Buffalo native Dr. Michael Roizen, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic, brought a simple message about health to WNED's Buffalo City Forum this afternoon. Rozien said a few simple changes in diet, inactivity and stress can have a "radical" impact on health.

The FAA Reauthorization Act hit the Senate floor Wednesday evening. But before debate began, the legislation was held up by a Tennessee Senator. YNN’s Jennifer Bernstein tells us what Flight 3407 families did to ensure it wasn’t stalled.

Young Audiences of Western New York is teaming up with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery this Friday March 12 to give families the opportunity to go Around the World with Young Audiences through interactive experiences in art, dance, and storytelling.  Presented as part of the popular Gusto at the Gallery series, admission to the gallery and participation in events are free to the public.

The programs offered with Around the World on Friday include interactive workshops and performances at the Albright-Knox from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the classrooms and auditorium of the gallery.  Each activity explores a different culture or group of cultures.
 
"Gusto events are a great way for Young Audiences to share the diversity and talent of our teaching artists with the public," said Cynnie Gaasch, Executive Director of Young Audiences WNY. "Our programs are educational and artistically excellent.  Because they are most often offered in school many people don't know about all of the fantastic programs we offer.  We love presenting in the family-friendly atmosphere of the Albright-Knox."

Families will make avatars or cherry blossom out of paper in Kyoko Roszmann's Origami Workshop and Sarah Hooper's Family Dance/Salsa Workshop will kick-off the night's activities in the gallery's classrooms, followed by performances in the auditorium by Lorna Czarnota and Clyde Alifiju Morgan.
 
At 6:30 p.m. Czarnota will present This World of Ours: Stories from Many Cultures, a dynamic performance featuring stories from China, Ireland, Africa, and the Middle East.  Czarnota's performance will be immediately followed by Morgan's Afro-Brazilian Dance & Music at 7:30 p.m. Morgan's fast-paced performance features a brilliant array of dance and music reflecting the multi-cultural traditions of Brazil.

Young Audiences WNY, is one of 30 Young Audiences affiliates across the country.  They present hundreds of  programs, plus dozens of residencies.  Their teaching artists provide schoolchildren, their educators and families, with multi-disciplinary, multi-session education through the arts.  These residencies create meaningful connections between artists and young people that might otherwise not be exposed to the arts--especially arts integrated into school curricula.
 
Young Audiences also appeared at the Buffalo Powder Keg Festival with some of their teaching artists, and you can view a slideshow of the fun families had with Kyoko Roszmann, Cindy Hanna, Jen Russo , and Glenn Colton  there, here.  To learn more about Young Audiences programing, visit their website at www.yawny.org. 

Five years ago, during my career as a media specialist for the Erie County Legislature, I became involved with a group of citizens and government officials lobbying for the establishment of an NFTA bus route along Route 62 in the Southtowns.

The call for the public transportation was largely based on the fact that a significant percentage of the population living between Hamburg and Gowanda exist at a socio economic level that makes ownerhsip of a car prohibitive. Therefore a number of people in southern Erie County struggle to maintain jobs, attend school and receive medical treatments, as they have no way to travel to any of those destinations.

During the many public and committee meetings held on this issue, the NFTA willingly mapped out the lenghty bus route and meticulously charted the most effective run times. They also acknowledged that due to the 20 plus mile distance of the route, it would probably never be cost effective. Yet, they agreed that the route was an important link for the southtowns community and a needed public service, as is their federally funded mandate.

Since the route was established, a regular ridership has developed, including students attending Erie Community College, corrections officers working at the Gowanda Correctional Facility and riders making connections to destinations well beyond the southtowns, such as downtown Buffalo. And as the NFTA forecast, the ridership has not come anywhere close to balancing the costs.

And so I wonder why all of a sudden the NFTA is suggesting that the Route 62 bus route is in danger of being eliminated….especially when it has only been running for two years…not really long enough to develop a significant ridership pattern. NFTA officials knew the terms when they signed on, and they accepted those terms in full.

Perhaps eliminating transportation that primarily serves the working class is easily done because they do not have a power base, political or otherwise, to lobby on their behalf. And lacking that power base, perhaps the people who ride the Route 62 bus are nothing more than faceless, nameless numbers on a statistical ridership graph, thumb tacked to an NFTA bulletin board…in other words, easily eliminated.

Thursday evening at ECC South Erie County Legislator Lynn Dixon will hold a public hearing on this issue. Based on the 7pm start time, bus transportation will not be available, as by then the Route 62 bus will have completed its final run for the day. So the people who most need to attend this hearing and lobby on behalf of the bus route most likely will not be there.

In their stead, perhaps those of us blessed with the good fortune to own cars will show up at ECC South tomorrow night….take an hour from our busy lives and speak for those who cannot….stand up for those who are in need….help to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors who need the Route 62 bus route to complete their education, earn a living, attend to their health care needs.

