This command is probably just here for compatibility with other BASIC languages. LOCAL will let you specify that the variable you are defining is available ONLY to the program or Function you are assigning it in. In order to get a variable to be accessible anywhere in your program, you need to make it GLOBAL. I say it is only here for compatibility because whenever you assign a variable that isn't Global, it is automatically assigned as a LOCAL variable. You can optionally assign a value to the variable at the time of declaration. See example.
