The Buffalo Chronicle
The Northtowns
Community news from Buffalo’s northern suburbs.
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The Kenney Field jet is nearly restored, and the crew found bullet holes under its old patches
The Korean War-era Cougar jet at Kenney Field is nearly restored, and the crew found bullet holes under its old patches. Supervisor John Flynn hopes to finish by Veterans Day but won’t…
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UB pauses its Flock camera pilot indefinitely, and hands the decision to a committee that has met twice
President Caroline Attardo Genco has paused the University at Buffalo’s planned 20-camera license plate reader trial and asked a police advisory committee to gather campus input. Some committee members say they were…
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Fantasy Island is still for sale, and Grand Island is waiting to learn what comes next
Seven weeks after the former Fantasy Island site was listed for just under $5 million, no buyer has been announced. Grand Island’s supervisor says the town can only make introductions, and some…
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UB will test 20 Flock license plate cameras this spring. Students and faculty want to know why
The University at Buffalo plans a free 60-day trial of 20 Flock license plate readers at campus entrances next spring. Police say it will help solve crimes, while students and faculty are…
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Kenmore’s old Presbyterian church has a demolition permit and a Shake Shack plan, but no start date
The former Kenmore Presbyterian Church on Delaware Avenue is cleared for demolition to make way for a Shake Shack and apartments, but the village says it has no start date, and a…
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Four years after it was announced, Tonawanda’s fix for Young Street bridge strikes gets final approval
The City of Tonawanda has approved $1.225 million in federally funded work on a sensor-triggered warning system meant to stop overheight trucks from hitting the Young Street railroad bridge. Officials say it…
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Wheatfield’s 2027 budget heads to a Nov. 2 hearing with a $13.70 tax increase for a typical home
Wheatfield’s Town Board will take public comment on its 2027 preliminary budget Nov. 2, as officials weigh higher salt prices, garbage fees and uncertain state road aid.
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A stuck sewer camera keeps the old Niagara County Infirmary in limbo on Lockport’s city-town line
A plan for roughly 70 homes at the former Niagara County Infirmary is on hold while the Town of Lockport waits for usable video of a city sewer line. Meanwhile, the vacant…
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Clarence holds its tax rate flat for 2027, but leans on $3.2 million in savings to do it
Supervisor Patrick Casilio’s preliminary 2027 budget keeps Clarence’s general fund rate at about 57 cents per $1,000, but draws heavily on fund balance while road salt pushes the highway rate up. A…
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Catholic Health and Benderson seek a tax break to turn a vacant Evans Street Rite Aid into a $28.5 million medical hub
A Benderson-linked developer is asking the Amherst IDA for a property tax break to turn the vacant Rite Aid at 462 and 480 Evans St. into a $28.5 million Catholic Health Northtowns…
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Tonawanda’s new supervisor breaks the tax cap and says it will save residents later. Here’s the math
Supervisor John Flynn’s first budget raises the Town of Tonawanda levy 3.9%, well past the state cap, citing health insurance, pensions, police raises and a 57% jump in rock salt. Clarence faced…
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North Tonawanda’s budget asks for a 4.25% levy increase as voters weigh an $18 million community center
Mayor Austin Tylec’s $52.1 million plan would raise North Tonawanda’s tax levy 4.25%, the eighth straight increase by the city’s own count, while voters decide on up to $18 million in borrowing…
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Grand Island weighs leasing town land for battery storage, but the terms aren’t public
Grand Island’s Town Board is weighing a lease that would let CleanCapital put a battery storage system on town land at 1600 Whitehaven Road, while a 12-Megapack project on Bedell Road becomes…
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Amherst’s tax hike lands on plows and garbage trucks, not the general fund
Amherst’s proposed 2027 budget breaks the state tax cap by $3.55 million, yet the town’s main operating fund barely moves. The increase lands on highways, salt and garbage, with the last budget…
