TOWN OF TONAWANDA, NY (Erie County Fire Blotter) – Investigators from the Town of Tonawanda and Erie County Sheriff’s Office want to know why a file room at the Dunlop Tire Plant at 10 Sheridan Drive was set on fire. This was the second fire at the plant since the month of June.

Read the rest of the story at the Erie County Fire Blotter.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Senator Patrick M. Gallivan joined together today in Orchard Park to sign legislation to strengthen the state’s law against texting while driving.

The bill, co-sponsored by Senator Gallivan (R,C,I-59th District), gives law enforcement the authority to pull over a motorist who is text messaging, e-mailing, transmitting images, or playing games while driving -- making it a primary traffic offense. Previous statute considered texting while driving a secondary offense, meaning police could only stop a texting driver if they had committed an additional infraction like speeding or failing to stop at a traffic signal.

“Today is about one thing – saving lives,” said Gallivan. “We have seen far too many tragedies caused by driving distracted to sit idly by any longer.

WILSON, N.Y. - The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Thursday annouced the arrest of Alex J Shelbayeh, age 22 of Ransomville, NY. Shelbayeh was arrested by Sheriff’s Investigators Jeff Pytlik and Ray Degan on Friday, July 1st after an arrest warrant was issued by Wilson Town Court.

Shelbayeh has been charged with third degree burglary, fourth degree grand larceny, and third degree criminal mischief, all felonies, following an extensive investigation into several burglaries and attempted burglaries over the past five months at the Village of Wilson Pharmacy. This arrest warrant was issued following the investigation of a May 5th, 2011 burglary in which the business was entered and prescription medication was stolen.

Shelbayeh is being held at the Niagara County Jail with $50,000 cash or $100,000 property bail. The investigation continues by Sheriff’s investigators into the remaining cases at the Wilson Pharmacy and Peterson Drugs in Newfane.