Month: April 2019

At least four New York local government retirees appear to have received permission from state or New York City officials to each take home a combined $300,000 in pay and pensions as of January 1, 2018, according to data posted today

State lawmakers spent $7.8 million on postage for campaign-style mailings to constituents in the six-month run-up to last year’s elections, according to data added today to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Senators spent $4.2 million and Assembly members spent $3.5 million

BY EJ MCMAHON The impending enactment of a permanent property tax levy cap in New York is a truly historic moment. Since its founding in 2005, the Empire Center has identified a broad cap on property tax levies as a

The Empire Center for Public Policy this week filed Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) appeals with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) after six of its seven subsidiaries failed to release public payroll records. The appeals come after the Empire Center

Following a massive bust of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel in Ohio, state legislators are utilizing many of Judicial Watch’s arguments to get the federal government to designate Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). In a resolution introduced this month, lawmakers in the

Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for records of communications and payments between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele

Sources are telling The Chronicle that newly elected County Court Judge Sue Maxwell-Barnes‘ husband, Rich Barnes, bribed Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Zellner with political donations in order to secure the nomination for his wife. Mr. Barnes is said to have

No elected officials from the City of Buffalo or Erie County were willing to demonstrate the political courage that it apparently would have taken to attend a community forum on the removal of the Scajaquada Expressway and the restoration of

BY NORBERT RUG Another Saturday night out for my wife Donna, my buddy Ed and I. This time we went to The Dockside Bar and Grill. This is a historic building right along the Erie Canal that has been converted

BY NORBERT RUG Games give us a way to connect with our families. It is a fun activity. It can lead to conversations and is a way to share time with them. I will admit it, I have “a competitive

BY JOE GENCO A short take on today’s news… Visited the Broadway Market for the Slow Roll Season Kickoff Party. The 1st ride is Monday, May 6 from Buffalo Hostel. There are two Clarence Bike Stampedes as well. We are

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz‘s longstanding opposition to a new Buffalo Bills stadium is badly damaging his chances of reelection at the ballot box in November, area political operatives posit.  Critics have lambasted Poloncarz for his lease negotiation in 2013, which included

Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott — with the sheer force of their own integrity — have emerged as the most influential politicians in the Canadian body politic.  Justin Trudeau has exposed himself plainly as a liar — someone who is willing

BY NORBERT RUG I recently was able to drive my car again after a whole winter of not driving. I can’t tell you how liberating it was to get behind the wheel once again. I was holed up in my

No area businessman has been more dogged in his pursuit of Niagara Falls’ economic revival than Roger Trevino, the former NFL sports agent from Texas who now manages Manhattan billionaire Howard Milstein‘s real estate interests in the Cataract City. That

Niagara County Legislator Jesse Gooch (R-Wheatfield) is voicing his support for Chick-fil-a following their removal from Delaware North’s planned remodeling of its venues at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.  Assemblyman Sean Ryan (D-Buffalo) publicly disparaged the firm based on its Evangelical Christian

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has been regularly engaging in private conversations with Stephen Bronfman — the Liberal Party’s treasurer — in recent weeks, a staffer inside her office tells The Chronicle.  The Bronfmans have been the principal financiers of the Liberal

Today, Niagara County Legislator Jesse Gooch (R-7thDistrict) voiced his opposition to implementing a new tax in Niagara County. As part of the FY2019-2020 New York State Budget, plastic bags will be outlawed in New York State. The budget also gave