate voting again.

The health care program associated with HR 3962 is estimated to cost over US$1 trillion over ten years, according to the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who states that it will result in “[…] not one dime added to the deficit.”

US President Barack Obama says that he is “confident” that the Senate will be able to come to an agreement and pass a completed bill. Obama added that he hopes to sign a “comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.”

Sunday, March 20, 2011

A house fire in Bristol, England has caused the deaths of two brothers, identified as Charlie, aged five, and seven-year-old Mackenzie. Emergency services were called to the scene in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The bodies were discovered by firemen, at the scene in the suburb of Bradley Stoke around 0630 UTC. Police and ambulance services were also in attendance. Prior to their arrival, three other children and two adults escaped from the building in Merryweather Close through windows.

Speaking on behalf of Avon Fire and Rescue Service, manager William Roberts explained: “When crews arrived, the fire was fully developed and engulfing the first floor and roof space. Sadly, when crews entered the building they found the children. They were both upstairs, one in back bedroom, one in front. It is a sad day for the Bradley Stoke community and Avon fire. The ceiling has fallen in on itself and on top of our evidence. This is probably the worst fire I’ve seen in my 32 years.”

According to Roberts, smoke alarms were in the building, however the damage was “so extensive” that it is uncertain as to whether or not they were functioning correctly. “A full investigation has been launched by the police and fire investigators. No formal identification has yet taken place,” Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s Detective Sergeant Simon Chubb stated.