November 28, 2006
Printed from the Niagara Falls Review
Lichtman hopes city ready to move on downtown
COREY LAROCQUE
Tuesday, November 28, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – Aaron Lichtman says he came to Niagara Falls because the city was looking for a white knight to rescue the downtown. Now, he wants the new city council to move forward with him.
“I came saying, ‘OK, OK, OK, you got me. Don’t stick it to me now,’” Lichtman said, waving copies of two studies the city has commissioned that recommend how to revive the ailing business district.
Lichtman answered questions for 90 minutes Monday night at a forum hosted by the Niagara Falls Citizens for Democracy group, held at the public library’s main branch.
Lichtman used the meeting to signal to council members who will be sworn in next week he wants them to move ahead with their own plans that would attract private investment.
Lichtman said he represents investors who can bring $170 million to convert the Queen Street area into a retail shopping area. They’ve already spent $20 million buying about 60 downtown properties. Lichtman has never divulged who his investors are – a point of contention with some city council members and some of his critics.
The Historic Niagara proposal would require public money to be spent building a parking garage, creating three downtown parks, improving the area’s appearance and changing traffic flows. Those changes have been estimated to cost $36 million, an issue city council has wrestled with all year.
A vote from city council is the one element holding up progress, Lichtman said.
Historic Niagara and the city need to reach a memo of understanding – what Lichtman called “an agreement to sign an agreement.”
“We need to reach an agreement. Council needs to ratify that agreement,” he said.
“I will hand out shovels at that meeting…,” Lichtman said.
Lichtman’s interest in Niagara Falls followed the downtown community improvement plan and strategic implementation plan, which outlined what needed to be done to revive the downtown area.
Those reports recommended the city do exactly what Lichtman said he wants them to do. The reports say improvements should happen within five years, but Lichtman said he needs them within a year and a half.
“We are partners in this. The city is not going forward without us. We are not going forward without the city,” he said.
Lichtman reminded his 150-member audience none of the $36 million in public money would go toward helping him renovate private property. The public money is to be spent on roads, parks and parking – the same kinds of things city councils spend on all the time, he said.
But Lichtman told the crowd the city could expect to take in $6 million a year in additional tax revenue 10 years from now if Queen Street is a thriving retail area.
The three new members of the next city council – Wayne Thomson, Shirley Fisher, and Wayne A. (Bart) Maves – attended Lichtman’s presentation. So did most of members of the previous council.
Maves said he won’t rush into a decision on downtown.
“I’m going to have to wait until I get educated a little more,” Maves said after the meeting. “Any information we can get is fabulous.”
Mayor Ted Salci said Lichtman’s presentation helped clear up some of the “misinformation” about downtown that had circulated during the recent municipal election campaign.
But the mayor predicted a final decision “won’t” come before council for a while.”
A business plan the city hired a consultant to prepare won’t be ready until early 2007. That report will be key to show council what kind of financial benefit there will be for the city by taking part in Historic Niagara’s plan.
Despite 90 minutes of Q&A, River Road resident Shelagh Mulligan and two defeated candidates from this month’s election – Steve King and Guiseppe Macera – complained their questions weren’t asked by moderator Don Pierson.
Pierson said he had consolidated several questions that overlapped on the same topic. TVCogeco taped the meeting. It will be aired on Channel 10, today and Wednesday at 6 p.m. as well as Saturday at 2 p.m.
clarocque@nfreview.com
ID- 294475 © 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
Re-Printed in the Hamilton Spectator
Raising the Falls
Manhattan lawyer has daring revival plan
By David Segal
The Washington Post
NIAGARA FALLS (Nov 28, 2006)
Walk 20 minutes due north of the wax museums and honeymoon motels at the tacky core of this perennial tourist stop and you will find the eight-block stretch that locals call downtown. It looks like any other main street in a death spiral: empty storefronts, cheap rental apartments and a few holdout businesses limping from month to month.
