PARANORMAL RESEARCH ON THE LOCAL FRONT

Have you ever been told about someone's ghost problem and didn't know whether to believe them or think they're crazy? Well don't leave that up to chance; Dave Gaffney searches for ghosts - or what may be mistaken for a ghost - as a hobby. Gaffney co-founded the Northern Alliance of Paranormal Studies about a year ago, and regularly explores locations in Buffalo, Rochester, Angola, and even Canada. The group is also in the production phases of a new television show that'll hit the airwaves on LCTV. NAPS is also accepting requests to come out and investigate a suspected haunted location, and will use their various voice recorders, EMF detectors, temperature gauges, and personal knowledge to give you an educational analysis of the problem. Call (716) 434-7946 for more information, or check out the NAPS Myspace. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=300882780

THE TEACHERS DO THE SERVING!

Members of the faculty will be doing the serving Sunday
as Lockport's Roy B. Kelly school holds a fundraiser
at Applebee's. It'll be held from 8 till 10am and is $5.
The restaurant will give $4 from each meal served back
to the school PTA. They're also supplying all the
ingredients for free. The proceeds will be used to
pay for field trips and other educational events the
school sponsors.

BENEFIT

A benefit will be held Saturday for a 44 year old Cambria
man suffering from Lou Gehrigs disease. Ron Nye is
married with two kids. The benefit is being held to
raise enough money to buy him a new wheelchair.
He's been using a donated one and his mother
says he needs one that can eventually be adapted
so he can operate it with his head. The benefit will
be from 3 till 8 pm Saturday at the Wheatfield American
Legion Post on Ward Road in Sanborn, There'll be
food, a bake sale, a 50-50 split, and a chinese
auction. The $20 ticket also includes live music by
the Mombrea Brothers Band from Niagara Falls.
Advance tickets are on sale at Jaco's on Buffalo
Avenue and Wright Construction on Niagara Falls
Boulevard. The chair will cost about $25,000
but the family can get some of the money from
Social Security.

BOCES FIRE

Students at the BOCES Niagara Vocational School on
Saunders Settlement Road were evacuated just after
9:30 yesterday morning when some popcorn cooking in
a closed stove ignited. An instructor used a fire extenguisher
to douse the fire, but it rekindled and heavy smoke continued
to pour out of the oven. A Sheriff's deputy emptied another
extenguisher into the oven and the Sanborn Fire Company came
and ventilated the building. The students were taken to Niagara
Academy until things settled down. The "A" wing, where the
fire took place, was shut down for the rest of the day. No
estimate of damage was provided.

ARTIFICIAL REEF'S

The New York Power Authority announcing yesterday four
artificial reefs have been placed in the Niagara River between
Grand Island and Tonawanda within the past month. Populations
of various species of fish are expected to use them for areas of
safe rest and forage. They include northern pike, large and
small mouth bass, and walleye. The reefs are part of $12-million
in projects they promised to do to enhance fish and wildlife
in the region as part of the relicensing deal for the Niagara Power
Project.

BAD ECONOMY STALLS TRANSIT NORTH

Town of Lockport Supervisor Marc Smith said Thursday the
nation's economic meltdown has stalled development plans
for the Transit North Corridor. He told a steering committee
developerswho had shown interest have told him any plans
are now on hold for a year or so. The Committe plans to use
the time to complete their design standards so they'll be
ready when conditions improve.

HALLOWEEN PATROL

The Sheriff's Department says a special task force composed
of deputies, investigators, parole and probation officers will
be on the streets tonight during the trick or treat hours. Several
members will be on patrol. They'll also visit the homes of
registered sex offenders to make sure they're complying with
state law and not offering treats at their homes. You can find
out if a registered sex offender is in your neighborhood by
logging on to www.ncsd.com and clicking the offender watch
section.

