TUCKER VOWS APPEAL TO RULING

Lockport Mayor Mike Tucker is vowing to
challenge a ruling issued by a State arbitrator
that says the City must have at least ten
firefighters on each shift. Arbitrator Dennis
Campagna said the city is violating it's
contract with the city's professional
firefighters association by not maintaing
shift strength to ensure their safety. Tucker
says they have no choice but to appeal. He
said it was unusual for an arbitrator to
try to dictate to a municipality how they are
going to staff their department. He said
they generally issue a fine when they rule
in favor of the union, that they have never
said how they must staff the department.
Tucker said lawmakers know what they
can afford and he feels the decision was
inappropriate. The City cut the number of
firefighters on each shift to 9 in January
2006. The Firefighters Association has
filed more than 30 complaints since then.
Tucker said it would blow a hue hole in
the budget if the ruling stands because
they don't intend to hire any more
firefighters and the overtime for the ones
they have would go trhough the roof.
The ruling came as negotiations for a new
multi year contract have ground to a halt.
The union wants another mediator to
reccomend a settlement.

HELP FOR DAIRY FARMERS

Help is on the way for New York's struggling
dairy farmers. The House and Senate both
approved a bill yesterday to give the Agriculture
Department $350-million. The majority of the
money, $290-million, will be used for direct
payments to dairy farmers. Senator Chuck
Schumer said the remaining $60-million will
go to buy cheese and dairy products for food
banks and other nutrition and feeding
programs. He and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
pleged to work to make sure New York's small
farms get their fair share. Schumer said they
have now cleared all the hurdles in getting the
money to our dairy farmers.

FIRE PREVENTION DAY

Lots of free goodies are waiting for youngsters
Saturday as the Lockport Recreation Department
holds it's first ever Fire Prevention Day. Executive
Director Melissa Junke says members of the Fire
Department will bring some of their vehicles and
equipment. The County Emergency Services
will provide a demonstration of how sprinklers
work with a trailer they have that they
actually set on fire. There'll be crafts for the
kids, fire hats, coloring books, and DVD's. It's
for all ages and runs from 11:30 till 2 at Willow
Park.

THE OFFICE

Dozens of fans of "The Office" were at the
Hard Rock Cafe in the Falls last night
celebrating the fictional wedding of Jim
Halpert and Pam Beesly. Champagne and
wedding cake were served. Many of those
at the party, which was also a fundraiser
for the State Parks, were extras on the episode.
It included scenes taped outside the Red Coach
Inn and aboard The Maid of the Mist. Mayor Paul
Dyster gave a brief toast to the fictional couple
just before the show started.

NYPA LAWSUIT

The County's lawsuit against the New York
Power Authority will not be moved to Albany.
State Supreme Court Judge Ralph Boneillo
Monday rejected State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's
request for a change of venue. The suit seeks to
reverse the so-called sweep of $544-million in surplus
Power Authority dollars into the State's general
fund. The County Legislature also formed an
Advisory Board Tuesday night to deal with NYPA.
It includes Chairman Bill Ross, John Ceretto, Renea
Kimble, Rick Updegrove, Sam Ferraro, and Sewer
District Director Anthony Hahn.

WALKER

The puppy that was rescued nine weeks ago after
it was dragged behind a car gets to meet his fans
tomorrow. Lockport's Linda Tilton will officially
adopt the pooch she named Walker at 1pm at the
K&K Food Store on Lake Avenue. She says it'll
be 9 weeks to the day that she rescued him.
Tilton says he's all healed now and knows many
said a prayer or two for his recovery. She received
thousands of cards and letters of support. Tomorrow's
party runs from noon till 3. There'll be free food and
a Sabres hockey stick autographed by Thomas Vanek
will be raffled off. Anyone making a donation gets
a free six inch sub. The SPCA's Whisker Wagon
will be there for on the spot adoptions.

STATE BUDGET

The Governor asked the Assembly and Senate's
financial committees Thursday to submit detailed
deficit reduction plans to him by next Wednesday.
The request coming as Paterson said he would not
approve a $26-billion five year program for
construction of roads and bridges. It includes
hundreds of projects that were to be done in
Western New York and is said he's using it as
leverage to get the Legislature's cooperation in
closing a $3-billion gap in this year's budget. Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver issued a memo yesterday
saying they were ready to solve the problem but
they wanted to see Paterson's proposal first.
Paterson earlier this week ordered State agencies
to trim $500-million from their budgets for this
year but he ruled out any job cuts.

