March 2011 Archives

Erie County Executive Chris Collins recently announced that the County will be offering a one-time challenge grant of $500,000 to the Martin House Restoration Corporation on the condition that the group is able to raise $1 million in private sector donations. 

"The Darwin Martin House is an historic architectural gem that attracts thousands of outside visitors to our region," said Collins. "It is a vehicle for us to promote cultural tourism, a key economic driver leading Erie County on the road to a bright future.  Success in

By Jeffrey Hartinger:

Unity, the gay-straight alliance of Canisius College, will welcome Brian Sims to campus on April 7, 2011.  Sims, currently a prominent lawyer and LGBT activist, became one of the most notable college football players to come out as homosexual during his 2000 season at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.  He will visit the Jesuit institution for a presentation entitled "LGBT Athletes and Allies."
 
When he came out to his fellow teammates, Sims was the football captain and regional All-American.  In addition, Sims led his team

Esther Takeuchi, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Greatbatch Professor of Advanced Power Sources at the University at Buffalo, was one of nine living inventors inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame this month.

Takeuchi has earned more patents than any other woman in the United States. Her 148 patents mostly related to her development of sophisticated power sources for implantable devices. She developed a battery that enabled implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD) which earned her a trip to the White House in 2009. Prior to this there was no battery that could provide

A local film-making troupe in Buffalo is working on a project that is not only being filmed in the city, but it is also being funded via crowd-sourcing.

The film which is being titled Granted received its funding through local contributors and social media with time to spare. The funding goal on IndieGogo was to reach $6,000, but the group raised $6,400 with a stunning 45 days left in their schedule to raise money.

"The support from everyone in the area has been nothing short of amazing.  Because we choose to crowd source our funding we were able to not only leverage

Assemblymember Sam Hoyt announced the creation of the Empire State New Market Corporation, an entity that will administer federal New Markets Tax Credits to boost development in low-income communities.  This legislation - initially sponsored by Hoyt - was incorporated into budget bills (A4010C/S2810C) and passed near-unanimously by the Assembly and Senate.

"This tax credit could enhance the development of major projects in Buffalo such as the Statler Towers, the Lafayette Hotel and the H.H. Richardson Complex," Hoyt said.  "Paired with the Historic

Although an article was written on Papi's Family Restaurant back in 2007, when a friend of mine recently pointed out that it had some of the best Puerto Rican food in the city I had to admit to him that I had never been there. "What? Do you mean to tell me that you've never tried their mofongo?" he asked. I told him that not only had I never tried their mofongo... I was unaware as to what mofungo even was. It was then that I asked him to send me some info on the dish. Little did I know that he would send me an extensive

BRO submission by Holly Doyle:

"Where are my bingo virgins?" exclaims Gladys Over, the glamazon Barbie of the evening.  She stands over six feet tall in her stilettos, a commanding presence in the sold-out church hall.

"I don't care if you're gay or straight," she says, "you're on my turf now.  Now, pick up your bingo dabbers and repeat after me."

The crowd rises to its feet, with dabbers raised in the air, repeating the words to The Bingo Pledge.  "I solemnly swear...I am here to help people living with HIV/AIDS...and to stop this horrible

Buffalo Big Print will be welcoming former UB environmental studies and photography graduate Alan Winslow, along with Morrigan McCarthy (BA in English Literature from Connecticut College, and did graduate work in Documentary Photography at the Salt Institute For Documentary Studies) to present their collaborative work: Project Tandem.
 
Project Tandem is the fruit of an 11,000-mile bicycle journey around the United States, made by Winslow and McCarthy in the year 2008.  Their mission was to utilize photography to draw attention to the

In Buffalo, the only thing more plentiful than locally-produced zombie movies would be readily accessible improvisational comedy. You have ComedySportz, The Eclectic Improv Company, Defiant Monkey Improv, and if that's not enough you have a whole other bunch of groups to check out in Rochester. And just like zombie movies, there can't seem to be enough improv groups already to prevent others from being created. Now, another group has joined the proverbial battle royal to capture the attention of local improv-seekers: Queen

After the devastating tsunami in Japan, the design of nuclear power plants will be influenced in the future due the disaster's effect on the nuclear reactors.

