1. law, govt and politics
2. law enforcement
3. police

FREE
THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS FAIR
FREE
Despite 'Cooked' Studies Calling it Most Dangerous, Falls Can be a...
NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
VOL. 15, NO. 45
2
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Police Work in the ‘Most Dangerous’ City
Frank Parlato
Recent studies have suggested that
Niagara Falls is the most dangerous city
in New York State and one of the most
dangerous in the entire nation.
The Niagara Falls Reporter determined therefore to go on a "ride along"
with a Niagara Falls Police officer, to see
what the streets are like and what a typical officer does in patrolling these "most
dangerous" streets.
It was a rainy night. 43 degrees. Saturday. November. It was 7:30 pm.
The officer I was assigned to was
Donnie Booth, 40.
A former marine, with five years active duty, who afterward spent seven
years with the Niagara Falls police force.
Born in Niagara Falls, he grew up on
90th St in LaSalle.
We got into a marked police car, a
2008 Crown Victoria and as we drove
the streets of Niagara Falls, I asked him,
What made you become a police officer?
Growing up I always knew I wanted
to do this, he said. I feel pretty lucky.
Pretty much living my dream.
As we drove down Pine Ave., I said,
there are slow and busy nights?
Summer months tend to be busier,
Booth said. Weekend nights; warmer
weather, there are more people out. Summertime keeps us on our toes. But we
handle every night, every shift, every rotation the same. Today has been quiet. It
was a good day.
I asked, Do you prefer quiet?
I prefer moderate. When you're real
busy you can't help individual people as
much as you want. I like to stay busy but
I like to help people. It’s a lot easier
when you're not being hammered with
call after call after call.
How many are on patrol tonight?
Two in LaSalle. Three in the south
end. In the north end, we have three and
myself. Nine. We also have three lieutenants. One at the desk, two on the road.
Over the police radio we heard from
dispatch that a "loud argument" was ensuing from an apartment on Chestnut.
But it was not our beat. So we headed toward Niagara. Then drove down Cuddaback.
What do you look for on patrol? I
asked.
I look at the whole road, making
sure there is no one creeping around
cars; trying to hide from me. If someone
sees me and is going to duck behind a
tree he's going to catch my attention. If
something gets my attention, I stop. If
someone sees me and takes off running,
I call out "Stop! Police! Let me talk to
you." Would I chase them? No. There is
no crime just running from police. However if a call comes in that there's been a
robbery and I just saw this guy run from
me and he matched the description -now the chase is on.
We turned down 19th St. Then back
to Pine.
A lot of the people unfortunately do
drugs around here, he said, and this is an
area for prostitution.
As we got to the corner of 19th and
Pine Ave, I asked him, How many times
have you been on patrol at this exact intersection.
At least 1000 times, he said.
Have you ever shot a man? I asked.
No.
Have you ever had to pull your gun
to arrest a man?
Yes., He said. The only time we pull
our gun is when we need that level of
force. We always try to use the lowest
force necessary. However, if you feel
your life is in danger or someone else's
life is in danger than you use your
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER
“The Truth is Always Fair”
CHAIRMAN & EDITOR IN CHIEF
Frank Parlato
PUBLISHER
Peter Mio
MANAGING EDITOR
Dr. Chitra Selvaraj
SENIOR EDITOR
Tony Farina
PHONE: (716) 284-5595
P.O. Box 3083, Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14304
Phone: E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.niagarafallsreporter.com
All contents copyright © 2014 Niagara Falls Reporter Inc.
Bryan DalPorto was on the
streets this night.
weapon and attempt to get that person to
comply.
We drove to Main St, passing all the
vacant stores on this now derelict street.
I remember Jenss Department store,
Booth said, and I remember when all
these stores were decorated at Christmas. Now they are all just pieces of
wood.
Driving down Lewiston Road, we
turned on College and up Highland.
This is an area that has had gun violence recently, Booth said as he explained each part of the city.
We drove down McKoon.
A lot of houses here are owned by
Niagara University and a lot of kids have
parties on this street, Booth said. Not a
lot of violence, not a lot of major problems, but a lot of parties. We have to go
break up the parties; tell them to keep the
music down.
During the time we had been driving
there had not been a single call for us
from dispatch.
There's nothing going on, Booth
said.
That's good isn't it? I said.
It's very good. It means there's no
crime; it means everybody is having a
good night. Everybody's being peaceful.
What's the longest you’ve been on
patrol without a call?
I went seven hours during a snow
storm. I never went a whole shift with
nothing. It could be quiet for a while.
But there could be a shooting; there
could be a speeding car; there could be
a domestic.
We drove down 9th St and through
the acres of subsidized housing: Jordon
Gardens, Center Court, the Commons.
Do you get a lot of trouble here? I
asked.
You're going to have your typical arguments and domestics. As for serious
problems, I'd say there are less calls here
than elsewhere in the city. People tend to
be friendlier over here
We passed the Highland Deli where
there were shootings recently. Booth was
called to one of them.
What about heroin?
It’s always been big, he said. I think
there is a little bit more now. Same as
Rochester, Buffalo, Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach. We have a pill issue too.
It had stopped raining.
We drove back toward Pine.
Finally, after a long silence, a call
came from dispatch: a couple were fighting in the hallway and their room at the
Four Points Sheraton in LaSalle.
Booth was not called to the scene.
We drove instead down an alley.
We find a lot of cars parked here,
Booth said.
For what purpose?
Prostitution.
If you see a woman loitering do you
stop her? I asked.
I will drive by and circle around the
block and see if she's still there, he said.
If she's out there 10 minutes later, especially at 2 o'clock in the morning, waving at cars, that's probable cause for me
to investigate further. If she gets into a
car and there's a problem with the vehicle: maybe a bad taillight, they don’t use
a turn signal, whatever, I stop them.
Then I'll ask, "How do you guys know
each other?" Of course they're going to
say, "Oh, this is my friend." I usually
separate the two. Usually he's going to
sing the blues once she's out of the car.
He'll say, "well I just picked her up. She
said she needed a ride. And she told me
she would do 'xyz' for so much money".
Now I'm going to take a statement from
him and I can arrest her.
What about domestics? I asked.
If we had responded to the domestic
at the Sheraton and it ended up just being
an argument -- no arrest would be made.
If someone slapped someone across the
face, that's a violation. For a domestic,
for an arrest to be made, it has to result
in an injury. If a punch results in a broken nose, now it's an assault. If the person punches someone and it fractures
their skull, it's a felony assault. If I use
something other than my hands, a stick,
a hammer, a dangerous instrument, it's
assault second. If we go to house and she
had the crap beat out of her but she doesn't want him arrested, we can still arrest
him. If I see visible injury, I will arrest
the person. A normal person should not
be beating up their wives or beating up
their husbands. A lot of times a guy is
afraid to call the police because he doesn't want to look like he's weak.
How about gay domestics, do you
ever have them? I asked.
We get lesbians, gay domestics. I
treat them all the same.
As we spoke, dispatch called for our
car. It was our first call of the night.
In front of Collucci's Funeral home
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
A Saturday Night in Nov. Reveals the City
(Continued from page 2)
on 19th, "there is a female flagging
down cars." She was of "unknown race,
black jacket and black pants."
On the way to 19th St., we passed a
car driving erratically.
She doesn't look drunk, Booth said
of the driver, but she's just not right. But
we're on a call. If she was all over the
road I would stop her.
Near Collucci's, on 19th St, there
was a was a 30-something white woman
walking on the street in a black jacket
and black pants.
Booth pulled up. Hi, how are you
doing? he asked.
Good, how are you, she said, nervously.
You hanging out?
No. I live at the corner.
Another officer came in a patrol car
as back up.
Maybe I'm looking for someone
else, Booth continued. Is that where
you're going now? Home?
Yes, I'm going right home, she said.
Have you been walking back and
forth?
Just one way. I came from
Tronolone Place.
What's your name?
Rita W----, she said. Do you want to
see ID?
Booth got out of the car.
Where do you work? he asked her.
--- Pizza. I run the one on ----. I'm
definitely not the weirdo you're looking
for.
Weirdo? Booth said, amused.
Mostly everybody walking around is
a weirdo, she said.
The other officer got out and took
her ID.
We got back in the car.
Booth said, possibly could have
been her. But I didn't see her flagging a
car.
After a few moments, the other officer came to our car and said, she doesn't
have an arrest record, but I don't doubt it
was her because who she's been with.
She never was arrested for prostitution
but she hangs around with prostitutes.
If we see her out again, Booth said,
we are going to ask "what are you doing
now?" For now we are going to have to
clear it.
The other officer returned to his car.
