The former Lackawanna Iron and Steel (later Bethlehem Steel) Office Building just over the city line is likely to be demolished.  The City of Lackawanna is seeking Restore NY funding to tear down the three-story structure that has been vacant for over two decades.  Mayor Norman Polanski, Jr. told WIVB that the privately-owned building is "beyond repair" and has become a "liability."  Some residents want

Tickets are going on sale this Saturday for the whole range of summertime shows that will be coming to Canandaigua's Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC).

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By Thomas Tarapacki

 

The NFL draft is upon us, so the start of the NFL season can't be far away. In fact, for many fans, the pro football season unofficially starts with the the

Whenever someone from out of town visits, they always ask me to take them to Niagara Falls.  It makes sense; it's a beautiful place.  This past Friday, operators launched Maid Of The Mist V, and I realized I need to take the tour again--soon. 

I was there to watch the launch and get a sense of how Maid Of The Mist is operated.  MOTM V is a 300 passenger vessel set to carry a portion of the nearly 2 million passengers officials expect this season.

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Last week, Legislative Majority Leader Maria Whyte held a press conference to further explain her push for a regional planning board.  
To reiterate, Erie County is only one of 4 counties among the 62 in the state that does not have a regional planning board.  While Whyte is well aware of the fact that the board would not be a legally binding entity, she sees the merits of having an advisory board due to an incredible amount of outward sprawl in an area with a lowered population.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke about "Our Environmental Destiny" at the Koessler Athletic Center at Canisius College this past Thursday right here in Buffalo on Main St near Delavan Avenue. This is the latest in the /regional/index.html

The other day, a friend told me about a very interesting and promising deal he is negotiating with a major entity in Buffalo.  (I'll keep the project and the friend's identity under wraps for now, not wanting to speak too soon.)
The point here is that this friend spoke to someone who works in a major regional political office, and asked if perhaps their boss would care to sign on to the project.  The answer was, "If it goes through, call us.  We'll be there for the signing."
My friend explained that the signing would be more likely

Attention all wine-lovers: Here's the perfect opportunity for a late summer family weekend away from it all, complete with loads of delicious, world-class wine, and activities to keep the kids occupied.

The Finger Lakes Riesling Festival will be held August 15th and 16th along Lakeshore Drive/regional/index.html

By Joseph McHenry

There are very few places within the City of Buffalo where one can witness the totality of the region.  Perhaps the best place for this is on one of the top floors of HSBC Tower.  On March 5th, as part of a

By Laura Kirkpatrick

The conference is open to everyone, and runs from 8:30AM - 4PM, on May 1st, at Ani DeFranco's Babeland and Hallwalls.  It is sponsored by Youth Audiences of Western New York (YAWNY) in collaboration with Starlight Studio and The Art Partners Program of the Art Education Department, Buffalo State College.

Do you know of a local unsung hero who deserves to be recognized for their contribution to our community? Now is your chance to get them the props they deserve.

It's time to nominate individuals for the 2009 WNY Heroes Awards. The awards will honor those community members who have gone beyond the everyday to innovate, inspire or live selflessly.  Specifically the sponsors, the United Way/regional/index.html

UB South is playing host to a pair of peregrine falcons, who have settled

While the financial world seemed to be coming to an end just a few weeks ago with bank stocks cratering and the Federal government talking about injecting more capital into US banks, one local bank is trying to buck the trend. 

First Niagara Financial Group, a growing local bank with roots in Western New York going back 130 years, raised $313 million in a common equity offering which

If you were unable to make it to Graycliff for the Easter holiday tours, here's another opportunity to the recently completed restorations at Frank Lloyd Wright's lakeside structure, with a twist.

A special tour with a unique focus on the relationship between Frank Lloyd Wright and his client, Isabelle R. Martin, will be explored. Isabelle was the wife of industrialist Darwin

On February 27th, the Buffalo branch of the Great Nationwide Tea Party met at noon at Lafayette Square in downtown Buffalo.  The event was co-sponsored by Jill Malzer-Sinclair, President, JEM Insurance Agency Inc. and Free New York. Urging local sympathizers to "be there and bring a nasty sign and some war paint," the event coincided with several nationwide rallies in over

Bellwether: an indicator or predictor of something.
The Journal of Commerce last week reported a sharp decline of trucking and trading activity between the United States and Canada.  The Peace Bridge has experienced a 17 percent drop from last year at this time, while Lewiston-Queenston traffic is down 22.46 percent for the same time period.
Consider the impact this news may have on a variety of issues that have plagued Buffalo for quite some time - along with the idea that the reduced trucking activity

Twitter, as everyone has heard, is the new big thing.  Like MySpace and Facebook before it, Twitter - or tweeting, to be more precise - is what all the kids are doing.  
The Buffalo twittersphere is quite active as you can tell through a zip code search on Twitter's

This time of year can be very trying on the soul in Western New York.  The gloom-blanket that smothered the area last week was enough to send one's psyche over the edge.  "Damn the brush fires and earthquakes!  I am heading for California."  That was perhaps the number one thought on the minds of WNYers as the cold gray sleet burned into unprotected skin.  It would be so easy to live in California or some other mild clime. 

As if Attorney General Andrew Cuomo hasn't already won public confidence, yesterday he revealed his latest initiative for transparency in government by launching  Project Sunlight 2.0,  a more user-friendly means by which citizens of New York State can access state and local government information.
Following the original version, launched in 2007, Cuomo's newer version of the Web site that offers increased government accountability also provides access to information

County Legislator Maria Whyte is proposing the advent of a planning board for all of Erie County, but County Executive Chris Collins is not in favor of the idea and most surely will veto it after it is voted on by the legislature and presented to him on April 23rd, according to Whyte.  Collins will have 30 days from that time to make his decision.
As far as Whyte is concerned however, one can't be a proponent of the Framework for Regional Growth without being an advocate of regional planning.  Considering