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A decorated Iraq war veteran and the owner of the Gorge View Hostel has announced his candidacy for the 6th District Niagara County Legislative seat now held by Democrat Dennis Virtuoso. Jeffery Flach, who has the full support of Niagara Falls City Republican Chairman Bill Carroll, returned to Niagara Falls in 2014 after leaving active military service as an army major. Flach, 46, said in the announcement of his candidacy that “transparency lets both residents and decision-makers clearly see how resources are being allocated as well as the direct result of those allocations.  By prioritizing transparency, we remove the distractions

By Ronald Craft;   ; I would like to comment on the recent Lewiston Village Board’s Article in the Lewiston Sentinal regarding the Board favoring ‘ambiance’ over ‘signage safety’ – which includes the same reasoning for a ban on sandwich boards – to be appalling. These same board members continually market the village as a great walking community, a great place to visit and promote the need for retail on Center Street, yet their actions show otherwise. New York State’s mandate for a more safety effective pedestrian yield sign seems appropriate considering the ‘near misses’ I, and a number of

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: Reporter Staff Residents of Niagara Falls were shocked Saturday, June 13th, 2020, to learn that an often-traveled dirt path in the LaSalle area was suddenly filled with nails sticking out of the ground. “Be careful,” said Giselle, a Niagara Falls resident, “someone has spiked a local dirt walking trail with BIG nails. They embedded the head in the ground with only the tip above ground. Both my neighbor and I got nails through our shoes and

Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9       The State Affiliate of Our Revolution, the Organization Spun Out of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 Presidential Campaign, Backs Cynthia ALBANY, NY – Democratic candidate for governor Cynthia Nixon was endorsed today by New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN), formally committing to work together to advance election reform, racial and social justice, and take on the democratic establishment in the race for New York governor. NYPAN, the main New York State affiliate of Our Revolution, came out

Somebody recently stole one of the city’s credit cards. The police didn’t bother to try to catch the thief – he was spending less than the city did. *** Mayor Dyster was talking to Gov. Cuomo and asked him how he runs the state so well. Cuomo replied quite simply that he chooses the best people to run it. Dyster considers this for a moment and then asks, “how do you ensure that they are the best people for the job?” The governor answers that he quizzes them, and as an example, calls in Sam Hoyt, and asks him, “Your

Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster sent a chilling letter to all of his department heads and select appointees this Monday and Tuesday thanking the city employees for their service, and advising them that if they want to potentially keep their jobs, to put it a letter of intent along with a resume and give it to his secretary, Nick Melson, no later than December 21. Excellent sources deep within city hall have told us that the pre-holiday Dyster letter has sent waves of Christmas time paranoia and fear from the halls of city hall to the outlying administration offices across

Click the link below to subscribe to SPECIAL REPORTS from the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9     By: Staff Reporter Niagara Falls Police responded to the 1700 block of LaSalle Avenue around 1415 hours on Saturday, February 13th, 2021, after reports of a burglary. According to police, the complainant stated that at some point between 2/6/21 and 2/11/21 an unknown suspect broke into his vacant property and broke 18 windows. The complainant stated that damage to this property is an ongoing problem as it is the site of a prior unsolved homicide. The Niagara Reporter has independently confirmed that the unsolved

The following was written by investigative journalist Ken Cosentino. Last night’s city council meeting was further proof that Mayor Restaino’s proposed use of CDBG funds for purchasing Parcel 0 is still on the table. Last night, Councilmember Vincent Cauley attempted to rescind the authority the council granted the Mayor last December to use CDBG funds for the purchase of Parcel 0. If the authority is not rescinded, the door remains open for the Mayor to use these funds.  Mayor Restaino has stated that CDBG funds are off the table, as the community has been very clear; they want the funds focused

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 Internet Movie Database (IMDb)’s plot summary of Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed says that the plot of the 1968 TV movie “… reviews the numerous contributions of African-Americans to the development of the United States. From the perspective of the turbulent late 1960s, the fact that their positive roles had not generally been taught as part of American history.” It is sometimes as if the movie was never made.  But even so, as

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: Joseph Jastrzemski Niagara County Clerk Today is a disappointing day for New York as it marks the implementation of the state’s legislation to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. After numerous attempts to dissuade Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders to put the brakes on New York’s “Green Light” law, common sense and public interest have once again finished second to politically convenience and special interests.  For months, county clerks across our state called upon Gov. Cuomo

Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9     Krista Vince Garland Seeks First Term on NT School Board     Krista Vince Garland is a professor in Exceptional Education at SUNY Buffalo State and was recruited to the western New York area in 2012 from Orlando. Before she moved to New York, Krista was a middle school education teacher. Her husband Dennis is a professor in Exceptional Education at Niagara University. Krista and her husband are homeowners in the second ward of North Tonawanda and

Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9       Clerk and Legislature Introduce Petition to Waive Fee   Niagara County Clerk Joseph A. Jastrzemski and Republican members of the Niagara County Legislature are decrying Governor Cuomo’s new license plate initiative that imposes a mandatory license plate replacement beginning in 2020 along with a mandatory replacement fee. Jastrzemski and members of the county legislature have introduced a petition urging the governor to waive the $25 fee.  According to Jastrzemski, residents will be able to sign the

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 “My house burned down this morning,” beautician JoAnne Abbo-Bradley later wrote on her Facebook page on November 24th, 2019.  “My dog died in the fire. We lost everything,” she said. Could there have been an uglier event to have happened that Sunday morning? You might be surprised in how it all ended – so far. JoAnne knows beauty.  Perhaps that fire and the death of the family “shelter” dog certainly was no way to

Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9     NIAGARA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND NIAGARA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY ISSUE A JOINT STATEMENT ON ARREST OF MICHAEL WILSON, SR., CHRISTINA DEGROFF AND MICHAELA WILSON   By: Staff Reporter On April 24, 2020, Michael Wilson, Sr, 48, and his common-law wife, Christina Degroff, 45, both of Lewiston, New York, were arraigned before New York State Supreme Court Judge Richard C. Kloch. Michael Wilson, Sr. was charged with one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and one

Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9     Trap Placement to Start on Saturday May 19th   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is surveying for the European cherry fruit fly in Niagara County. APHIS is urging residents across Niagara County to please cooperate with surveyors in your area surveying for the pest. APHIS surveyors are requesting permissions from property owners to access properties to place and check traps for the presence of the fruit fly. Surveyors are wearing

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 Big changes could be coming to Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda. City officials are trying to get more than $250,000 in grant funding to make improvements which would be available for the 2020 calendar year.  The conversations took place inside City Council Chambers where Park Department Director Alex Domaradzki, along with Community Development Director Mike Zimmerman, said they are trying to get grant funding from the Niagara Greenway Commission. The

Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9       -Niagara Falls Police responded to 4708 Hyde Park Blvd. in the evening hours of April 28th, 2019 for an Armed Robbery. According to reports, a gun was displayed by the robber and he demanded cash. Officers located a pair of gloves in a dumpster that may belong to the suspect. Lewiston Police, State Police, and Border patrol assisted as well. -Niagara Falls Police responded to the area of 19th and Niagara Street in the evening hours

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: Chris Voccio Niagara Falls City Council Chairman The problem facing Niagara Falls city government finances comes down to one powerful force that is the root cause of our issues: Arithmetic. Long before anyone heard of COVID-19, our city government was operating with $10 million deficits, hidden by a seemingly limitless supply of casino cash. When the casino cash came to a halt, our overspending became obvious. Then the governor stepped in to give us “advances” on the

Please click the link below to subscribe to a FREE PDF version of each print edition of the Niagara Reporter http://eepurl.com/dnsYM9     Dyster Administration Proposes Garbage ‘User Fee,’ Salary Increases & Curious Job Change for Piccirillo at Taxpayer Expense!   By: Frank Parlato & Nicholas D. D’Angelo Mayor Paul Dyster’s proposed budget for 2019 came less than two days after Governor Andrew Cuomo advanced $12.3 million of future Seneca casino money to the City of Niagara Falls. Over the past few months, word from City Hall was that this was going to be Dyster’s “smallest budget ever.”  It leaked

