LOCAL BRIEFS

Border crossing offences in the courts

Two people face prison sentences stemming from unrelated incidents which occurred at Niagara border crossings. Abdoulaye Barry, a citizen of Guinea, pleaded guilty this week in a Buffalo, N.Y. court to possessing a fraudulent passport card and aggravated identity theft. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. According to assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque, Barry was stopped at the Rainbow Bridge Feb. 26 after border officials found a fake U.S. passport. The passport had his photograph, but also the name and card number of another person. He was also carrying a fake Ohio driver’s license and Florida driver’s license bearing the name and photograph of another person as well a several credit and debit cards. The 25-year-old returns to court in August for sentencing. In an unrelated matter, LaTanya Notice pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal officer. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Court heard the 42-year-old woman and a male companion crossed the Peace Bridge in January 2013. She told border officials the man was her brother. A database check revealed the man had served 72 months in prison in New York on various charges including conspiracy to commit murder. He had been deported in 2012 and banned from entering the U.S. Notice then admitted the man was her husband, not her brother. She returns to court in July for sentencing. Niagara OPP are still investigating a crash on Highway 140 that sent a man to hospital by air ambulance Tuesday morning. The crash took place at 8:10 a.m. just north of Buchner Road in Welland when a car slammed into the back end of a stopped cube van. The cube van and other vehicles were waiting for a bus to make a left turn onto Buchner Road. Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics and Welland Fire and Emergency Services firefighters worked together to extricate the driver of the car from his vehicle, while OPP and Niagara Regional Police closed off the highway. An Ornge air ambulance was dispatched to the scene and transported the man to St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto. “The driver had serious injuries, but he’s in a far better position than he was,” Niagara OPP Staff Sgt. Dan Briggs said Wednesday. Briggs said the crash investigation is ongoing, but that officers had a good look at the scene and had already interviewed a number of witnesses to the incident. “We’re just putting the rest of the pieces together.”

Hwy. 140 crash under investigation Storm chasers to speak at Niagara College

Want to know why storm chasers hunt down severe weather? You’ll have a chance this Friday as three experienced storm chasers talk about storm chasing, extreme weather and how to stay safe when severe weather approaches.

George Kourounis, The Weather Network’s Mark Robinson, and Patricia Martel of Niagara Region Emergency Management will be talking at the pre-Emergency Preparedness Week event at Niagara College’s Yerich Auditorium at 7 p.m. Space is limited. Register at www. niagararegion.inviteright.com/ askastormchaser.

Learn to be a storm spotter

An Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist will teach people how to become storm spotters and assist the federal agency with storm weather monitoring at an upcoming CANWARN session. Geoff Coulson will lead people through what to look for when storms and severe weather comes their way with a presentation showing storm structures and cloud formations. CANWARN is program developed by Environment Canada meteorologists, and sessions are held each spring across Ontario. Members are located across the province and provide real-time observations of severe weather to Environment Canada’s Ontario Storm Prediction Centre in Toronto. The volunteers’ observations help Environment Canada’s severe weather watch and warning program, and information they provide can prompt the agency to change warnings on storms. There is no cost to take part in the session, which takes place Monday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in Niagara Region council chambers in Thorold. Interested people should RSVP at Geoff.coulson@canada.ca.

Tree planting planned

More than 40 native trees will be planted by volunteers at Chippawa Lions Park, Saturday. Hosted by the city’s Park in the City Committee, the event is a celebration of Arbour Day and also a way to reforest the area. The Welland Street park has lost a number of ash trees due to the infestation of the emerald ash borer. The event begins at 9 a.m. To volunteer, call 905-356-7521 ext. 3341.

Events for 150th to be unveiled

The Niagara Parks Commission will unveil its Ontario 150 commemorative programming on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Queen Victoria Restaurant. The agency has planned a series of commemorative events, activities and initiatives to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation and the founding of Ontario. Developed in collaboration with the provincial government’s Ontario 150 funding program, the events will vary from nature and gardens to heritage and culinary offerings.

Story-time walk planned

Residents are invited to take a stroll along the recreation trail at the MacBain Community Centre on Sunday to promote literacy and outdoor physical activity. The StoryWalk, featuring Jeremy Tankard’s children’s book Grumpy Bird, is an opportunity for children to experience reading a book while walking through an outdoor area. The event, hosted by the Niagara Falls Public Library in partnership with the various organizations at MacBain, will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Activities will include an interactive play program at the MacBain playground for both parents and children and several Canada 150 celebration give-a-ways and freebies. Also, children will receive at least one book of their choice when they finish the StoryWalk.