On the beaten path

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
Staff Writer

Sometimes covering a trial, I have to stifle the occasional yawn and fidget to stay awake through the often tedious testimony.

But that wasn’t an issue with the frequent theatrics in Bruce Bonville’s recent trial in Clinton County Court.

I don’t know if it was simply the circumstances of the Peru shooting last summer, when the 51-year-old sent a bullet through his teenage son’s head, or the emotional and sometimes colorful testimony, but his trial was the most unusual proceeding I’ve ever covered.

Before I begin to delve into the details, I would like to say that through it all, Judge Timothy Lawliss ran one of the tightest, no-nonsense courtrooms I have ever seen.

Throughout the heated discussions, flared tempers and occasional outbursts, the veteran judge kept a controlled courtroom — one that could have easily turned into a judicial circus.

In almost every other trial I’ve covered, I’ve rarely ever heard a defendant speak during the proceeding, unless they were on the stand or whispering too loudly to their attorneys.

I mean, even covering Edward Dashnaw’s three-month-long trial, I never heard the accused murderer utter a word or give the slightest glimpse of emotion.

But Bruce’s raspy voice could often be heard in loud sobs, responding to testimony or simply voicing his opinion.

Twice, in particular, his sullen outbursts prompted a firm scolding by the judge and once even yielded a loud warning of criminal-contempt charges.

A court officer later warned him a third time to stop trying to contact his son — that incident came during a brief recess when the judge left the courtroom.

Apparently, Bruce thought what the judge doesn’t see doesn’t hurt. And that was apparently the case with the letter he wrote his son on the back of the court order instructing him to not contact the teen, which the district attorney had read before the court.

The first warnings came after he continued to mouth things to his now 17-year-old son, whom he hasn’t seen in over a year, when the teen refused to take the oath on the Bible.

Cory brought his own book to swear-in on, which is not allowed, and prompted officials to search for an alternative oath for the teen, who proclaimed himself religious but would not swear on the Bible.

Really wanting to get his testimony about his dad’s innocence across to the jury, he would repeatedly answer questions that were sustained and speak directly to the jury, which, if anyone has sat in on a trial, is also not permitted.

Once in the audience, Cory could occasionally be seen raising his hand hoping to voice his opinion, though once again, that is not permitted.

Before he took the stand, he hoped to share a personal letter with the jury, but again, that is not permitted.

During closing arguments, the teen would emphatically shake his head and slap his knees, hoping the jury would notice his disagreement with the district attorney’s statements.

The day before the verdict came, Bonville’s 18-year-old daughter took the stand for the most blatantly honest and surprising testimony I may have ever heard.

I can never imagine what the girl went through as she rushed to clutch her brother’s bloody head on her chest and later collapsed from the emotionally and physically draining experience, but my heart when out to her as she sobbed on the stand, barely able to catch her breath.

But what surprised me more than her dramatic testimony, was her open honesty and obvious disdain for her father, whom she calls Bruce.

After being sworn into the “hot seat,” she slouched to avoid her dad’s penetrating glare, but his attorney quickly had her rise to the occasion.

That may not have been the best idea at the time.

She quickly pulled her chair forward and shot them one of the dirtiest looks I have ever seen and continued to glare at them throughout her questioning. And I mean glare. Uncomfortable, obvious, hostile glares.

And then there was the open discussions of the father and son’s casual pot sharing, beer purchases and squabbles over bong use. I learned so much.

Do you know what a “female piece” to a bong is? Well, after the Bonville trial, I do. How about the male piece? Yup, I learned that too. I even learned how to play beer pong.

And between the witness drama, there were also a few quirks of attorney/judge controversy, too, which brought the meaning of sarcasm and irritation to a whole new, uncomfortable level for me.

It was definitely a learning experience on so many levels. I can’t wait to see what the sentencing brings.

Posted by Lois Clermont at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By JOE LoTEMPLIO
Staff Writer

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said that a bookstore was the only piece of evidence that people are still thinking.

I think he is right.

With all the ridiculous hoopla surrounding Paris Hilton’s adventures in recent weeks, among other crappy stories, it was refreshing to see people get so excited about the recent release of the final installment of the Harry Potter books.

On July 20, thousands packed the Borders bookstore at Champlain Centre mall in anticipation of getting their new books.
People waited for hours, many dressed in Potter character costumes.

It wasn’t just kids waiting, either. There were mothers, fathers, grandparents, white-collar types, blue-collar types and even a few journalists.

A young woman was one of the first to get a book, and she was beaming. “I’m so excited,” she said as she ripped out of the store anxious to get home to start reading.

Another young woman burst from her car in the parking lot screaming, “I want my book!”

The huge crowd and their excitement is proof that the written word and the imagination have not taken a permanent vacation.

It’s easy to get caught up in the garbage that cable television stations present as news, sometimes, but we must remember that there is no substitute for real brain food: literature.

Yes, Harry Potter is a fictional work about wizards and witches, but great story-telling never goes out of style.

And not to mention, the books have plenty of real-life lessons and the always valid good vs. evil theme.

That’s what makes the books so educational and so darned good, not to mention the cool details author J.K. Rowling provides for some of the items in the wizarding world.

It would have been so cool to watch one of my friends receive a howler when I was growing up.

