Bill Lenz is a jewelry maker, biker, human canvas, deep-thinker, and a Buffalo boy who comes from good, hard-working, creative stock. 
Lenz's father, William, was a general contractor with Huber Construction, Inc., a family owned business, and Lenz was also a union carpenter with the company.  His mother Joyce was an educator and an artist with the Buffalo Craftsman Society and kept a studio at Tri-Main.  As evolution goes, their son is a good meld of all of his parent's talents,

What do you get when you take a cold winter's day, a business that sells underwear and a bunch of crazy people at Bidwell Parkway? The first annual Splash Panic! Skivvies Snowball Fight. At noon today a small group of people met at the park, dropped their drawers (and just about everything else) and proceeded to pelt each other with snowballs. All of this in the wake of Elmwood Avenue's Splash Panic! unveiling their new line of undies.

A spirited dash in the park ensued before the snow bun-nies raced back to collect

The changing of the calendar year is often time for reflection. With the dawn of the beginning of a century now ten years behind us, this year also allowed for greater review of time. How has the past year, and past decade, treated the natural wonder that sits at our doorsteps?  With the 20th century a decade behind us, have we, as a community, a society, or individuals, embraced new strategies to face old and new ecological problems?
   
Perhaps one of the biggest stories for the Great Lakes in 2009 was the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Congressional approval

This morning on the way in to WBFO studios, I stopped by Famous Doughnuts to bring radio station's staff a baker's dozen of fresh Buffalo doughnuts.  I gladly accepted #13, though the girl behind the counter said some refuse it based on superstition.
Owner Richard Roehm, who runs the shop at 3043 Main Street with his wife Pamela, has been in the business all his life.  The original Famous location was started by his father in the early 40s, and Richard grew up in the business, which has changed a lot from the early days.
"My father started

You are invited to join me in a reception at Lafayette Church this Sunday from 11:30-1:30, where we will give a presentation outlining our efforts to preserve our building through creative re-use.

Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church was added to the national register of historic places this year, and if we are successful in our plans for re-use, the building will continue to be an integral part of the Elmwood Village for years to come.  We will accomplish this by converting

Just when it looked as if Prospero, formerly The Coda Restaurant, might never open, the unmistakable green neon sign flickered on. I must have passed by fifty times in the meantime... looking in through the windows... searching for signs of life. Seeing that this restaurant is situated directly behind Kleinhans Music Hall, with no other businesses in sight, it was noticeably dark to anyone living in the neighborhood. When I first wrote about Prospero back in May, I had no idea that it would take so long to open its doors

A woman was stabbed outside of Roxy's as 2009 was ending, and it appears that her sexual orientation was a motive in the attack.

This, like all of the violence in our city, is a moral issue.

Walter Wink, a Christian Theologian is best known for coining the phrase, "The myth of redemptive violence."

Although the phrase is recent, the concept of redemptive violence is ancient.  In short, good must confront evil, and defeat

2009 was a record year for Buffalo Rising as our traffic grew to just over 2.3 million visits, a 17% increase over 2008.  Even better, the site received 769,628 unique visits during 2009, a 28% growth rate over the previous year.  We'd like to thank all of our visitors and commenters for your support. 

We also launched our Buffalo Rising Store during 2009 and, with nearly 200 products offered by more than 15 different vendors, we've sold tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in the 9 months the store has been live

BRO reader submission by Michelle Perkins:

Cool temperatures may have settled in, but the Lafayette Taproom will be bayou-hot on Tuesday night for the first in a series of Cajun/Zydeco dances featuring music by Leeron Zydeco and the Hot Tamales.

