Joe Major with Rodney McKissic from the MAAC Tournament, and Allen Wilson in studio.
Sports Insiders: Sat 3/6/10
on March 8th, 2010
Allegany County has ties to downstate killing
on March 8th, 2010
A woman charged with killing her daughter near White Plains has family ties to the town of Cuba in Allegany County, according to a story on The Journal News' Web site.
Art: Photographs of Buffalo Architecture
on March 8th, 2010
BRO Submission by Susan Braun:
Biff Henrich will have a solo exhibition of photographs entitled Surrounded by Art: Photographs of Buffalo Architecture in the Buffalo Niagara Visitor Center Gallery beginning March 12th and running until April 17, 2010. The exhibit will feature images of well-known architectural landmarks in the city.
Mr. Henrich has exhibited extensively at galleries and museums around the country including The Contemporary Art Museum of Houston, The Visual Studies Workshop, The California Museum of Photography, Artist Space, and the Albright Knox Art Gallery. His work is part of many collections including the Albright Knox Art Gallery, The Burchfield Penney Art Center, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Light Work Gallery, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Castellani Art Museum.
He has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship on two separate occasions and also participated in a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. Mr. Henrich was a former director of CEPA Gallery and now is a member of the Board of Directors. Currently, he is the co-owner of a commercial photography and print graphics company here in Buffalo called Keystone Film Productions, Inc.
Buffalo Niagara Visitor Center Gallery
617 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14203
716-852-2356
Open M-F: 9 - 5; Sat: 10 - 2
www.visitbuffaloniagara.com
Derby man convicted of fraud
on March 8th, 2010
A Derby man who claims America's monetary system is a fraud was convicted of fraud himself after a jury trial at U.S. District Court.
Buffalo Style: Sat 3/6/10
on March 8th, 2010
Hosted by Christina Abt: buffalo style 03-06-10
Aside from serving as the High Holy Month for the Irish, March is officially dedicated to honoring women. In recognition of that fact, Buffalostyle will focus this month on bringing you stories about WNY women who play a significant role in our community, as part of the media that reports, monitors and informs us.
This week, we’ll focus on the media realm of television, bringing you three women whose faces and names are well known, but whose media work is diverse from one another.
Linda Pellegrino is the host of AM Buffalo (WKBW Ch 7) and has been bringing a daily slice of WNY life into our homes every morning for the last 20 years. Linda has seen a lot of change …in the television industry and in our community…and she will chat with us about those changes from her ever-upbeat perspective.
Victoria Hong serves as the anchor of the Wake-UP Show and the Noon News (WIVB Ch 4). It’s a role that regularly requires her to multi-task—getting the interview, writing the copy and delivering the story… often at the ungodly hour of 5am!!. Victoria has been part of the WNY Media community for 15 years and will chat with us about the responsibilities of women in local media that have evolved in that time.
Mary Friona is like the energizer bunny in her on-air role on Daybreak (WGRZ Ch 2.) Not only does she report on stories ranging from dramatic weather events to life and death news, she also conducts the “Two Thumbs” product tests that have become so popular. And what also Mary brings to the WNY media scene is her natural, everywoman appeal that makes viewers feel as if they are connecting with their best friend. This lively lady will chat with us about her role as the new breed of reporter who not only reports the news, but also blogs to engage viewers.
To round out the show, Bass Reeves will feature The Reign of Kindo on his Download music segment, and of course, we’ll play Didya know? With Z…
Parent Talk: Sat 3/6/10
on March 8th, 2010
Hosted by Linda O’Connor. PARENT TALK
Image via Wikipedia
Weighty Backpacks: Are They Straining School Kids’ Backs?
A look at the effects of strapping a heavy backpack on a child’s back, including tips on how to avoid back problems. We’ll talk with chiropractor Dr. Ron Reeb with the All Natural Chiropractic Center about the problems associated with heavy backpacks and learn how heavy is safe and discuss how to reduce the risk of chronic shoulder, neck and back pain from a weighty backpack.