I said to Booth, You have sort of a
good natured approach.
I'm not looking to hurt anybody,
Booth said. I wish I could snap my fingers and make Niagara Falls a better
place and do away with all crime. But
then I’d be out of a job.
Once again we resumed our patrol.
It wasn't long before we got our second call.
It was to 22nd St.
Lower apartment, the dispatcher
When a policeman stop a car, another officer arrives as backup
said. It's supposed to be a vacant house
but man says he can see lights flickering
in the house from a flashlight.
This night be a burglary, Booth said.
As we drove to 22nd St, dispatch
called for another car: Shoplifter. "Two
white females" stole from the 7-11 on
Pine Ave then "got into a grey vehicle.
They went west on Pine Ave."
If you saw that grey car on the way
to this call on 22nd what would you do?
I asked Booth.
I would call it out, and ask the radio
what they wanted me to do and a lieutenant would jump in and say either "follow the car" or "continue to your call."
The call we're going to right now is a
higher priority because there could be
someone getting hurt inside, Booth
added.
Once on 22nd, we pulled over near
the house and shut our lights off.
Booth and another officer, James
Woomer, who arrived just ahead of us,
approached the house together. I followed.
The officers went to the side door.
There was a young black man standing in the hallway.
Do you live here?, Woomer asked.
Yeah.
Where?
Downstairs.
Why are you using flashlights?
Woomer asked.
I don't have the power on yet, he
said, solving the mystery, seemingly.
Just then a woman came from her
upstairs apartment and confirmed the
young man - her brother - had just rented
the lower apartment. The man showed
his ID
Somebody was concerned, Booth
explained to them. We have had a lot of
burglaries.
After we left, Booth said, that was
the best case scenario. The power wasn't
turned on.
Within minutes of being back on patrol, we got our third call - to assist as
back up. An officer had stopped a car on
18th St. The driver had run a red light.
There was a child in the car; two females in the front.
It turned out the female driver had a
warrant for an unpaid traffic ticket.
We’re going to get her out of the car,
put her in handcuffs and lock her up,
Booth explained.
He and the other officer approached
the car, one on each side. I could see the
woman's fright. Her child was in the
back seat. She was going to be arrested.
Step out of the car, the officer said.
She hesitated.
You have to step out of the car, he
said. It can only get worse.
By this time the woman was nearly
paralyzed with fright. She paused but
what about my child?
The officer said, You got to step out
of the car. I'm trying to be nice to you.
She got out of the car.
And they - it is the law - ruthless
law- the officers had to - they had no
choice - they arrested this mother and
took her away from her child, for not
having paid the state a traffic ticket.
The child was left with the other
woman in the car/.
I had little time to ponder this injustice, however. For, just as the woman
was handcuffed and placed in the police
car, we heard what sounded like a gunshot.
Booth and I got into the car and sped
to where it appeared to have come from.
Down an alley, Booth flashed his
spotlight up and down. Soon several patrol cars were looking around the streets
there.
We drove down an alley and saw a
(Continued on page 4)
3
4
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Throughout the night, true police work is steady
(Continued from page 3)
man walking.
Did you hear any gunshots? Booth
asked.
I think a woman blew a tire out, he
said.
Where? Did you see anybody
Nope.
How did he know it was a woman if
he didn’t see anybody? I asked.
We went down another alley and
Booth again flashed his spotlight on the
yards and backs of houses, some of them
vacant.
Of course we're looking for the suspect, he said, but the number one thing
we're looking for is the person who is
hurt and needs help. At the same time
you want to watch for a suspect with a
weapon.
Could it have been a tire blowing
out? I asked.
Could have been. Could have been
someone putting a shotgun out the window and blowing it off. Could have been
someone wanting to sell it, firing it to
show it worked. Could have been a kid
goofing around.
As we drove down the alley, coming
in the opposite direction was the chief of
police - Bryan DalPorto in an unmarked
SUV.
What are you doing out tonight? I
asked him.
I always come out and check at least
once a night, the Chief said. I was making the trek down this alley when I saw
you guys.
You must really like this work, I
said.
The Chief said, I tell you what, it is
by far the funnest job you'll ever have.
It can be dangerous, but it's fun.
After the chief drove off - he too
looking for the source of the gunshot Booth agreed with his assessment.
This is definitely the funnest job
you'll ever have, Booth said. A call like
this, sure it is dangerous, but it’s part of
the job.
After driving down a number of
streets and looking and talking to pedestrians, we found no one responsible for
the sound that could have been a gunshot.
I took up the topic of the poor
mother who was arrested.
An officer arrives ready to make an arrest.
Will she spend the night in jail? I
asked.
Somebody could bail her out, Booth
said.
As we drove, an officer contacted
Booth to tell him he thought he saw that
same woman back on 19th.
Like the chief said, it is the best job,
the funnest job you'll ever have, Booth
said. You're driving around all slow.
Then things start hopping.
As we drove down Niagara, we
spotted a woman.
But it was not the one Booth questioned before.
It was Angela---, a woman I knew
from a previous interview. She was a
homeless prostitute.
Booth addressed her by name.
What's up honey? she said
You're out on the streets Angela, he
said.
There were two other girls here, she
offered too quickly.
Ok, don't argue, Booth said. What
were they doing?
They were standing right here on the
corner, she said. I was down the other
way.
You have been good lately? Booth
asked. You haven't been messing
around?
Yes, I have been good.
Booth said, I wish you could do better stuff than this because we all know
what's going on.
Yeah, I wish I could too, right now,
she said.
Let me put it this way, Booth said.
There's going to be no more tonight for
you on this street because we are going
to be taking action tonight.
Alright, she said. I'm going to try to
see if I can borrow some money from
my mother so I can pay for a place to
stay tonight.
After we drove off, Booth said, she's
working now. I let her know that I'm on
to it. If I see her approach somebody
now, we got enough to lock her up. But
it's not going to help her. She'll spend a
couple nights in jail. She needs help.
She's hooked on drugs. Look I'm not out
to lock everybody up. But if she doesn't
want to listen, that's disrespecting us. It's
not disrespecting me. It's disrespecting
the badge.
We drove down Pine. It was almost
abandoned.
We turned down 20th. A car slowed
down and went down an alley then
stopped and the driver shut off the exterior lights, but seemed to have left the interior lights on. Booth drove down that
alley.
As we approached the car, Booth
said, We have a "no chase" policy, so we
won't be chasing anybody in a vehicle
because of the risk. Now, if it's a serious
crime and he's our suspect, yeah. we'll
go after him. But if it’s a prostitute with
a John, were not going to chase them.
The risk is too high.
When we got near to the car, Booth
got out.
I followed. He approached with his
hand on his gun but not out of the holster.
he got close to the car and peered inside it.
N one was in the car.
Most likely it was someone who just
forgot to put his interior lights out, Booth
said.
Back in the car, we drove down 19th
again then to Niagara, Cleveland and
Whitney in turn.
Booth explained, right now, as we
turn the corner, I'm watching behind. I'm
looking in the mirrors. I'm always looking everywhere.
Booth explained that when he makes
an arrest, I talk to them the way they
want to be talked to. You have someone
on the ground handcuffed cause they're
going to jail, cause they just robbed a
bank. I talk to them like they're a human
being. 'Hey man, this is nothing personal. I'm just doing my job. I'm sure
you got reasons for why you did it.' I'm
not asking why he did it. I'm not asking
him anything to do with the crime. I'm
just talking to the man and if he starts
telling me "well I did it because of this."
Guess what? Did I ask him why he did
it? I didn't ask him anything to do with
the crime.
As we drove, we passed a hotel
where Booth once worked a homicide.
He found a man bleeding to death after
being killed by a woman.
Then we passed the Rapids Theater
on Main.
Remember the big riot at the
(Continued on page 5)
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Was it the most dangerous or safest city?
(Continued from page 4)
Rapids? Booth said, I was the guy that
got ran over. That was me that got trampled.
Were you hurt?
I got bruised up a little, but nothing
major. They were jumping over me.
Gunshots going off. People were getting
stabbed. That was me, Tom Bolt and Lt.
(Jeffrey) Billings, who is retired.
I remember Billings, I said.
I loved him, Booth said. He was a
great cop. When I started I was not good
at talking to people. He took me under
his wing and beat me up a few times. In
a manner of speaking he did a job on me
and I ended up Ok.
As we passed city hall, Booth remembered two officers who passed
away, David Kinney and William Gee.
I knew Dave very well, Booth said.
He was a great guy. In him, I lost a
friend, a boss. We lost a good cop. Lost
a father, a brother. He helped me out a
lot when I was brand new. Bill Gee was
another loss. He was always looking out
for the other officer. If something was
going on, he would say "I'm not having
it" and he would jump right in the midst
and do the right thing.
