I can't say it any better than Joe the Planner.  Sprawl is the biggest threat to WNY's economy. It matters not if you live inside the city or on an idyllic suburban cul-de-sac.  Sprawl has its evil hand in your pocket big time. It is time for WNY to wake up to the sprawl disaster and start leading the country to a better way.
 
Check it out - Joe the Planner makes the insanity very clear. Here's an excerpt:

As it turns out, the Buffalo Metro area is a nearly

Buffalonians who are looking for irreverent, female-oriented, and empowering comedy need look no further than River Huston. The comedienne, public speaker, and award-winning poet and sex columnist will present a theatrical performance of her life, "Sex, Cellulite, and Large Farm Equipment: One Girl's Guide to Living and Dying", on Saturday, April 24, from 6pm-8pm at St. John's Grace Episcopal Church in Buffalo. Tickets cost $15 presale.

Huston has performed this routine since March 2004 when she opened at the Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia to critical acclaim and positive

BRO Submission By Tuona M. Batchelor:

With the rate of obesity and diabetes in this country at an all time high, steps are being taken nationwide to combat this ever growing and ever dangerous epidemic.   At the forefront of these steps locally is an effort to reduce the consumption of soda pop and other sugar added beverages that are proven contributors to obesity and obesity related diseases.  As a way of promoting healthier diet and lifestyles, the Healthcare Education Project is holding the Trade Up for Health

Interview with Kitty Lambert, President of OUTspoken for Equality:

Congratulations on the good news that for the first time in the history of New York State a LGBT organization will be allowed to march in a Saint Patrick's Day Parade. When did you get the news?

Late last week!

Who delivered it to you?

Lori Overdorf, she pretty much herds the entire event. We had to wait for approval from the Executive Director and President of the Board for the Valley Community Association. To be honest... I was really cool while I was on the

While searching for places to stay in the city I came across the Richmond Place Inn (bed and breakfast) located right around the corner from my house. I've passed by this residence thousands of times over the years and somehow never noticed the sign in front. Moments ago I called the number and spoke with a gentlemen who told me that the bed and breakfast has been around for ten years!

He told me that the inn took a big hit during the October Storm - that's when they lost their awning and a major part of the building was damaged. Since that time the owner has fixed the issues and I must

Article By Rachel Fix Dominguez:

I moved back to Buffalo (with my California-transplant husband) in 2004 partly because of the quality of life here. Having grown up in this city, I always knew I'd like to raise my children here. And now that I am a mother (to a 17 month old son, whom we'll call E.), Buffalo does not disappoint. Are there days, weeks, even months when I've lamented how the cold has limited our outdoor options? Sure. I'd be lying if I pretended to love every minute of raising a child in this climate. But overall I find that there's plenty to do with kids

Article By Nate Drag, Great Lakes United:

As my dog and I walked on Squaw Island on a chilly afternoon last month, I was able to get an up close look at the Niagara River. At that spot, nearly twenty percent of the world's fresh surface water flows from the four upper Great Lakes, funnels together and eventually flow over the Falls and than onto Lake Ontario. With the significance of this location in mind, I considered the consequences of clogging up the point where Lake Erie meets the Niagara River with a man-made ice boom.

Last month, Great

I am always searching for thought provoking writing and information on urbanism and proposals for pointing a possible path forward in fixing our broken way of making built environments in America (and it IS very, very broken). Once in a while I stumble on a treasure.  One new site that I recently found is called "A Town Square".  The site description says the following:

Welcome. We have embarked on a journey of exploration, a journey with many destinations. We invite you to join us: these pages will provide a time

The Peace Bridge expansion project is not the only transportation battle brewing within the city.  Through $2 million in funding secured by Senator Antoine Thompson, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is working on a Kensington Expressway Mitigation Feasibility Study.  The objective of the study is to identify a "reasonable and feasible mitigation for identified quality of life impacts while maintaining the transportation connection and rebuilding part of the Humboldt Neighborhood." 

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I hear it all the time. "What can we do to get our inner city youth hands on training that will ultimately give them the skills and the confidence they need to enter the workforce?" It's a great question, and a tough one to answer. Over at the Essex Street Arts Center, Executive Director Simon Griffis and Director Mark Griffis have come up with a plan that works hard to get kids around the age of thirteen years of age off of the street and into art studios. It's more than that though. These young people aren't only learning how to design, create and weld... they are learning what it takes to tackle

There is a show coming to Buffalo this Thursday that you should catch. First of all, the venue is Sugar City, one of Allentown's most eclectic venues. That means that it's going to be an intimate show - a real close-up showing of the band Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned. What's interesting about the band is that it started off its music career as a group of internet street musicians, traveling around Albany and posting their performances online.

