CHET SECRIST FUNDRAISER

The two events recently held for Lockport
restaurant owner Chet Secrist raised about
$54,000. Jack Martin of the J Fitzgerald
Advertising Agency tells WLVL he can't say
how much came in from the comedy show
with Rob Lederman at the Palace and how
much was raised at the Dog Day of Summer
the following Saturday. He says it all got
blended together because some people were
buying tickets at the Credit Union and others
were making donations directly to them so
the Credit Union only provided them with a
grand total. He suspects they made about
$8,000 at the Palace. The actual amount
came to $53, 727. He says the change jars
around Town are bringing in money and that
was also not part of the total. Martin said the
rain really hurt them on Saturday, that it came
in waves and each time it thinned out the
crowd even further. As for Secrist, he's
now in remission from his leukemia which
means the chemo-therapy has been working.
The owner of Chet's Dog House is awaiting a
bone marrow transplant in 4 to 6 weeks.

LOCKPORT BLOCK CLUBS

The National Night Out Against Crime will
be taking place Tuesday night across the
country....and in Lockport, the United
Neighborhood Watch Group invites you
to take a look at a garden they're working on
on the North side of Genesee Street between
Locust and Pine. U-N-W-G President Jack
Smith it's located on the site of a former
burned out home. They plan to add benches
and an arbor. He says they're very close
to finishing it. They'll be there from 6 till 9
Tuesday to answer questions and meet and
greet people. A meeting on forming a club
will be held Thursday, August 13 at City Hall.
The group plans to celebrate the "Night Out
Against Crime" later in the month around the
25th. The Falls had thiers last Tuesday.

STREET HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

Thirty-five teams consiting of around 200 players
took part in Sunday's street hockey tournament in
the Chestnut Street parking lot of the future
Lockport ice arena. The Wheatfield Hockey
Association sponsored the action to build a
relationship with the City and support the
effort. The players ranged in age from 8
year olds to seniors. They played on six
rinks boarded by bales of hay supplied by
Hoover's Dairy. About 400 spectators watched
the day long competition including Mayor Mike
Tucker and City Attorney John Ottaviano.
He said they are finishing plans for the two
rink structure and will be open in 18 to 24
months.

NEW MAP

Niagara County producers of farm products
for direct sale to consumers are invited to
have their business shown on a new map
being produced by Cornell Cooperative
Extension. A basic listing is free but you
can be more prominently displayed for
$25. Twenty-thousand copies will be
produced. They have already contacted
those who were listed on the previous mop
but want to give everyone an opportunity to
get on the new one. You must grow at least
some of what you sell. Their plan is to get
them out next month. Funding was
supplied by the County using economic
stimulus money and from the State
Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Call 433-8839, extension 241, or write to
Paul Lehman at 4497 Lake Avenue in
Lockport.

WEEKEND FIRES

A fire in the Falls around 9:30 Sunday morning
did an estimated $45,000 damage to a two story
home in the 2400 block of Pierce Avenue. One
woman escaped from a second floor bedroom
Another blaze in a detached garage at 6093
Karen Drive in Newfane Saturday did over
$10,000 damage. It also destroyed a satellite
dish on the roof of a nearby shed owned by
a neighbor. The cause of each fire not yet
determined.

STIMULUS MONEY PAYS FOR 5 NEW OFFICERS

The Niagara Falls Police Department looking to
hire five new officers with federal stimulus dollars.
Police Superintendent John Chella said the
$1-million-52-thousand dollar grant will pay
for the five for three years. The City must
agree to keep them for a fourth year and
pay their salaries for it. The department's
budget already included 8 new hires and
they, and the five new ones, will attend
classes soon at N-C-C-C. The City applied
for the money two months ago. Rochester
received $5.8-million for thirty.

PERCY TO BE AT TOURISM BOARD MEETING

The President and CEO of the Niagara Tourism
and Convention Corporation is expected to
face some tough questioning tonight when he
attends a meeting of the Niagara Falls Tourism
Advisory Board. John Percy's first visit last
September was highlighted by a variety of
questions about the way the City is marketed.
Percy says he was invited to tonight's 6pm
session to give them an update on how the
tourism season is going compared to the
rest of the nation. He'll also bring along a
consultant they've hired to develop a
strategic marketing plan for the future.

SOLICITORS

The Sheriff's Department warning residents they
have made several recent arrests of people
soliciting without permits. They say anyone
selling itemsin your neighborhood should be
able to show you a proper ID and a permit from
the municipality in which you live. You can call
the Sheriff's Department if you are concerned
about anyone soliciting in your area. They can
be reached at 438-3393.

FORGED CHECKS

In Wilson, a Randall Road woman told the
Sheriff's Department Sunday she believes her
son forged at least 19 of her checks worth
almost $2500 between May and July. The
woman telling a deputy she noticed the
activity about two weeks ago while doing
on-line banking. She said her bank had been
charging her fees for bounced checks. She
then discovered she was missing some. Her
bank then gave her copies.

SUNDAY MORNING BREAK IN

A 16 year old Lockport boy facing charges
after he allegedly broke into a Prospect
Street home around 1:30 Sunday morning.
Police say Justin Pulvino of 181 West Avenue
entered the home through a side window. They
were able to recover some of the property.
He's charged with burglary, possession of
stolen property, criminal mischief, and petit
larceny.