BORDER CROSSINGS BETWEEN WNY AND CANADA - The Council adopted a resolution, sponsored by North District Council Member Joseph Golombek, Jr., that urges opening a dialogue to discuss the merging of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, with the goal of dispersing freight traffic away from densely populated urban areas. To deter competition between the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, the Council suggests that a compromise in revenue sharing be agreed upon as well. The Council's efforts

The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops Markets, celebrates its 30th birthday this summer and everyone is invited to the two-day culinary party. The event, which attracts approximately 450,000 hungry folks annually, returns Saturday, July 13 from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 14 from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. along Delaware Avenue and Niagara Square downtown. This year's Taste features 51 restaurants, three food trucks and seven wineries as well as a culinary stage, musical entertainment, and plenty of special offerings from a host of national and local sponsors. 
"The

Each year, Dragon Boat racers come together to square off on the waters of Lake Erie, partially for the novelty of participating in a fascinating sport, and partially to support the fight against breast cancer. 
This year is the second annual Hope Chest Buffalo Niagara Dragon Boat Festival Race, which will take place  on Saturday, June 15 at Gallagher Beach at Buffalo's Outer Harbor. 
For those of you who love the waterfront, and are always looking for new reasons to head

Brand new to Road Less Traveled Production's (RLTP) mission, the theater company has announced a sensational programming initiative geared towards Buffalo youth, as part of its new Education Initiative. Young people with an interest in theater arts are encouraged to learn more about the program that will be taught by some of the region's most prominent and respected theater artists. "The RLTP Summer Institute is designed to inspire a young generation of budding theatre artists," said RLTP Literary Director Jon Elston, "and to prepare them both for higher education

More details have surfaced regarding the construction of a new community pavilion-lodge on the Buffalo River at Buffalo River Fest Park. Aside from the incredible location, and the multiple balconies, the building will also house a restaurant, lavatories, meeting space and banquet room, and historical displays. 
Earlier today an announcement was made by the Valley Community Association, City of Buffalo Comptroller Mark Schroeder, City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, and U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins, detailing the project, which is slated to begin construction

There's a great deal of diversity in what the residents at The Foundry bring to the table. You have metalworkers, soap-makers, bicycle builders, woodworkers--so many artisans creating independently while functioning as integral parts of a bigger vision.
While most of the residents adopted the collaborative approach when they joined The Foundry, the technology enthusiasts from Buffalo Lab are bringing more of the community element in with them. 
It's almost as if Buffalo Lab joined up as The Foundry's

As Canalside gets dug up, in preparation for new developments to come, a series of archaeological digs are underway to unearth pieces of Buffalo's waterfront history. In order to tell the 'Buffalo story', it's important to learn as much about our past as possible. And if that means uncovering the puzzle pieces one at a time, that's what archaeologists intent to do this summer at the site between Main Street and Hanover Street, under the Skyway and across from the Webster Block construction.  Digs will be conducted at the site from 9am-4pm on these dates: June 15, 19, and 29; July 3,

The Etchings are:
Jesse Rejewski - DrumsBen Randall - Bass Nick Randall - Guitar/ Vocals
How did the name of the band come about? When did it form?
Ben: The Etchings formed in the fall of 2009, and the name was taken from an old book of Emily Dickinson poems, the particular poem it was borrowed from is called "Death Sets a Thing Significant."
Nick: Yeah, that book was full of good band names. We were almost "The Only Ghost I Ever

Since its launch in January of 2012, PUSH Buffalo's community-based energy efficiency program, PUSH Green, has been working to implement Green Jobs, Green New York in the city of Buffalo. The statewide initiative aims to strengthen communities by providing funding for energy assessments, upgrades and clean energy workforce development. What began with a residential focus with PUSH Green's Friends and Neighbors program has now expanded with the recent launch of a new program geared toward small

When I walk my dog in the morning, I try to choose different streets to explore on the West Side. By doing this I get to know the neighborhoods, the people, the houses... and my dog has even met some friends along the way. Recently I took a walk down Normal Avenue (named so because normally it would have been 13th Street - and that would have been bad luck), and decided to take a closer look at the Normal Ave. Community Garden. 
At this point, there are so many community gardens on the West Side, that it's tough to keep track of them all. Whether it's a Grassroots

An issue for One Region Forward...
Even as our population has declined over the past two decades, Erie and Niagara Counties have built 525 miles of new roads adding more than $26 million in road maintenance costs every year.
Why is this new spending a concern for regional sustainability? Part of the answer is obvious: because taking care of the roads we have already strains local government budgets. We can't afford to spend more. 
Beyond that, the new roads are part of a classic "chicken-and-egg" dynamic.