RIBBON CUTTING

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter will be
at the Falls Air Reserve Station around noon
today for the official ribbon cutting for the new
Airman's Lodging Facility. The $16-milliion
structure is used by reservists and guardsmen
who perform their training from outside the
bases 50 mile radius. It's also used by
military members who are sent here on
temporary duty.

LEWISTON

Town of Lewiston Supervisor candidate Steve
Reiter has won the Working Party line in the
November election. State Supreme Court Judge
Frank Caruso ordered that three ballots that
had been disqualified by the Board of Elections
be returned to him. Reiter mounted a write in
campaign after the party gave their backing to
his Democratic opponent. He said he was
gratified by the ruling which ensures that
every vote counts.

ATTEMPTED JUMP?

A man was taken to Greater Niagara General
Hospital around noon yesterday after he jumped
toward the Niagara River about 300 feet from
the Horseshoe Falls. He was there with his
wife. She ran to get help and Niagara Parks
Police found him clinging to the bushes above
the shoreline, Firefighters and a member of the
Niagara Parks Police high angle river team
talked to him for about 45 minutes. They were
able to pull him to safety over an embankment
and retaining wall. He suffered minor injuries
and was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric
evaluation.

LOCKPORT BURGLARY

Over $4,100 worth of money, sports memorabilia and
other items wre stolen Thursday during a daytime
burglary of an apartment at 5734 Keck Road in the
Town of Lockport. One of the two occupants told
Sheriff's deputies he found the front door kicked in
when he got home around 12:45. Nine hundred
dollars in cash was missing along with $1200 worth
of official football jerseys, a Sony playstation and
games and clothing. The victims gave deputies
the name of a possible suspect.

LOCKPORT BUDGET PASSES

The Lockport Common Council last night o-k'd
a $23.2-million budget that hikes the tax rate by
1.69 per cent. Mayor Mike Tucker told WLVL
the numbers looked ominous when they first
sat down to look at the spending plan..especially
with the pension increase for 2011 that's affecting all
municipalities. They also had to deal with union
contracts that made it difficult. He commended the
council on doing a great job. The property tax rate
will be $15.93 per thousand dollars valuation, up
from $15.67 this year. Water and sewer rates will
stay the same. The Council also approved a
$200,000 grant application to the EPA. The money
would go to study potential contamined sites.
Tucker also said the City was awarded a nearly
$371,000 state grant yesterday. It will go to
partially pay for a study on how to clean up
20 brownfield sites, many in the downtown
area. He said they are lightly contaminated and
they want to open them up for development.

THE OFFICE

The State Parks are holding a fundraiser
tonight in conjunction with NBC's airing
of The Office episode that was partially shot
in the Falls in August. Spokesman Angela
Berti says it'll be at the Hard Rock Cafe. She
says they're having a wedding reception for
characters Jim and Pam that'll double as a
fundraiser for the State Park. They're bringing
together a lot of the people that helped film the
episode and it's open to the public. The fun
starts at 7. They're encouraging people to
have dinner at the restaurant and there'll be a
silent auction at the same time with signed
scripts, DVD's and an overnight package at the
Red Coach Inn. The episode will be shown on
large screen TV's at 9 and there'll be wedding
cake and champagne provided by the Hard Rock.
The event is free to attend. Meantime, officials
announced yesterday revenues at the park
were up two per cent between Memorial Day and
Labor Day. The report was issued during the
regional parks quarterly meeting at Woodlawn
Beach in Hamburg. Park Director Ron Peters
said it included money made from the Discovery
Pass, single admissions to several attractions,
and concessions within Prospect Park and on
Goat Island. The park, and others within the
system, will be operating with a reduced budget
next year. They are expecting to hire 100 fewer
seasonal workers and about 15 permanent
jobs will be eliminated.