ACCIDENT

A 62 year old Lockport man was taken to ECMC with
severe injuires to his legs following a two vehicle
accident just after 6 last night at South Transit and
Robinson. James Duffin also suffered minor injuries
to his arm and hand. The Sheriff's Department says a
Dodge pick-up operated by 33 year old Greg Davey of
Newfane struck Duffin's 2008 Chevy as Duffin was
attempting to make a left onto Robinson. Davey was
taken to ICMH by ambulance for minor, if any, injuries.

NIAGARA FALLS SCHOOL BOARD

Nobody will say what was discussed yesterday during a two
hour closed door meeting of the Niagara Falls School Board.
Two representatives from the State Comptrollers Office in
Buffalo were at the session. They insisted that no press
be allowed in and that no one from school board could talk
later about what was said. They ignored questions from
reporters on the way out. It's likely the subject was the
recently released audit that was highly critical of the way the
district operates. The Board held it's regular meeting
afterwards and School Chief Carmen Granto said the District
has already recovered most of the $500,000 overpaid to
q272 employees in June 2007. He said they were taking legal
action against the nine who haven't paid it back. Granto
also said he did not know he was paid $10,000 for too much
leave time and said he had reimbursed the District for that
and the $2,000 in personal expenses he rang up on the
District credit card.

GASPORT BREAK IN

Another daytime burglary yesterday at a home in Gasport. A 52
year old resident of Mountain Road says he got home from work
at 4:30 and found his front door kicked in and his house ransacked.
An $850 Pentax camera with a telephoto lens was taken along with
a 15 inch high definition Panasonic T-V. All the drawers had been
opened in a downstairs bedroom and $50 was removed from the
top of a dresser. The victim said a pint of rum was missing and a
box of chocolates was removed from the refrigerator. Some of it
was eaten and the the box was left on the floor. The victim also
said his detached garage was entered where nothing was taken
but items were removed from the shelves and dumped on the
floor. The total value of the items taken and the damage done
coming to over $1,200. Three nearby neighbors told deputies
they didn't see or hear anything.

LOCKPORT COMMON COUNCIL

Lockport lawmakers last night rejected a low bid for a
surveillance system around two major chemical plants
and gave the contract to the second highest bidder. The
council turned down a nearly $45,000 submission by
Integrated Systems and awarded the contract to I-K
Systems for about $51,000. City Clerk Dick Mullaney
and Police Detective Captain Rick Podgers didn't
like the lower bid and Corporation Counsel John
Ottaviano said it would be alright to reject it. The
cameras will be paid for with Homeland Security
money. The Council also agreed to split the costs
of upgrading the local web site, "E-Lockport.com"
with the Town of Lockport. Both municipalities
will pay $2500 and the work will be done by
Web Essentials. The decision still has to be
formally o-k'd by the Council next week.

THE WORTH OF PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY TEAMS

The Toronto Maple Leafs once again topped Forbes
Magazine's rankings of the most valuable teams in
professional hockey. The magazine says they are
worth $448-million. The Rangers were number two
and the Montreal Canadians third. The Sabres were
rated the 21st most valuable. They are said to be
worth $169-million. Tom Golisano paid $92-million for
the team when he bought it in 2003.

MORE THEFTS AT THE WINTERGARDEN

An official at the Wintergarden reporting yesterday that
$400 in tools were removed from the building sometime
since October 22. They also said about $3,000 worth of
copper was taken from the roof. Police found blood on a
wall inside but could find no sign of forced entry. The
report follows the discovery Tuesday that $3,000 worth'
of copper wiring were taken from a conduit running
through a walkway crossing First Street from the
Wintergarden to Teletch.

DUNLOP LAYOFF'S

Union officials at the Dunlop plant in the Town of Tonawnada
say about a hundred workers could be laid off next week.
About 1100 work at the facility and the layoff's would be the
first since 1979. Management held the first of three meetins with
workers yesterday.

CANDIDATE FORUM

The auditorium at the Falls Public Library near capacity
last night for the annual Candidates Forum hosted by the
City's Block Club Council. The program featured candidates
for Sheriff, City Court Judge, and the 138th Assembly Seat.
Block Club Treasurer Norma Higgs said they do it every
year as an educational process. The debate was a learning
ground for a busload of High School Students and senior
Anthony Wright was among the moderators. The two
candidates for Sheriff shared similiar views on a variety
of topics including the disbursement of homeland security
money and departmental staffing.