As we drove we happen to pass another house where Booth had once come
Here a mother is handcuffed and arrested, separated from her
child in the back seat, simply because she had an unpaid traffic
ticket that led to a judge issuing a warrant.
to the scene of a shooting.
He said, I only had my hands on two
fatalities. One when I was brand new,
and one a couple years ago.
He pointed to a certain building.
The guy who bought the building
was a victim of a homicide, he said. He
got shot on the corner, ran through the
yards, and died on Whitney. That was
the first homicide I worked on. I responded to the call. He was lying in a
backyard.
We cruised down Walnut, then 19th
St.
You probably know every street in
the city? I ventured.
Pretty well, he said.
We went by 24th St. But the night
was waning.
The only call we heard for a long
time was of a dead dog in the middle of
Porter near New Rd.
A dead dog? I said.
That’s what they think, Booth said.
It might be a deer. It could be a pile of
trash. Could be a stuffed animal.
It was Saturday night. We had been
together for four hours and the worst we
got so far was a gunshot maybe. Talked
to a prostitute. Arrested a mother for an
unpaid ticket. Checked out a house
where somebody had a flashlight and
now a dead dog.
What do you make of that? I asked.
Fifty thousand people in this city and nobody calling the police.
That tells me the city isn't as bad as
everyone says it is, Booth said.
At least tonight it is not the most
dangerous city, I said. It may be the least
dangerous.
I wonder how many police calls
Amherst got tonight? Booth asked.
I wonder how many police calls any
city of 50,000 got tonight? I said.
Booth said, tomorrow night it could
be gunshots all over the city.
As we drove down an alley, then
headed toward Pine, on the radio, the officer at the dead dog scene asked if there
was someone to dispose of the dog.
There is nobody at DPW working
right now, dispatch said. Can you move
so it's not a hazard?
5
I have nothing to move it with, the
officer said.
A few moments later dispatch
called: Attempt to locate. Looking for a
white male, 22 years old. His name is ----. He is wearing a red flannel shirt,
possibly a black jacket, long blond hair,
6' 3," 175-200 pounds. He's playing in a
band and wandered off, possibly intoxicated, headed toward Wedge liquors.
Dutifully we drove past Wedge
Liquors and circled around but did not
find him.
A guy is playing in a band and got
drunk and wandered off toward a liquor
store. You get the whole gamut, I said.
People deal with us at their worst
time. They see me when they have a
problem.
But after this fruitless search for a
lost drunk, now it was time to head back
to the station; the shift was over.
As I got out of the patrol car, I said
to Booth, people say that Niagara Falls
may be the worst, the most dangerous
city. If it is the worst city - it seems to
A drug addicted prostitute approaches a car, looking to
make some money to pay for
crack cocaine.
me then that it stands to reason that its
cops have to be the best. That's plain
logic.
But was it really so dangerous.
I got out of the car and really nothing bad had happened in the whole city
that night.
I make no judgment. I listened to a
patrolmen explain in his own words to
some small extent his job.
It was just another night in the most
dangerous or, at least on this one night
the safest city perhaps in New York
State, maybe in America.
6
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Pescrillo’s Chilton Ave. Warehouse For
Sex Offenders Now Strictly a Money Maker
Mike Hudson
Back in 2005, a 24 year old by the
name of Joseph Edmiston raped a 15
year old girl here in Niagara Falls. He
was a stranger to the girl, and ultimately
the charge was reduced to attempted
rape in return for a guilty plea. He did a
year in the county jail and will remain
branded for the rest of his life as a Level
2 sex offender.
He’s now living on Chilton Avenue,
in a group home for sex offenders owned
by a man named Ralph T. Pescrillo. The
home was about to be foreclosed last
year, but Pescrillo filed bankruptcy on
July 23, 2013, which stopped the foreclosure while he arranges for payments
to a long list of creditors.
Emiston is one of five sex offenders
housed at the house Pescrillo owns at
681 Chilton Ave., a formerly posh Niagara Falls neighborhood that has now
fallen into decline. In 1999 he paid
$47,000 for the six bedroom Victorian,
which had been built in 1910 as a single
family residence but was later converted
into a two family home.
While the bankrupt Pescrillo is enjoying a moratorium on having to make
mortgage payments and other bills associated with owning as many as 100 properties in the city, the money he makes
from housing his sex offenders in what
was once a bucolic family neighborhood, tax money supplied by various
state and county agencies, just keeps
rolling in.
The system is such that it is very
much to Pescrillo's advantage to rent to
sex offenders rather than normal families.
While the house is technically a two
family home, Pescrillo uses it as a rooming house allowing more sex offenders
to pay more for their quarters.
While one of his Chilton Ave, three
bedroom apartments rented to a family
might rent for $700 per month, renting
them by the room is more lucrative.
Sex offenders pay as much as $600
per room - paid by the state and county
- meaning that Pescrillo can collect as
much as $3,600 for his six bedroom
home, instead of $1,400 he might collect
if he rented both flats to normal families.
Since sex offenders have difficulties
finding suitable housing and because of
monitoring, they are likely to be quiet.
They make ideal candidates for unofficial rooming houses.
Unlike your typical rooming house
inmate, someone who is poor, might be
on drugs, and usually cannot afford to
rent an apartment, sex offenders are paying as much for a room as they would for
an apartment, to landlords like Pescrillo.
And are generally fearful of causing
any trouble.
Maybe they will do no harm; by all accounts they live quietly; but these five sex offenders, from l-r,
Joseph Edmiston, Dale Goff, Thomas Chew, Philip Howard and Ricky Horton, all live at 681 Chilton,
making their landlord Ralph Pescrillo extra money and the neighbors - quite candidly - uneasy.
While their pasts may be odious,
generally sex offenders live quietly, as
neighbors admit they have done so far
on Chilton.
Yet it is the perception that tarnishes
the neighborhood.
While they may never commit an offense on Chilton, the men who reside
681 Chilton, where at least five
sex offenders live. While neighbors say the men live quietly
and without incident, their
presence has changed the
tenor of the neighborhood.
there have a creepy history.
Newer residents at Pescrillo’s
Chilton Ave house include Ricky Wayne
Horton, who was convicted of molesting
a girl under the age of 11 in 2005, and
Philip Howard, who was convicted of attempting to rape a girl under the age of
15 in 2010.
Other sexual offenders living at 681
Chilton include Dale Goff, 51, a hulking
250 pounder who molested two boys,
ages 6 and 10, in 1992, did a prison
stretch, and on release in 2006 attempted
to rape a 6 year old girl. Thomas Chew,
53, is classified as a violent sexual offender by the state Parole Board and was
convicted of forcing his wife’s children
- two young girls, aged 11 and 13, to engage in oral and anal sex with him.
Reached by telephone on Sunday,
Pescrillo said he didn’t want to talk
about his tenants, the foreclosure, his
bankruptcy or anything else.
“I’m not interested in talking to the
Niagara Falls Reporter,” he said before
hanging up.
There are currently 164 registered
sex offenders in Niagara Falls, one for
about every 286 men, women and children living in the city. This number is
more than double what it was seven
years ago, when fewer than 70 registered
sex offenders lived in the city. Currently
Niagara Falls has the highest number of
registered sex offenders per capita of any
municipality in the state.
In a recent interview, city Police Superintendent Bryan DalPorto said the
high number of registered sex offenders
here is a big problem. There are actually
nine more sexual predators here than
there are police officers.
“The sex offender issue is a battle
we’ve been fighting,” he told the Niagara Falls Reporter. “A number of the sex
offenders here are from Niagara Falls,
committed their crimes here, and that’s
our responsibility to deal with that. But
a lot of them are being brought in from
elsewhere, because we have cheap housing or whatever, and I have a big problem with that.”
Meanwhile, Chilton Avenue residents, many of whom have children and
grandchildren living with them, say that
their repeated appeals to City Hall concerning the situation have fallen on deaf
ears.
“I’ve called I don’t know how many
times, the mayor, city Council members,
and have never gotten a call back,” said
one woman who asked not to be identified. “We’ve lived here for 20 years,
paid taxes, and are now seeing our property values reduced to nothing because
of this.”
Asked about the problem some
years ago, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul
Dyster said sexual predators “have to
live somewhere,” and former state Rep.
Francine DelMonte co-authored the bill
that allowed registered sex offenders to
be placed in group living operations in
what had been otherwise peaceful residential neighborhoods.
Since that time, at least two convicted sex offenders, Richard S. Ribis
and Mark M. Miles, have committed
further sex crimes in Niagara Falls.