An historic lumber mill is Buffalo's newest member of the National Register of Historic Places.   The E.M. Hager and Sons Co. building located at 141 Elm Street was added to the prestigious list on May 22.  TM Montante Development purchased the vacant property last September for $706,522 and is planning a mixed-use conversion project.  Plans call for commercial space on the first floor and approximately 25 apartments on the upper floors.  Work

M&T Bank will once again bring music to Buffalo's downtown lunch hour during the 44th Annual Plaza Event Series that begins on June 17, 2013.  The free concert series will run Monday through Friday from 12 noon to 1 p.m. between June 17th and August 30th.  Each week will bring a variety of performers that are sure to entertain the likes of all. 
"The Plaza Event concerts have become a summertime favorite in downtown Buffalo, providing free lunchtime entertainment for thousands of downtown residents and visitors", said M&T Bank Chief Marketing

Finally, a sign of leadership in WNY!  New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan has recognized and noted that the State DOT plan for reconfiguring the Scajaquada Expressway has fallen far short of the planned "downgrade" to pedestrian (and park) friendly roadway. He is calling for public input and is setting up mechanisms for that to happen.  From Assemblyman Ryan's press release:
BUFFALO - Today, June 11, 2013, New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan announced

Joe's Deli opened on Elmwood Avenue yesterday, and with it came a flood of people through the front doors to see the remarkable makeover that has transpired both inside and out. From the new paint colors to the two garage doors that roll up, creating an indoor/outdoor oasis, Joe's Deli has certainly stepped it up. 
While not all of the windows open garage-style, the skylight in the middle of the main dining room provides added natural light to the interior, making sitting inside the restaurant as enjoyable as sitting on the patio. The ceiling fans will go a long

By Max Willig:
As the signature event of this year's Discover Amherst Street Festival XVI (Facebook), which is being held on Saturday June 15th, 2013, the Grant-Amherst Business Association, invites all Black Rock & Riverside pie bakers to enter this year's competition.  This event has been referred to as "possibly the finest pie baking competitions between New York and Chicago" and traditionally has received amazing community support.  
This year's

First we saw kayaks, then canoes, then paddle boats... and now at Canalside we're starting to see an entirely different breed of human propelled water vehicles hit the water. They come in all shapes and sizes thanks to a new company that has recently come onto the scene called Water Bikes of Buffalo. 
This latest addition to the waterfront will help to transform the Inner Harbor into a veritable menagerie of aquatic contraptions, each one beckoning a rider with a penchant for creating a splash at Canalside. "We launch the vehicles from under the Skyway at Canalside,"

Videographer Griffin Jones is at it again. In May I posted one of his videos titled 'Buffalo For Real For Real' (see here), and now he's headed back out onto the streets of Buffalo to talk to some of the go-getters around town who are involved with promoting grassroots endeavors. Activists such as GO Bike Buffalo's Justin Booth, who led the charge to get bike racks and bike lanes in the city. More importantly, the people that Griffin interviewed are just like you and me - people who have made a commitment to

I was flipping through some images from a California trip I took a few years ago.  The pictures of San Diego reminded me of what a wonderful urban city San Diego is. You might have the impression that San Diego is a sprawling mess in the California tradition of auto-centric living.  You would be partially right. It is that for sure.  But it is also a beautiful and walkable urban place in many areas.  The first time I visited San Diego I was a teen without a car.  I traveled all over town quite easily on their great bus system.  That was even before they built

If you thought that Pearl Street Grill and Brewery couldn't expand its outdoor deck area anymore... think again. The business is currently adding an additional 10000 square feet (approx) of decking off of the back of the building, facing with Erie Basin Marina. As there was virtually no more space to add deck wrapping on the building, Pearl Street opted to expand outwards over the parking lot, by building onto the existing deck.
After the deck has been expanded, the next addition will come in the form of a freestanding bandstand that will be built at the far corner