Article By Rachel Fix Dominguez:

I moved back to Buffalo (with my California-transplant husband) in 2004 partly because of the quality of life here. Having grown up in this city, I always knew I'd like to raise my children here. And now that I am a mother (to a 17 month old son, whom we'll call E.), Buffalo does not disappoint. Are there days, weeks, even months when I've lamented how the cold has limited our outdoor options? Sure. I'd be lying if I pretended to love every minute of raising a child in this climate. But overall I find that there's plenty to do with kids in Buffalo, even in the depths of winter.

As any new parent soon learns, the world is a different place when you're living in it with a little one. Restaurants get reevaluated in terms of how much they mind food on the floor, whether or not they've got good high chairs and food your kid will actually consume, and whether or not the other patrons throw daggers your way when you walk in the door. The shops you frequent are now partly determined by their proximity to other useful places, how many breakable items are within reach, whether a screaming, pre-nap child will be looked upon with sympathy, and what sort of changing table configuration (if any) is in place.

This series of posts (which I'm calling City Kids), to be updated as frequently as motherhood allows, will explore some of the ways families can have fun in the City of Good Neighbors. My goal for City Kids is not to unearth new or undiscovered places; rather, I plan to discuss what's fun and interesting to do with a child (or two, or five, plus or minus a partner, grandparent, or other set of helping hands) in tow. I welcome your suggestions along these lines. Where do you go as a family? Where are your favorite places to take kids in Buffalo? What are some fun day trips you've made with children? Let's share ideas about family-oriented activities and events in our community. From La Nova pizza night at home on wintry evening to an afternoon at the Albright-Knox to a possible day trip... the options for having fun with your little ones in and around Buffalo are extensive.

LOCKPORT -- A large crowd is expected Wednesday night when Lockport School Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone plans to name the two elementary schools she recommends be closed because of budget pressure and declining enrollment.

Brad Riter, Tom Schuh and Scott Wilson share their opinions on tonight’s Billy Joel/Elton John concert, Barry Pepper and NFL free agency. They also talk about their love of America.

Jim Kaskie, president and CEO of Kaleida Health, calls in to discuss the ongoing development of the Downtown Medical Campus as well.

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A second person with ties to Westfield has died following a two-vehicle crash last month involving a tour bus filled with senior citizens in Florida, village officials have confirmed.

Jim Kaskie, president and CEO of Kaleida Health, calls in to Riter Radio to discuss the ongoing development of the Downtown Medical Campus.

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Four months ago, 25-year-old Francois Mitchell became Buffalo's 55th homicide of 2009.

Trance, a relatively (in the true meaning of the word) new genre of dance music, has increasingly become one of the most popular styles of music played in clubs. A both nationally and internationally renowned British trance band, Above & Beyond, is making their first ever appearance in Buffalo on Friday March 19th.  The night kicks off when the doors open at 10 PM at PURE Nightclub, located at 75 West Chippewa Street.

Back in 1999, Paavo Siljamäki and Jono Grant collaborated to found the Anjunabeats record label. In 2000, then Warner Music Group producer Tony McGuinness worked with Siljamäki and Grant to create a remix of the song "Home" by Chakra. Shortly after, Above & Beyond was formed. McGuinness, Siljamäki and Grant pride themselves on their songwriting, as well as their function as DJ's.

According to DJ Magazine's 2009 list of the top ten DJ's, the band ranks #4. Above & Beyond's remix of Madonna's "What It Feels Like for a Girl" was used in the music video for the song. Their first album was released in 2006, but the band has been producing remixes, singles and compilations since its formation in 2000.  

Above & Beyond will take the stage at 12 AM. The event is open to those 18 years and older, and is presented by Factory Nightlife, a Buffalo promotion company particularly involved with electronic dance music. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

According to Brian Nelson from Factory Nightlife, the night will feature fire breathers and hoola hoopers, and will allow "people united through the love of music, drink and dance" to come together. DJ Angelo Petrucci, Jesse Aaron, Kyle Moody, and others will also incorporate their music throughout the night.   

Burchfield Penney Art Center Director Ted Pietrzak says the region has "changed dramatically" in the 12 years since he arrived in Buffalo. Read more about how that's so at BuffaloNews.com Live at http://blogs.buffalonews.com/live/2010/03/pietrzak-buffalo-has-shed-survival-mode.html

Article By Nate Drag, Great Lakes United:

As my dog and I walked on Squaw Island on a chilly afternoon last month, I was able to get an up close look at the Niagara River. At that spot, nearly twenty percent of the world's fresh surface water flows from the four upper Great Lakes, funnels together and eventually flow over the Falls and than onto Lake Ontario. With the significance of this location in mind, I considered the consequences of clogging up the point where Lake Erie meets the Niagara River with a man-made ice boom.