And if that happens, perhaps the NFTA will learn that dollars and cents are not the only measure of true value in a community that cares.

Entire show/ one file:

031010BillO

Massa makes noise….Firings at the Holding Center….Lockport schools to close…

Anchored by Tom Schuh:

nn wed

Hosted by Dave Ungaro and Ken Wolf:

031010CC

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today said that the Senate is expected to pass the Senate jobs bill that includes billions of dollars in budget aid for Upstate communities and all of New York State. The legislation includes a boost in federal Medicaid reimbursements, through a formula called FMAP, which was originally passed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Schumer said the proposal will send the State an estimated $2.3 billion over the first six months of 2011, with Upstate New York and Long Island counties in line to receive an additional $200M.  In ARRA, Schumer successfully fought to include the “county-local share” policy, which ensures that localities receive budget aid directly, in addition to aid given to the states, and that provision will to be in effect in the Senate jobs bill. Schumer said this money will help mitigate possible tax hikes and reduce the severity of budget cuts.  In total, New York State and the counties together will receive an estimated $3 billion in relief for the first six months of 2011.  “Unemployment is already too high and unless we get fiscal aid directly to our beleaguered county governments during this downturn, they will be forced to raise property taxes, layoff vital workers and make thing worse, instead of better,” said Senator Schumer. “This money will be a tremendous shot in the arm for taxpayers across New York because it will help prevent property tax hikes, mitigate the impact of service cuts, and reduce layoffs during the worst financial crisis in generations. This support will help alleviate, though it will not eliminate, the tough choices facing the State and counties during these difficult times.” Schumer today said that the Senate Jobs bill, that is expected to pass this afternoon, includes a provision that extends for an additional six months the two-year increase in FMAP that was passed as part of the stimulus package. The original FMAP increase sent all states $87 billion for 2009 and 2010. “The bottom line is that economists of all stripes recognize that, during a severe downturn, supporting our cash-strapped local and state governments gets significant bang for the buck because it keeps people working and prevents tax hikes that, if enacted, mean consumers will have less to spend to support the economy,” said Senator Schumer. The proposal will extend the FMAP boost passed in the stimulus for an additional six-months covering the first six months of 2011. All data is based on preliminary projections provided by the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) and is subject to New York State Social Services law, Medicaid claims experience, and other economic conditions. The total nationwide boost provides states with $24.7 billion. New York State is estimated to receive as much as $3 billion based on estimates of the New York State Association of Counties and New York State. Of that, the NYSAC preliminary estimates that Upstate New York and Long Island counties are in line to receive upwards of $200 billion. All data is based on preliminary projections provided by the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) and is subject to New York State Social Services law, Medicaid claims experience, and other economic conditions. The Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) is a matching rate enacted in 1965 that determines the federal funding share for state Medicaid programs. The federal government matches state funds spent on Medicaid, based on the state’s FMAP. The FMAP varies from state to state; and New York’s FMAP is 50%. Thirteen states have FMAPs equal to the 50 percent floor in 2009 (CA, CO, CT, DE, MD, MA, MN, NV, NH, NJ, NY, VA, WY). By law, the FMAP cannot be lower than 50 percent, or higher than 83 percent.  The FMAP formula is designed to account for income variation across the states and is based on rolling three-year average per capita income data for each state. The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis calculates FMAP annually. Schumer released the following projections, produced by the New York Association of Counties, for what the Senate jobs bill will mean for each region in New York: The Senate jobs bill will provide the Capital Region with a projected $21 million in budget relief. The Senate jobs bill will provide Central New York with a projected $20 million in budget relief. The Senate jobs bill will provide the Rochester Finger Lakes Region with a projected $24 million in budget relief. The Senate jobs bill will provide Western New York with a projected $29 million in budget relief. The Senate jobs bill will provide the Southern Tier with a projected $13 million in budget relief. The Senate jobs bill will provide the Hudson Valley with a projected $43 million in budget relief. The Senate jobs bill will provide the North Country with a projected $10 million in budget relief. The Senate jobs bill will provide Long Island with a projected $45 million in budget relief. During an economic downturn, as state revenues become stagnant or decline, the number of Medicaid beneficiaries increases because of job losses and the health care coverage that comes with employment. The temporary FMAP increase provides assistance to states and localities during economic downturns. Schumer successfully fought to include a legislative language (the “county-local share” policy) that ensures that Upstate counties and local governments across New York State receive their fair share of the FMAP relief for their Medicaid programs. Since the enactment of the Medicaid program in 1965, counties in New York have been required to share in the costs of services. In New York, local governments share with the state in Medicaid participation. Counties are mandated by the state to contribute approximately $7 billion annually or about 32 percent of the non-federal share of the State’s Medicaid Program. Recognizing that all of New York is in dire need of direct fiscal aid and are forced to share the cost of Medicaid, Schumer – a member of the Senate Leadership and the Finance Committee which has jurisdiction over Medicaid – fought to ensure that a “county-local share” provision was included in the stimulus to ensure that New York State counties and localities received the billions in direct aid from FMAP as part of the economic stimulus plan.