But these blocks will soon be the scene of a nervy experiment in urban revival. The plan is to close most of the downtown, throw a tarp over the buildings and spend more than $200 million on renovations.
A year or so later, the place would reopen, hopefully with marquee retailers and spiffy residences in a setting that might look like a live Norman Rockwell painting.
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November 27, 2006
Printed from the Niagara Falls Review
Foster, friends gala raises $3.3M
JOHN LAW
Monday, November 27, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – David Foster, a Canadian music legend, made his first trip to Niagara Falls a blockbuster Saturday, thanks to some big-name friends.
By the time Paul Anka, Michael Buble, and Andrea Bocelli were finished early Sunday morning, they helped raise $3.3 million for charity, giving the Niagara Fallsview Casino a night for the ages.
The star-studded gala was a hot ticket at the Avalon Ballroom – and a mighty expensive one. Blocks of eight seats went for $25,000 each, mostly scooped up by corporate and private supporters. The money went to the David Foster Foundation, created 20 years ago to aid families with children in need of major organ transplants.
“This is going to be an extraordinary night for an extraordinary cause,” said CityTV’s Marilyn Denis, MC for the night.
Foster made sure of it, compiling a night of headliners which included soul singer Babyface, comedian Sinbad and American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee.
Greeting the media in a black sport coat and ripped jeans, Foster praised his pals for continually agreeing to his all-star fundraisers. Two shows in Vancouver two months ago, headlined by Buble, raised $2.8 million.
“It’s not easy to pull it all together,” he said, before a marathon day-long rehearsal. “Fortunately, I’ve got a great team around me and there’s a lot of enthusiasm for what we do. It’s a great cause.” Most every performer has had million-selling singles or albums produced by Foster and were eager to return the favour.
In some cases, Foster had to lay it on thick. Bocelli, who rarely performs in Canada, was on his wish list for Niagara Falls.
“When I did Bocelli’s album (‘Amore’) a year and a bit ago, I told him right at the beginning, ‘I’m going to ask you to do my charity. And you have to do it … period.’ No choice in the matter!
“He lives in Europe, he has two small kids he’s raising, but here he is.”
Fresh off the success of “St. Elmo’s Fire” 20 years ago, Foster found himself one of the world’s most in-demand songwriters and producers. But he was humbled by a visit with a girl who desperately needed an organ donation.
Then he watched Wayne Gretzky’s charitable work in the prime of his career, and “a little light went off in my head.”
“You’re supposed to give, not just take,” he said. “I can’t say it’s more important than my music, but it’s my sincere hope that my legacy is the foundation.”
Fans caught the occasional glimpse of performers, but for the most part they stuck to their limos and hotel rooms.
A red carpet set up on the lower level was mostly off-limits to the public, though it didn’t stop Buble’s fans from whooping it up.
The charismatic crooner was a huge favourite all night, joking with the press and nearly stealing the show.
When Foster calls, he’s usually on the next plane.
“I’m proud of him,” he said. “I think he’s really found himself. It’s easy to get taken away by your career. It becomes about awards, money, success and fame and all that.
“But this event, the kids … this is his legacy.”
Anka, who joined Bocelli to sing “My Way,” was eager to help his “old friend” Foster raise millions in one night.
“We’ve known each other 30 years,” he said. “We’ve got a mutual admiration society between the two of us.
“When you know somebody’s in need, you give back. And at the end of the day, it’s like … what have you done?”
Denis was in Niagara Falls to see Al Green last weekend when she noticed a poster for Foster’s gala. That would be cool to MC, she thought.
Two days later she got the call.
“If only I could have friends like David Foster,” she said. “I can’t get my friends to come for dinner!”
Foster’s foundation has helped nearly 300 families whose funds have run out while awaiting an organ transplant for a child. The letters he gets from grateful parents can humble any star, he said.
“I try to talk to my artists now – Katharine McPhee, Buble, Josh Groban – and I tell them you got websites now, you got fans willing to do anything for you. Start a foundation.