Back in 2011, Ribis was sent to
prison for three years by Judge Sara
Sheldon Sperrazza after pleading guilty
to attempted second-degree rape and
possession of a sexual performance by a
child. A Level 1 sex offender because of
a prior misdemeanor, Ribis had sex with
an underage girl in the late spring or
early summer of 2008, and was found to
have downloaded child pornography
onto his girlfriend's computer.
In a separate case, Judge Matthew
Murphy III placed Mark M. Miles, 28,
of 19th Street, on interim probation for
a year pending a final sentencing decision. Miles, a Level 3 sex offender because of a 2002 child molestation
conviction, had pleaded guilty to sexual
misconduct for an incident with an underage girl in September 2009.
Overall, records show, however, a
lower rate of recidivism among sex offenders than other groups of felons.
A 2002 study by the United States
Department of Justice indicated that recidivism rates among sex offenders was
5.3 percent; that is, about 1 in 19 of released sex offenders were later arrested
for another sex crime. The same study
mentioned that 68 percent of released
non-sex offenders were rearrested for
any crime (both sex and non-sex offenses), while 43 percent of the released
sex offenders were rearrested for any
crime (and 24 percent re-convicted).
A collection of official studies spanning the years 1983–2010 for all 50
states and the federal government of the
US showed the average recidivism of
sex offenders committing new sex
crimes since 1983 is approximately 9
percent, compared to the 42 percent av-
erage recidivism rate for all felony offenders committing any new felony offense.
According to the Office of Justice
Programs (OJP) of the United States Department of Justice, in New York State,
the recidivism rate for sex offenders has
been shown to be lower than any other
crime except murder.
The lower recidivism rate may be in
large part due to the sex offender registry, a system in place designed to allow
7
authorities to keep track of the residence
and activity of sex offenders including
those released from prison. Information
in the registry is made available to the
public via a website.
Registered sex offenders are subject
to additional restrictions that those on
parole or probation for other crimes are
not, such as restrictions on being in the
presence of minors, living in proximity
to a school or daycare center, or owning
toys or other items of interest to minors.
8
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Will New Train Station Bring Same Old Results?
For several years the Niagara Falls
Reporter has criticized the Niagara Falls
Inter-modal Transportation Center more
commonly known as the new train station project on Whirlpool St.
We have opposed it for a number of
reasons, ranging from its $45 million
cost to build, to its yet-to-be-calculated
maintenance and operational expenses.
Even its presumptuous name, “Niagara
Falls Inter-modal Transportation Center.” raises serious concerns among our
Editorial and News personnel.
Inter-modal?
While it may house a train travel operation and it may accept busses for pick
up and drop off, the Center won’t service
air traffic, which is how anyone who
doesn’t fall into the automobile-drive-in
market prefers to get around during
these post-covered wagon days.
We accept that, the current train station facility on Lockport Road is in a
poor location, lacking amenities and off
the main drag.
But does that matter?
Will the sporadic, casual train travelers who frequent the train station even
notice the difference between the old station on Lockport Road and the new train
station your public dollars are building
on Whirlpool Street?
The new train station draws from
Federal, State and City funds to the tune
of $45 million. The City portion of that
total is expected to approach $10 million
by the time the Inter-modal Transportation Center opens its doors.
Is there any reason to believe that
this new facility - no matter how impres-
sive its physical appearance - will attract
so much as one additional train rider
than the bare bones facility attracts
today?
The present destination train ridership into Niagara Falls, New York remains at about nine persons per day.
(About 30 per day pass through from
other locations.)
It is difficult to interpret how a new
station automatically translates into increased riders. Will new train riding patrons, as in thousands more, choose to
travel into our area simply because our
new train station has been completed?
Will it be a pretty, empty train station? Or just a pretty empty train station?
Or will it now be filled with riders
since the station looks so nice?
No matter what major tourist desti-
nation you visit, one would be hardpressed to find, visitors who have been
drawn there because of the ‘majesty’ of
its train station. Why should Niagara
Falls, NY be different?
Seriously, how many people travel
by train because of the condition and design of the train station at their destination? People choose their mode of travel
based on the mode of travel, its comfort
and practical, expedient access to their
destination.
Do people choose to fly because the
airport is nice?
Does anybody choose to go by train
to New York City just so they can see
Grand Central Station, one of the most
unique train station complexes in the
world?
Perhaps a few might, but not many.
Sure the new $45 million train station (L) looks nicer than the old one (R). Will more people come by train to Niagara Falls because of it?
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Pictures compare old train station to new station,
will ‘always empty’ change with bigger, better station?
9
The rendering of the new (pictured empty) train station (l) shows it will be pretty, and large, and costly to heat and maintain, with its high
ceilings and wasted space. Like the old train station (r) , which is small and cozy, the new one will probably have very few riders.
Our present train station, modest
though it may be, almost always remains
empty.
And, if the small train station is
empty, what evidence is there to believe
a larger one would be filled?
The inter-modal transportation center has already cost City taxpayers millions of dollars. That number is sure to
skyrocket as the complex is completed,
with operation and maintenance costs ul-
timately adding to the bottom line.
To date, the Administration of
Mayor Paul Dyster has stated it does not
know what it will cost to operate and
maintain this facility. They are leaving
this number up to chance, calculating
this cost figure after the ribbon has been
cut and the passengers have appeared.
If the courthouse costs the City, according to 2013 figures, $500,000 per
year to maintain, the train station, at
While the new, giant, train station rendering shows 10 people in it,
the sad fact is that train travel has become obsolete for most Americans. Unless the fact of a pretty train station is enough to make
people decide to travel by train, the old station (below) with its almost always empty ticket counter, was more than sufficient to accommodate the few train travelers coming to and departing from
Niagara Falls. None of this would matter, perhaps, except that you,
the taxpayer, will be paying the maintenance on the new train station that supply and demand did not create.
At the old train station the hours are posted on a shelf above a
garbage can for the scant few people who need to know.
roughly 40 percent of the size, might
cost $200,000 annually. But, it may be
more, since some costs are constant and
are not tied directly to square footage of
the two buildings.
At the end of the day, unless you believe that people will start coming to Niagara Falls by train because the station
is attractive, expect the same number of
riders per day in a grossly expensive,
hugely over-sized building as we had in
our old train station.
Nine people a day in such a big and
costly building?
Are we being negative?
No, simply realistic.
Only time will tell if we would have
been better just providing some updates
to a vastly under-used existing train station.
Fixing it up, painting it, paving the
parking lot.
Sadly, our City, with no guarantee of
increased train traffic, might well have
been handed another chapter in a 40year long list of ’municipal if-comes’.
10
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Tony Farina
It now looks like Buffalo developer
Mark Hamister has finally gotten his act
together to break ground in the spring on
a Hyatt Place five-story hotel in downtown Niagara Falls topped by a banquet
and meeting room on the sixth floor totaling 14,500 square feet.
Councilmember Andrew Touma
said the city’s Planning Board will likely
approve the often controversial and frequently remade hotel project at its meeting tonight (Nov. 18), with the City
Council likely voting its support early
next month.
In perhaps its final redesign, the
Hamister Hyatt Place will cost $34.9
million, up $12.5 million from the original projected cost, even though 24 residential apartments in the original
proposal have been dropped in favor
more hotel rooms. The new Hyatt design calls for 125 hotel rooms compared
to the 100 rooms in the initial plans.
There will also be between 8,000 and
Hamister May Finally Be Ready
To Deliver on Falls Hotel
8,100 square feet of retail space included.
In a rare public appearance on the
project, Hamister told reporters last
week in his Buffalo offices that the
apartments were dropped in favor of
more rooms because the demand for
hotel rooms has increased since the project was originally conceived.
“The good news is that while the
project at 360 Rainbow Blvd. has increased in cost, it won’t cost city taxpayers any more money,” said Touma. “The
state is increasing its commitment by
$1.1 million to a total of $3.85 million.”
Hamister is getting more state dollars to
do his hotel on prime land he was pretty
much gifted ($100,000) by the city for a
project hailed by just about every elected
official in the area, including the governor and Mayor Paul Dyster who could
not be reached for comment on the latest
new design. The added state subsidy is
a clear indication that officials want to
make sure it gets built so they won’t be
embarrassed any more by continuing de-
Above: The most recent artist rendering of the proposed $35 million Hamister Hotel. Below: The original rendering of the proposed
$25 million Hamister Hotel.
lays.
Likely, good or not, the new design
and talk of a spring groundbreaking for
the hotel are a relief to Dyster who has
had to endure delay and after delay on a
project that he touted as the one that will
save downtown.