NIAGARA FALLS WATER BOARD

The Niagara Falls Water Board plans to cut
18 jobs and reduce spending by over $750,000
next year under a tentative budget released
yesterday. The $24.88-million spending plan
is designed to avoid any increase in water and
sewer rates. Five of the jobs are vacant, 11 people
will be laid off, and two new jobs will be filled by
workers whose positions would be cut. Executive
Director Gerry Grose said five of the 11 are people
who work on service line maintenance between
private property and the city right of way. They
plan to do away with the service and it would
become the customer's responsibility. The Board
will hold a public hearing November 19 at the Water
Treatment Plant on Buffalo Avenue.

NATURAL GAS PRICES

NYSEG says residential natural gas customers
should be the beneficaries of decreased heating
bills ths Winter. Spokesman Clay Ellis says they
think, and based on what a lot of experts say,
the natural gas supply prices are expected to
hold steady. He said they done some anaylsis of
residential natural gas heating bills last winter
compared to what they probably will be this
year based on what they know. Last Winter
the typical residential customer paid about
$959 for the entire season, they expect it to be
about $827 this year. He added though that
the severity of the weather will be the biggest
factor in determining your bill.

VEHICLE ENTERED WHILE THE OWNERS IN COURT

A 20 year old Lockport man telling the Sheriff's
department last night his car was entered while
he was attending Pendleton Town Court. A
$300 GPS system and $200 in cash were
taken. He said he thought he had locked his
car but couldn't be sure. There was no sign of
forced entry and his alarm did not go off. He
said he saw another man walking near his
vehicle when he left court at 7 but could not
say if he was responsible.

LASALLE PRIDE

State Senator Antoinne Thompson is slated to
present LaSalle Pride with a $3,000 grant tonight
during their fourth annual meeting. The cash will
go to develop crime prevention programs,
environmental clean-ups, and senior services.
Falls Police Superintendent John Chella and
Fire Chief Bill MacKay will talk about public
safety and take questions. Thompson will
also install the new Board of Directors. The
session starts at 7 at the LaSalle Yacht Club.

BREAST CANCER DONATION JAR

A 17 year old Lockport man was arrested...and
police are looking for another teen...after the two
allegedly took a breast cancer donation jar from
Molinaro's at 90 Walnut just after 10 last night. Logan
Gillon of 103 Elmwood Avenue was charged with
petit larceny. The clerk telling police the two
walked into the restaurant and asked to see the
menu. She said she turned to get one and Logan
grabbed the donation jar and ran out the door.
Police and owner Mike Molinaro reviewed the
tape and saw the other teen take about $5 from
the tip jar. Officers found the two on Washburn
Street but the other teen got away. The jar was
found empty. Logan told police he and the other
teen...and a third male who waited outside and
never entered the store...came up with the idea to
steal the jar while they were sitting outside on
picnic benches. He said he threw it into a
grassy area and thought the other teen took the
money. Gillon was held on $500 bail.

NEWFANE

A 17 year old clerk at Budwey's in Newfane says
two hispanic males tried to get her to take a ride
with them about 6:30 last night. She told the
Sheriff's department they pulled up to her in a
red Mustang while she was sitting at a picnic
table during her lunch break. She said no to
their offer and they told her to get in the car.
She said no again and ran into the store. The
vehicle drove by the front windows and left
north on Lockport Olcott Road. The manager
said the two frequent the store and several
cashiers can identify them. He was told to call
the Sheriff's Department when they did.

DELPHI

Lockport's Delphi plant returns to General
Motors today after the auto parts maker
emerged from four years of bankruptcy
protection yesterday. The deal calls for
the 200 workers in the Lockport Technical
Center to remain with Delphi. The company
filed for chapter 11 protection on October 8,
2005. At the time it was the biggest auto
related bankruptcy. Ellicott Management,
Silver Point Capitol and other lenders won
an auction for Delphi in July. They bid the
value of debt they were owed, about
$3.3-billion.

QUINTUPLETS

A fund has been established at the Niagara County
Credit Union to help the Lockport couple that
welcomed five new members to their family last
week. The mom, Bridgett Maskell, was released
from Buffalo's Women & Childrens Hospital
yesterday. Her five newborns, Kayla, Justin,
Tlyer, Ramona, and Annabelle will remain in the
hospital's neo-natal intensive care unit. The
babies were delivered last Thursday by cesarean
section after 25 weeks of pregnancy. The Credit
Union is at 260 West Avenue.

