Niagara Reporter-
Health Fair Event in North Tonawanda
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Brendan McDonough Reporter for North Tonawanda It was a day for people to get healthy! At the North Tonawanda Intermediate School people of all ages gathered to lace up and take part in their annual 5k walk and run. Organizers have been holding the event for the past 7 years. For them it is a chance to educate kids about the importance of being healthy. “It is really done as a community event,” said
Caroline Wojtaszek Tackles Tough Challenges as Niagara County DA
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Tony Farina In my long career as an investigative journalist based in Buffalo, first at the late Buffalo Courier-Express and later at Channels 2 and 7, I covered a lot of district attorneys, including Mike Dillon, Ed Cosgrove, Richard Arcara, Kevin Dillon, and Frank Clark. I learned how tough the job could be and there was no real blueprint to follow when a high-profile case wound up in the lap of the DA. And there were
HAMILTON: What We, Candidates, and Politicians Must Learn from the Police Exam
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Ken Hamilton If our city of Niagara Falls NY isn’t the most unique city in the United States, then it is one of its most unique. We are an industrial city that sits atop the shoulders of one of the largest natural wonders in the world, and in the foot-fall of three bridges with one in nearby Lewiston — which all connect us to North America’s 7th largest metropolitan area of Toronto Ontario. We
Vilardo Bids for Fourth Niagara Falls School Board Term; Gawel Enters Race
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Tony Farina Nicholas Vilardo, a retired fire department battalion chief, is running for his fourth term with the Niagara Falls School Board, saying he still has work to do to help decrease absenteeism and increase graduation rates in city schools. “I think absenteeism and graduation rates are connected,” says Vilardo, “and we want a 100 percent graduation rate if we can get the kids to school, and we’ve hired five new social workers to
Proposed Cell Tower in North Tonawanda Debated
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Brendan McDonough Reporter for North Tonawanda A proposed cell tower in North Tonawanda is being met with mixed reviews. A private company wants to built the structure at 34 Ward Road, which is right next to Superior Lubricants. City Building Inspector Cosimo Capozzi says, if approved, the tower would be 160 feet high and be built on a 40 by 40-foot piece of land. Capozzi says he first was contact a year ago by
Controversy over County Music Festival in North Tonawanda
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Brendan McDonough Reporter for North Tonawanda Promoter Mike Gowel is still fighting to have the City’s first ever Country Music Festival in North Tonawanda but concerns over drinking and over night guests are raising eyebrows. Gowel is hoping to have the 2-day event at Gratwick Park in August. Last Tuesday he met again with members of the Common Council addressing concerns about how many people would be camping out. “We have some contract proposals
Piccirillo’s Revenue Sharing Plan Looks Like Shot in the Dark
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Tony Farina “It will take a team approach to get Niagara Falls moving again,” says former Mayor Vince Anello, emphasizing that stakeholders must work together to make anything happen, and that includes arguing for a share of state parking revenue to create an investment account, as suggested by mayoral candidate Seth Piccirillo in a recent social media post. “That’s not something new, that’s something we’ve always looked at,” says Anello, but he cautioned that while
HAMILTON: Highland Community Up in Arms Against Low-Income Mental Facility
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Ken Hamilton DePaul Properties, Incorporated’s website touted that they DePaul Properties, Inc. creates and operates attractive, affordable housing solutions in urban, suburban and rural settings within environments that promote respectful community relationships. And they do; however, they certainly didn’t “promote respectful community relationships” in their recent meeting held for the Highland Avenue neighborhood residents that attended their most recent meeting at the St. John’s AME Church. It was clear that the election season now
Proposals to Ban Cell Phones & Impliment Agenda Items Tabled in North Tonawanda
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Brendan McDonough Reporter for North Tonawanda Last Tuesday the North Tonawanda Common Council postponed two items that have gained public attention in recent weeks. One was the debate on rules governing council business and the other was the suggestion that Council members put away cell phones during meeting and only use the city issued I-Pads. City Attorney Luke Brown has been working on the two proposals. Implementing formal rules for agenda items, which members
Combatting Cuts in Local Schools
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Brendan McDonough Reporter for North Tonawanda Education cuts are hitting schools hard. In North Tonawanda leaders at the Christian Academy of Western New York says they are coming up with alternative way to offset those cuts. On Saturday they held a basket raffle. It is one of 2 major fundraisers the school has every year. Rather that raise tuition prices they say money raised from the raffle, will be used instead of hiking prices.
Special Prosecutor Appointed in Wojtaszek Probe
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Tony Farina Monroe County District Atty. Sandra Doorley has been appointed as the special prosecutor to investigate bid-rigging claims by former State Sen. George Maziarz against one of his former top assistants. State Supreme Justice Paula Feroleto, administrative judge for the 8th Judicial District, made the appointment of Doorley in response to a request from Niagara County DA Carolyn Wojtaszek. Maziarz has accused Henry Wojtaszek, a former top aide, of steering a Niagara County
HAMILTON: “Holy Gawel,” Mike’s Not Running
Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9 By: Ken Hamilton Former City Councilman Michael Gawel has dropped out of the race for Niagara Falls City Council; but why? It saddened me to hear that Gawel withdrew from the race. The double-edged sword of living in a small, albeit famous city is that if you have been deeply involved in the political and public-policy, you not only get known, but you also get to know a lot of people and stuff yourself. And