Niagara Falls School Board president Nick Vilardo was the sole “No” vote last month on bringing sex ed to Niagara Falls High School, which has nearly the highest rates of teen pregnancy and venereal disease in the entire state. When asked about it, President Vilardo said it wasn’t so muchRead More

Tough year for Niagara Falls with water board, casino cash woes By Joe Kissel It’s not surprising that Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently snubbed Niagara Falls and rebuked calls for emergency state aid when that very same entity is contributing to this city’s downward spiral to a control board. Which means Niagara FallsRead More

Legislature rewards itself with raises after election By Joe Kissel Single-party governance — which is never in the best interests of the people — is part of why Niagara Falls currently finds itself between a rock and a hard place. With the election of libertarian and registered Republican Chris VoccioRead More

By Joseph Kissel When the recently built $43 million train station provided lucrative employment for mostly out-of-city workers, residents from surrounding neighborhoods quickly noticed nobody from their community was employed at the site. “It’s a hard process and the biggest problem we have is to change the culture,” said outgoingRead More

By Joseph Kissel How bad does it have to get before the DEC steps in? For two years, the stench emanating from the Allied Landfill has been getting steadily worse. So much so, this summer tourists were seen retching by the side of the road as they hit the vileRead More

By Joseph Kissel It’s been a rough debut for artist Jeff Laramore’s “Untroubled Waters” in downtown Niagara Falls‘ Centennial Circle. Hundreds of residents have commented through social media on the $619,000 final price tag as well as the interpretive nature of the piece, which is to commemorate the obscure BoundaryRead More

The Right Side By J Gary DiLaura Without any direct information regarding any of what I am about to say, relying on my experience and gut feelings about several things, this is all my personal opinion. Regarding the Hillary investigation, I believe that the FBI under James Comey was theRead More

Clare Bronfman was seen on the streets of San Pedro Garza Garcia, the wealthiest municipality in all of Mexico and part of greater Monterrey. Keith Raniere was reported to be living in that affluent community. Ms. Bronfman was positively identified in several locations. The Monterrey ESP Center is also inRead More

By Joseph Kissel Other than Town of Lockport Supervisor Mark Crocker, all the speakers at Tuesday’s public hearing on the county’s proposed budget shot down the idea of raises for legislators. Mr. Crocker and legislators in favor of the 28 percent raise said it was time after 18 years ofRead More

By Joseph Kissel What is it about incoming councilman Bill Kennedy that makes him such a compelling figure as the city begins looking past three terms of Mayor Paul Dyster? First off, his election was a surprise and a resounding success, emerging from a crowded Democratic primary field though old-fashionedRead More

By Joseph Kissel “I’m not the axman everyone thinks I am,” said incoming Falls councilman Chris Voccio. The now-retired newspaper publisher arrived here in 2014 to turn around The Niagara Gazette (after many similar assignments in other parts of the county) and reducing expenses considerably. “Even when you think youRead More

By Joseph Kissel Kristen Grandinetti never made it easy to like or admire her as a Niagara Falls city councillor. Although she does ask relevant questions from time to time during discussions and presentations, even more so she manages to alienate nearly everyone with her disrespectful and seemingly incessant smartphoneRead More

A full slate of holiday activities will be taking place at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (NACC) at 1201 Pine Avenue in the Falls this month, including art shows, receptions, parties, concerts and dance performances. You won’t want to miss any of the fun! From December 2 through JanuaryRead More

You are invited to attend a very brief ceremony and presentation as the Lewiston community commemorates the 204th Anniversary of the Tuscarora Heroes actions which saved dozens of lives from the British Attack in 1813. The gathering will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 8am at the Tuscarora Heroes Monument, Portage and CenterRead More

The Right Side By J Gary DiLaura My dear readers, this is taken directly from U. S. Code, the “the law book “of the United States. It is not the least bit complicated. Please read it. “Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to doRead More

Mayor Dyster was thinking of new strategies to increase revenues for his cash-strapped city, and came up with the brilliant idea of becoming a Tom Jones impersonator. Tom Jones was a popular singer back in the 1960’s and ’70’s. “Is it common for a government official to do such aRead More

Council vows to override possible mayoral veto on police retirements By Joseph Kissel In total, 14 positions were eliminated from the city’s 2018 budget through a $10,000 retirement incentive. “If the mayor had done it in July, he could have saved the taxpayers a million dollars,” said Councilman Andy Touma.Read More

If you asked the average person whether their elected representative to the County Legislature deserved a raise, you can be almost certain the answer would be a resounding, ‘No!’  Even if the county is fiscally solvent, most people do not appreciate giving raises to politicians with their hard-earned tax dollars. Read More

Make sure you stop in to Niagara Falls High School on Saturday and check out the Firefighters Christmas Toy Fund event. “Bring a friend. Bring the Family!” encourages the post on their Facebook page, “Partake in the Basket Auction!” Mingle with real live and handsome hunky Niagara Falls firefighters. LiveRead More