Buffalo Rising: June 2011 Archives

City June 30, 2011 4:41 PM

BREAKING: Sam Hoyt Resigns from NYS Assembly

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Sam Hoyt, a Member of the NYS Assembly since 1992, has resigned his seat. Hoyt was elected to the seat right after his father, William Hoyt, left the seat. His father represented Buffalo in the Assembly from 1975-1992. In other words, this will be the first time since 1974 a Hoyt will not be representing Buffalo in the NYS Assembly.
Hoyt, in reference to his time in the Assembly, said "I loved every minute of it" and went on to say "but it's a great opportunity and I'm excited about the next chapter." The next chapter is a position in the Cuomo administration in a senior position with the Empire State Development Corporation.
Hoyt has released a full statement on the news:

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Regional June 30, 2011 3:48 PM

Sabres Sign Christian Ehrhoff

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The Buffalo Sabres have signed former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff, a 29 year old, has played with the San Jose Sharks and Canucks during his 7 year NHL career.
The Sabres traded a fourth-round pick in the 2012 draft to the New York Islanders for Ehrhoff's rights.
Ehrhoff, 6'0 and 200lbs, registered a +55 rating over the past two seasons in Vancouver with 28 goals and 94 points. He's also tallied 34 points in 73 post-season games.
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City June 30, 2011 2:09 PM

A Dialogue with echo: Artist Melora Griffis

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Interview by Tara Sasiadek:

The Buffalo Expat Network, the Emerging Leaders in the Arts and HandsOn Greater Buffalo are pleased to present the echo: Art Fair which connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment; the Buffalo Central Terminal. echo: Art Fair will showcase a broad scope of fine art disciplines, including

City June 30, 2011 12:00 PM

Smaller Peace Bridge Footprint Proposed

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Congressman Brian Higgins has confirmed federal agencies involved in Peace Bridge expansion project are moving toward consensus on a reduced footprint for the U.S. Plaza. The news comes after Congressman Higgins' call on Wednesday afternoon with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin. In April Congressman Higgins wrote to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requesting an expedited effort on the Peace Bridge construction project including consideration of a reduced footprint for the American plaza.

"The direct engagement of the U.S.

City June 30, 2011 11:44 AM

Cars on Main Street: Unintended Consequences

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By Gladys Gifford, President of Citizens for Regional Transit:

The sponsors of the Cars on Main Street project prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA)1 that was submitted to the Federal government in order to release funding.

The EA, as submitted in 2009, should have addressed all the possible impacts that this project will have on the WNY population.2 Did it? Or are there unintended consequences that the sponsors have ignored?

For instance:

Air quality

Recently, I observed a woman in a wheelchair board a Metro

City June 30, 2011 9:22 AM

War of 1812 Boat Tour

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One of the great ironies of the War of 1812 is that while the Niagara Region has been called the cockpit of the war, much as Virginia was during the Civil War, the people of this region had nothing to do with any of the issues over which the United States declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. However, by the time the war ended, both sides of the Niagara River had been devastated, with houses and forts burned, fields trampled, and thousands dead, wounded, or captured.

Another irony is that, despite this region's being so important in the conflict, the War of 1812 may be America's

Real Estate June 30, 2011 8:30 AM

New ECC Plan Would See Expanded Downtown Footprint

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ECC officials, hell-bent on constructing a $30 million new building on the north campus, are now pitching a plan that would expand the college's footprint downtown. According to today's Buffalo News, ECC is exploring relocating its culinary programs to the Statler while also taking space in the AM&As Department store for additional classrooms. In addition, the college is looking to offering automotive repair classes in the city.

Downtown leaders and student representatives

Real Estate June 30, 2011 12:30 AM

Avant's Embassy Suites Expands with Exceptional Style

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Expedia.com ranked it as the most in demand hotel in New York State. And there is no doubt that the Embassy Suites in Avant at 200 Delaware Avenue has enjoyed great success since its opening in July 2009. In response to this success, Uniland Development Company expanded the hotel this year into the eighth floor of Avant adding 29 rooms to the already 153-room hotel.

City June 29, 2011 6:01 PM

To ECC Board of Trustees: The 2007 plan was the right plan.

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Bernice Radle, chair of Young Citizens for ECC, today made her case to shift the college's allied health programs to downtown Buffalo directly to the ECC Board of Trustees. The young professionals advocacy group, formed in April in response to ECC's plan to build a $30 million Health Sciences Center for Excellence in Amherst, is keeping the heat on high.

Radle's pitch to the Board of Trustees comes after her group's successful effort to convince members of Western New York's state delegation to support a change in ECC's plans. Young Citizens for ECC points to the college's 2007 proposal,

lifestyle June 29, 2011 1:25 PM

Bedlington Terriers Football Club Plays FC Buffalo Tonight

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The Inaugural Lord Bedlington Cup Football (Soccer) Match and cup presentation is tonight, June 29, at 6:30 p.m. The match will highlight the Bedlington football club's week long visit to Western New York, which also will include youth soccer clinics conducted by players from Bedlington and FC Buffalo earlier this week and with the Terriers and Niagara United in Niagara Falls, Canada on July 2.

