January 2016 – The Buffalo Chronicle

Mike Madigan slams Cuomo’s Solar City deal

January 31, 2016

BY A.J. BELL Grand Island Councilman Mike Madigan, a rising star in the local Republican Party, is slamming the Cuomo Administration’s signature economic development project, which is also the subject of an ongoing corruption investigation by United States Attorney Preet Bharara.

Pridgen’s water collection called ‘theatrics’

January 31, 2016

BY T.W. HEWITT Councilman Darius Pridgen’s effort to collect bottled water for residents of Flint, Michigan in the wake of that city’s wide scale lead poisoning, are being called “a self-serving distraction from lead poisoning in his own backyard.” In

Hearing on bar closing time set as Paladino weighs in

January 30, 2016

BY TONY FARINA The public will finally get a chance to weigh in on the Erie County bar closing debate next Tuesday (Feb. 2) at 5:30 p. m. at a public hearing in the legislative chambers in Old County Hall,

Closing bars earlier may impact business, diminish freedom

January 30, 2016

BY FRANK PARLATO The issue of whether to roll back the bar closing time from 4 a. m. to 2 a. m. in Erie County is certainly a hot-button item right now. The idea is a bad one – or,

Elections are rigged

January 29, 2016

BY PAUL WOLF, ESQ. Sadly our election process is a rigged game where an incumbent losing is a rare event. In most years incumbents win 90 plus percent of the time, with one or two losing. Tuesday’s election with few

Dyster plans $435,000 sculpture for traffic circle

January 29, 2016

BY FRANK PARLATO Niagara Falls – It was our own resident genius, James Hufnagel, who wrote us this week, to say, “You know what would be really funny? A picture of Mayor Paul A. Dyster wearing the new traffic circle

DiPizio construction wins major ruling in Canalside dispute

January 28, 2016

BY TONY FARINA The local construction company suing the state over its termination as the Canalside contractor in July of 2013 has won a major victory in the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court. In a unanimous ruling handed down

Flaherty, Flynn to square off in Democratic Primary for DA

January 28, 2016

BY TONY FARINA A spirited Democratic primary fight for the office of Erie County district attorney is now taking shape although it won’t be acting DA Mike Flaherty against headquarters’ favorite Tim Franczyk who shocked political observers last month when

Smith charges politics in Planning Board ouster

January 28, 2016

BY MIKE HUDSON It’s politics as usual at the City Hall of Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster. That’s the charge of Rick Smith, who has served on the city Planning Board for the past nine years, six as its chairman.

Questions raised about Niagara Falls’ tourism office

January 28, 2016

BY MIKE HUDSON At least publicly, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster has sung the praises of the shadowy and secretive Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp., and its’ CEO John Percy. The NTCC benefits from nearly $2 million a year in

WNY keeps getting fleeced by Power Authority

January 27, 2016

BY FRANK PARLATO The New York Power Authority (NYPA) successfully installed the three remaining floating sections of the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom on December 28, completing the work for the 2015-2016 season. The official Lake Erie water temperature on December

Nevergold’s open letter to Commissioner Ellia

January 27, 2016

BY BARBARA SEALS-NEVERGOLD, PHD I have been writing about the problems of standardized tests, specifically the tests that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and administered by the New York State Education Department. Components of the State’s accountability

Shocking Cuomo press release reveals rationale for Parkway upgrade

January 27, 2016

BY JAMES HUFNAGEL It couldn’t have been made any clearer had it been posted on billboards, shouted from rooftops or written in skywriting. If there was ever the shadow of a doubt in your mind that the south Robert Moses

Buffalo parents asked to join civil rights lawsuit

January 26, 2016

BY CAROLETTE MEADOWS As a parent of a Buffalo Public School student, I have filed a breech of contract law suit on behalf of my child in U.S. District Court regarding the Board of Education’s failure to comply with the Office

Will politicians really fix ECC?

January 26, 2016

BY TONY FARINA So what’s next for Erie Community College now that a state audit has confirmed much of what I’ve written about over the last year about the unauthorized spending and job creation at the public college under the

Higgins plan for DL&W called “a horrible mistake”

January 26, 2016

Congressman Brian Higgins is urging the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to spend over $40 million to redevelop the DL&W Terminal into a light rail station. The controversial publisher Matthew Ricchiazzi, a Cornell trained urban planner, is calling Higgins’ plan “another ignorant

Confidential report downgrades Quinn’s effectiveness

January 26, 2016

BY TONY FARINA As we have reported for some time, many at Erie Community College have questioned the commitment and leadership of President Jack Quinn who earns $192,500 to run the school but has several outside assignments not related to

D’Augustino urged to run for State Senate

January 24, 2016

Grand Island teacher and school board member Richard D’Augustino, a strong supporter of working families and organized labor, is being urged to challenge the embattled incumbent Senator Marc Panepinto in this year’s Democratic Party primary, says a local Democrat. D’Augustino is widely seen

Martin denounces Cuomo plan for Northland Corridor

January 24, 2016

Katrinna Martin-Bordeaux, the Chairperson of Young Black Democrats of Western New York, is denouncing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan for the redevelopment of the Northland Avenue industrial corridor, only weeks after the administration announced a $25 million contest for prospective non-profit tenants that

Toxic legacy of lead smelting at the Ferry Fields

January 22, 2016

The land affectionately known as the Ferry Fields — now the site of True Bethel Townhomes — was used as a massive dumping ground for toxic ash, a byproduct of lead production and metal processing. Those fields were commonly used by children