NIAGARA FALLS — A land-use tug-of-war in Niagara Falls puts jobs and innovation in the balance. Mayor Robert Restaino, anticipating a tough election battle against Dr. Carl Cain this November, is championing a plan to develop what he calls Centennial Park. The mayor envisions a $150 million, 7,000-seat stadium, despiteRead More

The following is a screenshot taken directly from the main webpage of Mayor Restaino’s 2019 campaign platform. These are his top three campaign promises: For clarity, it reads: Development. We must focus on business development that can deliver employment with wages to empower families and help stabilize neighborhoods. Transparency. TheRead More

By Ken Hamilton For those unfamiliar with Niagara Falls’ history, a trip down memory lane reveals mayoral decisions that devastated the city economically. Notably, Mayor E. Dent Lackey of the 1970s implemented policies that led to the confiscation of private properties from entrepreneurs and families who helped build the community.Read More

Voters want to know more about NFR’s plans for the Niagara Digital Campus. This report will hopefully help inform them. In the heart of Niagara Falls, a technological renaissance may unfold The Niagara Digital Campus promises to be more than just a technological marvel, it’s about economic revitalization. Beyond theRead More

By Winston Velvet In the heart of Niagara Falls, a debate is brewing, with two visions for the future of a ten-acre plot of land. A taxpayer-funded arena, or a high-tech data center with private investment adding to the tax rolls. Here are the mayor’s taxpayer-funded sketches of his arena.Read More

By Tony Farina     Vincent Cauley is a member of the Republican majority of the Niagara Falls City Council, named last December to fill out the term of retiring council member John Spanbauer. Cauley and fellow Republican Michael Gawel are candidates for the two open seats on the council,Read More

Buffalo, NY — A former lawyer and Erie County Democratic Chairman, Steve Pigeon, is facing trial for allegedly raping a nine-year-old relative in 2016. Pigeon, known for his role as an adviser to influential politicians, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo and President Bill Clinton, will face a jury on sixRead More

Niagara Falls, NY — Mayor Robert Restaino’s dream of building a 7000-seat arena – possibly bearing his name – has clashed with plans proposed by Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR) for a high tech data center – on the same 10 acres of land. While the November mayoral election looms, withRead More

As the mayoral election draws nearer in the city of Niagara Falls, one can’t help but wonder what will happen if Mayor Robert Restaino gets re-elected. Aside from Mayor Restaino dishing out small business grants to locals in exchange for votes and cutting ribbons at press events, Restaino’s focus isRead More

By Tony Farina The Niagara Falls mayoral race is turning ugly.  Just ask Republican candidate Carl Cain who is alleging that Mayor Restaino, a Democrat, and his appointed police chief, John Faso, have managed to deliver messages to him through two of his friends that he could face the publicRead More

MAYOR RESTAINO AND THE SO-CALLED “BLACK VOTE” Mayor Restaino has been handing out “candy,” but it’s not Halloween yet. It’s election season, and that candy is actually grant money. This past week, Mayor Restaino announced that he was awarding $100,000 to Christ Redemption Tabernacle Church, located at 339 22nd Street.Read More

By Tony Farina When attorney Dan Spitzer, a partner in the Hodgson Russ law firm, gives his counsel to city leaders about the ongoing eminent domain legal battle between the city and NFR over competing development projects, he is getting paid by the hour by city taxpayers. Spitzer, siding withRead More

By Tony Farina Time is rapidly slipping away on a golden opportunity to possibly cash in on two competing development projects in Niagara Falls that could be transformative in so many ways. Let’s give credit to NFR’s Roger Trevino for his comments in the Niagara Gazette last week titled “InRead More

On Thursday, Sept. 31, at 5:30 PM, The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Niagara on Main Street hosted the Orleans/Niagara BOCES High School Equivalency graduation ceremony for Niagara Falls residents. Students earned their High School Equivalency by either passing the GED exam or completing the NEDP program. This was theRead More

By Tony Farina The Abruzzo region is often referred to as one of the most beautiful places in all of Italy and is the home of legendary wrestler Ilio DiPaolo, known worldwide for his hall of fame ring career and his philanthropic deeds and community involvement in Buffalo where heRead More

Niagara Falls, NY: In the early morning of September 9, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NFMMC) stepped up as an oasis of hope for a pregnant Nigerian asylum-seeker and her family, who had been turned away at the Canadian border. This dramatic incident highlighted community hospitals’ indispensable role in addressing unplannedRead More

Niagara Falls — On September 17, 2023, at around 6:45 pm, Niagara Falls Police were called to the intersection of 22nd Street and Pierce Avenue following reports of a hit-and-run incident involving several pedestrians. According to police, approximately six individuals were involved in a dispute and standing on the sidewalkRead More

LOCKPORT, NY: A Niagara County jury took about an hour to find Nathan C. Marziale, 39, guilty of Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Incident. The incident, which occurred on February 19, 2022, led to the death of 28-year-old Rafael Medina-Gonzalez. Medina-Gonzalez was working as an Amazon contractorRead More

By Tony Farina Where to start with Steve Pigeon? That’s the question I asked myself when publisher Frank Parlato of the Niagara Falls Reporter asked me to do an update on the former Erie County Democratic Party chairman who is now preparing for a December trial that could be hisRead More

By Ken Cosentino Recently I had a conversation with a close friend of mine who is a lifelong resident and successful business owner in Niagara Falls, and he said something that stuck with me. What my friend said is this: “As major shareholders, developers in this city deserve special treatment.”Read More