Ripped from the Buffalo headlines

Nik Wallenda Tightrope Walk

June 15, 2012

Thirty-three-year-old high wire artist Nik Wallenda made headlines in the Buffalo-Niagara region after crossing Niagara Falls from the U.S. to Canada on a tightrope.

Wallenda walked the two-inch wire across the 1,800-foot space, standing 180 feet above the water.

Walking across Niagara Falls hadn't been attempted since 1896, when James Hardy had completed the feat. The walk took 26 minutes to complete, and Wallenda says that his next attempt will be the Grand Canyon.

ECMC Locks Down After Surgeon Shoots Receptionist
June 13, 2012

Forty-nine-year-old Timothy Jorden, a trauma surgeon at Erie County Medical Center, lured his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Jackie Wisnewski into a stairwell at ECMC, where he shot her in the head at point-blank range. The single mother from West Seneca was later found dead by hospital staff.

The hospital remained on lockdown while police officers and a SWAT team searched for Jorden. They also searched Jorden's home, still unable to find the once-award-winning surgeon. It took until later in the week to find his body in a ravine near his house. Jorden had taken his ex-lover's life, along with his.

Two Buffalo public schools, Wright School of Excellence and P.S. 84 were both on lockdown as well after the incident.

Prior to the shooting, Wisnewski had told close friends that Jorden had "abused her" and that he had been "stalking her." She had also told friends that she was scared, and said, "If anything happens to me, you know who did it," according to The Buffalo News.

Corasanti Acquitted of All Felony Charges

May 2012

Dr. James J. Corasanti was acquitted of all felony charges for his involvement in an accident that left 18-year-old Alix Rice dead last July. After 13 days of prosecuting, the jury determined that Corasanti's actions were a "terrible, but understandable accident," according to The Buffalo News.

The 56-year-old Amherst doctor was on his way home from a country club event, when he suddenly struck the 18-year-old girl, who was on her way home from her job at a pizzeria. Rice had been riding her long board home.

Corasanti's toxicology reports showed that he had a BAC of .10, which is above the legal limit, five hours after the incident. This means that at the time of the accident his BAC was likely in the range of .14 to .21 percent, according to The Buffalo News.

Rice's family still remains in disbelief after Corasanti was found not guilty of the majority charges.

Many in the Buffalo community were in shock, as they assumed there was enough evidence to put the doctor behind bars.

SPCA Raid

Feburary - May 2012

Susan J. Davila,the former manager and board presidentof the Wyoming County SPCA, was brought to court for 20 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty this May.

Both the SPCA's Attica location and the adoption center in the Eastern Hills Mall in Clarence were raided, and 515 cats and three dogs were removed from the two facilities.

The animals were living in Attica in a small building, and the conditions were described as deplorable. State police said that the animals were living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, which failed to provide sufficient veterinary care.

Former SPCA President Janet M. Foisset of Cheektowaga was charged with one count of tampering with evidence after Davila and Foisset tried to hide the animals'conditions of the animals by investigating at a home in Lawtons. Foisset and Davila are accused of hiding 200 cats in the basement of the Wyoming County SPCA until this past January.

First Niagara Buys Out HSBC

August 1, 2011

First Niagara Bank agreed to buy out all 195 HSBC branches from New York to Connecticut.

First Niagara, the Buffalo-based bank, said it would pay $1 billion in cash to acquire almost all of HSBC's retail banking presence in New York State north of New York City, plus six branches in Connecticut, including 71 offices in the Western New York area, according to The Buffalo News.

First Niagara is ranked as the No. 3 bank in the region. The buyout agreement came when First Niagara began its quest into Massachusetts and took over a bank in New Haven, Conn.

Over 1,900 HSBC employees who worked with the once-admired banking branch of Western New York were retained by First Niagara.

Although 38 percent of the market belonged to Buffalo's HSBC bank, most of the market shares were not retained; First Niagara would have owned too much of the market share after the deal closed.

On May 18, all customers' accounts that were previously with HSBC were transitioned to First Niagara, according HSBC's website.

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