“Get your mother, your father, your sister, whoever’s out of work – give them a job, find something you’re passionate about charity-wise, and just get going. You’ll raise millions of dollars.” jlaw@nfreview.com
ID- 292080 © 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
Printed from the Niagara Falls Review
New commissioner named to Parks
Monday, November 27, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – Educator and conservationist Fred Louws has been appointed to the Niagara Parks Commission, Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor announced recently.
“Fred will bring a welcome set of experiences and skills to the deliberations of the commission,” said Craitor.
“He is a relatively young family man and teacher that lives on the parkway and who, as department head of Fort Erie Secondary School’s Social Sciences department, has been a leader in advocating environmental conservation through the school’s environmental club.” Louws, 36, said as a life-long resident of the region, he has come to appreciate the “natural beauty and economic importance of the lands entrusted to the Niagara Parks Commission.”
“I am looking forward to my role as a commissioner … I can offer some personal insights into what will be in the best interests of all concern parties for the Niagara Parkway.”
ID- 292090 © 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
November 25, 2006
Printed from the Niagara Falls Review
Pricey casino concert benefits David Foster charity; Bocelli, Buble headline show
JOHN LAW
Saturday, November 25, 2006 – 12:00
Local News – Singers Andrea Bocelli, Paul Anka and Michael Buble will walk the red carpet tonight for an all-star fundraising concert at the Niagara Fallsview Casino.
But if you want to go, you may need to remortgage.
Blocks of eight tickets for the David Foster and Friends gala cost $25,000, which includes four hotel rooms, eight seats at a charity gourmet dinner and a champagne reception.
If all goes well, the event could raise more than $2.5 million for The David Foster Foundation, a charity the Canadian composer started 20 years ago to aid families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants.
Most of the pricey tickets have been scooped up by corporate sponsors and private supporters, said Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation spokeswoman Theresa Roncon.
“This is a fundraiser and it’s not a question of excluding people. It’s a question of raising money for a very good cause. That’s the goal here.”
A similar fundraiser held in September at Vancouver’s River Rock Casino raised a little more than $2.8 million for the David Foster Foundation. It was headlined by Buble, whose first two albums were produced by Foster.
Foster, a 14-time Grammy winner, also produced Bocelli’s album “Amore,” which was released earlier this year.
Babyface, Sinbad and Jamia Nash Simone will also perform today, though Roncon says any of Foster’s many celebrity friends could show up.
“When (Foster) calls his friends, they come,” she said. “The Avalon Ballroom is gorgeous and it is in line with the type of entertainment being offered this night.”
Bocelli, the Tuscan-born vocalist whose pop/opera style has sold millions of records, is the night’s biggest attraction. It will be a rare (and expensive) chance for fans to see him in an intimate venue instead of an arena or concert hall.
Last weekend, Bocelli attended the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in Italy.
“We are absolutely honoured and thrilled that he has decided to come to Niagara,” said Roncon.
Like the night’s other performers, Bocelli is waiving his performance fee.
Event publicist Julie Bellissimo said Foster usually holds his charity events close to his Vancouver home, but after the huge success of the River Rock Casino show, he decided to “go national.” “The foundation not only serves people in Vancouver,” she said. “So many organ transplants happen in Ontario.”
Since it began, the foundation has assisted 253 families. It regards itself as a “last resort” organization, helping people who can no longer afford the non-medical expenses that arise when a child needs to be sent across Canada or out of the country for a transplant.
“This is the brainchild of David Foster,” said Roncon, “and if you come (today), you’ll hear him say he wants this to be his legacy.”
The show starts at 9:15 p.m. For more info, visit www.davidfosterfoundation.org.
jlaw@nfreview.com
ID- 290186 © 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
Printed from the Niagara Falls Review
Historic Niagara proponent at Q&A Monday
COREY LAROCQUE
Saturday, November 25, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – With new decision-makers coming in to city hall soon, Aaron Lichtman will speak at another public forum to explain the Historic Niagara downtown revitalization project.
The question and answer session is scheduled for Monday at the public library’s Victoria Avenue branch. It starts at 7 p.m.