HIGH WIND ADVISORY

A high wind advisory is in effect till 4pm today
for all of Western New York. Forecasters say
a low pressure system tracking to the North
is bringing a cold front to the area. The sustained
winds are expected to be 25 to 35 miles an hour.
There may be some problems along the Lake
Erie shoreline but they will not be above flood
stage. Showers and thunderstorms are also
possible. The Falls airport reported sustained
winds at 32 mph at 10am with gusts to 45.

POLICE EXAM

The City of Lockport will offer an open
competitive exam in November to become a
police officer. The deadline to apply is
October 15. The test will be given on Saturday
November 14. There is a $25 fee and the
eligible list established as a result will be
used to fill vacancies as they come up. The
expected salary would be $42,631. You must
be a resident of the City or move here if you
are hired. A booklet, called The Guide To
Taking The Examination for Entry Level
Police Officer, is available in the City's
Civil Service Office in City Hall. Call 439-6659.

MAZIARZ TO BE A WITNESS FOR BOTH SIDES

State Senator George Maziarz will be called as
a witness by both the Defense and the
prosecution in the trial of former Senate
Majority Leader Joe Bruno. It's expected to
start November 2 in Albany and stems from an
eight count indictment filed in January. The
government says he committed fraud by
denying New Yorkers honest services as a
public servant as a result of his outside
business dealings. The indcitment alleges
he entered into outside arrangements with
entities that had business before the State
and that he tried to conceal some of them.

FALLS RESIDENCY

The Niagara Falls City Council is apparently set
to join the School Board in enforcing the
residency requirement for city workers. Lawmakers
requested, and got an update Monday from
City Administrator Donna Owens. She told them
the Administration takes the requirement very
seriously and they had provided a line item of
$50,000 in the budget to pay for investigating
any allegations. She also noted the Council
had voted to do away with a provision giving those
who were caught a second chance. Owens said
they had a plan in place to investigate any
allegations and they would be hearing more about the
plan as they go forward. Council President Chris
Robins said they know right now it's not being
enforced and they got phone calls all the time
with allegations. He said they want in enforced and
they want it enforced now. He guessed between
15 & 50 workers were violating the policy. Council
member Sam Frusicone said the recent firings by the
School Board were part of the motivation but they
had been putting money in the budget for the past
two years to investigate allegations.

COUNTY LEGISLATURE

County lawmakers last night confirmed the
appointment of Barbara Zellner to fill the
vacancy in the 9th District in North Tonawanda.
Chairman Bill Ross said he and two other
members of a bi-partisan committee interviewed
two candidates and they unaminously chose the
41 year old resident of Witmer Road. She's a
mother of three and a former PTA president.
Zellner's a democrat but said she would join the
majority caucus. She was given a seat on the
Administration Commitee and will serve till
the end of the year. The seat was left vacant
when Andrea McNulty resigned after moving to
Pendleton. Lawmakers also o-k'd a resolution
opposing the continued expanion of the CWM
landfill in Porter. It'll be sent to Albany and says
it would negatively affect real estate values and
get in the way of other safer and more suitable
types of investment and development.

ELEVEN PER CENT CUT

The Governor yesterday ordered state agencies
to cut spending across the board by an average
of 11%. Higher education, state prisons, and
public health are taking the biggest cuts. The
State University of New York saw it's budget cut
by $90-million. Phillip Smith is with the United
University Professions. He called the cuts
draconian and said SUNY is being forced to
shoulder more than it's fair share. He said the
impact would go far beyond students because
the repercussions will extend to the State's entire
economy. Paterson's order said no-one was to
be fired by the reductions, the cuts are to be in
non personnel services only. The State prison
system was told to reduce spending by $69-million.

DODGE DAKOTA STOLEN

A 2002 blue Dodge Dakota pick-up was reported
stolen around 3am today from an apartment
complex at 6315 Robinson Road. The 20 year
old victim is from Gasport. He said he left the keys
on the front seat while he ran into an apartment
for a couple of minutes, He told deputies the gas
tank was close to empty. Deputies got a "no"
when they asked workers at the Noco
station on South Transit if anyone had
come in for a fill-up. The victim also said
$150 cash and personal papers were in the glove
compartment.