With her master’s degree in business from Medaille’s Accelerated Learning Program, Yvonne Thorne started to apply what she learned in her evening classes to what she worked on during the day. She highlights three concepts that had an impact: “Analytical concepts, for use in writing proposals and business plans showing financial benefits and outcomes; research [...]

I wanted to take this chance to warn all Western New Yorkers about mailings that appear to be from the U.S. Census Bureau but are actually scams hoping to attract your attention or capture your personal information.

Nationwide, the Census Bureau has received complaints about deceptive mailings that arrive in enveloped marked “Census” and include a “census tracking code.” In reality, many of these mailings are not affiliated with the Census Bureau. So far, none of these scams have yet appeared in Western New York.

Official Census Bureau documents will never ask for your full social security number, money or a donation, PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts. Also, the Bureau never sends requests on behalf of a political party. More information on these scams is available here.

Despite the attention-grabbing scams I urge you to fill out your 2010 Census forms which are already arriving in the mail.

It’s no secret that our population in Western New York has gone down, which makes it even more important that everyone of us fills out this vital form so New York isn’t left out in the cold. Our schools, libraries, community centers and so many other important programs all rely on Census results.

The results of the Census will determine how more than $445 billion in federal funds – for everything from schools to roads to senior centers – are distributed to state, local, and tribal governments over the next decade. It also affects representation in Congress and the Electoral College.

The 2000 Census had a 67 percent national response rate, with an estimated undercount of more than 3 million people. According to a recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers report, areas most affected by Census undercounting lose about $2,913 per uncounted person in federal funding.

On March 10, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass legislation that would protect the integrity of the constitutionally mandated United States census and prohibit deceptive mail practices that attempt to exploit the decennial census. I voted in favor of the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act.

You may have already received census forms in the mail. If you haven’t received your census form in the mail by April 1, please call one of my offices at:

Buffalo: (716) 853-5813
Niagara Falls: (716) 282-1274
Rochester: (585) 232-4850

You wouldn’t know it from watching the news, but lost amidst Cory Haim’s death, Eric Massa’a groping and Obama’s continued attempt to subsidize the insurance industry on behalf of the global Commie-Muslim conspiracy, Congress is debating a resolution to end the war in Afghanistan today.

Crazy ol’ Dennis Kucinich — he’s short, so how can we take him seriously? — has introduced a resolution “Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan.”  It has 18 cosponsors (well 17 with Massa gone), including two Republicans: nutjob Ron Paul and Walter Jones, the man responsible for the “freedom fries” brouhaha who got tired of seeing his constituents come home in body bags.

Our own Louise Slaughter is on a swing list put together by the good people at Peace Action, who hope that we might make some calls this afternoon asking her to support the resolution: Slaughter, Louise McIntosh NY-28 202-225-3615

Charles Bryant III was ordered today to spend up to the next 20 years in prison for killing a man during a failed stickup in a Jefferson Avenue shopping-plaza parking lot last summer.

Apparently photography runs in the Cascio family as verified here by this sweet photo taken by Joe Cascio's grandfather. Thankfully Joe has access to a ton of similar images taken around the city - it may be a different era, but you should be able to tell where this is. Joe confessed that he is still learning about many of the images, but that shouldn't stop us from showcasing some of them.

This one in particular, taken of the city's beautiful Goldome Building (originally Buffalo Savings Bank and now M&T Bank) is amusing in countless ways. The image calls out for a slew of different fun captions. So far the general response upon viewing this image is, "What the 'heck' is that?" From the looks of it, this must have been in conjunction with the Pan American Expo - is that an Elk on top of that stone mountain gateway? Check out the trolleys!

After much recent thunder and lightning over the state rehabilitation stimulus program--a legislative thoroughbred which was unaccountably hamstrung by the Governor's budget office prior to leaving the starting gate last year--the rainmaking got underway in earnest yesterday, led primarily by western New York's legislative delegation.  An urgently needed fix which has been on their radar screen since last year got some much-needed gale-force wind in its sails in recent weeks as the sturm-und-drang played out in the western New York media.  High-stakes moves by local developers to show us what kinds of projects we could make happen with our grand old buildings--and what we could risk losing--have clearly gotten Albany's ear as well as the attention of everyone who wants to see new life breathed back into our decaying urban places.  And Donn Esmonde's flailing away at the very people who have moved the ball to first-and-goal position certainly added heat if not any light (which was thoughtfully added the following day by Phil Fairbanks).
 
