The Buffalo Chronicle
Feature 1
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With the grape crush ending, Lake Erie growers who lost their buyer are still waiting on help
A Fredonia processor is offering a late outlet for grapes left without a buyer after Refresco canceled 126 contracts. Growers say a $20 million federal juice purchase did not reach them directly,…
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Tops gunman’s lawyers say Western New York’s jury lists shortchange Black residents as death-penalty jury selection begins
Payton Gendron’s lawyers moved to dismiss his federal indictment the day before jury selection, arguing Black residents are systematically underrepresented in the district’s jury lists. Here is what they must prove, and…
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Canadians are driving back to the U.S., but not across the Peace Bridge, StatCan data show
Canadian car trips home from the U.S. rose 5.6% in September. At Fort Erie, the Canadian end of the Peace Bridge, they fell 2.1% and remain 35% below 2024, a Buffalo Chronicle…
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Niagara County weighs suing Albany over immigration law it says shields noncitizen voting, though the law exempts election work
The Niagara County Legislature votes Tuesday on suing the state over a new limit on helping immigration agents, arguing it protects ‘illegal non-citizen voting.’ The law itself exempts voter registration and election…
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Buffalo Water Board sues 17 companies over PFAS in Lake Erie as city tests show levels near federal limit
The Water Board’s lawsuit targets makers of PFAS firefighting foam. Buffalo Water’s own report shows PFOS in treated water at up to 3.56 parts per trillion, just under the 4.0 federal limit.
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New York Democrats press DHS for the last $87 million in counterterror grants Trump pledged to restore; $100 million has been released
Thirteen New York Democrats are demanding DHS release $87 million in counterterror grants still owed to the state. Erie County says the program funds police radios and in-car connections across Buffalo, Erie…
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Gillibrand bill would let Washington and the Seneca Nation end New York’s criminal jurisdiction on Seneca land
A Senate companion to Rep. Nick Langworthy’s bill would let the Justice Department and the Seneca Nation end New York’s 1948 criminal jurisdiction on Seneca land. Its broader definition of ‘territory’ raises…
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Hochul opens $76 million county infrastructure round, raising housing-linked award caps
Gov. Kathy Hochul opened a $76 million county infrastructure round with higher award caps for projects that unlock new housing. Applications are due Feb. 5, 2027.
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Taylor Devices clears IDA hearing for $8 million aerospace landing-gear expansion in North Tonawanda
Taylor Devices cleared an NCIDA public hearing for an $8 million aerospace landing-gear expansion in vacant North Tonawanda buildings, with a November vote on tax incentives.
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City declares Broadway Barns emergency after concrete panels fall, winter plow gear at risk
Mayor Sean Ryan declared an emergency at the Broadway Barns after concrete panels fell onto plow equipment, leaving winter readiness hanging on a failing roof.
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Love Canal family wants out of its 99th Street home. The state says the data don’t show the landfill is to blame
A petition to relocate the McKiernan family and reinvestigate Love Canal puts the DEC and Health Department on a legal clock that could run out in early November.
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With talks stalled and a Jan. 1 auto tariff looming, the Niagara Frontier braces for a longer trade war
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says Washington is “holding fast” with Canada. New Statistics Canada data show Canadians’ car trips from the U.S. are still 31% below 2024 levels.
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Six Nations’ Haldimand Tract lawsuit is finally on trial, and its roots run through New York
Thirty-one years after filing suit, Six Nations of the Grand River is in court against Canada and Ontario over lost lands and trust funds, with potential damages estimated at $13.9 billion to…
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New York is $7.3 billion ahead of its tax forecast at midyear. Watchdogs are split on what to do with it
Comptroller DiNapoli reports state tax receipts ran $7.3 billion above projections through September, driven by Wall Street and business taxes, even as $31.7 billion in out-year budget gaps loom.
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Upstate Niagara’s West Seneca dairy expansion has more than doubled in cost. Now it’s back for more tax relief
The farmer-owned cooperative’s plan has grown from $150 million to $325 million in two years, and it needs $30 million in generators because grid power isn’t available. A public hearing on a…
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Bend police say teen gunman scaled a fence and shot through locked doors before a father stopped him
Police say a 16-year-old former student climbed a fence and shot through locked glass doors at Silver Rail Elementary, killing three children and a teacher, before a parent followed him inside and…
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Poloncarz’s $2.4 billion budget trims the tax rate but raises the levy as federal cuts loom
Erie County’s proposed 2027 budget cuts the tax rate to $3.01 but collects $12.7 million more. It also absorbs $13.8 million in new SNAP costs, with a possible $55 million hit in…
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Waymo brings robotaxi testing to Toronto, setting up a winter test Buffalo will watch
Waymo says its self-driving cars will begin mapping Toronto streets within days, with driverless rides targeted for 2028. A Queen’s University expert warns that snow can blind the sensors.
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DHS records on Batavia ICE expansion redact the bed count and describe the structure as both hard- and soft-sided
Documents released by Rep. Tim Kennedy show a $16.7 million no-bid contract for a women’s detention structure in Batavia. The bed count is redacted, and DHS and ICE describe the building differently.
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Dollar General overcharged state investigators on 14% of items. The settlement refunds no shoppers
AG Letitia James’s $1.875 million deal with Dollar General follows secret-shopper visits in Erie and three Finger Lakes counties and hundreds of failed price inspections. The penalty is paid in goods to…