Hamister said he believes Niagara
Falls is “only a few years behind” Buffalo in the area of economic activity and
Dyster eagerly joined in, saying, according to press reports, “we’re continuing
the momentum. This is the way it’s supposed to work.” Despite the delays and
political controversy that has marked the
Hamister project, Dyster added “it seems
like something always goes wrong when
you talk about downtown development,
but I think the [Hamister project] will
leverage more activity.”
It may have been months in the
making, and the costs seem a mile high
for a five-story hotel with a banquet
room on top, but at this point the mayor
will probably be satisfied with something from Hamister after all the hype
that went into it. Dyster faces a re-election bid next year, and most certainly he
wants shovels in the ground by spring to
showcase come election time. With a
budget deficit and uncertain upkeep
costs on his new train station, the mayor
is looking for every bit of positive news
he can find.
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Is a City-Owned Animal Shelter a Wise Choice?
Will Likely Cost Far More Than SPCA Services
Anna M. Howard
The 2015 Dyster administration, it
turns out, has a total set aside of $ 3.2
million divided equally over 2015 and
2016 under capital projects to support
the establishment, implementation and
operation of a city run no-kill animal
shelter.
As 17 city employees prepare to be
laid off, as up to 60 more city employees
prepare to take advantage of a Dyster administration early retirement incentive
that will give each of the potential 60 retirees $20,000 to walk away at the close
of 2014 and as the mayor prepares to
raise business and homeowner property
taxes, he is also planning for the city to
administer an animal rescue and shelter
operation.
The reason appears to be as a result
of the tortured relationship existing between city hall and the Niagara County
SPCA.
With Niagara Falls being the largest
part of the SPCA’s work area, logic
states that Niagara Falls would be the
costliest element in their work.
Dyster’s city hall has repeatedly
taken issue with the amount of money
they are being charged for animal rescue
and protection services.
While there may or may not be a legitimate reason for city hall balking at
the cost of services we find the city’s
move to create its own animal shelter to
be worthy of some serious questioning.
As the city budget teeters on the
brink of a tax increase, city hall is threatening to go into the animal shelter business?
Presently the city has no expertise or
professional background to enter this
highly technical field. The city has no
building to operate out of, no employees,
no vehicles, no equipment and - because
Some animals may never be
adopted. And be quite costly to
care for. Should they be "humanely euthanized" or sheltered indefinitely at taxpayers’
expense? And should the city
get into this business?
of the already large deficit - no way of
affording the ongoing operation and
maintenance of an animal shelter.
Unless the case can be made that the
city can own and operate its own animal
shelter, with city employees, and a new
department, cheaper than what the city
pays the SPCA.
The city had been paying around
$84,000 per year when the SPCA was
collecting strays for the city and freely
euthanizing hundreds of animals.
With the idea of no kill as a goal, the
SPCA needs to collect at a rate based on
actual costs borne by the agency inside
the Cataract City, which run closer to
$225,000 per year.
Since the average union salary with
benefits runs nearly $75,000 per year, it
would only take three employees to cost
more in salaries alone than what the
SPCA said it needed.
When you add the cost of heat and
food and vet care for the animals, it
would seem inconceivable that the city
can do the animal services work cheaper
than the SPCA.
Ironically, the approximate yield of
the tax increases recommended by
Mayor Dyster for 2015 will be less than
one year’s funding of the Dyster animal
shelter which is about $1.6 million.
11
Perhaps the best plan would be to
stop the animal shelter talk and get back
to the negotiating table with the SPCA
and save both the business owners and
homeowners some bucks.
The choice of action in this situation
should be “first do no harm to the animals” and “second do no harm to the Niagara Falls taxpayer.”
Let’s not use neglected and suffering
animals as pawns in a political struggle
of wills between the City of Niagara
Falls and the SPCA.
This life is a hard fact; work your
way through it boldly, though it
may be adamantine; no matter,
the soul is stronger.
― Swami Vivekananda
If the whole world stands
against you sword in hand,
would you still dare to do
what you think is right?
12
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Reporter Calls on State Park to Restore Public Access to All
of Three Sisters Islands
The Niagara Falls Reporter has calculated that the
public lost about 80 percent of its public access to
Three Sisters Islands in the Niagara Falls State Park,
following the $2.1 million "improvement" of the islands by state parks.
Most of Three Sisters Islands have been fenced off,
where once the entire islands where available to the
public.
Before the "improvements," for some 125 years,
the public could wander through wooded paths and explore the pristine islands, nestled in the Niagara River
amid the rapids.
Now there is only a straight path on stone pavers.,
fenced on either side.
Because the old paths were not wide, and weaved
throughout the islands, connected by bridges, there was
a sense of adventure and exploration.
Today visitors to Three Sisters Islands can walk
only on a narrow paved path on incongruous pavers.
On either side the visitor is hemmed in by fences,
something new to the islands and for those who loved
Three Sisters, a heart rendering sight.
You can't wander to the left or right; you cannot
walk up to the shore and touch the water; or sit beside
babbling brooks between the islands.
Before there were winding trails and narrow hideaways, one was on the verge of excitement, of discovery and exploration every time one visited Three Sisters
Islands.
Now you are confined to pavement.
Surrounded by fences.
Great scenic locations have been fenced off with
danger signs.
The public lost its right of access to the islands.
Suddenly.
As part of so-called park improvements.
The Reporter is not aware of any deaths or accidents at Three Sisters over the last century.
The Reporter is calling for the state park to take
down the fencing and restore public access to the entirety of Three Sisters Islands.
Once people were permitted to explore all
of the Three Sisters Islands. Now they are
confined to only the (white) path shown on
this aerial picture. The straight stone path
takes only a few minutes coming and
going.
All of the scenes on the left are now illegal
on Three Sisters Islands and people are
now forced to walk along narrow stone
paths, fenced on either side. After 125
years, the people are no longer allowed to
explore the Islands.
At one time you could spend hours here.
Even the stones are fenced off.
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
14
Tom Lizardo
Dyster’s Budget Actually Increases Deficit
Council Should Call for Expert Help
Former City Administrator,
Niagara Falls
Last week's budget stories in the Niagara Falls Reporter are well done. Sincere congratulations.
There remains only one problem
and it is one I've been anticipating since
reviewing the 2015 budget documents.
It is inaccurate to say that Mayor
Paul Dyster's proposal lays people off to
close the structural deficit. It is also not
accurate to say the tax increase is shrinking the size of the structural deficit.
Why?
Because the size of the structural
deficit is not shrinking in the Mayor's
month-plus late budget proposal.
In fact the size of the structural
deficit -- as measured by the amount
Dyster proposes to use from the fund
balance (the savings the City has for
emergencies and special needs) -- is actually growing from last year to this
year.
The $4.9 million transfer of savings
is $500,000 higher than 2014. The Mayors month-plus-late proposal grows the
structural deficit by 11 percent.
Let me say this one more time to be
clear -- Mayor Dyster's 2015 budget proposal would grow the structural deficit
The Niagara Falls City Council will hold a public hearing on the
proposed budget. Will they call for some expert advice?
by 11 percent.
If you took away the tax hike and
layoffs, the structural deficit would have
grown by some 50 percent in just the
year between 2014 and 2015.
If "addressing" the structural deficit
means reducing (or at least stabilizing)
it, then this proposal does nothing at all
- whatsoever - to address the structural
issues.
Just as with its lack of timeliness,
this budget follows the 2012 "disaster
budget" in appropriating $4.9 million
from fund balance.
As predicted in a study two years
ago, without more transparency and a
wider and deeper budget-making
process, the City would be in no position
to face future similar budgets - little did
we know it would only take two years to
get back here.
It is worth repeating again, regardless of the outcome of the 2015 budget,
unless the city entirely overhauls its
budget process, we will keep facing
these terrible problems.
For the sake of pin-point accuracy,
please make no mistake, the Mayor's
budget, as proposed, does not address
the structural deficit. The Mayor's
budget -- as proposed -- increases the
structural deficit by 11 percent over the
2014 structural deficit (even assuming
and including all position cuts and tax
hikes are approved).
Nobody should be saying "he did
this to shrink the structural deficit" -- because he actually increased the structural
Mayor Paul Dyster delivers his
proposed 2015 budget which
calls for a $4.4 million more in
spending.
deficit in this proposal-- by 11 percent.
The crisis is growing larger as the
egos at 745 Main refuse to say "help, we
really need some serious help."
If the budget is adopted as proposed,
the City will likely have a tough battle
to stay above junk bond status in 2015.
Somehow I don't think the City
Council will be calling expert testimony
for its budget hearings -- but it is certainly needed.
(For a further explanation of what
this writer believes is happening with the
city budget, see story on next page.)
