The Buffalo Chronicle
City & Region
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Erie County still chasing $617,700 from Albany for jail stays left over from the prison strike
Erie County lawmakers voted unanimously to press the state for $617,700 the Sheriff’s Office spent holding parole violators during the prison staffing crisis. The state law at issue doesn’t mention parole violators,…
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Buffalo wants its control board to borrow $20 million for emergency repairs. Its comptroller wants the math first
[PREMIUM] Buffalo is asking its state control board to borrow up to $20.06 million for emergency repairs, the first such request since 2007. Comptroller Barbara Miller Williams wants the costs, savings and…
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Hotels chosen for convenience and self-approved credit cards: what four new audits found in Western New York
Audits of the Snyder Fire District, Lancaster’s Twin District fire company, the City of Olean and Erie County’s cash office found weak checks on receipts, wire transfers and financial reports. Here’s what…
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Copart now owns ACV, and the merger filings show what Buffalo workers were promised, and for how long
Copart closed its $1.9 billion cash purchase of Buffalo’s ACV Auctions on Oct. 16. The filings guarantee employees’ pay for one year but describe no commitment to keep the headquarters or jobs…
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Western New York’s $16 minimum wage is frozen for 2027 by a jobs test Albany now calls ‘overly sensitive’
A small drop in statewide jobs canceled the first inflation raise under New York’s 2023 wage law. Gov. Hochul wants $16.55 upstate by March 1, but that depends on the Legislature.
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WNY ‘No Kings’ rallies turn protest energy toward early voting
Saturday’s No Kings rallies across Western New York pushed early voting Oct. 24–Nov. 1. Mayor Sean Ryan, Supervisor Brian Nowak and organizers cast turnout as the test that follows the signs.
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Buffalo schools revise closure plan after community pushback on high school merger and bilingual seats
Buffalo Public Schools is revising its eight-school closure proposal, shifting a high school merger to East Community and adding transfer options for PS 33. Capacity and staffing checks are still unfinished.
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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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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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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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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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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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Buffalo school board faces vote on eight closures as da Vinci students push back
The Buffalo Board of Education could vote Oct. 21 on a plan to close eight schools, merge da Vinci and Research Lab at East High and cut 108 jobs. The projected $24…
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Amazon’s Town of Niagara warehouse is hiring. Now comes the test of its $123 million tax break
Amazon is hiring up to 1,000 workers at its Lockport Road fulfillment center, backed by one of the largest Amazon incentive packages in the country. Here’s what Niagara County taxpayers put in,…
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Federal judge sends Buffalo’s Seneca One Stop lawsuit back to state court, denies emergency halt
Judge Meredith Vacca remanded the city’s case against Seneca Nation leaders to Erie County Supreme Court and said she lacked authority to grant a restraining order, leaving the Miami Street fight unresolved.
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Blakeman is determined to deliver a Major League sports franchise for Rochester, and it’s most likely soccer
Rochester has been a major league city before. It has not been one in a long time, and the distance between those two facts is the whole argument. Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau…
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Ricchiazzi calls for reinstatement of a ‘hard’ city control board
Buffalo, N.Y. — Local activist and longtime fiscal watchdog Matthew Ricchiazzi is urging Mayor Sean Ryan to join him in petitioning the state Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul to reinstate a “hard”…
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Terry Pegula urged to repurpose old Bills stadium for soccer venture, amid USL expansion push
It would cost $30 to $40 million to demolish the old Highmark Stadium, while a USL expansion fee is only $20 million, and soccer-specific retrofits would cost less than $15 million. By…
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Contrasting visions shape Buffalo’s mayoral election
OCTOBER 16, 2025 — As Buffalo approaches its municipal election on November 4, 2025, the race for mayor presents voters with starkly different paths forward for a city grappling with fiscal instability,…