If you haven't been to a dance since junior high, set aside any notions of awkward teenage shuffling; Zydeco music is fast, fun, and totally infectious. And to ensure you'll be on your feet (not your partner's), master dance teacher Esther

In a most unassuming little shul (synagogue) on Elmwood Avenue, tucked between Pano's and Mr. Pizza, there's a feast of another sort to be had - this one for the ears, and yes, the soul.
Dr. Irwin Gelman, Interim Chair of Genetics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute is a guest cantor for Congregation Beth Abraham one Friday out of the month.  His upcoming service will be held on January 15th, at 6:30PM.  Read more about Dr. Shulman in the Roswell

As the Genesee Gateway project continues to progress, I've been imaging just how that whole district will look and feel in a couple of years. Thanks to Rocco Termini, the Ellicott District has shaped up nicely. And there are signs that Main Street and Washington are starting to play catch-up thanks to the investments made by Schneider, Epstein and Iskalo. For some of the pioneering businesses, these are the signs that they have been waiting for. Not only are people living in the area, but the amenities are making headway as well.

I recently stopped into the Washington Market to talk

Local developer Rocco Termini knows exactly what he'd like to see done to save the Statler Building, but he says he wouldn't sign on without the University of Buffalo.
Specifically, Rocco would like to see the UB Law School become a tenant of the Statler.  "It makes perfect sense," Termini says.  "Most major cities have their law schools downtown.  Just like the medical school is being built around the hospitals, law students need to be where the courts are."
At

A team from -- and called -- South Buffalo recently earned a spot in the elite division in the third annual Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament to be held on Lake Erie. South Buffalo defeated Inergex Icemen, 20 to 13, to win the Labatt Blue Winter Classic Outdoor Tournament on New Year's Day, which subsequently advanced the team to the Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament. The defeated Inergex Icemen won the Winter Classic and a trip to the Buffalo event last year. The Time

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo is  joining in a search to identify talented young artists. The competition is part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's (BGCA) National Fine Arts Exhibit program, and Buffalo's club is one of more than 4,300 Clubs across the country to participate in this comprehensive initiative promoting young people's creativity and encouraging artistic skills and cultural enrichment.
Partnering with Griffis Sculpture park as part of the their participation in this year's program, an opening reception will be held today, January 7,

Jethro Soudant, who along with wife Shasti O'Leary Soudant, helped to create the local chapter of Mustaches For Kids (a national charity fueled by the hirsute that benefits children), sent out a missive to those who might participate.  It is as follows:
/city/index.html

In today's State of the State address, Governor David Paterson not only recognized Buffalo's struggle with abandoned housing, but he has put the City of Buffalo first in line, saying, "With more than 23,000 vacant housing units, Buffalo will serve as the starting point for the project which will expand to cities across New York State."
Governor Paterson proposes the Sustainable Neighborhoods Project as a national model for affordable housing and urban revitalization, starting here.
Resulting from decades of post-industrial economic decline

Beat the post-holiday blues this January by visiting a Buffalo landmark, hitting up a great party and taking a quick trip to Paris--all in one night. The beautifully restored Asbury Hall, located within Ani DiFranco's Church on Delaware Avenue, will be the site on January 29th, of the third annual /city/index.html

By Kim Sabshin
Even in Buffalo winters, many people who travel by bicycle swear by their preferred mode of transportation. And now, a New York architect who has worked to improve facilities for cyclists across the country is coming to Buffalo to talk about how biking is not only a means of getting around, but a way to improve life in general.
Architect Jeff Olson, director of Alta Planning + Design in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will give

By Vanessa Oswald

No matter what age, weight, height, or gender, yoga is the type of exercise any person can learn to love and enjoy. It increases flexibility and strength while serving as a relaxation method, putting participants more at ease with their mind, body, and soul. Luckily, there's a new yoga studio opening called Hand to

E Square Capital, LLC has opens East Village Lofts, completing its $4 million two-year renovation of a four-story, 45,000 sq. ft. former factory at 937 Broadway at Fillmore Avenue into a mix of 43 affordable studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. 
"Sixty percent of our units were rented within the first five days of opening the door," reports E Square Capital owner Eran Epstein. "This is a much-needed