A Niagara Falls man, 36 year old Mark Paonessa has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after his girlfriend fatally overdosed on fentanyl he was distributing. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz presented his “very tight” 2027 county budget proposal on Thursday, discussing a property tax rate drop and the harsh impact of inflation. A key component of the proposed $2.4 billion budget is dropping the property tax rat by 8 cents per thousand. The Town of Amherst announced the approval of a new hotel bed tax law, calling it a new revenue source for the town. The Town Board approved the law, which requires all short-term lodge establishments in Amherst to collect a 2.5% tax from each room booked.An 11-year-old girl was hospitalized after being shot on East Lovejoy Street Wednesday night. The girl arrived around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday to ECMC suffering from wounds to the arm and chest. 37 year old Ernesto Ramos-Lopez has been charged. The shooting is said to be accidental.