City Budget: Facts Shows
Spending is the Problem
For those who wish to understand
Mayor Paul Dyster’s proposed 2015 City
Budget, there are two related pieces of
information that should be considered.
First, as of Sept. 2014, the annual
US inflation rate is 1.7 percent
Now, let’s examine the numbers
from the 2014 budget (general fund) and
the Mayor's proposed 2015 proposal:
Spending (general fund)
$82,884,936. 2014
$87,295,970. 2015 proposal
The proposed budget contains new
spending at a rate of over five percent for
2015's general fund.
This rate represents a spending increase nearly three times, (300 percent)
the rate of inflation.
For all the claims that the proposed
tax hike is the product of a need to pay
for past problems, isolating 2015 general
fund spending shows that future spending will increase at a rate far beyond inflation. Planned spending in the General
Fund will increase over $4.4 million in
2015.
These additional expenditures-- are
more than three times greater than the
size of the proposed tax increase.
Put another way:
If next year’s spending were controlled to increase by $3.1 million (about
3.7 percent -- still more than twice the
rate of inflation) there remains no need
for a tax increase.
A three percent, 2015 general fund
spending increase would have resulted in
a general fund disbursal of about $85.4
million -- about $2.6 million higher than
2014.
At about that rate, the tax levy could
have been stabilized with zero tax increase and the structural deficit could
have been modestly cut (instead of increased by 11 percent).
The driving force behind layoffs and
tax hikes now becomes obvious.
Poorly hidden, this budget contains
a large election year spending increase.
Again, this increase is not being paid
for in 2015. The tax hike, plus the job
cuts, plus the increased fund balance
usage equals less than 100 percent of the
spending hike.
In other words, expect bigger structural problems in the future
It's still just math and logic.
New spending = approx $4.4 million
New tax levy: +. $1.3. M
Structural issue: (Take from the fund
balance $4.9 million) +$500,000 (as
compared to last year.)
Job cuts: 17 (x $75,000 estimate includes benefits). $1,275,000
In other words, new taxes PLUS increased use of fund balance, PLUS savings from job cuts Equals less than $3.1
million!
That PLUS another $1.3 million (a
doubling of the tax hike) would equal
$4.4 million (i.e. the new Spending)
What is driving the tax hikes and job
cuts?
New Spending. Period.
Is government spending always bad?
No, sometimes it's necessary.
Are pay hikes for public employees
bad? I don't think so, I've been a public
employee much of my adult life.
So. What's the point?
Be honest about it all. Don't tell us
the pain is needed to pay for past problems when the pain in 2015 equals less
than the new spending in 2015.
Next year’s "pain quotient" of tax
hike, plus job cuts, plus growth of structural deficit, is not going toward past
mistakes. It is an attempt to deflect attention in the increased new spending.
The bottom line, it is outweighed by
new spending.
The people being hurt are not in a
"shared pain" situation; the new spending is going someplace.
In a city election year, it would appear some elected officials become the
prime beneficiaries of new, spending
The irony is this - whoever gets
elected in 2015 is left a significant mess
to clean up starting in 2016.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Niagara
Gospel Rescue Mission is celebrating its
4th Annual “Feed the Falls” events again
this Thanksgiving and Christmas Days
and has opened their Turkey Hotline for
people to request a Thanksgiving Dinner. During Thanksgiving week roughly
300 volunteers, including members from
over twenty-five WNY area churches,
are expected to help prepare, serve and
deliver meals throughout Niagara Falls
— and to needy families in rural areas of
Niagara County.
If you or someone you know is in
need of a meal, please call the Mission
Turkey Hotline to place your order at
(716) 253-1GOD (253-1463) Monday
thru Friday from November 12th -25th
between the hours of Noon and 5pm.
Volunteers are also needed.
Mission spokesperson, Lynda
Hauser said, “Many of us are looking for
ways to make a positive difference in
our community. This is one great way
we can reach out to our neighbors who
are lonely and struggling with a tangible
demonstration of God’s love. This
Thanksgiving, that love is going to look
like a hot turkey dinner, a big slice of pie
and the warm smile of a friend.”
Mission Opens Thanksgiving
Dinner Hotline For Needy
16
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
As ISIS Spills Blood, U. S. Political Warfare Continues
Tony Farina
The brutal Islamic State has struck
again, posting a video on social media
last Sunday showing the mass beheadings of about a dozen men identified as
Syrian military officers along with the
slaughter of 26-year-old American aid
worker Peter Kassig whose bloody head
was seen at the feet of his masked and
black-clad killer.
In all, that makes five Western
hostages including three Americans who
have died at the hands of the terrorist
group which has killed thousands of
people in mass executions as part of its
campaign to create an Islamic state
across Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria.
President Obama called the latest
execution of the American hostage an
act of “pure evil” by the terrorist group
and in offering his condolences to Kassig’s family he referred to him by his
Muslim name, Abdul-Rachman Kassig,
as a message that ISIS had killed one of
its own.
So where does America go from
here and how many more murders will
ISIS broadcast on social media to
demonstrate their hatred for the West
and America in particular for the U. S.led air campaign against the most brutal
of all the terrorist groups that inhabit the
region?
No one can be sure, but it appears
the Pentagon is about ready to push for
more boots on the ground in the battle
against the Islamic State militants if
America is to be successful in putting an
end to their bloody campaign to take
control of Iraq and Syria and eliminate
whole tribes which don’t subscribe to
their religious beliefs.
Unfortunately, here at home the political war being waged by the political
enemies of President Obama are anything but helpful on the world stage for
a president who wanted to end the Middle East military excursions that have
cost the country trillions of dollars and
thousands of dead and wounded American warriors for a cause that seems
pretty hopeless at this point.
Obama’s enemies have blamed him
for just about everything you can think
of, including the growth of ISIS, Ebola,
health care problems, the VA scandals,
and yet when you look past the attacks,
the country’s economy is robust, the
forecast is bright, and the dollar is holding close to a four-year high.
The GOP rode into power on Election Day largely on the doom and gloom
broadcast almost daily on right-leaning
television and radio broadcasts that often
create negative news on the Ebola or the
Middle East when the facts supporting
the negative spin are often shaky at best.
And despite the non-stop attacks, the
country seems to be doing pretty good
with the top auto dealer group predicting
new vehicle sales next year close to the
17 million, citing the improving economy. But that economic growth has not
dulled the attacks on Obama.
Political battles are nothing new, but
the harsh reality is that with all of the
GOP chest pounding and hard-edged attacks on the U. S. presidency comes a
government that simply doesn’t function
for the good of nation on many issues.
The terrible atrocities being carried out
by the Islamic State should help unite
America against this terrible evil, but our
leaders are more interested in the political landscape for 2016 than brutality
being waged by the jihadist terrorist
group. Never mind the country’s improving economy. Obama is to blame
for, well, you name it.
But let’s temporarily put the political
attacks aside and ask can America’s political enemies find time to come together to deal with a threat that seems to
be coming closer to home every time we
see another of these terrible beheadings
being carried out--not in a movie-- but
in real life in a bleak desert?
It seems unlikely, and with Republicans brimming with confidence after
taking control of Congress, there is little
likelihood of any compromise that might
produce legislation that would be good
for all the people. And you can fully expect Obama will not give in easily to the
Republican agenda which, for the most
part, is to dismantle every program the
twice-elected president has tried to establish without offering any meaningful
alternatives to such things as health care
and immigration reform.
It looks like two more years of gridlock and more beheadings from ISIS as
the American political establishment is
more interested in winning the White
House than winning the war against evil.
Hopefully, from somewhere, will
spring a leader who can offer more than
we are seeing in Washington these days,
and I don’t mean a radical from either
political extreme but someone who has
the country’s best interest at heart, not
his or her political party. Americans are
losing their heads trying to ease the pain
ISIS is causing, and it is time we honored their sacrifice by showing the world
we are a country united once again.
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
17
American Education Week, Celebrated, Appreciated in Niagara Falls
Cynthia Bianco
Superintendent of Schools
It is hard to believe that 25 percent
of the country's World War I draftees
were illiterate. But historians tells us that
is true. That reality was what prompted
the American Legion and educators long
ago to found a week-long observance to
celebrate American Education; it was
their effort to shine a light on the importance of public schools.
This week we celebrate American
Education Week in the District with special events for students like our annual
Breakfast of Champions and the free Literacy, Math, and Technology Fair. But,
as nice as it is to have the events, we
mustn’t forget the real importance of
what we are observing in this week before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The fact that every child has a right
to a free, quality education, simply by
virtue of being born, is a fundamentally
American idea. It bespeaks our commitment to meritocracy, upward mobility,
and the deeply held belief that this country is the Land of Opportunity.
