News across Niagara County
Investigative Post
Published 14 hours agoNiagara County dallies as overdose deaths mount
Over three years, Niagara County spent less than half the $8 million it received to battle the ravages of opioid addiction. Those funds, originating from settlements to lawsuits against drug manufacturers, came in two pots — one over which the state exercises oversight, another…
Niagara Action
Published September 25The Mike Lee Story: Final Salary of $202,858, Overtime and Side-gig Allegations, Retired with Full Pension and a Town of Niagara Board Seat
The Soft Landing Mike Lee Collected $202,858 in His Final Year, Manufactured Overtime, Ran a Side Business Out of a Police Substation, and Retired With a Full Pension and a Town Board Seat. There Was a Party. They Had Pizza. Editor’s Note: Niagara Action Media holds the full text…
Niagara Action
Published September 15Hochul Signs Union-backed Law that Attacks Free Speech, Silences Government Watchdogs
Governor Kathy Hochul is once again taking care of the political bosses who fund her campaigns, signing legislation designed to silence government watchdogs and shield powerful public-sector unions from losing members. The controversial measure – signed into law with immediate…
Niagara Action
Published September 11The Mayor’s Man: How James Perry Became Robert Restaino’s Most Useful Tool in Niagara Falls
There is a particular species of local politician that every Rust Belt city knows by instinct, even if it can’t always name it. He is not the boss. He is not the visionary. He is the mechanism — the man who shows up on time, sits in the right chair, calls the roll, and ensures…
Niagara Action
Published September 10GOOCH GOT SCREWED? Political Connections, Missing Proof of Funds and a $10,000 Niagara Falls Theatre Deal
The Niagara Falls Screw Job How a Buffalo Democratic political network lobbied Niagara Falls City Hall — and what it got in return EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part Three of Niagara Action’s ongoing investigation into the selection process for the Rapids Theatre at 1711 Main Street,…
Niagara Action
Published September 09King Restaino Extends ‘State of Emergency’ Again to Rule Niagara Falls by Decree
Long live the King. On Wednesday, September 9th, Mayor Robert Restaino signed yet another executive order extending his manufactured “State of Emergency” over the City of Niagara Falls. It marks what is likely the fourth official extension – following a renewal on August 31 – of…
Niagara Action
Published September 07Hochul Openly Defies Trump’s Executive Authority, Sides with Canada Over Renaming of ‘Lake America’
Governor Kathy Hochul has found a brand-new federal authority to openly defy. Hot off signing legislation that barred local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, New York’s embattled governor took to social media Thursday to announce that the Empire State…
Niagara Action
Published September 06Gimmick Rebates and Blame-shifting Cannot Mask Hochul’s Self-inflicted Utility Crisis
Confronted by New York taxpayers crushed under some of the highest electric and heating bills in the country, Governor Kathy Hochul rolled out a headline-grabbing legislative package this spring attempting to posture herself as a champion of utility relief. Rather than addressing…
Niagara Action
Published September 06‘Written in the Blood of Victims’: Hochul Faces Multi-county Lawsuit and Furious Backlash Over ICE Ban
Governor Kathy Hochul is facing a legal and political revolt across New York State after signing legislation barring local police agencies from partnering with federal immigration officials. The controversial measure – dubbed the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act” – effectively bans…
Niagara Action
Published September 06Hochul Touts Plummeting Crime Stats While Fearful New Yorkers Feel Less Safe Than Ever
Governor Kathy Hochul hit the road with a triumphant press release claiming historic crime reductions across New York this past week, but everyday residents living through subway assaults, open-air retail theft, and neighborhood gunfire are not buying the Albany spin. Standing…
Niagara Action
Published September 03Hochul Wields Executive Pen to Pardon Six More Criminals, Bringing Clemency Tally to 145
In yet another controversial exercise of executive power, Governor Kathy Hochul granted full pardons to six convicted criminals, brushing aside growing public outcry over Albany’s soft-on-crime posture and lenient justice policies. The latest wave of executive relief marks a…
Niagara Action
Published September 03Trump Hammers ‘Grossly incompetent’ Hochul Over Release of Nearly 7,000 Criminal Aliens Onto New York Streets
President Donald Trump leveled a blistering attack against Governor Kathy Hochul on social media, accusing the embattled New York executive of presiding over a disastrous public safety collapse and releasing “7000 hardcore criminals onto the streets in New York.” Blasting Hochul…