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A Tonawanda man recently went to extreme lengths in the pursuit of justice.
Albert Monteforte took issue with manufacturer SC Johnson over a spray product called AllerCare that he used on his mattress to ward off dust mites. The Journal Times of Racine, Wis., reported that after the product left a rancid smell that ruined the mattress, Monteforte took Racine-based SC Johnson to court to replace the $1,724 mattress.
The company’s initial offer of $5 did little to tame Monteforte. The product was recalled in 2000 after it was found to contain pesticide, and as a result his mattress was considered hazardous material.
Monteforte, an officer the Buffalo Police Department, twice made the 12-hour trek to Wisconsin to get his money. By the time of his second trip a few weeks ago, his claim had grown to $5,268.78 due to travel costs and other expenses involved with the case. He and the company settled for $3,000.
“In the end, they made things right,” he told the paper. “They took care of me. I’m not rich or anything, but they did the right thing like they should (have).”
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A local native recently started serving a Western New York food staple in Massachusetts.
The Old Colony Memorial of Plymouth, Mass., interviewed Todd Snopkowski, a Buffalo-are native who opened a restaurant there. Among his specialties is the beef on weck sandwich that’s a landmark treat in Western New York.
Snopkowski credits his days as a dishwasher at an unidentified North Tonawanda restaurant with sparking his love for food service. He went on to serve as an executive chef for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and at Boston University before opening his new eatery, the Greenhouse Cafe.
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A small Niagara Frontier airport served as the simulated setting for Hollywood’s most recent portrayal of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.
Niagara District Airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, was the stand-in site for the Honolulu airport in the Hilary Swank biopic “Amelia,” the St. Catharines (Ontario) Standard reported. Filming took place there for more than a week in late spring, with Swank on hand during part of that time to film a crash scene.