It would be inconceivable to people
in countries where education is not free,
or universally available, that any parent
would allow a child to approach school
casually or with less than full resolve to
learn all he or she could. And yet, we
must ask ourselves: do we impart to our
children just how fortunate they are? Do
we realize it ourselves?
We are most fortunate in the Niagara
Falls City School District to have many
involved parents and many Adopt-ASchool Partners who are truly involved
in our schools’ efforts to provide the best
education to every child, though each
has different needs, different strengths
and different challenges.
During American Education Week, I
want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all
who support and celebrate the potential
of every child, because recognizing and
developing that potential is the essential
mission of our public schools and it matters a very great deal to children, to families, and to our nation.
To all who teach or support teaching,
volunteer, advocate, and partner with our
schools, thank you. Your efforts are
meaningful, patriotic, and appreciated.
could lower the cost of your health coverage. You may also qualify for health care
coverage from Medicaid or Child Health
Plus through the Marketplace."
Consequently Niagara Falls Memorial
Medical Center has joined the state initiative and has undertaken to train and station
"navigators" - people who undergo training to understand various health insurance
coverage options, and are able to assist individuals to apply and enroll in a health insurance coverage plan that is right for
them.
Memorial will provide assistance at
several locations across Niagara County
during the next few weeks.
“All existing marketplace qualified
health plans will expire Dec. 31,” said
Christin Culligan, Memorial’s director of
health
insurance
In
Person
Assistance/Navigation. “This year, individuals will need to determine if they want
to stay in their current plan or change
plans. Open enrollment will continue until
Feb. 15, 2015 but to have a plan in place
by Jan. 1, you must enroll by Dec. 15.”
Consumers must make an appointment in order to be seen by a navigator. To
request an appointment call 278-4264 or
email [email protected].
Navigators from Memorial, depending on dates, will be available at Niagara
Falls Memorial Medical Center, Lewiston
Village Hall, YWCA of the Tonawandas,
North Tonawanda, North Tonawanda Library, Dale Association, Lockport, and the
Lockport Library.
Take advantage of the help. It’s free.
Need Help Getting the Right Health Insurance?
Memorial Will Help People Meet Health Insurance ‘Navigators’
The New York State Department of
Health’s NY State of Health insurance
marketplace began an open enrollment period on Saturday, Nov 15.
And, clearly, many people need help
understanding their options.
"You and your family have many new
low cost, quality health insurance options
available through the Individual Marketplace," The New York State of Health
website (https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/)
advises. "You can quickly compare health
plan options and apply for assistance that
Mike Hudson
Unarmed and foolish
Some guys carry a pistol tucked into
the waistband of their pants. Dwight Antonio Porter of Michigan Avenue carried
a bag of Frito Lay corn chips. Cops responded to Niagara Avenue last week
after receiving a call about an automobile burglary. The suspects were identified as two black males, one wearing a
black hoodie.
One their way to the scene, officers
observed two black males walking in the
opposite direction. They made verbal
contact. Porter, according to police reports, clenched his fists and began walking toward the officers. In short order he
was handcuffed and searched for
weapons.
They found the corn chips, along
with an electronic radio connector,
stuffed into his underwear, beneath the
front waistband of his low hanging
trousers.
At that point, the victim ran up.
“That was the one I saw!’ he yelled. He
positively identified both the radio connector and the bag of corn chips as his
property, left in his Buick prior to the
time of the burglary.
The second black male agreed to
testify against Porter and was cut loose.
Porter himself, a 50 year old man, was
arrested and charged with petty larceny,
criminal mischief and auto stripping, and
This Week in Stupid Crime
held on a $750 bond he probably
couldn’t come up with on his best day.
Some guys never learn.
Sex crime?
When five foot five inch tall, 200
pounder Alec Brown went into the Rite
Aid drug store on Pine Ave., one day last
week, he was looking for a “cock ring
and lube.” Whether he didn’t have the
cash to pay for said items or simply didn’t want to pay we’ll never know, but he
secreted the sexual aids about his person
and attempted to leave the store, setting
off all manner of electronic alarms.
The blonde haired blue eyed perp
was nabbed by store security, who called
city police to the scene. The merchandise, valued at $29.14, was returned to
the store. The 22 year old Brown was
booked on a petty larceny charge, and
held on $200 bail, because there’s really
no law against just being creepy.
Tourists beware!
A couple from Pennsylvania, in tow
to gamble, had a yen to see a movie, in
somewhere other than their hotel room.
So they drove out to Builder’s Way,
where the Regal Hollywood Cinema 12
is located. Such a mistake!
When they returned to their car, they
found the front passenger side window
smashed out and the lady’s purse, which
contained $340 cash and two casino gift
cards valued at $100, nowhere to be
found. Personal papers were also filched.
We cannot emphasize this enough:
Do not leave anything of value in the
passenger compartment of your car,
whether you lock it or not. The great
likelihood is that it will be stolen.
About a girl?
One night last week Niagara Falls
Police Department officers responded to
a crime scene at the corner of 71st Street
and Lindbergh Avenue. They found a
guy sitting on the sidewalk, nearly
stabbed to death. He said a couple of
guys walked up to him and stabbed him
for no apparent reason.
There was a girl hanging around,
and when cops interviewed her, she said
she’d gotten a call from some miscreants
that summoned her to the scene. She was
“scared” she said, and “knew something
was wrong.”
The victim was transported by Rural
Metro for treatment. Niagara Falls City
Police are continuing their investigation.
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
Dyster Owes More to the People
It is really sad that Mayor Dyster
has never once accepted the notion that
he serves at the pleasure of the people.
He seems to think that he was crowned
to do whatever he sees fit for the length
of his term and the people be damned.
His unwarranted wasting of our valuable casino funds and Jayne Park projects has put him at odds with the vast
majority of the city taxpayers, and he is
treating it as if that majority doesn't
exist. He should be impeached and removed from office so that the public
will can be implemented.
Jerry Cramer
Niagara Falls
----------Can’t Wait for Reporter
Thanks, Frank. You're doing an
amazing job every week. I'm on countdown day to when I can find this
week's on line and get my "fix." then I
pick up the hard copy on Wednesday
and read it again.....
Donna
North Tonawanda
-------------Founder of Major Fact-Gathering Website Says We Erred
I am the founder and CEO of
NeighborhoodScout, one of the sources
of the study cited in your story.
In your story, Mr. DalPorto is
quoted as saying the data are two years
old, and that the FBI warns against
Letters to the Editor
using the data to rank the safety of
cities.
I wish to respond to both statements. First, the data used by the
NeighborhoodScout study when published in December, 2013, were the
most recent Final, Non-Preliminary
crime data from the FBI with complete
national coverage. These are the 2012
FBI UCR annual data, which were released in Final, Non-Preliminary form
in November, 2013. In fact, as of
today, those 2012 FBI data are still the
most recent Final data with complete
national coverage from the FBI UCR.
Soon, the 2013 data will be released.
When they are, NeighborhoodScout
will re-run its analysis and provide a
full update. But until then, the data
used in our study are the most recent
Final, Non-Preliminary data with complete national coverage. Mr. DalPorto's
statement was misleading, as any research organization needs full national
coverage for any comparative study to
be conducted.
Second, Mr. DalPorto is quoted as
saying that the FBI warns against using
the data to rank the safety of cities.
Our response is as follows:
Q. Why rank cities on safety even
though the FBI cautions against it?
A. The FBI’s message is focused
on how different circumstances, such
as economy, transience, demographics
and other things beyond the control of
a law enforcement agency can cause
higher rates of crime, and therefore, the
main focus of the message is that it is
not fair to judge or rank the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies by
the rates of crime in the communities
they serve. We agree.
But our ranking is not about agencies. It is not ranking or rating the effectiveness of law enforcement
agencies. It is about places. It ranks the
relative safety of places using rates of
violent crime per 1,000 residents. This
is like rating the safety of automobiles.
As such, the public has a right to know
how safe a car is, just like they have the
right to know how the safety of any
city compares to others. It is not a judgment of law enforcement as circumstances are different in each locality
and law enforcement does the best they
can. Rather, it is an assessment of
safety of the city that should be publicly available.
Respectfully,
Dr. Andrew Schiller
Founder and CEO
NeighborhoodScout.com
---------Poverty Industry Has Double
Meaning: It makes working people
poorer too!
Regarding your article about the
Executive Director of the Niagara Falls
Housing Authority earning big bucks:
May I point out that those in the
poverty industry, who reap high
salaries, perks and profits, are also oftentimes those who help enable poor
people to become more dependent.
They also help make working peo-
19
ple poorer by adding to workers' tax
burdens.