Lichtman is spearheading the Historic Niagara proposal that would revive downtown by creating a retail district along Queen Street. He has promised to bring $170 million in private-sector investment downtown, but said the city needs to make $36 million in public-area improvements – like a parking garage and more parks – first.
The Niagara Falls Citizens for Democracy group organized the meeting.
“We still feel for the sake of democracy, it’s not a bad idea to clarify the situation about downtown,” said Mel Grunstein, the group’s chairman.
They wanted to hold the meeting before the Nov. 13 municipal election – two weeks ago. But TVCogeco’s schedule made it impossible for their crews to tape it, said Grunstein.
TVCogeco will videotape the meeting and broadcast it on Channel 10, Tuesday and Wednesday at 6 p.m., both days, as well as Dec. 2, at 2 p.m.
The cable company agreed to air the meeting as a public service so people can hear Lichtman’s answers.
“Hopefully, there will be a balance of questions,” said Jack Custers, TVCogeco’s production supervisor.
Lichtman has held several similar forums this year, including one at the library and another at city hall, to tell the public about his plan.
Lichtman could not be reached over the American Thanksgiving holiday to comment on the meeting.
ID- 290196 © 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
November 24, 2006
Changes in life prompt Inniskillin co-founder to resign from winery
Eddie Chau
Nov 24, 2006
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE — The man known for promoting Niagara wines on an international scale has decided to hang up his wide brim hat and take a step back to stop and smell the fruity aroma of his vineyards.On Nov. 3, Donald Ziraldo resigned from his position as president of Inniskillin Wines. After more than 30 years in the wine industry, Ziraldo’s decision to step down came as a result of a number of changes in his life, including the recent retirement of his Inniskillin partner, Karl Kaiser.
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Printed from the Niagara Falls Review
New wonders, maybe … but how about us?
JOHN LAW
Friday, November 24, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – On the seventh day of the seventh month of the new millennium’s seventh year, a brand new Seven Wonders of the World will be announced.
And just like last time, Niagara Falls won’t be among them.
What’s that? We aren’t on the list? Not according to the original ‘Magnificent Seven’ as chosen by Dutch architect Maerten van Heemskerck, who used Greek source material to make his picks nearly 500 years ago. There have been other lists – some which included Niagara Falls – but Heemskerck’s roll call has long been considered the uncontested Seven Wonders of the World.
Until now.
On July 7 in Lisbon, a Swiss-based foundation called New7Wonders will unveil a new list, based on a worldwide vote among 21 finalists. The reason?
Only one of the original seven wonders are still around and there are doubts some of the others even existed at all.
Among the candidates is the Colosseum in Rome, Stonehenge in the UK and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Despite being one of the world’s most famous addresses, Niagara Falls didn’t make the cut.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and (Niagara Falls) is one of the seven wonders of my world,” says local historian Rick Berketa, who operates the Niagara-based website Thunder Alley (www.niagarafrontier.com).
“Twelve million people come here each year and I think Niagara Falls would certainly fit within that definition in their eyes and mine.”
The 21 finalists can be seen at www.new7wonders.com. More than 20 million votes have already poured in. The only criteria is that the landmarks were built or discovered before 2000.
Berketa, for one, isn’t impressed.
“I’m indifferent to it,” he says. “It’s more subjective than anything. If you look at all the sites listed, all of them are basically architectural in nature or man-made.
“Very few, I see, that were actually geological or made by nature.”
THE CAMPAIGN to pick seven new world wonders was started in 2001 by Swiss globetrotter Bernard Weber, who started a foundation to preserve and restore famous monuments.
From a list of 200 existing landmarks recognized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), a panel of experts chose 77 front-runners, which was was then whittled down to 21 in January.
Being snubbed doesn’t seem to bother the locals. List or no list, it’s a safe bet Niagara Falls will still attract more tourists than the Hagia Sophia church in Turkey or Chichen Itza in Mexico.