CANS

A Newfane man telling the Sheriff's department
yesterday morning ten bags of empty beer cans
were stolen from his enclosed back porch on
Ewings Road. He said each bag contained about
240 cans and that six bags were stolen overnight
Sunday and four more disappeared overnight
Monday. He said they were worth $120. Deputies
said workers at Kenyons and Budweys said no one
had brought in so many. The victim said he
got a similiar response when he checked with Tops
and Quality.

RECYCLING DEAD

The City of Lockport will not have curbside
recycling next year. The Common Council
last night removed the program from the
proposed 2010 budget. The move left them
with a 1.69 per cent tax increase in the
proposed spending plan. Lawmakers are
slated to vote on the $23.2-million budget
tomorrow night. It carries a tax rate of
$15.92 per thousand dollars valuation. Mayor
Mike Tucker said he would like to have
curbside recycling before his term is up,
but that the City should not add refuse services
until they figure out how to collect revenue
from every property, not just from property
taxpayers.

NIAGARA FALLS COUNCIL MEETING

Falls lawmakers were told Monday work on the
reconstruction of Lewiston Road cannot start
until the contractor gets a state license to remove
radioactive slag imbedded in the roadway. City
Engineer Robert Buzzelli said Albany was holding
up the process because they thought the
contractor wanted a statewide license, not just
one for Lewiston Road. He said the issue was
being monitored on a day by day basis. The
groundbreaking for the two year project took
place last month. The Council was also told
Merani Hospitality had closed on the purchase
of the former Fallside Hotel and the Inn On The
River. City Manager Donna Owens said 21
people applied for the City Engineers position
and 12 were qualified. She said they had asked
Niagara University and UB to participate in the
committee that'll interview the applicants.

WHEATFIELD

Lawmakers in Wheatfield decided last night to
take credit cards away from Town department
until the end of the year. They cancelled lines
of credit and all purchases must be o-k'd by the
budget director. The cards were issued about
three years ago. Nobody was accused of
doing anything illegal but Supervisor Tim
Demler said some large purchases had been
made. The Board also voted to return the
responsibility of making sure topsoil levels
at new homes are at 5 inches to the Building
Inspectors office. The work had been done
by private contractors who were charging the
Town $125 apiece. About 68 measurements
were made this year. The Board appointed
Neil Klettke to head the Drainage Committee.
Current chairman Ron Moore has been ill.

GUILTY

A county jury last night finding 26 year old Robert
Johnson of the Falls guilty of the January 19th murder
of his wife. Ahkenya Johnson had been stabbed 49 times
with three different knives including one that was
broken and put back in a kitchen drawer. A jury deliberated
about four hours before issuing their decision around 7:30.
Robert Johnson had inisted he was at a barbershop
when the killing took place but he was portrayed as a
possessive, obsessive, husband during the two week
trial. Evidence showed that both he and his wife were
having affairs. He'll be sentenced January 5. He faces
a term of 25 years to life in prison.

QUINTUPLETS

Doctors are watching closely after a Lockport mom
gave birth to three girls and two boys last Thursday
at Buffalo's Womens and Childrens Hospital. The
children of 34 year old Bridgett Maskell and 36 year
old John Mistalka were not due till January and were
born more than three months premature. It's believed
to be the first delivery of quintuplets ever in Western
New York. Maskell had hoped to carry them much
longer but she started bleeding last Monday and by
Thursday her contractions were two minutes apart.
One of the babies had seperated from the placenta
causing the premature labor. Doctors say they will
need to stay in intensive care for at least four
months. The couple had been trying to conceive for
two years and then contacted a fertility specialist.
Both parents work at Wal Mart. Maskell also has
eight year old twins, a son, and a daughter.