Anytime someone can tell me that a band that draws comparisons

BRO Submission By Brandon Schlia:

Mohawk at near capacity was a nice surprise for a Sunday night show. That's the fortunate part about a band like Cursive, they're on the fringe of recognition which allows them to operate in the small venue circuit while still packing the room with die hard fans. We watched with a secret pleasure as the Sold Out sign went up and the stragglers were turned away.

The bill featured a cast of well established local musicians. Opening was Paul's Grandfather, a indie-folk band centered on the songwriting of three talented young ladies,

BRO Submission by Susan Braun:

Biff Henrich will have a solo exhibition of photographs entitled Surrounded by Art: Photographs of Buffalo Architecture in the Buffalo Niagara Visitor Center Gallery beginning March 12th and running until April 17, 2010. The exhibit will feature images of well-known architectural landmarks in the city.

Mr. Henrich has exhibited extensively at galleries and museums around the country including The Contemporary Art Museum of Houston, The Visual Studies Workshop, The California Museum of Photography, Artist Space, and the Albright

I always thought that acupuncture was a healing method that worked well for a lot of people who could afford to shell out the money for the practice. The only time that I ever tried it out myself was when I was writing an article on the subject. To go back would have cost me around $70 a pop. Thankfully Craig Labadie has picked up and moved from Boston to Buffalo, and with him has come Buffalo Alternative Acupuncture.

Craig has just set up shop over at 452 Franklin Street, an area of the city known for alternative healing practices. "The goal of the business is to make acupuncture more

Born and raised in East Aurora, NY, Aaron Shoemaker became a legend in just 23 short years. He lost his life on May 24th, 2004 doing what he loved, flying high and far on a snowboard in the mountains of Italy. Aaron had such an impact on the people who knew him that every year since his death, the Buffalo community has rallied together to keep his memory alive.

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Article by Richard Wade:

When Eberl Iron Works, Inc. was founded back in 1923, it was nothing more than a small welding shop manned by a few workers. As the company stands today, it has five different and distinct divisions. Those divisions include the following:

·         Metal Fabrication
·         Unistrut Buffalo
·        

I guess that it was only a matter of time before someone created the Buffalo Chili Fest. Sure there are other competitions around the area, but we all know what happens when you add 'Fest' to an event of this nature. The first annual Buffalo Chili Fest will take place at D'Arcy McGee's Irish Pub on Sunday April 11th from 2-6pm. For all of you out there who have been hankering for a taste of the hot and spicy, this is your chance to come sample the best that Buffalo has to offer.

The festivities will take place outside on D'Arcy McGee's' enclosed patio. Sample the chili prepared by local

Interview with Pat Szarpa - Executive Director at Western New York Land Conservancy

What exactly is the Western New York Land Conservancy? 

A 501c(3) not for profit land conservation organization whose mission is to permanently protect critical lands in our eight county region.  These include both natural and working lands. 

When was it founded? 

1991

Is WNYLC part of a larger organization?
 
No - but we are one of at least 90 land

BRO Submission By Peter Dow:

Google "Canal Side" and what do you get? Housing developments in Lockport, Irvington, Texas, and Columbia South Carolina. Google "Canal Street" and now what do you find? Vibrant urban streetscapes in New York City, New Orleans, and Manchester New Hampshire. Let's start by getting the name right.

Remember Ward Fuller, the dynamic head of American Steamship, who years ago proposed that Buffalo revive Canal Street? No, he was not suggesting that we bring back brothels, prostitutes, and seedy saloons. He saw the waterfront as a downtown

BRO Submission By Christopher Henning:

Conlon's Bar & Grill recently opened their doors in South Buffalo, bringing home cooked food and wonderful refreshments to an area of the city that really appreciates it.  Since he was sixteen years of age, owner Dan Conlon has wanted to own his own restaurant. In true culinary fashion he worked his way up through the ranks, starting as a dishwasher.  Today he is the proprietor of a bar and grill where the atmosphere echoes food - it's a comfortable place and the people really do remember your name.

Let