December 2008 Archives

Posted by Great Lakes United

As December winds to a close, many people are reflecting on the year that was 2008. Three hundred and sixty five days of ups and downs, elections and recessions, changes and status quo, questions and answers and on... In the spirit of reflection, we here at Great Lakes United would like to celebrate some great progress for our Great Lakes this past year.
 
No, you can't have it (The Compact):

Without a doubt, the most important success of this past year was the passing of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water

Sure, we don't like country music, and I speak for myself.

What we do like is a band that describes the act of one of its members this way: Along with the great Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, Weber is going to

Sold out for two weeks now, the Ice Ball at Delaware Park Casino tonight is going to be a smash!  Today we received an email from Ice Ball originator, Steve Poland, and while he's sorry there are no more tickets for regular sale, he's amused by the postings on Craig's list.
This one is his favorite.  We sure hope the guy in question finds what he's looking for and that - if he doesn't - the gaffe doesn't set a tone for his entire 2009.  
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How much does a vacant lot at the tony corner of Lincoln Parkway and Middlesex Road cost?  A cool $425,000.  That is what Devin Piscitelli paid today for the half-acre property that is prime for a McMansion.

The parcel is one of four building lots created from the grounds of the Miller Mansion, sold by Nichols School, split by Brad Randaccio and resold.  The other three lots sprouted stately homes in 2002.  Each of those lots sold for between $225,000 to $350,000.

Adult entertainment venue-owner Richard Snowden purchased the Miller

On Sunday, November 16th, many Buffalonians woke up to reading a massive, and dare we say "glowing" article on Buffalo's architectural treasures in The New York Times. The article titled "Saving Buffalo's Untold Beauty," published in what most people consider to be the holy grail of the media world, spanned two and a half pages

Looking for something to do with the kids during winter break?   The Bob Lanier Community Center (formerly Turner-Caroll High School) has an Indoor 18-Hole Miniature Golf Course, and it's open for business.  
A BR reader says he  brought

By Madelyn Feldman

A charming complement to Elmwood's nightlife collection, the Wine Thief brings seasonal small plate fare with an elegant wine bar to the strip.  The large, arched-windowed space has been totally transformed from its previous life as Solid Grounds.  Minimally decorated, yet surprisingly warm, the makeover is astounding.

Owners Dave Cooper and Dave Simpson have successfully created a space that is handsomely

In a giant 'Screw You' to Bills Fans and rationality, Ralph Wilson has decided to keep Dick Jauron as head coach of the Bills, reports ESPN and others.  Meanwhile, Mike Shanahan has been fired by the Broncos.  
Shanahan has a career record of 146-98 while Jauron is 57-76.  But Jauron went to Yale, so he stays.  
Some reaction from the Twittersphere on the heartbreaking news:
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It's a little early to say where and when, but Labatt USA will sponsor the Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tournament again this year in Buffalo.  
If you recall, last year's tournament planning became a little dicey when the first selected venue, Delaware Lake, failed to freeze over for the February 16th event.  Plan B involved the parking lots at the Marina, but they also failed to freeze.  The next and possibly best choice became the marina itself.
After a great marina

As you may have noticed, we're continuing to improve the new website by refining the design and adding functionality.  We're getting good feedback from users and we're accommodating many of the requests we've received.  
Here's a quick recap of the changes we've made:  
We have changed the color of the font in most places to help improve readability.
We've just added the ability to 'follow' both users and authors as well as the

From Dan on the 2008- The Year of the Demo thread:

Let's say we have 250,000 drivers, but 500,000 cars. A lot of those cars that aren't being driven are clunkers; we're not talking about Duesenbergs, Packards or even 1957 Chevrolets in disrepair, but rather plain old Model A Fords, 1976 Dodge Aspens, Crystal Beach bumper cars, and horse-drawn buggies and Conestoga wagons. Do we ...

1) Repair the best examples -- those that are

The Neighborhood Collective is a business model that continues to reinvent itself. That's because the 'collaborative' has a tremendous amount of space to play around with. It also has a creative person behind the wheel who understands the creative word - she herself is a creative person with plenty of business smarts. Up until recently there were a host of entrepreneurs collaborating under one roof at The Neighborhood Collective. It was a busy spot that acted as an incubator for a creative collection of commercial

In this uncertain real estate climate, buying a home can be tricky.  It can take some finesse to not end up as one of the many Americans now in foreclosure. However, you don't have to go it alone - there are plenty of organizations out there willing to lend a hand to make sure you buy a home and do it safely. HomeFront, Inc. is an organization that has been dedicated to helping homeowners in Buffalo buy a home and helping them from start to finish since 1975. They are offering a two free homebuyer orientation seminars to people who need to know how to get started.

Each seminar will include

Kent Keating has placed 496 Main Street back on the market.  The four-story building at the northwest corner of Main and Mohawk streets is listed with Hasting Cohn Real Estate for $395,000.  The downtrodden gem of a building is ripe for a rehab.  That is exactly what Keating had in mind when he purchased it in August 2007 for $320,000.

Keating received city approvals to convert the building to commercial space plus one upper-floor residential unit

The US Coast Guard has agreed to allow the Buffalo Yacht Club (BYC) to host the 2009 Great Lakes International Challenge Cup Race off of the Erie Basin Marina.  Taking place this coming June 12th - 14th, the race will be designated the Ira G. Ross Great Race in honor of the club's former commodore.
"We are delighted with the support and leadership the Buffalo Yacht Club has received from Senators Clinton and Schumer and the US Coast Guard," BYC Commodore, Timothy Hunt said.
The race is expected to be a "Match Race" like the America's Cup, but with

By Joe McHenry
Those of us living in Buffalo and the Western New York region are privileged to always have an abundance of cultural venues at our fingertips. We all know (or at least we should) of Shea's Performing Arts and the world-renowned Albright-Knox Art Gallery. These two Buffalo institutions continue to serve our community and broaden the perspectives of all who patronize them. But there are other less high profile venues - perhaps even unknown to many who call Buffalo home - that deserve our attention.  We of Youth

By Jason Schwinger
Hidden in plain sight, on the edge of downtown, sits one of Buffalo's premiere Charter Schools. On Genesee Street, two blocks from the Electric Tower, the Western New York Maritime Charter School is quite literally, as polished an example of a school as the cadet's shoes marching within.

"We are not a 'military school'," states Principal Lawrence Astyk, retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, who presides over the gleaming 3-storey building and the students and staff within.As a Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program, the Maritime

It is not too early to start garden planning.  Most of us perceive our "landscape" as something to make our house look nice, flowers, trees, or an oasis to relax in.  But every landscape should have a function - a purpose - a reason for what it ends up being.  Is there a reason why your landscape is designed and arranged the way that it is? 

 

The plants themselves, the combination and arrangement of plants, the uses and functions of the plants and the landscape as a whole can actually be useful.  Not merely a few bowling balls or carved pillars and

Let's keep it simple.  
The Bills, after getting shut out at home today, finished the season 7-9.  Last year, the Bills were 7-9.  And in case you forgot Jauron's first season in Buffalo, the Bills were 7-9.  Impressively, the Bills also mustered a 0-6 record against the AFC East this year in case anyone feared they were making progress over the past few seasons.  That's 3 failing seasons in a row for Coach Jauron in Buffalo.  
During his five full seasons in Chicago, Jauron generated losing records in 4 of those 5 seasons.  For reasons hard to understand,