WALKER GETS BLESSED/ CHANCE TO MEET THE DOG

The cocker spaniel that was rescued by Linda
Tilton after it was dragged by a car in August was
among the animals blessed Sunday at Saint John
The Baptist Church in Lockport. You'll remember
she named him Walker. She says he's completely
healthy and has been neutered. She's decided to
invite the public to meet him Saturday at the K&K
Food Store on Lake Avenue where the events
started August 8. It'll be to celebrate her
official adoption of the animal. The SPCA
will be there with their "Whisker Wagon"
between noon till 3 and they'll be trying to
raise money for the agency. There'll also be
giveaways. She said Sunday's blessing means
a lot because Walker needs all the love and care
he can get. The church contacted her and invited
her to be part of yesterday's blessing. She also
brought along her 8 year old Beagle Terrier
named Chloe to be blessed as well. The church
held it's first blessing Sunday because it was the
feast of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals
and lover of all creatures.

MAMMARY MILE FUNDRAISER

A Barker woman is trying to draw attention ti the
fight against breast cancer by collecting
two-thousand bras. Carol Ander hopes to
create a mile long display and raise
$10,000 to $12,000 that she'll donate to the
Relay for Life next year. She works at Thee
Country Store in Barker where some of the bras
are already on display. Ander is asking women
to donate a bra and $5 for their Mammary Mile
fundraiser. Her plan is to display them at next
year's Mother's Day Breast Cancer Canal Walk
in Lockport.

GOAL SET BY EASTERN NIAGARA UNITED WAY

The Eastern Niagara United Way has set a goal
for this year's campaign. Town of Lockport
Economic Development Coordinator Dave Kinyon
is a co-chair of the drive. He says the target is
$750,000, a bit less than in previous years.
He said it reflects the difficulties that a lot of
households are experiencing as well as employers
are facing with the econmic decline. He also said
it was very realistic in terms of actual collections. He
said there are 30 campaigns going on in various
workplaces and they are receiving a very positive
response. The campaign wraps up November 19.

54 INCH PLASMA STOLEN IN WHEATFIELD

A 25 year old Wheatfield man says a 54 inch
plasma TV was stolen from his Washington
Street home Sunday within a two hour time frame.
The victim said he left between 6:30 and 8:30 and
that $525 cash and a $500 playstation three were
also missing, He said the front garage door
was open when he got home, deputies could
find no sign of forced entry.

DOMESTIC INCIDENT

A 32 year old Lockport man is facing a variety
of charges after he allegedly beat a woman and
her captive Sunday. Jeffrey Laubacker of 378
East Avenue is charged with menacing, assault,
coercin, unlawful impriosnment, and obstructing
governmental administration. Police said the
incident started around 9:30 am and continued
till they arrived at 6:30. The victim said she was
punched and kicked several times and that
Laubacker held a knife to her stomach and
threatened to use it on her and then himself.
The victim was treated by the Fire Department,
the knife was recovered and taken for evidence.

LOCKPORT BUDGET

Lockport lawmakers will meet at 3pm today and
Tuesday as they try to find more cuts in next
year's proposed budget. The spending plan must
be passed Wednesday night, It currently contains
a 3.86 per cent tax increase, they'd like to get it
down to zero.

NYSEG

Beginning today, NYSEG will be using a helicopter
with high tech imaging equipment on board to check
for vegetation growth in the rights of way of their
high voltage transmission lines. The work will be
done in Niagara County and the 12 other counties
where they provide service. The company says it'll
take from one to two weeks depending on the
weather. A spokesman saying the lines are the
backbone of their delivery system and they want
to spot potential problems before the inconvenience
their customers.

WRONG WAY DOWN ONE WAY STREET

A 33 year old Falls man was charged with driving
while intoxicated after he allegedly drove the wrong
way down a one way street Saturday night causing
a four car crash, Michael Zewin of 70th Street was
arrested just after 10:30 following the incident on
18th Street just south of Ferry Avenue. Zewin refused
to take a breath test. He was also charged with driving
while his ability was impaired. Police did not say whether
the vehicles he struck were parked or moving or whether
anyone was hurt.

FALLS BUDGET

Falls Mayor Paul Dyster has posted the budget he
proposed last Thursday on the city's website. The
303 page document can be clicked on at the left side
of the home page near the bottom of the menu as
"2010 PROPOSED BUDGET." The web site is
www.NiagaraFallsUSA.org."