Local News
TOWN OF TONAWANDA: GM sells Powertrain plant to itself
General Motors has sold the town’s Powertrain plant — to itself.
Contracts filed Monday with the Erie County Clerk’s office state that the River Road plant was sold from General Motors Corp. to General Motors Co. for $18.2 million. This sale and others like it are part of the process of making the “new” GM that has emerged from bankruptcy into a leaner, more competitive company.
“From the folks I’ve talked to in Detroit, they said it’s just a paper transfer from the old to the new,” said Nina Price, the plant’s communications manager.
While the number of people employed by the facility has dwindled in recent years, it is still a large employer locally. Even after shedding 141 employees in the most recent round of buyouts, the plant has approximately 1,180 workers.
The facility also lost two engine lines in the dust-up created when the company shuffled its work while closing plants nationwide. CEO Fritz Henderson will hold an on-line Webcast this morning to discuss new product plans, but there is no indication whether those plans bode well for the Tonawanda plant’s work load.
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AFTERNOON UPDATE for March 17
A look at the news in today's — and tomorrow's Gazette
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NIAGARA FALLS: Police, ATF pick up gang members
Two gang members being sought in connection with the recent rash of violence in the city were picked up Monday and Tuesday by Falls police.
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HOUSING AUTHORITY: Bringing in the garbage
The Niagara Falls Housing Authority will spend $94,000 on a garbage collection system upgrade at Packard Court and Jordan Gardens.
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LEW-PORT: Students, teachers defend programs
A parent defending Advanced Placement classes, young musicians telling the school board of their love for the trumpet and a high school principal recognizing hard-working students and the best graduation rate in Niagara County, all brought resounding applause to the crowd of more than 95 teachers, parents and taxpayers at Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Lewiston-Porter school board.
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LEW-PORT: District targeted for audit
The office of the State Comptroller has begun an audit of the Lewiston-Porter School District, a representative told the Niagara Gazette Tuesday.
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NIAGARA FALLS: Some Orchard Parkway, Chilton Avenue residents skeptical of designation
Supporters of a plan to create an historic district for the Chilton Avenue and Orchard Parkway neighborhood are hoping to present their project to a state review board in a matter of months.
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BLOTTER: Police reports published March 17
Police are investigating an assault in the 2700 block of Forest Avenue.
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NIAGARA FALLS: Health commish keeps pushing sugar tax
Reports of the death of Gov. David Paterson’s proposed tax on sugary drinks may be premature.
That was the message New York’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, delivered in a Tuesday meeting with the Niagara Gazette editorial board. -
STATE POLICE: Trio of troopers honored
Senior Investigator Joseph Commisso and Investigator Alan Harshany from the Seneca Niagara Casino and Trooper Joseph Raimondi from the State Police Niagara Barracks in the Town of Niagara were honored for their work with the U.S. Secret Service in helping break up a large scale identity theft ring.
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NIAGARA FALLS: Gunplay grabs spotlight at community forum
Niagara Falls police Chief John Chella said Monday he’s “disturbed” by the type of violence he’s seen lately on the city’s streets.
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