By Michele Tucker:
Quick show of hands: how many of you have had an idea that you feel would help take Buffalo to the next level? We have, too - and we want your ideas! 
Buffalo always seems to be right on the cusp of a renaissance. We love this city, with its good neighbors, rich history, and beautiful architecture. Buffalo inspires us and captures our imaginations. And let's be honest: there is no shortage of ideas here. What seems to be lacking is action - the action needed to turn these ideas into reality. So let's

By Jason Zwara:
The deadlines set by State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. and Governor Andrew Cuomo for school districts to reach agreement with teacher and administrator unions on a new teacher evaluation system is quickly approaching, with a significant amount of state aid on the line. Commissioner King froze the $9 million in aid the State had awarded Buffalo Public Schools to improve five failing schools; Governor Cuomo raised the stakes, tying proposed increases in state aid to school districts to the success in reaching agreement on a new evaluation

If you made it to Olmsted's Flurrious! festival this past Saturday, chances are that you saw some sights that you will never forget. For me, I thought that the quidditch brigade that led from Ring Road to the playing field was out of sight. The players were dressed in uniform colors, waving flags, chanting, parading, high-fiving and carrying on like nobody's business. By the time they reached the field, it looked like some sort of European village had been plunked down on top of a snowy meadow with rivals duking it out in a high intensity game of soccer or rugby. The only difference was that each

By Rebecca Newberry - Program Coordinator Clean Air Coalition of WNY:
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) continually measures levels of pollutants in the air.  The Clean Air Coalition uses the data from these monitors to keep polluters in check, and ensure that emissions are kept within a legal range.The two DEC air monitors in Tonawanda are located in the Brookside Terrance neighborhood and right next to the 290 off of Grand Island Blvd.  The monitors run 24-hours

There was a time when The Garden Walk was all the buzz. Of course The Garden Walk is still the premiere horticultural event of the year, but now there is an even bigger, all-encompassing event that is designed to showcase a broader scope of Greater Buffalo flora. The National Garden Festival (NGF) is scheduled to take place from June 22 - July 29, 2012. Before that date arrives, there's plenty of preparation that needs to happen. One of the key events is scheduled to take place in conjunction with Valentine's Day (of course). Hearts in the Garden is a fundraiser that will take place

It was back in October when Vanessa Ron first introduced Clutter, the do-it-yourself market, to shoppers in Allentown. Since that time, the spirit of Clutter has grown, and Vanessa is now preparing for her third event, in which local artists-artisans-thrifters-etc. will set up shop for a day in order to showcase their arts, crafts, wares and finds in a fresh flea market style setting (see background). It was

Over the last couple of years, we've seen some great facade improvements (like this one) on Elmwood, and we've seen some tragic ones (like this one) as well. With every new facade advancement on the street, the Elmwood business district becomes stronger, attracting more shoppers and more entrepreneurs seeking to move onto the street. The Elmwood Village Association recently secured $500,000 in New York Main Street funding

By Tracy A. Marciano, MS:
New terminology develops as modernity unfurls. In the 1970's we never could have imagined coffee would be labeled as gourmet, computers could be carried in pockets or people would become obsessed with bottled water when tap water in the United States far surpasses potability of most countries on the planet.
In the 1960's and 1970's ideas of environmental protection were beginning to surface thanks to a generation of hippies who saw the potential in societal change, even if the premise was based

By Joanna Gillespie:
PechaKucha Night Buffalo is an ongoing event series affording creative people of all disciplines an opportunity to share their current curiosities, past projects, or future aspirations.  Think "show and tell" for grown-ups, but "show and tell" in a uniquely concise format. What is unique about an evening of PechaKucha presentations is that each speaker is only allowed to speak for precisely 6 minutes and 40 seconds - that's 20 images each shown for 20 seconds.  This "20x20" presentation is fast-paced and compelling. No aimless

We are all familiar with the brew festivals that takes place during the warmer months, as summer is an especially great time to throw back some cold beers. But that means that beer-lovers are left out in the cold come winter. As far as I know, beer tasting events are not season specific... or shouldn't be, which means that it's due time that someone create a beer festival for the winter time. 
Coming up in February is one event that should prove to be well-attended, primarily due to its location at the Connecticut Street Armory, one of the best venues in

