April 14, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Prep Talk Live from Buffalo State: Will South, Olean win in routs
on March 9th, 2010
Keith McShea was at Buffalo State for tonight's Section VI Class A and B overall boys basketball championships. Review the action at the Prep Talk blog.
Massa admits groping staffer, denies it was sexual
on March 9th, 2010
Former Congressman Eric Massa is speaking out, trying to defend his reputation and rebut allegations that he sexually harassed a staffer. Appearing on Fox News Tuesday, Massa said that he groped a staffer but denies it was sexual.
RoostCast Episode 3: Road Trips and Raffi’s Debut
on March 9th, 2010
by Ryan
Episode 3 of RoostCast is available for download here, or you can listen to it below.
Download audio file (RoostCast_-Episode-3.mp3)
In addition to Rich and Ryan’s snarky musings, Episode 3 of RoostCast features the following music:
“Time is Running Out” – Muse
“L’Via L’Viaquez” – The Mars Volta
“9x’s Outta 10″ – DJ Quik and Kurupt
“Malibu” – Jaguar
Deep Thought
on March 9th, 2010
How soon before we always surround the word “suicide” with quotation marks when referring to the Erie County jail system?
Gas prices expected to pass $3 mark
on March 9th, 2010
The rising temperatures will fuel a price increase at the pumps.
Several industry analysts believe gas prices will top the $3 mark this spring. The national average is currently $2.76.
New head of state police resigns, second to go in a week
on March 9th, 2010
The acting superintendent of the New York State Police is retiring. Pedro Perez made the announcement Tuesday.
Perez is a 28 year veteran of the force.
County clerk urges WNY’ers to fight proposed fee hikes
on March 9th, 2010
County Clerk Kathy Hochul is now urging residents to voice their opposition to the fees. You can do that by visiting the Erie County Clerk’s website at www.erie.gov/clerk.
Flight 3407 families set to take on Tennessee senator
on March 9th, 2010
The families of victims of the Flight 3407 crash are furious with a Tennessee senator and they plan to let him know about it in person.
Prisoners rights advocates fear retaliation with federal investigation
on March 9th, 2010
Prisoners rights advocates are weighing in on the latest developments at the Erie County Holding Center.
Foreign Born
on March 9th, 2010
On Wednesday (March 10), Foreign Born brings their tribal-tinged folk music to Soundlab. The band creates a simple sonic template that is ideal for sipping a drink in the sun, like a strange blend of Animal Collective, groovy Simon & Garfunkel, and hand-claps. A perfect example of the band’s beach house [...]
Paterson pushes NY state spending cap
on March 9th, 2010
New York Gov. David Paterson is pressing a state spending cap on a reluctant Legislature and pushing back against his lieutenant governor’s reported plan to borrow billions over several years to escape a fiscal crisis.
Is That Rain on My Leg?
on March 9th, 2010
- Image via Wikipedia
Here’s what Andrew Rudnick, head of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, has to say about a new PAC he’s helping to set up:
It’s not really a Democrat or Republican thing; it’s an upstate-downstate thing
That must be why this PAC is dedicated only to electing Republicans to the state Senate and little else. It also must be why the PAC has teamed up with similar chambers of commerce from such upstate locales as Long Island, Westchester County, and the mid-Hudson Valley.
Rudnick said the realities of one-party rule in Albany force the Partnership and other groups across upstate and the metropolitan suburbs to consider Republican candidates.
“The object is to turn enough of those contested races back to Republicans,” he said. “That’s because of where the majority party is at this moment and what they’ve done.”
He pointed to the last state budget and projections of continuing deficits as evidence that the Legislature — under complete Democratic rule for the first time since the 1930s — is ignoring upstate’s economic plight.
“If everyone is Democrat and downstate, we’re now screwed more than we have been,” he said. “We’re all about trying to change that.”
I know that everyone pines for the days of a Republican senate majority, when taxes were low, businesses unencumbered, population and economic growth were the rule, when Bruno was one of the three in a room, and great names like “Volker” had an infinitesimally larger volume of clout than they do now.
And that’s the point – that it doesn’t matter what party an Albany politician belongs to. It doesn’t matter which party controls the Governor’s Mansion or a particular legislative chamber. No matter what happens, money trumps all, and the vast majority of the population gets screwed. For an Andrew Rudnick to suggest that flipping the Senate so that Skelos is in the room with the next embattled ethical mess of a governor will make a stitch of difference is epically ridiculous.
After all, these are the people who gave us the facile and self-contradicting Unshackle Upstate.
At least we can laugh at it all. There’s a wonderful and hilarious postscript to this story.
State Sen. Antoine M. Thompson, D-Buffalo, who coordinates the campaign efforts of Western New York Senate Democrats, did not return a call seeking comment.
Protesters take on governor’s proposed education cuts
on March 9th, 2010
Students and faculty from SUNY and CUNY schools across the state gathered in Albany on Tuesday to protest the governor’s proposal to slash funding for public higher education.