"If a nuclear reactor is built at a site where a 30-foot tsunami wave is possible, if it comes, it is going to have a significant effect, there is no way to control for that," says Michael C. Constantinou, a structural engineer, and researcher with UB's MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research.)

Constantinou works on seismic protective systems that deflect and dissipate seismic energy and protect

Monday evening's public meeting to consider the future use of Millard Fillmore Gates allowed concerned residents to voice their ideas for the reuse of the property. The event held at Avant was rather casual beginning with a five minute introduction by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) which is advising on the reuse project. Afterwards the ULI panel went around to various groups of people to gather ideas and explain their own. Attendees were given a brief information sheet with ample space for comments and suggestions.

The Urban Land Institute was established

This morning upwards of ten artists amassed at the corner of South Park and Illinois to 'shed some light' on a building that currently suffers from demolition by neglect. What is interesting about this group of artists is that they are a non-political group that thrives on painting romantic images of the city - you won't find them painting at a Blight-Aid parking lot, but you will find them painting at Elevator Alley, the Erie Basin Marina and The Cobblestone District. What would be really depressing is if these paintings being created today become some of the last images to ever be captured of

Darryl Carr will soon be in County Court seeking to demolish the blacksmith shop properties at 110-120 South Park Avenue.  Two neighbors with significant investment on the same block will also be in attendance when the case is heard.  They are hoping for a different outcome- preservation and reuse of the historic buildings.

Developers Sam Savarino and Roger Trettel not only own property surrounding Carr's buildings, they have experience repurposing historic

With the much-anticipated Beerology event taking place on April 9, some local beer enthusiasts simply weren't satisfied with only one day of appreciation for the drink that they love.  Given Buffalo's rich brewing history, it only seemed fit that beer be given a few extra days of recognition.
 
Starting on Tuesday, April 5, the makers of the documentary film "Bamberg: A City Built On Beer," will be presenting a series of events leading up to the Beerology event on April 9.  With the help of some local establishments and their local marketing representative, these Bamberg

The Lilly Family and Citadel Broadcasting, WEDG, WGRF, WHTT have teamed up for a second consecutive year bringing you the 2nd Annual Buffalo Wine Festival. The premiere event will take place on Saturday, April 2nd at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

The event will be held all in one day, with two separate sessions - the first session running from 1-4 p.m. and the second going from 6-9 p.m. Event-goers will able to taste and purchase the New York Region's premiere wines with live music, food from local area restaurants, and vendors on the scene as well.

"The Lilly Family

Local artists will be surrounding the Blacksmith Shop on South Park Avenue at Illinois Street beginning at 9:30 this morning.  Members of the Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters are planning to paint a dozen heritage properties in coming months to draw attention to some of Buffalo's at-risk buildings.  Their collective work will be showcased at a public event during the National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference in October.

First up for the group is 110-120 South Park Avenue behind HSBC Arena.  Owner Darryl Carr

The volunteer organization HandsOn Greater Buffalo has partnered with Blue Sky Design Supply for an Earth Day Project called Art for Earth Day.

The project involves collecting donated sample items such as fabric swatches, color boards, etc from local artists and design firms. Once collected, these items will be put on display for aspiring artists and students to take at no cost for to use in their own art and other projects. The event itself will take place

Preservation Studios, in a pro bono role, is currently working on behalf of the Hamlin Park Taxpayers Association to gain listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the Hamlin Park neighborhood.  If successful, residents and businesses in the approved historic district could be eligible for historic preservation benefits, such as restoration tax incentives and, in certain instances, grants.

Like the campaign that led to the local historic

Public voting recently began to select three organizations from a group of 11 finalists in Ashoka's Changemakers Sustainable Urban Housing: Collaborating for Livable and Inclusive Cities competition. PUSH Buffalo's Green Development Zone just so happens to be among them.

The competition is being sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of State. The goal of this contest is to support organizations whose mission is to create more sustainable