The weather is shaping up for the perfect winter festival, to be held tomorrow at The Parkside Lodge in Delaware Park. The 30' x80' heated Brews and Stews tent is up, and the hockey rink looks like it's a go (cross your fingers). Over 200 quidditch players will be arriving this evening to partake in the all-day tournament. Combined with over 165 kickball players, over 50 cyclists, an undetermined number of runners, softball players and snow 'beach' tennis contestants, Flurrious! is well on its way to becoming a fun-filled day... and night. The event starts off at 9am with the Fleet Feet fun run,

While standing in the basement of The Lafayette Church last evening, listening to Elmwood villagers battle it out over whether Acropolis was a nightclub or not, I came to a realization. Elmwood villagers are divided into two camps. The first camp lives in the Elmwood Village because they are either raising a family or are retired. These are the people who talk about issues such as lack of parking, loud music, drunk people, etc. The second camp is clearly a younger demographic who live in the 'village'

Young Citizens for ECC delivered a message today to Gov. Andrew Cuomo: "The ECC North Campus expansion happens over our dead bodies!"

The group is protesting Governor's proposed $15 million budget allocation to help build a Health Sciences Center for Excellence at ECC's North Campus, rather than the City Campus where it can tap into

Senior executives from National Grid and BNMC visited City Honors School to address and thank the students who took part in the National Grid Model Energy Home Challenge and to review all of the projects to obtain ideas and innovations to incorporate and utilize in the National Grid Model Energy Home in the coming months. The student projects and essays will be put on display by National Grid and the BNMC, with the potential for some of the student ideas to be implemented in the renovation project planned for Washington Street.

Last October, National Grid and the Buffalo Niagara Medical

Anyone who has walked by the Hotel Lafayette in recent weeks has been sure to notice the massive improvements being made on the exterior. New windows have been installed in the upper floors and the original windows of the first floor have been restored. Gone is the big blue wall and covered windows which once dominated the ground floor spaces. Beautiful, natural light now floods the ballrooms, which look astounding after months of hard work.

Rocco Termini is still very much on schedule for his official opening of

Buffalo ranked 19th on Brookings Institution Metro Monitor 2011 for highest per capita metro GDP in the world. At the same time, Buffalo experienced the 4th highest income growth rate for any metro area relative to their home nation. Perhaps most impressively, Buffalo had the 2nd highest income growth rate of any metro area in the United States. 
Buffalo has ranked well in per

"Beautiful Music is a Beautiful Space" is the theme for the second season of concerts being held at Blessed Trinity. 
Blessed Trinity, if you have never visited before, is one of those hidden gems of Buffalo. It was constructed between 1923 and 1928 in the Lombard Romanesque style. It is truly an exquisite building and one of the few examples of this type of architecture found outside of Europe. 
It was built and still stands as a reflection of the values and spirit

Have you ever been walking in a park, or down a sidewalk and you see a dog that you just know is going to jump up on you? It happens all the time. Usually the dog's owner says something like, "Oh, it's OK... she's friendly." By the time you've gotten yourself untangled from the dog, the leash and the owner, your pants are paw-painted with mud and you're cursing the dog and the owner. Overly friendly dogs can be brutal. At the same time, overly aggressive dogs are no 'walk in the park' either. It can be frightening to own a dog that is unpredictable with people and/or other dogs. Then there're the

Buffalo General Hospital's Behavioral Health Department has opened its new "Patrick P. Lee Foundation After Hours Clinic."  The clinic, made possible by a $363,746 grant from the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, is an alternative for those struggling with mental or behavioral health issues.  Previously, people had to wait for an appointment with their physician or endure long waits at an emergency room for intervention.  It is designed to divert individuals from seeking urgent behavioral health services from a hospital emergency

Come out and join preservationists, urban planners, architects, and laymen for a great drinks and even better conversation about historic preservation in Buffalo. Buffalo's Young Preservationists (BYP) are hosting their monthly happy hour at the Essex Street Pub (530 Rhode Island Street) tonight from 6pm to 9pm. It's a casual event with great opportunities for networking and discussing future BYP projects and