Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the Pentagon intends to restore some of its planned job cuts in the Air National Guard. Panetta sent a letter to Capitol Hill Tuesday, saying nearly 2,200 of the planned 5,100 jobs slated for elimination will be spared.
That could be good news for the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, where 845 jobs in the 107th Airlift Wing are in jeopardy. The Pentagon says the restored jobs will be in units like the 107th that fly C-130 cargo planes. But it's unclear which units will be spared.
Panetta says the change is in response to concerns expressed by the influential Council of Governors. Advocates for the Falls base are expressing cautious optimism for a positive outcome at Niagara County's largest employer.