SHOPLIFTER

There was quite a stir at the Lockport Wal Mart around
4:30 pm yesterday when a shoplifter was confronted
in the store. The man...described as being a young
black male...tossed several items onto the floor and
ran toward the entrance which had been blocked by
store personnel. He pushed a 70 year old employee
aside and she fell into a shopping cart injuring her
knee. The man was pursued by several store
employees as he ran North towards Teds but he
managed to elude them and Sheriff's deputies.
Store officials said they recognized the man
because he's in the store often. They told deputies
he's been stealing from Wal Mart for awhile but
they've been unable to catch him. He was confronted
yesterday after workers noticed a bulge in his jacket.
The items tossed on the floor included a personal
CD player and two CD's.

LOCKPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT CAPITOL PROJECT

The Lockport School Board voted 8-1 last night to divide
the proposed capitol project into two resolutions that'll
be presented to voters December 16. The first calls for
spending$23.5-million on repairs, improvements, and
additions to the High School. The second involves
spending $6-million on an upgrade to the athletic
facilities behind the building. It would include a new
football stadium with artificial turf and bleachers that can
hold 2500 fans. We're told the vote us set up so work on
the athletic faciltiies cannot take place...even with voter
approval...unless the needed renovations to the High
School are approved. Allan Jack cast the no vote. The
State would pay for 89% of the cost over a 15 year
period. If approved, the work would start in the Summer
of 2010.

URBAN PARK TOWERS

Lockport fire officials say a blaze that was caused by a
trash bag in a garbage chute around 9:15 last night did
an estimated $40,000 in water damage at the Urban Park
Towers at 77 Main. The blaze was on the fourth floor
and a lot of the water came from the sprinkler system
which activiated. The water damage was confined to
the first four floors. Residents were permitted to stay
in their apartments. Both police and fire units
responded.

BRIDGE REPAIRS

The County expects to begin making repairs to the closed
Wilson-Burt Road bridge in late November or December.
The span crosses 18-Mile Creek in Newfane and was slated
to be repaired with federal aid in 2013, but an inspection this
Summer showed it was in worse condition than thought.
Public Works Commissioner Kevin O'Brien says the
concrete has corroded to the point where the steel holding
it together is exposed. The bridge was closed in early
September. The County will open bids for the work
tomorrow and the Legislature is expected to award a
contract November 5.

WILSON S-R-O

Residents in Wilson will decide next May if they want
the School District to add a resource officer next
year. School Chief Mike Wendt gave the school board
three options at last night's meeting. He said they
could use several police officers and rotate them,
hire a retired officer, or use a County Sheriff's Deputy.
The district has been on a waiting list for a State Trooper
to serve in that capacity but Wendt did not mention it
as a possibility to the Board. The trooper would not cost
the district anything because it's funded by a State grant.
Students were generally in favor of the idea when the
district had them fill out a questionaire on the issue.

FALLS AIRPORT

Officials gathered at the Falls airport yesterday to
celebrate the completion of the structural steel
construction for the new terminal. Assemblywoman
Francine del Monte & Legislature Chairman Bill Ross
were among the many who signed the beam. Del
Monte adding a "good job" to her signature. Ross
called it a sign of economic prosperity. He said
many airport studies had been done over the years
and all they did was gather dust. Now, he said,
we finally have it all together and said it was a team
effort. The strong winds prevented them from putting
the final beam into place. The $30-million terminal
is expected to open next July.

DAMAGE IN THE FALLS

Thousands of dollars in damage was done on city property
in the Falls overnight Tuesday. The copper wiring and
junction boxes were torn out from the conduit running between
the old Wintergarden and Teletech. D-P-W workers found a
ladder on the ground and overhead metal poles hanging down
from the West end to the East end between the two buildings.
Three lines of copper wiring were cut the from the ceiling panels
and removed from the length of the panel. It will cost about
$3,000 to replace. Two $500 custom junction boxes were removed
from each end of the walkway and circuit wiring had been cut
on the West end, The words "falmouth" and "shaws 66" were
written on the ground.

