A program designed to give Niagara County residents with developmental disabilities the chance to spend a week at summer camp might have to close its doors for good when grant money secured for the camp runs out this week. YNN’s Meg Rossman tells us about Camp Happiness’ plight, and how you can help.
According to police, a man in a dark colored SUV with a red light initiated traffic stops on two cars and asked the drivers for their licenses and registrations before leaving the scene.
20-year-old Robert Baker was sentenced to 20 years and 22-year-old Richard Heary will spend the next 16 years behind bars for their roles in the shooting death of 17-year-old Damion Diggs.
New cigarette warning labels, required by the FDA, will be hard to miss. The images are graphic and intended to encourage a decline in smoking as part of the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. YNN’s Doug Sampson tells us how anti-smoking advocates are calling the new labels a big victory.
Lisa Barrett of Batavia has been named the winner in an online songwriting contest for "Best Original Song."
According to the Batavia Police Department, the 13-year-old and her friend were riding down West Main Street when a driver pulled out of a parking lot.
A New York state appeals court has lifted a temporary order preventing the state from taxing cigarettes sold by Indian tribes to non-Native customers.
Legislative leaders this afternoon announced a "framework" deal to cap local property tax growth
Listen to Nick Mendola live on weekdays from noon-3 p.m.
Hour One: Nick talks about giving back to the community and speaks on the marriage equality bill up for vote in the New York State Senate and on how disappointing the season finale of “The Killing” was. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay joins the show as well to discuss his time with the Buffalo Braves and his new book, “Dr. Jack on Winning Basketball.”
Nick with Dr. Jack Ramsay
Download audio file (Dr-Jack-Ramsay-062111.mp3)
Dr. Jack Ramsay 6/21/11
Hour Two: Nick sounds off on his health and legal disclaimers, why “I don’t care” really doesn’t mean what it sounds like, the state of business in the area and the country and the top failed states.
Download audio file (062111nick02.mp3)
6/21/11 Nick Mendola Hour Two
At least two workers experience illness at Bank of America branch; levels at four times level considered safe.
- Players will get 48 percent of all revenue. (Currently, players get 60% of revenue after owners take $1 billion off the top.)
- Teams will have a rigid salary “floor,” requiring teams to spend over 90% of the salary cap on player salaries.
- There will be a rookie wage scale.
- A new 16-game Thursday night package will be introduced to boost revenue.
- Owners will get credits for stadium construction.
This all sounds pretty reasonable to me. Apparently a lot of other people think so too, as there’s optimism a deal could be struck within a few weeks. That’d be amazing.
Unfortunately, there is (at least) one man who could screw all this up: Bills owner Ralph Wilson.
Yes, we know, the state senate should really be focusing its energy on silly things like ensuring all people are treated like actual human beings with basic rights. But there’s another important issue they need to address as well: the rights of small brewers vs distributors.
S1315 is currently in the Rules Committee. It would allow small breweries to terminate contracts with distributors by paying them “fair compensation.” Currently, a contract can only be terminated with “good cause.” In this bill, a “small brewery” is defined as one producing less than 300,000 barrels per year: for reference, Flying Bison is estimated to produce 6,500 barrels this year.
Small breweries can choose to self distribute, and that’s what we plan to do, at least in the foreseeable future. Once you get big enough, though, it’s not feasible: Flying Bison reached a point where it was not worth the amount of effort to manage distribution themselves, and so they use a distributor.
This bill would allow a brewery to change distributors or manage it themselves again. Their current distributor would be compensated and they could then change their distribution method to whatever worked for them. It will allow breweries to expand in a method that works for them. This will lead to more jobs and more beer.
This is a good thing! You need to tell the members of the Senate Rules Committee that you think it is: find your state senator, then see if they’re on the rules committee. That last link autoplays video, by the way, so if you don’t feel like smooth jazz being played on your speakers then pause the first embed on the page. Then, tell them you think this bill needs to come to a vote.
Ideally, this needs to happen today or tomorrow. So don’t delay! Shoot them an email or make a quick phone call now. (If you happen to live in Brooklyn, Senator Golden in particular is on the fence)
A motorcycle collided with a car on Center Road in West Seneca around 10 p.m. Monday.
According to police, two men said they were walking down 24th Street when they were shot at by a man they knew.
The Bank of America Branch on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo was evacuated Tuesday morning after two bank employees exhibited symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
