By Tony Farina While Mayor Robert Restaino narrowly won re-election with a 3.5 to 1 vote advantage, he still appears committed publicly to building his events center arena on 10 acres of land the city will have to purchase from NFR on John Daly Blvd. if the city wins theRead More

MICHAEL S. GAWEL, CPA, JD My name is Michael S. Gawel and I have been a Certified Public Accountant since 1980. I have a BBA in Accounting and a JD from SUNY @ Buffalo School of Law. I am going to write a weekly tax advice column for the NiagaraRead More

By Marie White Sebold’s Apology Too Late In 2021, Alice Sebold, the best-selling author of the memoir “Lucky” and the novel “The Lovely Bones,” issued an apology to Anthony J. Broadwater, a man she had wrongly accused of raping her in 1981 – 39 years after the fact.  Broadwater spentRead More

By Tony Farina Former State Attorney General Dennis Vacco of the Buffalo law firm of Lippes Mathias, is still awaiting responses from the state on the lawsuit he filed in September on behalf of several member counties challenging the language in the state budget in May that, in Vacco’s words,Read More

Comedian Ernie Bivins, AKA “Black Ernie,” is making a name for himself in Las Vegas. “I’m 49, but I feel like I’m 29!” Jokes the Niagara Falls Native, whose career began here in his hometown in 2008. “I was doing shows for a few years and then I met MikeRead More

In a dramatic turn of events, G. Steven Pigeon faced a harrowing decision in the face of serious sexual abuse charges. With the risk of a life sentence looming over him, Pigeon grappled with a gut-wrenching choice: accept a plea deal for a crime he insists he didn’t commit, orRead More

By Brandon M. Stickney “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson For a time, human rights activist Malcolm X meant trouble for young Carlton “Carl” Cain. Malcolm’s autobiography, co-authored by Alex Haley, was nearly 500Read More

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 ofRead More

Niagara Falls, NY – Mayor Robert M. Restaino, just in time for the election, has announced a modest decrease in residential property tax rates. Yet, since his inauguration in 2020, the city has been plagued with soaring crime rates and rising taxes. First, let’s dissect his “generous” tax cut. AlthoughRead More

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome to the first installment of our series of interviews with mayoral candidate Carl Cain, a retired police officer who served the Niagara Falls Police Department with distinction for 30 years, retiring as Deputy Chief. With Election Day slated for November 7, 2023, the 59-year-old Republican candidate is engaged inRead More

Right about now, the walls are closing in on Bobby. Even if he wins, he loses. Emails and messages have flooded in to the Reporter with tips and stories about Mayor Robert Restaino’s private life. Some are so tawdry and cringeworthy that they won’t even be mentioned here. Election season willRead More