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m they'd never met before, nine people boarded the raft in Niagara Falls, Ont. With a puttering motor dragging the overloaded vessel -- carrying at least twice the 660 pounds for which it was rated -- across the current of the upper Niagara River, with no oars, anchor or even lifejackets to protect them if it failed, they made their way to Grand Island. Where the United States Border Patrol was waiting. Smuggling certainly isn't what it used to be in Niagara Falls. The area's role as one of the busiest crossings for bootleggers during Prohibition remains part of regional...

(NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.) -- A man apparently trying to sneak into the United States was rescued from an ice floe less than a mile upstream from Niagara Falls, authorities said. Guards from Ontario Power Generation said they heard the man screaming for help at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday near the company's water intakes near Chippawa, Ontario. "If he hadn't been discovered," said Peter Larsen, a control operator at the intakes, "he would have gone through one of those gates and then very likely could have been swept over the falls." Rescuers in boats plucked the shivering man from the ice...

The Bush administration appears to have annexed a major Canadian landmark as part of a slick new campaign to promote U.S. tourism and welcome foreign visitors to America... About four minutes into the seven-minute production, viewers are treated to the impressive sight and sound of water roaring over Niagara Falls before the screen shifts to the Lincoln Memorial. In showing the natural wonder, Disney's filmmakers, however, chose the Horseshoe Falls, the only one of Niagara's three waterfalls to lie almost entirely on the Canadian side of the border...

Niagara Falls, N.Y. - An illegal immigrant was rescued from an ice floe less than a mile upstream from Niagara Falls, authorities said. Guards from Ontario Power Generation said they heard the man screaming for help at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday near the company's water intakes near Chippawa, Ontario. "If he hadn't been discovered, he would have gone through one of those gates and then very likely could have been swept over the falls," said Peter Larsen, a control-dam operator at the intakes. Rescuers in boats plucked the shivering man from the ice floe...< snip > Authorities said the unidentified...

<p>NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO — 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 here call downtown. It looks like any other main street in a death spiral: dozens of empty storefronts, plenty of cheap rental apartments and a few hold-out businesses limping from month to month.</p>

Sunday, 29 May 2005; 10:15 PM EDT: Ambulances and HAZMAT crews have responded to an incident at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, NY - one of three bridges located in western NY spanning between the U.S. and Canada - following only what tight-lipped Customs authorities are calling "an incident" that took place at approximately 6:00 PM EDT (corrected from 9:00 PM) inside of the Customs area. Bridge traffic has been halted in both directions and those traveling into Canada have been advised to use an alternate route. Authorities have confirmed that at least six-(6) people were rushed to Niagara...

Says Incident Chills Religious Freedom WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called for a formal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into an incident at the Canadian border in which American Muslim citizens were apparently singled out for special security checks based on their attendance at an Islamic conference and then held until they agreed to be fingerprinted. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the incident was a disturbing example of religious profiling that would have a chilling effect on the constitutional rights of American Muslims,...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

HIDALGO, Texas (AP) -- The only person to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls without a safety device has run off and joined the circus. Kirk Jones, 40, planned to make his debut as the "world's greatest stunt man" during a Friday night gig with the Toby Tyler Circus, now touring Texas' Mexican border towns. Last month, the former auto parts salesman from Canton, Mich., jumped over the Canadian side of the falls and somehow emerged from the rushing foam with only a few broken ribs. Jones said circus promoters called him a few days ago and promised him something...

Chinese acrobat Adily, a five time Guinness world record holder, plans to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls, state press reported on Friday. The 32-year-old member of the Turkic-speaking Uighur minority said he would leave for Canada on September 13 to survey the site, the Xinhua news agency said. "After I see around the Niagara Falls, I will decide where to walk across. If nothing unexpected happens, I will walk across the Niagara Falls next May," said Adily. Toronto high wire walker Jay Cochrane has already succeeded in walking the falls but Adily said he would better the feat, although...

In "honor" of the deranged gunman who can't stand the sound of "New Jersey..."

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - A 48-year-old man was rescued from the brink of Niagara Falls after spending two hours on a cliff, knee-deep in icy water. "Hold me! Don't let me go!" he cried out to rescuers during his ordeal Wednesday. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital suffering from severe hypothermia, and was in stable condition Thursday. The man jumped or fell off Goat Island, sliding down an icy slope on the small island on the American side of the falls. He ended up 20 feet from shore and five feet from the...

Fourth Stooge: Unwrapping the life of the trio's comic foil By Steve Chawkins Special to The Advocate and Greenwich Time December 27, 2002 Floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with boxes, filing cabinets packed with cross-referenced folders, rows of chronologically arranged binders: But for the movie posters on the walls, Saxon Sitka's rented office in Amarillo, Calif., looks like a corner in the fluorescent depths of a presidential library. In fact, it's a son's tribute to his departed dad: the longtime straight man for the Three Stooges. Emil Sitka died four years ago at 83. Since then, Saxon has taken charge of his...