STATE BUDGET

The Governor saying yesterday the State's budget deficit has
grown to $1.5-billion this year. He wants lawmakers to cut
another $2-billion from the current spending plan when they
return to Albany November 18. He had sobering news for
next year....saying the deficit would be $12.5-billion. He said
the State would need federal help. He said he would encourage
our colleagues in Washington to come up with a second
stimulus package when he addressed the House Ways & Means
Committee Wednesday morning. He said it was important to
stablize New York's economy because it is a vital engine in
the production of economic activity in the national economy.
He would not say what he thought should be cut and said
leaders in the Assembly and Senate would present their
ideas November 7 and he didn't want to get ahead of them
and mark out the actual areas.

TOPS GAS STATION

The Perna family Tops finally getting the o-k last night to
install gas pumps at their South Transit Road store. Tops
has been working with the Town of Lockport for months
to come up with a site plan that'll satisfy both sides. The
Zoning Board of Appeals removed the final hurdle last
night. Plans call for an 82 by 28 foot canopy that'll be
located on the northwest corner of the parking lot. It'll
be open 24 hours a day but staffed only part of the day.
It will not be a facility that you can walk into. It should
be open before the end of the year. Tops customers had
complained they could not redeem their gas bonus points
here but had to travel to another Tops ten miles away in
Amherst.

SHERRIFF'S DEBATE CONTINUES

A charge leveled by Democrat Jim Voutour during
his closing statement at yesterday's sheriff's candidate
forum has Republican Ernest Palmer upset. Voutour
said Palmer accepted donations from deputies after
previously saying he would not. Palmer gave his closing
statement first and complains he had no chance to
respond at the forum. He says Voutour never responded
to a challenge at the start of the campaign that neither
would accept donations from deputies. Voutour says
he never received such a challenge and can find no mention
of it in the press. He acknowleged that he had accepted
over $10,000 in donations from deputies but says he never
agreed not to. He says Palmer had his chance to
respond to his allegations that Palmer had broken his
own pledge when WLVL reporter Eric Olzak asked him
about it afterwards and that Palmer's answer was
played all morning on the news. Palmer says Voutour
is making an issue out of a mistake. He said he had
returned the two $100 checks and again challenged
Voutour not to accept donations from deputies. The
two will face off at 7 tonight at the Niagara Falls Public
Library and they'll be on Dialog at 11 tomorrow morning
with Scott Leffler.

CHANNEL 4 BACK ON CABLE

Channels 4 & 23 reappeared on Time Warner Cable at 7am today.
Cable Spokesperson Robin Wolfgang will not say if the deal
reached will mean an increase in your cable bill. She said it
involved a dozen stations owned by LIN Broadcasting in other
Time Warner markets. She said the terms will not be released.
No matter how many times or ways we posed the question,
she refused to say if it will eventually mean an increase for
cable subscribers. Channel 4 released a statement saying
they were pleased to inform it's videwers they have reached
an agreement with Time Warner to carry both their analog and
high definition signals.

PRESIDENTIAL POLL

The Siena Research Institute says Barak Obama has a
62 to 31 per cent lead over John McCain among likely
voters in New York. The 31 point lead is up nine points
from a 22 point lead three weeks ago. McCain is not
leading in any section of the State. Three weeks
ago it was virtually tied upstate but Obama now has a
59 to 36 per cent lead in the region. Siena says Obama
has a 55-38 lead in the suburban areas downstate and
he's winning in New York City 71-22 %. The poll was
conducted October 19-21 by telephone calls to
721 likely voters. The margin of error was plus or
minus 3.6 points. The data was adjusted to match
historically likely voter turnout. The same poll also
gave Governor David Paterson high marks. He has
a 62 per cent favorable rating and 55% of the respondents
gave him a positive rating on job performance.
Seventy-eight percent agreed with his assessment
that the State's economy is the worst it's been since the
Great Depression. Fifty-eight percent said they supported
an eight year term limit for the Governor and members of the
Legislature.
him a his job performance

N-F-T-A RATE HIKE

Niagara county residents will only get one chance to comment
on the NFTA's plan to hike bus and rail fares next year. A
public hearing will be held at 7pm December 2 at the agency's
Transportation Center on Portage Road. The NFTA is proposing
to increase fares by 25-cents on January first, and then to tack
on another 25-cent increase onto the price in July.

