Assemblyman Sean Ryan held a press conference yesterday at 3445 Delaware Avenue in front of Prime Wines and Spirits to discuss the wasteful use of tax dollars to finance ill conceived projects. Projects he says that cost this region millions of dollars with only modest positive affect. This is because each of Erie County's six IDAs pull in different directions, competing against one another, all at the expense of Erie County according to Ryan.

Assemblyman Ryan is calling for IDAs to approve projects that reflect a regional growth model. "Projects that result in a net gain of jobs and

The Seneca Nation of Indians have filed for arbitration claiming New York State has violated its gaming compact. The compact guarantees the Nation a 14-county Western New York exclusivity zone for casino gambling. It defines the term "gaming devices" to include slot machines and video lottery gaming devices. The zone essentially covers all land west of State Route 14, which bisects the state from Sodus Point to the Pennsylvania line.

After more than a year of unproductive discussions with state officials, the Seneca Nation of Indians

The reviving 500 block of Main Street is having a block party this Friday, December 16.  The Holiday Open House will run from 5 to 11 PM and features art, music and shopping.  All events are free and family-friendly. 

• WNY Book Arts Center, 468 Washington - Last Minute Panic Holiday Marketplace

• e-Café, 465 Main St - Delicious food, warm drinks & music by Jeremy Hoyle

• Lloyd's Taco Truck - Corner

Erie County Executive-elect Mark C. Poloncarz has appointed Richard M. Tobe to serve as his administration's Deputy County Executive.  Tobe has more than 30 years of economic development experience in the public and private sectors as well as academia.

As a candidate, Poloncarz promised to make job creation a top priority of his administration and in September released a plan entitled "Growing Jobs: Creating an Economic Development Strategy that Works for Erie County."  As part of that plan, Poloncarz's Deputy County Executive will serve as the point-person responsible for coordinating

Western New Yorkers are once again being asked to open their hearts for their neighbors with a yearly appeal issued by Entercom Communications and partners:  The "Warm Hands, Warm Hearts" campaign is underway.

Hearts for the Homeless, the charity that is receiving the donations, has distributed collection barrels throughout the Greater Buffalo area in participating Nationwide Insurance agent offices and at Amberleigh Retirement Community.

"Warm clothing, especially for men, is needed more urgently at this time," said Nick Calandra, Chief Operations Officer for the Buffalo

Western New York is receiving over $100 million from New York State for a long list of different projects. While there is a lot of money being spread throughout the region, Erie County alone is getting over $51 million of the $100.3 million.

Among the big "winners" was the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus which is receiving funding for several projects.

National Grid understands the importance of celebrating the holiday season with family and friends, and warm, colorful lighting.  While the current economic climate may be imposing for many customers especially during the holidays, by following some simple energy efficiency and safety tips, consumers can benefit from a more environmentally friendly, safe and cost-effective way to save money this holiday season.
 
Save Big on Lighting
Over the past few years, new lighting alternatives have become available that may cost more initially, but cost much

'Tis the season to be giving and for the past 10 years The Iota chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity of Fredonia State College has taken this to heart and feet by raising awareness and money for the charity, YouthAIDS with its annual Tree Trot for Youth AIDS. The event only comes two days after World Aids Day, which is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.

The fundraiser's objective is to carry a Christmas tree from Fredonia State College

Retail shopping, live entertainment, community events, culinary festival and Western New York's largest holiday ice skating rink set the stage for 37-day event

The region's biggest holiday spectacle in a generation, the inaugural Niagara Holiday Market will be a 37-day winter wonderland in Niagara Falls, New York; opening on Friday, November 25 and running through New Year's Day 2012. The Market is aiming to be on par with the memorable shopping destinations of Europe's Christkindlmarkets and retail arcades.

"We are thrilled to create a world-class attraction and economic

The first annual PUCCS (Program for Understanding Childhood Concussion and Stroke) Charity Hockey Tournament will be held on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at Holiday Twin Rinks (3465 Broadway Street, Cheektowaga), with net proceeds funding childhood concussion and stroke research.
 
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Crowley Webb, a full-service marketing communications agency, has chosen three finalists to compete in the agency's Twenty-Five-Hour Workday contest. The agency will create an advertising campaign for the winner in one marathon, nonstop, 25-hour day. The three finalists are Triad Recycling and Energy, Community Beer Works, and You and Who.
 
Triad recycles construction and demolition materials, which is then repurposed for use in further construction, thereby avoiding more waste going to WNY landfills. Triad is one of two DEC-permitted

The Upstate New York Chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, held its 19th Annual Awards Dinner in Buffalo Thursday. Three awards, recognizing achievements in environmental, adaptive re-use and mixed use development, honored local projects.

William Hunt, Chairman of NAIOP and President of The Elmhurst Group in Pittsburgh, gave the keynote address. As the former Chair of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Hunt drew connections between that city's past and Buffalo's, calling on Buffalo to focus on the positive. "Buffalo and Pittsburgh are 'Legacy Cities',"

The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council unveiled its recommended Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits priority projects.  The Excelsior projects have the potential to create and retain 833 jobs with a total project cost of nearly $100 million.  The companies have requested $26.58 million in state assistance. 
 
The eight Excelsior projects selected to be part of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council's priority projects represent a substantial commitment to growth, either in employment or investing significant capital. 

Painting for Preservation's first group exhibition is opening on Monday, November 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in Statler City.  The exhibit is a result of Painting for Preservation's inaugural year of "Art-In" efforts and an open call for work.

The show of over 100 pieces, features WNY artists working in urban spaces to document and imagine the region's historic places. 

The Painting for Preservation initiative is aimed at drawing attention to distressed, at-risk, and under-utilized

The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council today finalized and adopted the council's five-year strategic plan and priority projects for the region, which is composed of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.  Focused on preparing the region's workforce for its key industry sectors, investing in smart growth infrastructure to pave the way for private investment, attracting and retaining more visitors and leveraging Western New York's research capacity to drive innovation and commercialization, the plan will be submitted in response to Governor Andrew

Toronto's familiar streetcars will soon be on their way out.  The fleet of Canadian Light Rail Vehicles is being replaced starting in 2013 by a sleeker, lower and modern light rail vehicle to be built by Bombardier.  The new LRVs will be phased-in with the intent of replacing the entire existing fleet of existing streetcars.

From BlogTO:

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Re-Tree WNY is putting out an appeal for able-bodied folks to help with a large tree planting this weekend at a couple of City of Buffalo parks.

The planting begins on Sunday, November 6th at 9 am at Schiller Park, which is on the city's east side.   After the roughly 35 trees are planted there, the group will move to Franczyk Park to plant another 35 trees.

Species will vary between gingkos, oaks, ivory silk lilacs, honey locust, and London Planetrees.

Volunteers are encouraged to dress according to the weather.  

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents the following concerts and events for the month of November:
 
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 - 7 PM
BPOvations Concert Preview Lecture: Russian Nationalism
Amherst Audubon Library
Paul Ferington, conductor
The lives and music of two great Russian patriots who brought heightened respect for Russian symphonic music to the concert halls of the world. Concerts Previewed: Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky (Nov. 19-20), Tchaikovsky and Strauss (Feb. 11-12), and Prokofiev's Fifth (Mar. 9-10) 
 
Thursday,

Six additional windmills are sprouting along the Lake Erie shoreline.  A member of Buffalo Iron Workers Local 6 sent along these photos today of the work underway.  Four of the new windmills are to be located in Hamburg while the other two will join the eight existing windmills in Lackawanna that were built on the former Bethlehem Steel property in 2007.