By Nancy J. Parisi

The YWCA of Western New York, Inc.'s Institute for Public Leadership (IPL) is back on the political scene. After a few years' absence, WNY-YWCA celebrates the revival of IPL on Thursday, June 18th, with a free reception/reunion at YWCA headquarters on Grant Street.

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Recession schmession - the Buffalo Rising Store continues to grow.  You can already

I'm all about clever, effective advertising.  When we found out about this ad campaign in Portland, Oregon (not Maine, but Go Pirates!), we thought it was just great.  Urban trees that adorn city sidewalks were transformed from simple foliage to a clever ad that passersby were unable to pass without giving into curiosity.  By simply wrapping the base of the tree with a

After being closed for repairs for quite some time, The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site is set to reopen to the public and the staff is fine tuning the new guided tour experience.  

There are several

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the All-America City Award given by the National Civic League.  The event will take place today, June 17th, through the19th, in Tampa, Florida.  The honor is given to ten winners each year for their outstanding ability to create jobs, revitalize their downtown and reduce crime.  To be chosen as a finalist, cities need to complete an application noting at least three examples of community-based projects that address local challenges.  
The National Civic League

Sometimes you don't have to continually reinvent the wheel to do something great. Take these new... err... old garbage carts that have reappeared on the city streets. From what I understand, community activist and business leader, Prish Moran (owner of Sweet_ness 7 Café), asked the Department of Public Works that they be brought out of storage, repainted, and put back in commission. I still can't believe that we had these original carts sitting around for all these years. Not to say that there are tons of them - there are only a few... maybe five or six. But that's all you need to make a statement

I'm a big fan of supporting the small business. The stronger our small businesses are, the stronger the city is. Whenever I can, I try to stop into the newly opened shops to see how they are faring. Of course the ones on Elmwood seem to do well right out of the gate due to the high visibility, power in numbers, and the walking traffic. But what about the businesses that can't afford the higher rents or maybe don't appeal to the masses - rather they are niche operations that cater to a growing, yet still small, segment of the population.

If you ask Manan Yokaleo (left), he'll tell you

It was hard to miss this scene at the Hertz Parking Garage near the corner of Delaware and West Huron earlier in the day. According to Channel 2 News, the first floor of the Hertz Parking Garage gave way to a 6,500 lb. piece of construction equipment. Fortunately the operator of the machine was ultimately rescued and suffered no major injuries. Unfortunately, it's the Hertz Garage, originally known as Miller's Livery Stable... an absolutely stunning structure. I had hoped that the next time we were to hear news

Neglectful property owners and an aging housing stock make for a busy City Housing Court docket.  Raggedy stairs.  Missing roofs.  Dangerous porches.  Bright lights.  Bright lights?  Yepp.  Sal Zambito, a principal with Sunset Bay Park, Inc. which converted the apartment building at 65 Whitney Place in the Historic West Village into six condominiums, is heading to housing court over a light illuminating the building's parking lot at 239 Carolina Street.  Did someone

Let's recap.  Former councilman turned developer James Pitts and Specialty Restaurants proposed a Wingate hotel for the waterfront.  In its first form, it met the criteria put forth by the city, but it was thought to be suburban looking, drab and way too commercial and cookie-cutter for a spot of honor on the buffalo waterfront.  A Buffalo developer, Ciminelli Construction came in with a 10-story glass structure with a concrete base.  The board dismissed it due to the fact that it exceeded the height requirement.  
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Kleinhans neighborhood activist Chris brown shot me a note yesterday saying that this house at 288 Hudson street has recently been put under contract to be sold by the city for $7,500.  The contract must be approved by the city council before it is binding.  

Reports

Tonight, Buffalo ReUse -- a local non-profit environmental organization -- is starting workshops aimed to help women become homeowners. Beginning tonight at 6PM at 158 Eaton Street, the group will hold workshops every Tuesday designed to prepare women for the IN-REM property auction in October. 
Caesandra Seawell, logistics coordinator for Buffalo ReUse, said it can be empowering for women to own their own home. "It's a very feminist thing to not wait until you're married to buy a house, but it can be intimidating to become

Well, the date is set.  Moving boxes acquired.  Bids and estimates from all kinds of movers are coming in - full service, self-move, truck rental... Pods.  After 15 plus years gone, we are leaving Los Angeles and returning to Buffalo.  Now, you might just be wondering... why?  Why would anyone want to leave the Golden State, the City of Angels, Hollywoodland and move back to... Buffalo?  There are many reasons, most of which are known to those who choose to still live there and those who have also chosen to return.  The culture.  The art.  The music. 

It's a beautiful sunny summer morning at the corner of Genesee and Moselle. It is time again for the Juneteenth Parade. What does Juneteenth mean? After the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, it took a couple of years to get the word out, from the East Coast to the West Coast. The latter heard about it in June, and for those it was in the middle days of June, so Juneteenth.   In Buffalo this is the 34th Annual /city/index.html

Sometimes being a Buffalonian requires that you to be defensive about your city.  Outsiders often pass us off as living in a dead, uncultured, broken place, and question our reasons for living here.  And while we understand that we're on the rise economically, there's a great deal of beauty and culture and delicious food here that makes Buffalo a truly wonderful place to live. 

If you ever need to direct a misguided outsider to an assortment of reasons why Buffalo isn't exactly the place they believe it is, show them I Heart Buffalo.  The site

Another beautiful Buffalo Saturday morning - it is 7:30am on a glorious sunny summer day right here next to the Delaware Park Rose Garden, just across the street from the Albright Knox Art Gallery. The 2009 Susan G /city/index.html

From the looks of the BR poll this week, we have a lot of art festival fans out there.  Here's a taste of last weekend's Allentown Art Festival from the lens of photographer Glenn E. Murray,  Esq., with the slideshow magic of BR's Dan Fisher.
Glenn never

Gary M. Crosby announced yesterday that he is leaving his position as Chief Financial and Operating Officer for the Buffalo Public Schools. He is resigning to become the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. 
Crosby was originally named as the financial chief in 2004 by then-superintendent Marion Canedo and was later appointed chief operating officer by current Superintendent James A. Williams. After taking the position during a time of continual lay-offs and budget issues, Crosby and his team developed

Meet Kenneth Jaworski.  Kenneth is a Buffalo Ex-Pat, and runs an Amsterdam-based Interior and Graphic Design firm. He's also an artist and all-around purveyor of dead-on aesthetics and taste...depending on your taste.
In the For What It's Worth department (albeit more for some of you, less for others) I met Jaworski last week when he was in town for the dual purpose of a Nichols reunion and scoping out material for a Buffalo guide book he'll be putting out in 2010.  Jaworski has been living in Holland for the last 9 years, designing and picking up vast amounts of culture and

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