Tonight's match will be held at Robert E. Rich Sr. All-High Stadium, 2885 Main

City June 29, 2011 1:02 PM

Buffalo Cinematic Trust: Rallying Those In Our Film Industry

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With a the now focus on wooing filmmakers to shoot in NYS, there are some in the local film community who are chomping at the bit to get organized, so that when the industry does look at Buffalo, we are prepped to participate. Often times studios can't rely on the cities that they embark upon, unless they are assured that there are enough resources to rely upon. Buffalo's Film Commission is just a piece of the puzzle, securing film gigs, scouting locations, etc.

When it comes to the local film community, there are plenty of actors, directors, producers, set designers, editors, writers,

City June 29, 2011 12:29 PM

Social Media Day Extravaganza

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By Nicole Schuman aka @buffalogal:

You know the type. Your friend who can't let go of the Smartphone. You sit down to dinner. "Hey, you ready to order?" "Oh just give me a minute. I have to check in. Oh look, Master Chompers is also here. Let me tweet him and say hi!"... Groan.

Or is this you?

Social media has infiltrated every aspect of Buffalo life. From QR (Quick Response) Codes on posters, to Perry's Ice Cream year-long supply of ice cream Facebook contest, to following the latest Sabres' trades on Twitter (#bradrichardstobuffalo is trending

food June 29, 2011 9:48 AM

A Culinary Icon: The Steak Sandwich at the Old Pink

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Many Allentown frequenters know of the Old Pink on Allen Street, a local dive bar, and its memorable status within Buffalo nightlife. However, unlike most other bars, Old Pink earns as much attention for its steak sandwich as it does for its beverages and musical guests. While most people would assume a steakhouse would be the first-choice option for a steak lover, The Old Pink's steak

City June 29, 2011 8:32 AM

Get Trashed in the Square

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By Thea Hassan:

Riding past Lafayette Square yesterday afternoon, I noticed some men with t-shirts reading, "get trashed in the square." Intrigued, as this is one of my favorite summertime activities, I biked over for a closer look.

To my surprise, and only mild disappointment, it wasn't booze they were talking about. They were collecting trashed electronics. The event was EcycleBFLO, sponsored by Sunnking Electronics Recycling. Sunnking is a business located in Lancaster that recycles electronics in an environmentally-friendly way. After removing components that are

City June 29, 2011 8:13 AM

ReUse on the Move

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By Thea Hassan:

Buffalo ReUse has announced plans to expand to a second location in the Schiller Park area.

ReUse is set to open the new location on the corner of Genesee Street and Hagen by August. The former bank branch site was donated by HSBC Bank USA, and will feature a recycled home improvement supply store, a tool lending library, and space for workshops ranging from first time homebuyer programs to home energy seminars.

"It will be a small satellite store... a smaller version of what is already up and running," said Michele Johnson of Buffalo ReUse.
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City June 29, 2011 12:00 AM

Inner Harbor Bridge Workshops Scheduled

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On July 12th and July 13th, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation will host Placemaking Workshops for the Buffalo Harbor Bridge. Each night is dedicated to a single bridge location - Erie Street and Main Street. In addition to the "null" or "no build" scenario, these two locations were determined to be feasible alternatives under the scoping process completed in 2010.

The public is encouraged to attend the Workshops, walk the proposed sites, find out about the progress of the project, engage in breakout sessions to

Continue reading Inner Harbor Bridge Workshops Scheduled.

City June 28, 2011 3:47 PM

A Dialogue with echo: Artist Sean Madden

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Interview by Tara Sasiadek:

The Buffalo Expat Network, the Emerging Leaders in the Arts and HandsOn Greater Buffalo are pleased to present the echo: Art Fair which connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment; the Buffalo Central Terminal. echo: Art Fair will showcase a broad scope of fine art disciplines, including

City June 28, 2011 1:53 PM

Court Street Plaza - One Year In The Making

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It was just about a year ago today when I posted on what I felt was an opportunity to take a dead space on Court Street and turn it into a vibrant urban plaza. Since then I have run into various staff members at Visit Buffalo Niagara - VBN (formerly the Convention and Visitors Bureau), and each time I have made it a point to mention the opportunity. Surprisingly, the powers that be expressed a serious interest in the concept and even began to research what it would take to pull it off.

This past Wednesday

City June 28, 2011 12:44 PM

Mural mural on the wall...

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The mural at McKinley high school is underway. After weeks of preparation (see background), artist Augustina Droze has begun to paint the massive work of art that will eventually portray the parks within the Olmsted Parks System. I was fortunate enough to run into Augustina yesterday morning as she was preparing to go over the process of painting a mural with a Buffalo State College class called Public Art and Murals. Professor Philip Ogle, Chair of the Fine Arts Department, was going over

lifestyle June 28, 2011 9:40 AM

Innovation and Provocation: The Albright-Knox and New Media

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By: Amanda McLaughlin

"Art measured by running time, not inches or centimeters:" The Albright-Knox's upcoming exhibition Videosphere: A New Generation highlights pieces constantly in motion, the first exhibition of works in new media drawn extensively from the gallery's permanent collection. Organized by Albright-Knox Curator for the Collection Holly E. Hughes, the exhibition, as described in a statement, "will be seen as one of the largest exhibitions of work in new media."

The exhibition will include works in videotape, video installation, film, sound