On Saturday I walked by Table Rock Center for the first time in several months. They have a good part of the building covered as they work on construction. As far as I could tell everything was still open for business.
Daily Archive for June 26th, 2007
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Beverly Eckhart grew up in Buffalo. So did her husband, Sean Rooney.
They crossed the border often to visit Canada and Eckhart has a strong attachment to the Niagara region.
But unlike the Western New Yorkers who are passionate advocates of holding down the status quo when it comes to security at the border, Eckhart is equally passionate that the days of viewing the cross-border region as one big city with a river running through it are long gone.
“I’ve listened to the debate in the Western New York area. I’m from here. I’ve been crossing the border my whole life. I appreciate the nostalgia,” said Eckhart, whose husband was killed in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“But I’m also nostalgic for the days my husband was alive.”
From the Niagara Falls Review:
The head of the Department of Homeland Security hinted he might be softening his stance on the requirement to show a passport to enter the U.S., during a visit to the Buffalo side of the Peace Bridge Monday.
Michael Chertoff said enhanced driver’s licences might be an acceptable alternative after all.
“We want to work with state authorities to get that underway early next year,” Chertoff told reporters, after touring the bridge property. “This is about finding a way forward that is reasonable, but also secure.”
Until now, he has strongly supported the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, announced in 2005, which would have required everyone - including Americans - to show a passport to gain entry to the U.S. by 2008.
Chertoff also said he would be willing to work with provincial officials so Canadian driver’s licences could also be considered as an acceptable form of identification at the American border.
From the Buffalo News:
Debate over a passport mandate scheduled to take effect next year has confused visitors to the Buffalo Niagara region, and local leaders say this year’s tourist season has already been hurt by the new identification requirements.
While some believe the mandate to carry a passport to cross into the United States from Canada could keep more American tourists on the U.S. side in the short term, they worry it could ultimately hurt the region as a whole.
“There’s confusion on a daily basis, and it has been that way and it drives you crazy,†said John Percy, president and CEO of Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp. “I think it’s going to affect the destination overall, just because I don’t think people sometimes realize there’s a Niagara Falls, N.Y., and a Niagara Falls, Canada. They’ll choose another vacation destination that doesn’t have a passport issue.â€
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