Last month, Great Lakes United featured a post exploring the current presence and future of the Niagara River Ice Boom. As hoped, the post stirred conversations and reflections in many people. One man in particular has been thinking about the impact of the Ice Boom for over ten years. Joe Barrett, the creator and advocate of the "Ice Boom Theory" had plenty to tell me about his ideas on the Boom, which gave me an opportunity to consider our role as a community within this remarkable Great Lakes bioregion.

The Ice Boom was designed and installed in the early 1960's to prevent large chunks of ice flowing in the River from clogging up the water intakes for the hydroelectric facilities in Niagara Falls. Despite operating for decades prior to the ice boom, the demand for increased power production deemed early efforts, such as tugboat removal of ice chunks, as too inefficient. For Barrett, the design and function of the Ice Boom straddle the line of arrogance and ignorance. "Disrupting two entire Great Lakes and the Niagara Rivers ecosystem to protect two intake tunnels has to be the biggest example of overkill since a pyramid was built to bury a king," states Barrett. Human modification of the Niagara River, however, does not begin or end with the Ice Boom. Beginning with the diversions of water for hydro power, which in turn severely affects the amount of water flowing over Niagara Falls, to the 'shutting off' of the Falls themselves in the late 60's, American and Canadian efforts to reshape, control, and conquer the Niagara River is nothing new. Is the Ice Boom just another example of this hubris?
   
If the Ice Boom is not necessary, or even damaging as Barrett claims, what negative consequences have the ecosystems and communities along the River suffered? I asked Barrett about the role ice chunks might play in shoreline replenishment or erosion. "While walking along a stream one spring, I could hear a low rumbling sound but was unable to identify it. It grew louder and seemed to surround me. Finally, around the bend came a wall of ice chunks that looked like a horizontal avalanche. An ice dam had formed and then broken up stream from where I was. What I heard was the ice grinding on the bottom of the streambed.  It came at me and I scrambled up the bank. Huge chunks of ice were pushed up on the shoreline rather evenly dispersed. It was the most amazing sight. The ice chunks were heavily embedded with gravel and sediment. The lighter organic matter was swept along in the water.  I could see that when that ice melted it would leave the solids up on the banks.  And this has been going on for thousands of years."

Barrett claims, the increased rates of erosion on Strawberry and Grand Islands are due to the lack of ice naturally replenishing gravel and sediment. "There are newly forming sand and gravel bars that extend hundreds of feet outward and downstream. That is Grand Island washing away. There is no more pushing back action by the ice. By boat, the three must see-it to believe-it areas are all around Strawberry Island, particularly down stream from it."



Barrett also feels that the accelerated erosion of these islands is impacting the aquatic species of the River, specifically spawning areas. Barrett describes the sight of many shorelines along the Niagara. "They are covered with dead weeds and silt, unusable to any life forms.  Just past the Holiday Inn (on Grand Island) and for hundreds of yards beyond Burnt Ship creek, the entire current spawning flats are buried in 2 feet of ooze. The shoreline has receded and the beach is gone.  Everywhere along the shoreline, unless there is an artificial retaining wall, the devastation is undeniable."
      
Barrett's concepts and ideas in the Ice Boom Theory are intriguing. But are they correct? Is there any peer reviewed scientific literature or research testing these ideas developed by this citizen scientist? At the current time, this may be Barrett's biggest challenge. Barrett has contacted scientists and professionals in the field but has been frustrated by the lack of response. With the abundance of institutions of higher education in the Buffalo area, I can't think of a better project for undergraduate or grad students to explore. Perhaps alternative methods of research and evaluation should also be used to examine topics that have been previously reserved for natural and physical scientists. If, for example, there happen to be a large number of other individuals that have witnessed the same changes in the Niagara River in their lifetimes of living on, fishing, and observing the River, shouldn't the cumulative impact of these accounts also hold weight?
   
While the jury still remains out on Joe Barrett's Ice Boom Theory, and a winter walk along the Niagara River in Buffalo remains largely free of ice, the process of re-evaluating our human impact on unique ecosystems of Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Niagara River is always a worth while endeavor. Human beings have had an impact on the natural surroundings since the beginning of our existence but time has given us experience and wisdom. It has been nearly 25 years since the last major ecological and economic impact studies on the Ice Boom were done. Has the accumulated knowledge from that time period given us motive to rethink the necessity of such alterations? Has Joe Barrett's Ice Boom Theory, regardless of its validity, brought attention to an issue affecting community that is long overdue for re-evaluation?

For more on Joe Barrett's Ice Boom Theory, visit his website at the www.bantheboom.com.

Neon Indian, one of the monikers held by 21 year-old Alan Palomo, made a dent in the psychedelic music scene this year with the release of his debut album Psychic Charms (Lefse Records). The album combines lo-fi recording techniques with electronic beats and samples to create a sound that flows like the score to a [...]

Marvin "Tone" Brazzle pleaded guilty today to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter in the asphyxiation death of his pregnant girlfriend last spring.

Dr. Michelle May with Praine and Tom on soda tax

Joe Major, Allen Wilson and Rodney McKissic: NFL Free Agency, College Hoops and more…

sports insiders 3-08-10

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