MARIJUANA

A 52 year old Clarence man told Lockport judge Bill
Watson yesterday he had been smoking marijuana
for 30 years and doesn't plan to stop now. Danny
Chapman of Goodrich Road defended his use of the
drug and his drinking. He said it was good for those
around him because he's easier to get along with. Chapman
said he could get prescription drugs for his problems
but said nobody could guarantee they were safe. When
Watson asked him if he thought marijuana was safer,
he said he had 30 years experience. Watson ended up
sentencing him to 30 days in jail for violating a conditional
discharge previously given for attempted criminal possession
of a controlled substance. He was arrested in May when
police found him with crack cocaine.

TRAILS END COUNTRY STORE

The Sheriff's Department is investigating the theft of
nearly $2,000 from the Trails End Country Store in
Wilson. The cash was taken overnight Sunday from the
convenience store and gas station on Beebe Road. Owner
Brenda Stunkel said the burglars got in by breaking a
window. She said it was hidden from the road and it's
the same point of entry used by burglars in past break-in's.
She said the power had gone off Sunday night but the
alarm was working. $1,277 was taken from a security
bag, $400 from two cash registers, several hundred dollars
from a cabinet, and another $150 from a desk drawer.

NIAGARA FALLS COUNCIL MEETING

Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster was not able to answer some
of the questions yesterday when lawmakers quizzed him about the
new Courthouse project. Council member Chris Robbins demanded
a tentative opening date be set so they could begin planning on
moving in. He said they needed to buy new furniture and wanted
to know how the Administration planned to dispose of the
current material. He said they needed to plan for the transfer of
the inmates and records. Dyster said the questions were timely
but the project is only 68 per cent complete and there's plenty of
time to make decisions. The Council also gave Fire Chief Bill McKay
the o-k to hire eight new firefighters by the end of the year. The
money to pay for them will come from $2.1-million in city surplus
and an $843,000 federal grant. The decision also moves the City
closer to complying with a 2004 labor agreement in which the City
agreed to gradually increase the number of on-duty firefighters
to make up for a series of lay-off's in the department. McKay said
the additional manpower will make it possible for the City to
meet federal safety guidelines for responding to fires in high rise
buildings...such as the Seneca Hotel. The City will be responsible
for the entire cost of eight firefighters starting in 2013. McKay
said the federal grant was the largest award to any fire department
in the State from the Homeland Security's Staffing For Adequate
Fire and Emergency Response Program.

FRED NEWLIN'S BIG RAISE

Lewiston Supervisor Fred Newlin will be paid $39,500 a year
starting in Janauary. Lawmakers voted 3-1 last night to
give him a 37% pay hike. His present salary is about $29,000.
Ernest Palmer cast the no vote. He said it was not the most
responsible thing to do to give an official a raise in the middle
of his term. Newlin's current one wraps up at the end of
next year.

NIAGARA WHEATFIELD

Nothing was found this morning after a bomb threat was
called into Niagara Wheatfield High School. A variety of
police agencies responded after the Sheriff's Department
was notified at 7:18am. The building was searched by
officers and police dogs and declared safe at 8:30.

