City of Niagara Falls

Five of New York State's economic regions will enter Phase Three of reopening Friday, including the Finger Lakes and Central New York regions. Western New York could be eligible as early as next Tuesday. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul visited Niagara County Thursday, bringing a message of hope but also continued calls to honor social distancing and wearing of masks in public.

New York State, through its USA Niagara Development Corporation, has completed the purchase of 31 parcels previously owned by Tuscarora businessman Joe Anderson. The purchases, state and city leaders say, are needed to continue the redevelopment of the city's entertainment and tourism districts.

A Niagara Falls councilman is seeking applicants to sit on a committee that will look further into the presence of registered sex offenders in the Cataract City.

It will cost you more money to purchase a parking space in downtown Niagara Falls this summer. The Council member sponsoring the measure says it's a means to take some of the city's budget burdens off the shoulders of taxpayers. Critics are concerned about the message it may send to out-of-town visitors.

A city that relied heavily on dollars from payments by a Native-run casino within its borders is now living without that money and making some tough decisions to address a budget gap. Among the casualties this year is an Independence Day fireworks display that was to be held at Hyde Park.

Police officers, public works and other Niagara Falls personnel were out in one of the city's neighborhoods Wednesday as the city announced the return of an annual community beautification effort known as the ZOOM Team.

As a stalemate continues in a casino compact dispute between New York State and the Seneca Nation, local municipalities that depend on casino cash are feeling the strain. In Niagara Falls, they've already scaled back projects including road repairs.

While a dispute over halted casino revenue payments continues, lawmakers in the City of Niagara Falls want to have a plan to spend those dollars more smartly, should those casino payments resume in the near future.

The City of Niagara Falls has made news in recent months for the problems plaguing its water infrastructure. But the Cataract City is just one of many municipalities dealing with outdated systems in states of disrepair. The Niagara Falls Water Board is launching a new initiative to raise awareness of the need for large-scale improvements not just in that city but across the Great Lakes region.

A new attraction has opened at the Cave of the Winds in Niagara Falls, offering guests a year-round facility to learn about the natural wonder's history. It's also the latest completed project in an overall $70 million investment to update Niagara Falls State Park.

A two-year project to improve the ecological quality of a lake in the heart of Niagara Falls, New York, is at its completion, participants said Wednesday.

Many tourists visiting Niagara Falls, New York discover that while they're standing on U.S. soil, their smartphone signals are bouncing off Canadian towers, subjecting them to roaming charges. By this fall, leaders on this side of the border believe they'll solve the problem.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors hosted events nationwide to publicly reject racism, extremism and bigotry. In Niagara Falls, elected officials, tourism leaders and representatives of the religious community united to share a message that hate is unwelcome in the Cataract City.

Leaders in the City of Niagara Falls are not pressing the panic button following last week's announcement that the Seneca Nation of Indians would cease casino revenue payments to Albany. But the mayor and a State Assemblyman who represents the city are urging the Senecas and state to come together immediately to smooth out any disputes over their compact.

The City of Niagara Falls has set aside money to help fund a study that will determine whether a new downtown event center or arena might be in the Cataract City's interest.

The Niagara Falls Public School District is proceeding with the second round of state-mandated tests for lead levels in its water sources. While levels above the state's safety threshold were found among a few samples in the first round, early returns on the follow-up round suggest the schools' water is safe.

It's called the first non-casino related development of its scale to happen in Niagara Falls in four decades. Governor Andrew Cuomo was among the dignitaries who broke ground at a future hotel site, celebrating a project that is finally moving forward after four years.