Downtown Niagara Falls has effectively become a garbage dump. We’ve all seen it as we drive down streets and alleys. Old mattresses, used tires, trash bags ripped open with their contents spilling out all over the ground. The average person drives by these eyesores and wonders “Who’s cleaning all ofRead More

Erie County – Nearly two years ago, former Erie County Democratic Chairman, G. Steven Pigeon, was indicted on charges related to an alleged one-time rape of his niece when she was nine years old. His trial is in 35 days. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced the charges on DecemberRead More

By Tony Farina Niagara Falls GOP City Council candidate Michael Gawel has raised questions in a Facebook post about Democratic council candidate Brian Archie’s role at the Niagara Falls Housing Authority where Archie serves as secretary. Gawel asks if the Housing Authority still owns a single family home, and is formerRead More

This article is part of a series highlighting the Black candidates currently running for office in the City of Niagara Falls, focusing specifically on candidate for city council Uniquia Lewis. In this series we will examine the Black candidates and judge them not by the color of their skin, butRead More

 With Crime So High, What Do We Have to Lose? By Ken Hamilton Niagara Falls, NY. What an unusual city we live in, especially when it comes to the dynamics surrounding its minority population. Mayor Robert Restaino, a Democrat currently facing re-election in just 10 days, has accomplished something thatRead More

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — “Everyone should have a doula,” noted one mother who birthed with a doula from the Every Woman & Child Counts project. New York State lawmakers agree. Recently approved in the New York State budget, doulas across New York State may begin to certify as Medicaid providersRead More

By Tony Farina Mayoral GOP candidate Carl Cain said at Wednesday’s mayoral debate that open government is important to building good relationships with taxpayers. Cain hit hard at that message, saying “we need to build bridges and transparency” if we are going to be successful, and that’s my pledge toRead More

This article is part of a series highlighting the Black candidates currently running for office in the City of Niagara Falls. This article will focus specifically on Republican candidate for city council Vincent Cauley, who is running for re-election. In this series we will examine the Black candidates and judgeRead More

This article is part of a series highlighting the Black candidates currently running for office in the City of Niagara Falls. This article will specifically focus on mayoral candidate Carl Cain. In this series, we strive to examine the Black candidates and judge them not by the color of theirRead More

By Tony Farina The New York Coalition for Open Government has long called on Mayor Robert Restaino to stop calling so many special sessions with the council where the public cannot comment on the issues of the day, effectively being shut out from participating on important matters at the specialRead More

Almost two years ago – in December, 2021 – Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced rape charges against Steve Pigeon. Next month, he goes on trial. Pigeon, 62, a former Erie County Democratic Party Chairman, is accused of first-degree rape, predatory sexual assault against a child and first-degree criminalRead More

If you believe Mayor Robert Restaino, the city’s never been safer; crime is down and all is right with the city and his administration. However, if you look at crime statistics, or even look around and see what’s really happening, an entirely different picture emerges than Restaino’s alternate reality. Here’sRead More

  By Tony Farina Politics is definitely in the air in Niagara Falls with the election just around the corner on Nov. 7. Two council hopefuls working very hard to reach voters are Vincent Cauley, an engineer by trade, and CPA Michael Gawel, with both running on the Republican andRead More

Michael S. Gawel, a former councilman and current candidate for the City of Niagara Falls Council, has a clear vision for the future of the city. Having served the community before, he is no stranger to the challenges and opportunities that come with public service. He has extensive knowledge inRead More

By Tony Farina Simply stated, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has now become part of the story of the competing Niagara Falls development projects, one supported by the mayor and the second by Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR). In denying a FOIL request by the Niagara Gazette,Read More

Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR) and Toronto-based developer Urbacon have unveiled a $1.5 billion plan for the first phase of the Niagara Digital Campus, a state-of-the-art data center project in Niagara Falls, NY. The development is centered on a 12-acre plot known as “Parcel 0,” which is key to the project’sRead More

By Tony Farina There was good news for the taxpayers at Wednesday’s Niagara Falls City Council meeting as lawmakers beat back a bid by outgoing councilmember Ken Tompkins to cut ties with the outside counsel which would have effectively ended the possibility for continuing negotiations with NFR in the eminentRead More

By Tony Farina NFR’s development partner, Toronto-based Urbacon, last week released its site plan for the first phase of its $1.5 billion data center project which would be built on 10 acres of what is now referred to as “Parcel-0” off John Daly Blvd. on land owned by NFR butRead More

From Politics to Personal Bonds I’ve known Steve Pigeon for over 25 years, and our association isn’t just professional. We’re friends. I knew him when he was Erie County Democratic Party Chairman and through years of his high-profile work on seven presidential campaigns, his work with billionaires and statesmen inRead More

Niagara Falls NY  – Carl Cain is running against Mayor Robert Restaino for mayor. Election is November 7.  This is the second in a series of of interviews with Cain. Reporter  How would you rate the condition of the roads in the city? Carl Cain  Bad. And it’s unfortunate becauseRead More