“We always like to think we’re one of the natural wonders of the world, but technically we’re not,” says Niagara Falls Mayor Ted Salci. “Sure, we believe the way Niagara is set up we should be considered that way.
“There’s about 50 other falls that are taller than Niagara Falls, yet we get more exposure than they do.
“In the minds of people who visit us, they are truly amazed at the wonder of the falls. That won’t change.”
The 21 finalists left a few residents either confused or unimpressed.
“Why would the Eiffel Tower be there?” wonders 30-year-old Teresa Connoy, of Niagara Falls. “I mean, the CN Tower is taller than the Eiffel Tower. It doesn’t really make sense.
“I heard we were taken off (the list) because we’ve done so much to the falls. With some of the other things on here, I don’t see why we’re not.
“We’re much more natural than the Statue of Liberty.”
But 22-year-old Devin King, of Niagara Falls, thinks his city doesn’t need – or deserve – more attention.
“Our skyline looks like crap as it is and they spend way too much money on tourism in this city,” he says. “Everything in this city just rots unless it’s a new hotel going up.
“People already know the falls are here … we don’t need more attention. I just think there’s more important things to fuss over. (David) Letterman does lists every night. Who cares?”
Niagara Falls Tourism chairman Wayne Thomson certainly does.
When he was mayor, Thomson repeatedly referred to Niagara Falls as one of the Seven Wonders of the World until he was corrected. But the sentiment remains.
“Anybody who has the opportunity to stand at the brink of the falls can’t go away from that without a magnificent feeling of the power and the majesty of it,” he said.
Author and former Niagara Parks Commission spokesman George Bailey says it doesn’t matter if Niagara Falls isn’t officially one of the world’s seven wonders, since “most people think we are anyway.”
“I think we should be on it, just based on the reaction people have when they come here. It’s not the biggest (waterfalls), it’s not the smallest … it’s none of those, except it’s one of the most visited falls in the world and that’s why we should be on the list.”
Berketa says the list skews more towards man-made landmarks, which pale in comparison to what nature created.
If anything, he adds, being snubbed might remind locals what they have right under their nose.
“We all work and live in Niagara Falls, and more often than not we take it for granted. The bottom line is, Niagara Falls, including the Niagara Gorge and Niagara Escarpment, form probably one of the Top 10 geological events of the world.”
jlaw@nfreview.com
The original seven wonders of the world
The original Seven Wonders of the World, as compiled by Dutch architect Maerten van Heemskerck (1498 – 1574):
- 1. The Pyramids of Egypt: The only original wonder still standing today, they are also among the 21 finalists for the New 7 Wonders.
- 2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Saddam Hussein intended to rebuild the mythical city of Babylon and its gardens as a theme park, but was stymied by lack of money and a war with Iran.
- 3. Statue of Zeus in Olympia: Fragments of the 40-foot-tall monument were discovered during a dig in 1875. There are theories it was destroyed in a fire or earthquake.
- 4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: Built to honour the goddess of fertility, this towering temple was burned down in 356 B.C., rebuilt, then destroyed again in 262 B.C.
- 5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: There are only a few marble remains of this massive tomb, built to honour King Mausollos of Caria. It was dismantled by the Knights of St. John of Malta in 1522.
- 6. The Tower of Pharos in Alexandria: This monstrous tower was the second tallest building of its time (270 B.C.) and may have been the world’s first true lighthouse. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century and remnants have been retrieved from the nearby harbour.
- 7. The Colossus of Rhodes: A 110-foot-tall bronze statue towering over the harbour, it is believed to have collapsed 60 years after it was built in 282 B.C. No remnants have been recovered, but its design may have inspired the Statue of Liberty.
Facts New Wonders
A Swiss-based foundation called New7Wonders is compiling a new Seven Wonders of the World, to be announced July 7.
Niagara Falls is not among the 21 finalists. Contrary to what many believe, Niagara Falls has never been one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Of the original Seven Wonders, compiled nearly 500 years ago, only the Pyramids of Egypt remain.