By Frank Dux (Ed. Note: Donald Trump told the New Yorker Magazine in 1997, that his favorite movie was Bloodsport, which is about the real life exploits of Frank Dux. Jean Claude Van plays Frank Dux in the movie. Here the real Frank Dux writes about Trump and the recent election,) Recently I wrote a message of reconciliation and unity in the election of Donald Trump that didn’t bode well with some who lashed out at me, making false allegations, condemning voters for Trump as racist, misogynists, a few of them writing to wish Donald Trump’s assassination in office. The

by Mike Hudson So the Governor of New York State decides to spend $17 million on Niagara Falls State Park – which of course is owned by New York State – and local politicians and the media fall over swooning as though it were some kind of big win for the city of Niagara Falls? Do the math. Since the Seneca Niagara Casino opened in 2002, the vampires in Albany have carted off a minimum of $60 million per year, generated by a business located at the corner of Niagara and Fourth streets. Over 14 years, that alone amounts to

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: Reporter Staff Niagara County Legislator Jesse Gooch is seeking to lead a movement and put pressure on Governor Andrew Cuomo to open entertainment venues such as The Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda. Despite having a re-opening plan at 25% capacity that was approved by the Niagara County Health Department, NYS refuses to give the green light for any such venue to open across the state. “Since 1926 the Riviera Theatre has been a staple in our

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 Thanks to a $2.5 million “Smart Growth” grant from Albany some big changes will be coming to North Tonawanda. It could include bike lanes on Oliver Street and an expansion to the Charles Fleishman Park. On Saturday residents had a chance to meet with landscape architect Joy Kuebler to give their input on the project. Kuebler, who was hired by the City, was at the farmers market over

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 Of the many difficult decisions made by city officials in North Tonawanda, the 2019 budget is calling for a 2.9 % property tax increase. On Tuesday, November 6th, Mayor Art Pappas gave a people a look at the spending plan. Pappas says the tax increase was a necessary part of his budget to preserve public services. Over the past ten years there have been three budgets that contained no

Niagara Falls Mayor Paul A. Dyster appeared on the Tom Darro radio show Wednesday December 16, and while both he and the host spoke for one hour, little was learned as to how the mayor intends to handle the many serious problems confronting the city. Little was learned because little in the area of hard questioning took place. But we have questions of our own that we wouldn’t hesitate to ask if the mayor would sit for an interview with the Reporter. Such as: The Hamister contract was signed over 25 months ago and still there’s no shovel in the

Can Niagara Falls State Park be next? News of potential import to the city of Niagara Falls broke late last year when details of an epic legal showdown at Yosemite National Park became public. Subsequent to losing a $2 billion, 15-year contract extension for hospitality (food, hotel) services to competitor Aramark at Yosemite, Buffalo-based Delaware North filed a lawsuit demanding $51 million compensation for trademarks it had secured for historic place names in the national park. Some of those trademarks were secured after the company knew they were leaving (see Jan. 28 Niagara Falls Reporter, “Landmark Delaware North Trademark Battle

The following was written by investigative journalist Ken Cosentino. The fight continues between (38 year) US Army veteran/community activist Arlene Doss and cowardly bully Mayor Robert Restaino over the Beech Avenue Project. Despite Arlene’s larger-than-life moral stature, it would be misleading to label this a “Battle of the Titans” due to the stark contrast between Mayor Restaino’s petty impish character and Arlene’s formidable abilities/community support. For those who are just now catching up: While campaigning, Mayor Restaino promised the good folks living in the North End of town that the City would build the Beech Avenue park and event center.

By Tony Farina   Retired Niagara Falls special education teacher James Cancemi is seeking his third five-year term as president of the Niagara Falls Board of Education in next month’s election, and despite his long tenure in the unpaid position, there is no sign he is ready to leave. “We’re doing a lot and I’m excited about continuing our work,” said Cancemi, 75, during an interview this week as he gets ready to face four challengers in the election set for May 16th for the position of board president. Cancemi says that as a member of the Niagara County Community

BREAKING: New amendments to America’s immigration laws will take effect on May 1, 2023. Are you ready for the changes?

It could be more than an office scandal and financial pressures that drove State Sen. Marc Panepinto’s decision two weeks ago not to seek a second-term in the 60th District only days after the Erie County Democratic Committee endorsed him for re-election. Political sources tell this newspaper that his union support, which fueled his 2014 run with more than $1 million, was shaky at best given his high negatives in several polls, and that coupled with an ethics com-plaint by one of his staffers it was enough to drive him out of the race. There was no advance warning that