From the Niagara Gazette: It appears as though the old Hotel Niagara is headed for condemnation. City council members learned Monday that a recent inspection of the Rainbow Boulevard property revealed several areas of concern, including the lack of electricity, heat and an operational fire protection system inside the building. Chief Code Enforcement Officer Dennis…
WIVB Channel 4 in Buffalo had a report (including video) on an upcoming rally to try to save the NY State Parks system. Wednesday in Albany, a rally to save the state parks from the budget ax. Residents and state leaders will hold a rally to protest cuts in the governor’s budget, which could mean…
From the Buffalo News: More than a decade ago, Manhattan real estate billionaire Howard P. Milstein first invested in a company with grand plans to redevelop a huge swath of derelict property in Niagara Falls, and so far there is almost nothing to show for it.
From the Niagara Falls Review: The federal government won’t move ahead with its plan to incorporate biometric technology into passports until Canadians have had a chance to weigh in on it. Pamela Stephens, a spokeswoman for Justice Minister and Attorney General Rob Nicholson, said Friday the minister’s office has been assured by Passport Canada that…
From the Niagara Falls Review: Tourism officials in Niagara will speak with one voice as they try to attract more marketing cash to the region. Industry groups have agreed on a partnership they hope Ontario will accept as a regional tourism organization. The provincial government announced the creation of 13 new tourism regions, including one…
From the Niagara Falls Review: Thought the Olympics closing ceremonies looked familiar? If you’ve seen the Oh Canada Eh dinner show in Niagara Falls, you weren’t imagining things. From the moose to the lumberjacks to the hockey players, the cheeky celebration of all things Canadiana was like a carbon copy of the award-winning show that…
From the Toronto Star: Tourism industry officials in Toronto and Niagara Falls say they are shocked to learn the U.S. State Department plans to raise passport fees by as much as 35 per cent. A new adult passport would cost $135, up from $100. Since last summer, passports have been mandatory to cross the Canada-U.S….
From the Niagara Falls Review: Think your line of work got hurt in the recession? Try sword swallowing. “The last few years have been tough, economically. People aren’t going to pay $1,000 to have a sword swallower at their kids’ birthdays,” said Vanessa Neil, who shocked a Niagara Falls crowd Saturday when she downed a…
From the Niagara Falls Review: It’s not a holiday yet, but sword swallowers have made today their own. World Sword Swallowers Day will see performers send steel down the hatch at more than a dozen Ripley’s Believe It or Not museums throughout the world, including Clifton Hill. Toronto’s Vanessa Neil does the deed at 2:27…
From the Niagara Falls Review: The Niagara Parks Commission wasn’t the only business to struggle in 2009. The tourism industry as a whole had to scratch and claw its way through a year hampered by unseasonable weather, new passport requirements and a deadly influenza strain. “It’s extremely bleak out there,” said Niagara Falls Tourism chairman…