LEE-KRYZAN

The State Supreme Court gave Republican Chris Lee a boost
yesterday. They ruled Alice Kryzan cannot have the Working
Parties line in next Tuesday's election. The court saying the
ballot position belongs to her former opponent....and now
supporter...Jon Powers. Kryzan had hoped to get a minor
party line to boost her chances against Lee, who has two.
Kryzan had argued Powers should not be on the ballot because
he moved out of the state when he lost the Democratic
primary.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES

Catholic Charities will celebrate their 80 years of
service to Niagara County at a dinner Thursday in
the Falls. Numeorus awards will be presented to their
community partners...the honorees include Family Court
Judges John Batt and David Seaman, County judge
Sara Sheldon Sperrezza, and Jim and Mary Glynn of the
Catholic Charities appeal and the Maid of the Mist,
The dinner starts at 5:30 Thursday at the Niagara Club
on Buffalo Avenue. Call 282-2351 for tickets, they're
$35 each. The dean of Niagara University's College
of Education, Doctor Debra Colley, will serve as
mistress of ceremonies.

HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS

Halloween is Friday and Lockport's Tuscorora Inn
has a big party planned that'll also serve as a
fundraiser for the County Historical Society. The
masquerade party for adults will start at 8pm and
$10 from every ticket sold goes to the History
Center. They're $45 and include hors d'oeuvres,
speciality food stations, two drinks and dancing to
the music of Beaman Sound. Members of the
Historical Society will be there portraying
"ghosts of the past" including DeWitt Clinton,
Bill Kenan, Lillian Bronson, Isabella Sutherland
and others. The Tuscorora Inn was built as a
family home in the mid 1800's. Manager Tom Flippo
says he's been told it's haunted and to watch out
for Percy! The club can hold as many as 200.
Call 434-1288 for tickets or stop by at 128 Walnut.
Earlier in the week, the City and Town of Lockport
will host a free Halloween party for kids at 6:30 Tuesday
night at the South Lockport Fire Hall. The City Council
last week set the official hours for Friday's trick or
treating in Lockport as being from 4 till 7 pm.

HAPPY NEWS

Updating a story from last week, State Assembly
hopeful Paula Banks Dahlke says she's been
released from her bankruptcy and she and her
husband are not losing their home. She will be
siging the papers today. Her problems started
16 months ago when she became ill and both she
and her husband lost their part time jobs. She says
the experience makes her a better candidate. She
says it shows her character...that she wasn't afraid
and didn't give up. She didn't ask anyone to bail her
out and she and her husband worked to pull themselves
out. She says it gives her a new perspective on what
others are going through. She's running against
Francine del Monte for the 138th district Assembly
seat.

NEW CHIEF OF POWER AUTHORITY

The new head of the State's Power Authority says he's
willing to consider keeping more of the money generated by
the Niagara Power Project in our area. Richard Kessell
told the Buffalo News they're probably holding on to too
much of the profits and he acknowledged the plant in
Lewiston has generated most of the Authority's profits
in recent years. He said he was a big believer that host
communities should get benefits. He also said he was not
interested in taking any power from Western New York
and sending it to New York City. Kissel's last job was
to run the Long Island Power Authority. He said he wants
to dispel the notion he's just a political guy appointed by
the Governor.

HIT & RUN

One man was killed and another injured after they were
struck by a hit and run driver just before 1 am Sunday at
Walnut and 19th in the Falls. Thirty-eight yera old Mark
Milczarki of Ferry Avenue was pronounced dead at the
scene. Forty year old Eduardo Ortiz was taken to the
Medical Center with non life threatening injuries. Witnesses
told police the two had just left a convenience store when
a red vehicle hit them and fled West on Walnut. A car
matching it's description was found on fire about an hour
and a half later on Blacknose Spring Road in Lewiston.
Police said it's license plates had been removed. Anyone
with information is asked to call police at 286-4563.

STORM

Sunday night's nasty weather caused periodic power outages
around the county. 0ne happened around 8pm on Lincoln
Avenue in Lockport after a tree fell onto the pavement near
Euclid. The outage lasted about an hour. The wind also
knocked down a gigantic tree on Locust near Saint
Claire Manor. It landed on a fence. National Grid had as
many as 1250 customers without power in theCounty for about
a half hour around 7:30 this morning. The majoritywere in
Wheatfield where nearly 900 customers were affected. NYSEG
reported no problems in Lockport this morning.