Niagara Reporter-
Feds to Cuomo: Parkway Signage out of Compliance
“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind,” went a dopey 1970’s-era song by a group called the Five Man Electrical Band, which could reflect the regulatory mindset of the Federal Highway Administration as it attempts to rein in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s latest “I Love NY” promotional campaign gimmick. The feds say that hundreds of newly-erected highway signs statewide, advertising New York State tourism, including some on the Robert Moses Parkway as it approaches Niagara Falls State Park from north and east, cram together too much information, contribute to distracted driving and are not in compliance
“Scenic” Parkway Detracts from Economy, Environment, Quality of Life
Last March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that a section of the north Robert Moses Parkway paralleling Whirlpool Street in the city will be removed, at a cost of $42 million. Perhaps the most interesting line of his press release was the following: “The project will remove an underutilized two-mile segment of the parkway from Main Street to Findlay Drive.” If Cuomo deems the north Moses Parkway “underutilized” along its downtown stretch, what does that say about the rest of the parkway from Findlay Drive north? State Department of Transportation traffic studies clearly show two bumps in usage of the north
Never a Wait in line at new Niagara Falls Amtrak station
Yesterday at 10 am, a mere 24 hours after the politicians and local media welcomed the first Amtrak train to the new Niagara Falls International Train Station, Intermodal Transportation Center and Customhouse Interpretive Center (“NFITSITCCIC”), we dropped in to snap some photos. The morning after, so to speak. First impression is that the building is huge, with very high, cathedral-like ceilings. It’s going to cost a fortune to heat. The new train station is reminiscent of the Wintergarden, that used to span Old Falls Street next to the defunct Rainbow Center Mall. One of the reasons given for razing the
Parlato’s Legacy Is There for All to See in Niagara Falls
The One Niagara Welcome Center is located at 360 Rainbow Blvd. within earshot of mighty Niagara Falls and stands nine-stories tall, a can’t miss landmark that serves, according to its website, as a tourism and sightseeing haven offering bus tours, guided exploration, historical presentations, dining and souvenirs. The bustling tourist center is one of downtown Niagara Falls’ bright spots, especially during the Memorial Day – Labor Day tourist season, but it wasn’t always that way. Not too many years ago, in 2004, the onetime Occidental Chemical Corp.’s namesake building, built in the early 1980s, was a shell of its former
NTCC runs Fashion Outlet Mall advertisement on Small Business Saturday, of all days
“Small Business Saturday” is a quaint new phenomenon that’s been gaining popularity the past few years, not just locally, but in many communities across the country. It’s to encourage patronage of small, local businesses, the true lifeblood of everyday Main Street, USA in terms of employment and economic activity, as opposed to large corporations like Walmart and Best Buy or online behemoth Amazon, which have wreaked havoc on traditional, locally-owned and operated retail shops and stores. The upside of convenience, selection and low prices, made possible by economies of scale and exploitation of cheap overseas labor and enabled by mindless
Delaware North’s Yosemite, Florida disputes foreshadow possible Niagara Falls dust-up
Recent developments with Delaware North, multinational food service, gaming and sports conglomerate, don’t bode well for the future of the city of Niagara Falls. Earlier this month Christopher Jacobs won election to the New York State Senate. Nephew of Jacobs family patriarch and multibillionaire Jeremy Jacobs, Sr., Chris’ election all but assures that Delaware North will successfully renew its contract in 2121 to feed the eight million tourists who visit Niagara Falls every year. Delaware North owns the exclusive rights to purvey food and beverages in Niagara Falls State Park. According to “Open Book New York” a service of the
Bankrate: Niagara Falls ranked worst place in the nation for retirees
The trashing of the city of Niagara Falls in the mainstream media continues unabated – it’s practically becoming a national pastime – and now a leading and reputable financial industry information clearinghouse, Bankrate, has joined the crowd – rating Niagara Falls as the worst place in the nation for retirement. Bankrate isn’t even the first among the business reporting media outlets to badmouth the city. A couple of years ago Bloomberg News described “Niagara Falls’ descent into blight… in spite of its proximity to an attraction that draws at least 8 million tourists each year… encompasses just about every mistake
Niagara Falls also #1 when it comes to Crime, Poverty, Taxation
A dry-eyed look at the city of Niagara Falls though the cold lens of real statistics. Crime According to the September, 2016 FBI report “Crime in the United States”, there were 555 violent crimes reported in the city of Niagara Falls for the year 2015, including 3 murders, 32 rapes, 156 robberies and 364 aggravated assaults. Based on a population of 48,989, the rate of 113.3 violent crimes per ten thousand residents ranks Niagara Falls as the most violent city in New York State. There were also 2,526 property crimes (burglary, car theft, larceny and arson) in 2015, at a
Dyster Policies, Approach to Governance never really made a lot of sense
Next month, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster will be commencing his 10th year in office. In light of the dismally high rates of crime, poverty and taxation here in the city, and now last week’s announcement by Bankrate that it’s the worst place in the entire country to retire, how much of it can be laid at his doorstep? Mitigating factors could be that when Dyster took office in January, 2009, the nation was just coming out of the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. In fact, unemployment was yet to begin coming down from its peak 9.9% until
New Train Station Will Open Tuesday
It appears that the long-awaited opening of the $43 million Niagara Falls train station on Depot Ave. West will take place on Tuesday, according to an email advisory from Amtrak sent out late Wednesday afternoon. The email from Amtrak’s Craig Schulz said “the new station incorporates a waiting room, restrooms, the Amtrak ticket office and a US Customs and Border Protection inspection facility for processing of passengers on Train 64, the New York-bound Maple Leaf service from Toronto.” Amtrak said customers holding reservations for travel on or after Dec. 6 are being proactively notified about the change in boarding location.
Deal Reached on Falls Budget; No Vetoes Expected
With both sides making compromises, Niagara Falls Council Chairman Andrew Touma said there is agreement on the 2017 city budget, with lawmakers finally settling on a total of $558,000 in cuts to the mayor’s proposed $91 million spending plan with no mayoral vetoes on the horizon. “It shows what government can do when people work together,” said Touma on Wednesday night. “That’s more than a half-million dollar savings to the people of Niagara Falls and I’ve been assured that no mayoral vetoes are coming when we get the budget back later this month (due by Dec. 15).” The plan will
Was Parlato Case a ‘Ham Sandwich’ Indictment?
As former New York State Chief Judge Sol Wachtler once said, “a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich, if that’s what you wanted.” In other words, prosecutors can convince a grand jury that a crime has been committed, if that’s what they wanted, even if the evidence is not really there. That’s exactly how real estate developer and newspaper publisher Frank Parlato feels about the 19-count federal indictment he’s facing for allegedly cheating the IRS, a business partner at the One Niagara tourist center in Niagara Falls that he started, and the two daughters of the late Seagram’s liquor chief