Mayor Byron Brown yesterday announced the formation of a task force to deal with violent crime in the area. The effort will include the State Police, FBI, U.S Attorney’s office and other law enforcement agencies working together to go after the city’s most violent criminals. The mayor says that plans for the task force were in the works before the recent shootings outside of the City Grill in downtown Buffalo. The voilent crime task force will operate out of Buffalo Police headquarters.
Tribal leaders are going to petition President Obama for help in their fight with New York over state tax collections on cigarette sales. After a Tuesday conclave near the Seneca tribe’s Salamanca casino, leaders from the six Iroquois nations decided to appeal to the Obama administration for help with fighting what they feel is direct violation of their sovereignty. A new state law that would tax cigarette sales on Native American land is scheduled to go into effect on September 1st. Tribal leaders have already filed a lawsuit against the state to halt the new tax.
Up to 700 million federal dollars are coming to New York for education. The Empire State was among nine states awarded a piece of three-point-four-billion dollars as part of the “Race to the Top” competition. State Education Commissioner David Steiner says a little over half the funds will go directly to the districts.
The state expects to use some of the money to improve tracking systems that show children’s progress from year to year. Governor Paterson says linking teacher evaluations to teachers performance and monitoring student achievement put New York near the top of the list during the second round.
New York State United Teachers say the award is clear recognition of leaders coming together to enhance learning opportunities for students. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo noted that the funding will help to pay for critical upgrades and programs for students while the New York State School Boards Association offered congratulations to the State Education Department, Board of Regents and state lawmakers for their hard work on the state’s application.
Buffalo firefighters have remembered the one year anniversary of the deaths of two of the city’s bravest. Hundreds gathered at the Saint Joseph University Church yesterday to honor Lieutenant Charles McCarthy and Firefighter Jonathan Croom, who died a year ago in a Genesee Street fire. Mourners also gathered just before 4 a.m. early Tuesday morning at the site of the Super Speedy Deli where the two men perished. Family members held candles and laid wreaths at the now vacant lot. Croom’s mother, Angie Heusinger says the outpouring was a sign at just how much the two firefighters were loved.
The Buffalo Niagara region is in the nation’s Top 5 for housing affordability. In a survey of second quarter home sales compared to income, the area ranked fifth on the “Housing Opportunity Index” compiled by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. 93-percent of homes in the Buffalo Niagara region were considered affordable. Topping the list was Syracuse, which bumped Indianapolis out of the number one spot it held for the past five years.
More than 380-thousand pounds of deli meat that were processed by a Buffalo company have been recalled because of possible Listeria contamination. Zemco Industries, the local division of Tyson Foods, produced the meat products for use in “Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches” sold at Wal-mart nationwide. The sandwiches have a use by date between August 20th and September 10th. A Zemco spokesman says most of the meat has already been consumed but the remaining sandwiches have been pulled from Wal-mart shelves. No illnesses have been reported.
Erie County is expanding its child care subsidies to allow a greater number of families to enroll. County officials say it is possible because of six million dollars in additional funding from the state. That means the eligibility requirement will be raised from 125-percent of the poverty level to 175-percent, which includes a family of four making just over 38-thousand-500 dollars per year. Earlier this year the program was cut nearly in half which affected more than one thousand children. County officials do not know exactly how many families will be able to rejoin thanks to this expansion.
After creating a storm of controversy over the weekend with comments about turning prisons into dorms for welfare recipients, Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino’s campaign is trying to clarify his remarks. The Buffalo businessman’s staffers say he was talking about transforming unused minimum security prisons by removing all of the bars and security to create a place to live and learn. The campaign says Paladino wants to use the facilities as places where welfare recipients can gain job and life skills. Staffers say the comments over the weekend were misinterpreted.
The State Police took a motorcyclist into custody last night for DWI. Troopers stopped 41-year-old William MacNamara in the town of Alden for speeding. He was given a field sobriety test and arrested with an alleged blood-alcohol level of point-ten percent. MacNamara is also being charged with riding a motorcycle without a license.
One of New York’s most powerful Democrats has commented on to the controversy over a proposed community center and mosque near Ground Zero. State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver supports the idea of moving the project. Meanwhile, Governor David Paterson and New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan are offering to work out a solution to tone down the heated debate. The governor and Archbishop Dolan met for 45 minutes in private at the Governor’s midtown office.