I didn’t want to stick around until 3 or 4 a.m. to get my book last Friday, but I was glad I went just for the reassurance that Mr. Seinfeld was indeed correct.

Posted by Lois Clermont at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By JOE LoTEMPLIO
Staff Writer

Clinton County Democrats appear to be imploding from within.

A rift between supporters of new party Chairman Doug Brockway and the supposed “old guard” of the party has been simmering for a while, but a controversial firing of a longtime party employee appears to have blown the whole thing wide open.

Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner John Brunell fired longtime Deputy Commissioner Debra Bruno last Thursday for what some say was no reason at all.

Bruno’s apparent crime was that she was a supporter of Democrats considered to belong to the old guard: Keith Defayette, John Gallagher and Jackie Walker.

Defayette, Gallagher and Walker are Clinton County legislators running for re-election.

The feud goes back to when Gallagher defeated Shirley O’Connell for the party chairmanship a few years ago.

O’Connell and her supporters have been wanting revenge ever since. They got some of it last year when Brockway was able to orchestrate a successful coup and defeated Gallagher for chairman.

With Gallagher disposed of, the Brockway/O’Connell camp set their sights on Defayette.

The popular, 10-year legislator from Schuyler Falls all of a sudden found himself facing a primary challenge when Willard Todd decided to run as a Democrat.

With the Republican endorsement and the ballot lines of at least three other parties, Defayette should be able to ward off the challenge, but one never knows in a primary.

It’s at least enough to cause the veteran incumbent plenty of aggravation.

The intra-party squabble was riveting enough, but Brunell’s move last week topped everything.

Within minutes of the firing, Democratic cell-phone lines were burning up. The buzz got so hot that the party held an emergency two-hour meeting Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Government Center.

The meeting was supposed to be inside, but Brunell, who has the key to the building, mysteriously did not show up.

Word is that at the meeting, Brockway ordered party members not to speak of Bruno’s firing until after the election, especially to media types like me.

I’m no genius, but I don’t think any party could have much success if they want dozens of people to keep quiet for three-plus months about an event that everyone already knows about.

The better idea would have been for Brunell to wait until after election day to fire Bruno if the party really wanted to avoid a public mess.

Brunell told me that he can’t talk about Bruno’s dismissal because it is a personnel matter.

He also told me that anything written about her might cause her distress, so I should keep my keyboard quiet.

Huh??

Bruno’s supporters are marshaling their forces, and don’t be surprised to see her case end up with some kind of legal action.

It seems to me that Democrats might want to meet this situation head on and deal with it instead of trying to cover it up and pretend all is well.

These sorts of brouhahas happen with every political party in the country, from time to time, and it will continue to go on as long as politics exists.

Just ask local Republicans, who went through a few of their own dust-ups over the past 10 years.

Heck, it was only last summer when city Republicans were split during the mayoral primary between Mike Drew and Don Kasprzak.

We’ll see how this latest episode will affect the already fractured Democrats.

Remember, Election Day is Nov. 6, preceded by Primary Day on Sept. 18.

Posted by Lois Clermont at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By GERIANNE WRIGHT
Staff Writer

I’m a little torqued about the Fourth of July.

Not that I have anything against the day – it’s a fine day. I’m torqued about this particular Fourth of July and the lack of celebration and acknowledgement in the City of Plattsburgh this year.

As a city resident, I know the situation with the taxes. They’re through the roof, and a fireworks display is expensive. Blah blah blah. But it seems to me that turning attention away from the Fourth and focusing it on the Mayor’s Cup, regardless of the sponsorship, is just wrong.

Years ago, as a young reporter, I used to cover the Mayor’s Cup when it was a sailboat race. Period. They then expanded the focus to include landlubber events and craft show at Trinity Park for the day of the race for those of us stuck on terra firma. It was fun, and it wasn’t a strain on the coffers, either. The day ended with the awarding of the cup. Period. And July Fourth was left to be celebrated as July Fourth.

Over the years, the Mayor’s Cup seems to have outshined July Fourth in its events, its contests, entertainment and redundant fireworks, sometimes coming only days after the July Fourth display. It got old. It got expensive. And now it got dumped, or at least strictly abbreviated.

But because they insisted on having fireworks for Mayor’s Cup on July 6, July Fourth gets short shrift. The was no parade, no acknowledgement of the reason for the holiday, not even a firecracker to commemorate the birth of a nation. Instead, sponsors turned their attention to the Mayor’s Cup and ponied up for a fireworks show on July 6. Sure, they can say it combines the Fourth of July and the Mayor’s Cup, but those of us who wanted to see fireworks on the day they’re supposed to be seen don’t buy it. It isn’t right, and don’t think I’m the only one who thinks so.

Plattsburgh isn’t the only municipality that has its calendar screwed up. Fireworks and “Fourth of July” celebrations are held on various days surrounding the actual holiday all over the North Country. But residents could always depend on fireworks in the city for the Fourth of July, whether they ignited the sky downtown or over the Oval on Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

The Mayor’s Cup can do without the fireworks; it can do without the parade. It’s a sailboat race. Bring back the Saturday landlubber events in Trinity Park if you must, but keep the focus where it’s supposed to be. And give us back our Fourth of July. It’s supposed to be a birthday party, after all, and what’s a birthday without some (Roman) candles?

Posted by Lois Clermont at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)