When new welfare and Medicaid
recipients relocate to Niagara Falls, to
enjoy subsidized apartments, it is the
Niagara County taxpayers who pick up
most of the welfare and Medicaid costs
for these new transplants.
Therefore the poverty industry has
a double meaning: it enables the poor
to stay poor while making the middle
class poorer as they must pay for the
poor.
All across Niagara Falls, private
landlords, who do not get taxpayer subsidies, are struggling to find tenants.
Whoever moves into the Housing
Authority either moves from houses
and apartments owned by private landlords or come from other cities adding
to burdens of taxpayers here.
If someone moves out of privatelyowned property to the tax-free subsidized Housing Authority they hurt the
taxpaying landlord, who oftentimes
gives up and abandons his property (he
can't compete with tax free subsidized
housing) and then the city winds up demolishing the property, costing taxpayers even more.
And that lowers the tax base.
Subsidized housing is supposed to
be built where low income people cannot afford market rate apartments.
This is not the case in Niagara
Falls where rents are low.
Johnny Ralston
A would-be Niagara Falls
Landlord
20
Niagara Catholic Needs Host Families for Three Students in January
Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School
is working to increase enrollment locally
and internationally. Three international
students have been accepted into the
tenth grade and will begin in January.
You can make a difference in these students’ lives, as the current host families
are making a difference in the lives of
the students pictured here. If you, or
anyone you know, are able to offer a
place in your home for one of these students please contact Niagara Catholic
today.
Each host family will receive a
monthly stipend. A portion of this
money should cover the rise in utility,
gas, and grocery bills. There is an application process which consists of a written application, interview, and home
visit. Please call Amanda Konopa at
283-8771 ext. 260 to begin this application process.
Girl Scouts to Host Information
Sessions in December
Parents and girls can learn about Girl Scouts
and how to join
Girl Scouts of Western New York is
hosting two information sessions in December in Niagara Falls for parents and
girls to learn about Girl Scouts and register on the spot. The information sessions will be held:
•
Thursday, December 4 from 6
to 7:30 p.m. at the Frontier Volunteer
Fire Company – Fire Hall 2 (2179 River
Road)
•
Saturday, December 6 from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Early W. Brydges Library (1425 Main Street)
Girl Scouts of Western New York
(GSWNY) serves approximately 20,000
girls and over 7,000 adult volunteers
across the GSWNY jurisdiction of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee,
Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans
and Wyoming counties.
Learn more about this event or
about Girl Scouts of Western New York
at gswny.org.
“Christmas Memories” Show
Coming to N. Tonawanda
The Latshaw Pops Orchestra annually plans a Christmas tour, with the 30piece orchestra, singers and the Katie
Kelly Dancers in a holiday variety show
- the “Latshaw Pops Christmas Memories.”
The Christmas show will be held
Thurs. Dec. 11th, at 2:00 pm at the Riviera Theatre at 65 Webster St., N.
Tonawanda.
Some of the songs included in this
year’s tour are: “White Christmas,” “Jin-
gle Bells,” “Mary Did You Know?”
“Amazing Grace,” “Run, Run Rudolph,”
“Blue Christmas,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” and more!
The Latshaw Pops Orchestra was
founded in 2004 by Producer Gary Latshaw.
Ticket prices are $35. And $25.
each. Call 716-692-2413 for reservations or online at http://www.rivieratheatre.org
Niagara's Choice FCU supports Child
Advocacy Center of Niagara
Niagara’s Choice Credit Union recently held its first annual Charity Golf
Outing. Chosen to receive the funds
raised at the outing was The Child Advocacy Center of Niagara, a service of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.
The golf tournament and dinner were
held at Hyde Park Golf course and raised
$2,000. Niagara’s Choice Board Secretary Pete Eodice presented a check for
the proceeds to Child Advocacy Center
Executive Director Laura Kelemen.
Red Cross Needs Holiday Donors
The American
Red Cross asks eligible donors to
give something
that means something this holiday
season – a lifesaving blood donation.
Blood donations often decline this
time of year when donors get busy with
holiday festivities and travel. Severe
winter weather and seasonal illnesses,
like the flu, can also have a serious im-
pact on blood donations, but the need for
blood remains steady. On average, the
Red Cross must collect 15,000 blood
products every day for patients across
the country.
Eligible donors with all types are
needed, especially those with O negative, A negative and B negative. To learn
more about donating blood and to schedule an appointment, download the Red
Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1800-733-2767).
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
'I Doubled my Business Through the Reporter'
Lou Avino Isn’t all About Gutters
40-year Falls Legend Keeping On
21
Mike Hudson
Get your mind out of the gutter!
When people in Niagara Falls think of Lou Avino,
they think of gutters. For more than 40 years Lou’s
been climbing the ladder of success onto the rooftops
of Cataract City homes, cleaning the gutters befouled
by the leaves dropped by the city’s majestic maple, oak
and fruit trees.
But there’s more to Lou than that.
Much more.
Siding, house painting, home repair; Avino is kind
of a one stop shop for just about anything you might
need done around the house.
Plus he’s a super nice guy. Old school. Gruff but
always a gentleman, a jack of all trades who is as least
as responsible for keeping Niagara Falls looking nice
as anyone with an office at City Hall.
He says advertising in the Niagara Falls Reporter
has doubled his business over the past year.
"Since I started advertising in the Reporter, my
phone is always busy. After all, everyone reads the Reporter. I find by being steady in the paper, the calls keep
coming."
Avino’s reputation however often precedes him.
He’s a guy who gets the job done right the first time.
“Lou’s been working on my house since forever,”
said one satisfied customer, a widow whose children
have fled the city. “When he comes I always bake a
Guys you can trust. Lou with his long time helper Paul will come to your house and handle
any repair.
rhubarb pie. He loves rhubarb pie.”
For his own part, Avino is modest.
“I do what I do, you
know? It’s not rocket science,” he told the Reporter.
“I’m a simple man who
does what he does.”
With winter coming
on, Avino says his gutter
season is pretty much over, but he is available to do interior work, winterizing, weatherizing, painting, remodeling and any other task a homeowner might need.
Like many in Niagara Falls before him, his work ethic
is pretty much what sees him through.
Give him a call, should some household problem
get the better of you. He’ll pick up the phone himself.
It’s 716 579-7397. Do yourself a favor.
Audubon Society Hosts Free Tour
‘Gulls of the Niagara River Gorge’ At Artpark Saturday Morning
Learn about gulls and their fascinating lives and habits.
On Saturday, November 22, at
10:00 am the public is invited to join
Buffalo Audubon Society’s Naturalist
Tom Kerr at Artpark State Park to search
for the different gulls that can be found
in Western New York.
The free tour is called “Gulls of the
Niagara River gorge.”
The Audubon Society says, "One of
the best sites for viewing gulls is the Niagara River Corridor. Large flocks of
gulls can be found in the Niagara Gorge
this time of year."
Meet at Fisherman’s Lot.
Donations accepted.
For more information call Buffalo
Audubon at 585-457-3228 or email
[email protected]
Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Mathew 11:28
Gulls have a sense of family.
22
NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER NOV 18 - NOV 26, 2014
A-Hunting We Will Go, Regular Firearms
Hunting Season for Deer and Bear has Begun
The end of life for most deer is a bullet.
The 2014 regular deer and bear hunting seasons opened at sunrise last Saturday, November 15, in New York's
Southern Zone.
The big game season closes at sunset
on Sunday, December 7.
The Southern Zone Regular Season is
New York's most popular hunting season,
with participation from about 85 percent
of New York's 550,000 licensed hunters.
Harvest during this season accounts for
nearly 60 percent of the total statewide
deer harvest and 30-60 percent of the
statewide bear harvest.
About 1/4 of every deer in New York
is killed each year by hunters. The average
deer lives only to be four years old, even
though if not hunted they could live to be
20.
Following the regular deer and bear
seasons in the Southern Zone, bow hunting and muzzle loading seasons will open
at sunrise on December 8 and close at sunset on December 16.
Hunter is happy, bear not so much.
All successful hunters are required to
report their harvest of deer and bear within
seven days.
Successful bear hunters are asked to
submit a tooth of their bear so DEC can
age the bear and monitor bear population
dynamics.
Although safety-conscious hunters
have significantly reduced the number of
firearms-related injuries, studies show that
individuals wearing hunter orange clothing are seven times less likely to be injured
than hunters who do not wear the bright
fluorescent color. Here are some other
rules:
Point your gun in a safe direction.
Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Be sure of your target and beyond.
Keep your finger off the trigger until
ready to shoot.
Hillary Clinton Toilet Paper
$6.95
Baby Bouncing Ball
$1.95