The Democratic primary battle between Mayor Byron Brown and Mickey Kearns has intensified, as everyone knows, and the latest poll has the race at a virtual dead heat.  And this poll was conducted last Wednesday and Thursday before the latest allegations regarding Mayor Brown and Leonard Stokes.  The poll's validity, which was conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of WGRZ, has some questions but it stands as the only quasi-scientific

Whenever I'm fortunate enough to talk with someone who wasn't fortunate enough to have been born in Buffalo, they often mention our impressive architecture.  We certainly don't take it for granted, as we can't help but notice BR reader fervor for anything architectural.

With that in mind, go to UB South tonight for an illustrated lecture by Vancouver-based Molo Design creators Todd McAllen and Stephanie Forsythe. The free lecture goes down at 5:30 tonight at UB's 301 Crosby Hall on Main Street.

Molo has

Just one week before primary elections for mayor of Buffalo in which the only candidates are incumbent Mayor Byron Brown and challenger Councilman Mickey Kearns, Brown has been accused of wrongdoing, once again involving star basketball player Leonard Stokes.
Already under investigation by the FBI is Stokes' failed One Sunset Restaurant, heavily financed by the City.  Now in question is whether or not Mayor Brown helped Stokes dodge jail time for unlawfully having a handicapped mirror tag in his car.  
When asked about the allegations by

Today marks the first day back for Buffalo Public School children and staff.  Yesterday, Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Williams addressed BPS employees.  His speech, calling to students and staff to "refuse to be average," is as follows:

I will begin my fifth year serving as your Superintendent and I am excited to begin another academic year.="mso-spacerun:

The ECHDC held their director's meeting today inside Buffalo headquarters at 95 Perry Street to discuss activities pursuant to their ongoing development of the Buffalo waterfront. 

First on the agenda; A Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Canal Side.  Specifically, this EIS targeted the impact of the size of Bass Pro in regards to air quality, parking and traffic, and is required to explore reasonable alternatives to the proposal.  In this case, the largest reasonable development size for the site is 1.5 million square feet, which is approximately 50 percent

In May, we got word that four Inner Harbor streets are to be restored.  As planned, ground was broken on the site today by Mayor Byron Brown and Congressman Brian Higgins to kick off construction that is scheduled to be completed next August. 

Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Higgins managed to secure $3.8 million in federal funds, which includes $2.3 million in federal stimulus money for the project that will be overseen by the City's Department of Public Works.  The

Last Friday, Newell and I had another meeting of the Buffalo Rising Roundtable (WBFO Podcast) at WBFO studios with News Director Mark Scott.
We talked about the membership of Buffalo ReUse voting to reinstate founder Michael Gainer in some capacity, and what it would mean to the organization, along with their move to add 4 new board members who will balance out those already in place.  Balance

The elevated sections of Route 5 and the I-190 are thought to be a scar on the city as well as a barrier to the waterfront.  

/city/index.html

Perhaps you're aware of Mayor Brown's Reading Rules! 2009 Kids Summer Reading Challenge; the reading initiative that challenged kids in Buffalo to read seven books and write a report on each.  Or maybe you're also aware that September is National Literacy Month. 


(Rent-A-Center Vice President of Public Affairs Xavier Dominicis with

By Katie Krawczyk

Have you ever dreamed of tasting the glamour and excitement that oozes out of Bryant Park in the crisp February air in New York City?  Catching a glimpse of the season's hottest fashions before they hit the streets?  Sitting next to fashion icons like Sarah Jessica Parker or Eva Mendes, comparing notes

Independent Party hopeful in the Buffalo race for mayor Matthew Ricchiazzi has issued a statement, referring to his quest for the mayor's seat in the past tense and making promises for the future.
The primary will be held one week from today with two Democrats, incumbent Mayor Byron Brown and challenger Councilman Mickey Kearns, on the ballot.  There will be a televised debate on Channel 2, WGRZ TV this coming Friday, and speculation is that next Tuesday's primary will likely point to the winner of the November election if no other candidates make the final ballot.  Ricchiazzi's

UB welcomes its most academically talented freshman class in its history based on the average SAT score of the 3,197 new students who began classes last week.

With an average SAT score of 1200, up a point from last year's average score and up 8 points from 2007's average score. Since 2004, the average SAT score of UB's freshman class has increased 18 points.

"The

National Buffalo Wing Fest, held this past Saturday and Sunday, saw 92,000 attendees (up from 78,000 last year), and the hungry crowd devoured 40 tons of Chicken Wings.

The 8th annual Labor Day weekend event set a single day attendance record on Saturday, with 52,000 attendees.

Festival surveys

We've had the good fortune of working with Hero Design in the past and, based on that experience, we were anxious to find another opportunity to work together.  Well, we found it and we couldn't be happier with the results.

If you're not familiar with Hero Design, take some time to check out their work.  They are hyper-talented young designers the city should be proud to be home to and their

Back in 1976, Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, sang a song called "Where Do the Children Play?" on his Earth Tour.
In this video, accompanying the lyric, "And you watch the skyscrapers fill the air," there is a shot of Court Street, facing Buffalo City Hall.  A google search didn't turn up whether or not Stevens was even here as part of that tour, but somehow Buffalo factored into the skyscraper verse, regardless of the fact that we only have one.
/city/index.html

When putting together my book on Buffalo architecture "Buffalo: Architecture in the American Forgotten Land," I set a basic policy that I would only include buildings that still existed and that had not been substantially altered.  I wanted the book to be about what Buffalo is rather than what it had been.  The

We've run promotions before helping Buffalo school teachers raise money for their classroom projects via DonorsChoose.org.  And thanks to our generous readers, these promotions have succeeded in raising the amount needed for the projects we've highlighted. 

It's back to school time so we're highlighting yet another DonorsChoose.org proposal from a local school teacher.  This proposal comes from a teacher at the Dr. Charles Drew Science Magnet

I feel like I experienced a classic Buffalo moment this morning. The nice young woman in the photo (and her dog) were taking a walk on my street today. She brought over the dog so my son could pet him.

"The dog's name?" I asked. Sahlen. 

I have

Buffalo is receiving $14.2 million in state money under the Restore NY program.  The funding will be used to demolish blighted structures and to assist in the redevelopment of several historic properties.  Governor David A. Paterson today announced the award of $27.2 million for Western New York as part of the third round of Restore NY grant program.  A total of 79

Are you ready to draw your beloved pet and enter it in a project so it can be admired by all? Pet Faces of Buffalo wants you to be part of its Community Art Mosaic.

Faces of Buffalo Community Art Mosaics