Photos of Wagons Win B.O.O.M
on March 8th, 2010
On Friday, four bands walked into the Tralf and four walked out, but only one took home a satchel of cold hard cash, and hundreds of dollars worth of recording equipment from Guitar Center. Over 400 people turned out to witness Photos of Wagons take the grand prize in the annual Artvoice Battle of Original Music. [...]
Pope John Paul II exhibit coming next month
on March 8th, 2010
An exhibit on the late Pope John PaulII's relationship with the Jewish people will take up residence here from April 16 to June 30.
Restaurant Week — Where Do I Start?
on March 8th, 2010
I was a picky little kid. Forget sushi or steak — I didn’t even like pasta sauce.
Fortunately, I’ve wised up. My picky-ness is more of an idiosyncrasy now — I pick chicken apart because the veins gross me out, and I won’t eat most condiments, especially mayo (whipped egg? really?) – and while the thought of eating liver or caviar is still too much, I’ve moved far past my distaste for pasta sauce. And I love finding a new place to eat.
Yet, strangely enough, I have yet to experience a restaurant week. I’ve never been home for the ones around here and, well, I was a broke college kid in Boston, what do you want from me?
But now that I have the chance…I’m a little overwhelmed. And I feel like I need some help.
I trust you, WNYMedia readers. So — where would you go? I’m planning on two dinners. My only real criteria: it can’t be somewhere I’ve already been. That’s a short list in comparison to the overwhelming number of participating restaurants.
Make your case. I’ll report back.
After all, if you have to eat to survive, you may as well eat well.
Taxpayers, Chris Collins and the Holding Center fiasco
on March 8th, 2010
Is Homeownership the Only Way?
on March 8th, 2010
The Buffalo News’ recent investigations into City Hall’s housing policies raised some very important issues.
How much is too much to subsidize the construction of homes in the city?
Should developers receive these subsidies? Or should homeowners receive these subsidies?
Should private developers be relied upon for the development of these homes or should non-profits?
These are important questions that City Hall should spend more time thinking about as they move forward with projects like Sycamore Village. However these types of questions do not begin to challenge the ideal upon which this kind of housing policy rests: homeownership.
There are obviously many benefits to homeownership and for many people it is probably ideal.
Unfortunately homeownership is not a very affordable option for many people in Buffalo.
Homeownership requires homeowners to have a very steady and relatively high level of income. As the UB Regional Institute’s new report Playing an Insecure Hand: Low-Wage Workers in the New Economy points out, an increasingly large number of people in Buffalo are only finding inconsistent low-wage work. This kind of an income prevents many people from getting past the high upfront costs associated with buying a home. Further, even if one is able to get a mortgage, the costs associated with maintaining a home can be high. Many home owners are thus at risk of falling into foreclosure.
The Buffalo News’ report bears this out:
“Of the 431 subsidized homes that resold among the 1,500 [that have been subsidized by the City], more than half — 231 — were foreclosed upon, with most — 184 — involving the original subsidized owner. These foreclosures basically wiped out the $4 million in publicly funded subsidies the 184 foreclosed owners received.”
Obviously homeownership is a risky proposition at best for many people in the city.
Even renting is unaffordable for most people! According to the US Census Bureau’s American FactFinder, 55.8% of renters in Buffalo spend over 30% of their household income on rent. HUD states that the “generally accepted definition of affordability is for a household to pay no more than 30 percent of its annual income on housing”.
Additionally, according to the Homeless Alliance’s statistics, roughly 2000 people cannot even afford rent on any given night and as a result are homeless.
Bearing all this in mind, should homeownership be the main focus of our housing policy?
We believe that it is time for our community to broaden its outlook on the housing situation in Buffalo beyond homeownership and begin to focus housing policy on making housing affordable to all people.
PS: For a great discussion of the development of federal housing policy and issues with its emphasis on homeownership as a guiding principle see Thomas Sugrue’s article Why the New American Real Estate Dream is Renting.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade set for Sunday
on March 8th, 2010
The 2010 St. Patrick's Day Parade is this Sunday. It starts at 2 p.m. at Delaware Avenue and West Mohawk Street.