The Buffalo Chronicle
Commerce
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Designing a paid leave policy to support our most vulnerable workers
BY ANGELA RACHIDI While the academic and political case for paid leave advanced considerably in recent years, questions remain regarding how a national paid leave program would affect low-wage workers. Research shows…
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After Chinese steal billions in research, we finally ban them
BY TOM FITTON China has for years sought to steal U.S. research, and the cost has been staggering. The Trump Administration has now taken action against this wholesale espionage, as our Corruption Chronicles blog reports.…
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September unemployment rate falls to half of recent projections
BY MATT WEIDINGER According to today’s jobs report from the US Department of Labor, the US unemployment rate in September was 7.9 percent, down from 8.4 percent in August. As the following chart shows,…
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Awaiting the signal: Assessing the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines
BY JAMES C. CAPRETTA AND SCOTT GANZ The global campaign to identify effective vaccines against COVID-19 has entered the final stage of testing for regulatory approval—Phase III trials—for several promising candidates. Evaluation…
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New York State’s second quarter economic crash was the worst on record
BY E.J. McMAHON Further evidence of the massive damage done to New York’s economy by the coronavirus pandemic shutdown has emerged in the latest gross domestic product (GDP) data from the federal…
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Might Congress enact a compromise to end earmarks as we know them?
BY KEVIN R. KOSAR For the past several years, there have been murmurings on Capitol Hill about possibly bringing back earmarks. Now it appears possible that the scandal-tainted earmarks of old may…
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In New York, private job count down 1.1 million from pre-pandemic level
BY E.J. McMAHON Six months into the novel coronavirus pandemic, New York State’s private-sector employment recovery was the slowest in the 48 contiguous states—and getting slower. The latest monthly jobs report from the state…
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Marine Drive residents prefer Paladino over BMHA as their landlord
Residents of Marine Drive Apartments — Buffalo’s largest public housing complex — prefer that Carl Paladino‘s Ellicott Development was their landlord, rather than the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA), at a rate…
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Separating myth from fact about the troubles of the Postal Service
BY KEVIN KOSAR Key Points The US Postal Service (USPS) will not run out of money in the foreseeable future. It has more than $13 billion in cash and a new $10…
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Brown, Pridgen are considering a $100m privatization of the Urban Development Corp
Sources tell The Chronicle that Mayor Byron Brown and Common Council President Darius Pridgen are considering a sweeping privatization of the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC) and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency…
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The battle for global internet governance: an interview with a leading expert
BY SHANE TEWS China claims it is tired of western-centric internet governance, and now seeks to establish a less centralized global internet based on newer, native products that reflect China’s policy agenda.…
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Does pro-progress, techno-optimism have a place in American politics?
BY JAMES PETHOKOUKIS Nuclear war theorist Herman Kahn provided at least partial inspiration for film director Stanley Kubrick’s maniacal Dr. Strangelove. (The character’s accent, at least, was likely based on that of…
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Payroll tax deferral could be more complicated than it sounds
BY ALAN D. VIARD On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing the Treasury Department to allow employers to defer their employees’ Social Security payroll taxes. The administration claims legal authority to take…
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Democrats don’t make a case for regulating Big Tech
BY MARK JAMISON In a recent blog post, I wrote that July’s House Judiciary Committee hearing featuring Big Tech CEOs from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google turned into two hearings: one for Democrats, who largely…
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Uber lobbies for regulations to kill smaller competitors
BY TIMOTHY P. CARNEY Uber is very good at raising piles of money from investors, but it is not very good at making profits. So the company is resorting to a tried…
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Local restauranteur says ‘Shuck the Pandemic’ and opens third seafood venture
AMHERST, NY –Amherst Chamber of Commerce President/CEO A.J. Baynes joins Chamber member and local restaurant owner Michael Tobin in announcing the Grand Opening of Shuck Shack, the third seafood venture for Tobin on Saturday,…
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Buffalo Niagara Partnership names new Board members
BUFFALO, N.Y– The Buffalo Niagara Partnership, the area’s regional chamber of commerce, announces that seven new members have joined its Board of Directors, with terms effective immediately. The new Board members are:…
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Millions may be on Pandemic Unemployment who did not apply
BY MATT WEIDINGER Various reviewers (including me) have noted the rapid growth of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. That’s the temporary federally funded unemployment benefit program created in the March 2020 CARES…
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NYC led the latest state population drop
BY E.J. McMAHON For a second consecutive year, New York’s population loss was mainly concentrated downstate, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates. During the 12-month period ending last July 1, the…
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Bob Rich urged to launch a new Buffalo-based ‘brand-building unit’
Billionaire Bob Rich, the owner of the privately held Rich Products Corporation is being urged to launch a new Buffalo-based marketing unit focused on ‘brand-building’ across the multi-national firm’s product channels. Many…