The public can vote for the new ‘Magnificent Seven’ at www.new7wonders.com.
ID- 289398 © 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
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Private sector role to build border bridge applauded; Company sees boost for plans to build new bridge in Fort Erie
ALISON LANGLEY
Friday, November 24, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – News that Ottawa is exploring the possibility of allowing the private sector to play a role at a new Windsor-Detroit border crossing is welcome to a company hoping to build its own span in Fort Erie.
“We’re very optimistic this will give our project the boost it needs in both Canada and the United States,” said Jim Kane, regional director of the Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge Group, which has been working on plans to build a new bridge between Fort Erie and Buffalo for the past number of years.
“For the 511/42 years we’ve been putting this project together, the question of private sector involvement in border crossing infrastructure has loomed large,” he said.
Trade and Infrastructure Minister Lawrence Cannon said this week Ottawa is considering allowing the private sector to finance and operate a second bridge at Windsor, which is Canada’s busiest port of entry to the United States.
“The government of Canada … intends to explore the opportunity to partner with the private sector to design, build, finance and operate the new crossing,” Cannon told a national conference on public-private partnerships.
The Windsor-Detroit crossing, currently serviced by the Ambassador Bridge and a tunnel, handles more than one-quarter of Canada’s trade traffic with the U.S.
The Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge Group is a subsidiary of the Detroit International Bridge Company and the Canadian Transit Company, a privately-held company that owns and operates the Ambassador Bridge.
The new Windsor bridge, expected to be completed by 2013, would link highways on both sides of the border and include new customs inspection plazas. Security at the border crossing would continue to be the domain of Canadian and American border agencies, said David McFadden, chairman of communications for The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships.
“What the private sector does is maintain the infrastructure, make sure it’s properly paved, cleaned, things of that nature,” McFadden said.
Cannon’s announcement came as the council released a new poll suggests Canadians support public-private partnerships.
The Environics Research poll, found 64 per cent of the 2,021 respondents agreed private companies should be involved in public infrastructure projects, up from 60 per cent from 2004.
Despite those figures, Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson said he would not support the privatization of Niagara’s border crossings.
“The government of Canada ultimately has ownership of this issue and I support public ownership (of bridges) along the Niagara River – I want to be very clear about that,” he said.
Peace Bridge Authority general manager Ron Rienas said the issue of whether Ottawa allows the private sector to play a role in Windsor will have little bearing in Niagara and the authority’s plan for a companion span to the Peace Bridge.
The goal of a public-private partnership is to save taxpayers’ money, something Rienas says the authority already does. “We were established by both governments to operate like a private entity. We pay taxes. Our debt is not guaranteed by either government and we are charged with the responsibility of being totally self sufficient.”
It’s a similar scenario at the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, which operates the Rainbow, Whirlpool and Queenston-Lewiston bridges.
“We get our revenue from tolls and we don’t get a penny from government. We don’t cost the taxpayer a nickel,” said Brent Gallaugher, the commission’s manager of agency relations and security.
If Ottawa does decide to involve the private sector in the Windsor border crossing, it will have to ensure the process is “fair, open, transparent and efficient,” said Ontario Infrastructure Minister David Caplan.
“Public interest is paramount, that we always maintain public control of our assets and public ownership of core assets,” said Caplan.
- With files from Canadian Press
ID- 289396 © 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
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Rescue hoax in gorge?
Friday, November 24, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – City firefighters used thermal cameras to search for someone believed to be in the Niagara gorge Thursday night. The fire department was called to River Road near Queen Street at 6:16 p.m., after receiving calls from the public about a voice calling for help, platoon chief Bruce Johnson said. Subsequent to a search from emergency personnel, which also included police on both sides of the river and U.S. border patrol, the search was officially called off at around 8:10 p.m., as nobody was found. Initially, it wasn’t clear whether emergency respondents were looking for a person in distress, a stranded hiker or possibly someone playing a hoax, Johnson said. The source of the noise was never found.
ID- 289387
© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
