The Opposite of Irony

A Buffalo man with the unfortunate nickname of “Murder” was convicted of mansalughter on Mar. 19 for the 2004 shooting of a man during a failed stickup. Corey Cox, 21, is already serving time for a prior robbery and faces an additional 15 years to life.

"Slaughter Solution"

On Mar. 19 a brick was thrown through a window at Rep. Louise Slaughter’s Niagara Falls office. Slaughter’s unused proposal to speed health-care reform, dubbed the “Slaughter Solution,” had faced sharp criticism from conservative wingnuts.

Bystanders

For the second time in three months, a Niagara Falls man claiming to have been “just minding his business” outside of a bar was shot in the head. Willie McTyere, 29, was admitted to ECMC on Mar. 17 with a minor flesh wound and discharged.

Annulment

While gay couples still can’t get married or even civil-unioned in New York, an appeals court ruled on Mar. 18 that the state can annul the Vermont marriage of an Albany lesbian couple. “Family values” advocates are still unsure who to protest.

Spoiled Brats

Alicia Guastaferro, 18, the Amherst teenager who appeared on the ABC series Wife Swap in 2008, is suing the network for $100 million, alleging her portrayal as a “spoiled brat” led to extreme pain and suffering due to harassment from peers.

Percentage of New Yorkers who favor legalizing marijuana for medical usage according to survey released Mar. 22 by the Siena Research Institute. 41% were opposed and 9% were undecided. A budget proposal realeased by New York Senate Democrats that same day called for the legalization of medical marijuana and predicted annual revenues of $15 million.