As someone who's been involved with the advocacy for (and written about) this program since 2006, I've always seen and understood it as a long-term, crawl-walk-run presumption.  Even in the best of times, Albany is so often a place where good ideas go to die.  In just one example of many, friends in Rochester have for nearly a decade led a statewide fight against lead poisoning, building a strong coalition and traveling to Albany weekly, only to be sent back to the drawing board.  So it's a miracle that any legislation at all made it through last year's Albany, entangled in a mire of coups, scandal, and leadership meltdown we haven't seen the like of since...well, this year.
 
But our legislative delegation, God bless them, is going back to the well again.  Led by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (Assembly sponsor); Senators William Stachowski and Antoine Thompson (Senate co-sponsors, along with upstate Senator Darrel Aubertine); and Assemblymembers Francine DelMonte, Dennis Gabryszak, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and Mark Schroeder (among Assembly co-sponsors); yesterday they submitted companion bills (A10168, S7042).  This new legislation will allow project developers to allocate the state rehabilitation tax credit within a partnership or LLC different from the federal tax credit, and the ability to apply the credits against the bank and insurance taxes.
 Sounds like a lot of MBA talk--how will that help?  At a tax credit workshop last year in Syracuse, covered here, a key discussion was the importance of resale (or syndication) of the credits.  In practical application, that's the way the tax credits inject upfront financing needed to make a project work, and get the work started.  So as a developer, even though the tax credits offset your tax obligations up to several years down the road, you can sell them to investors (for a percentage of future value) as soon as you qualify.  That gets project cash flowing right away, "shovels in the ground," and payroll taxes and permit fees flowing to cash-strapped local governments.  Best of all, people get hired and paid.
 
The other key role of the tax credits is to help fill the funding gap. Since costs of doing business are high all over the state, yet rates of return have been stagnant upstate for decades, developers usually look to apply tax credits of all kinds, from affordable housing credits, brownfield credits, etc.  The name of the game is bridging the gap between upfront costs and expected return over time.  Having a strong state-level rehabilitation tax credit (to add to existing federal credits created decades ago), can make the difference between a project being viable or not.  It also encourages developers to invest in our older and historic building stock, which is good policy and environmentally friendly.  But only if developers can easily resell (and for maximum value) the tax credits.  This legislative fix will help with that, by removing unnecessary financial constraints to investing in the credits.
 
When this fix is made, western New York is especially well positioned to turn it to maximum advantage.  Our combination of older building stock and poor economic climate have led--in true WNY lemons-to-lemonade fashion--to the development of a local specialty in the use of tax credit programs of all kinds and the financing of building rehabilitation projects.  Steven Weiss of the law firm Cannon, Heyman, and Weiss puts people to work right here in Buffalo helping organizations and developers around the world with securing tax credits of all kinds.  Preservation architect Clint Brown has educated people all over the state using case studies of local projects, including one he has undertaken himself.  And we have several developers who proven very savvy and adept at juggling these many funding sources, turning them into projects and jobs.  And ECIDA even kicks in, with a special funding stream for adaptive reuse projects for older buildings.
 
Would you like to learn more about the rehabilitation tax credit program and other techniques for developing and funding these kinds of projects?  You're in luck, as there will be a FREE daylong workshop held tomorrow, March 11, at the Earl Brydges Library in Niagara Falls, organized by Preservation Buffalo Niagara and the Preservation League of New York State.  The presenters are all top-notch.  Check it out.
 
So...what are the chances for success for this legislative fix?  Surprisingly good, I've been told.  First, the Governor doesn't like all the bashing his budget office has taken for hamstringing last year's bill, and would love to do anything right now that might help boost his own standing.  And he now knows that any budget impacts of these changes (although they will be offset by increases in state and local revenue) will be felt by another governor.  He's signaled he will sign.
 
If he doesn't, I'm sure Governor Ravitch or Governor Cuomo or Governor Paladino will.

Lafayette Hotel room overlooking the square.

I can't say it any better than Joe the Planner.  Sprawl is the biggest threat to WNY's economy. It matters not if you live inside the city or on an idyllic suburban cul-de-sac.  Sprawl has its evil hand in your pocket big time. It is time for WNY to wake up to the sprawl disaster and start leading the country to a better way.
 
Check it out - Joe the Planner makes the insanity very clear. Here's an excerpt:

As it turns out, the Buffalo Metro area is a nearly ideal case for the study of sprawl and its effects. This is for a couple of reasons: (1) the region has well-established pre-World War II cities and towns, and (2) the metro population has essentially remained unchanged since the end of WWII.

Yep, you read that right. Buffalo's metro population has essentially remained unchanged for the last 60 years. With all the talk about population loss, it seems that many people don't realize this. Buffalo hasn't shrunk; it's just spread-out. This makes the effects of sprawl quite obvious because there's been no significant statistical muddying caused by changes in population.