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Feb 13

2025

“Detective Hy was repeatedly discourteous and unprofessional”

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The state attorney general over the past four years has investigated 10 Buffalo police officers repeatedly accused of misconduct. The investigations found “no pattern” of misconduct by six of those officers, and in two other cases the inquiries were dropped because the officers left the force.  Twice, however, the attorney general’s investigators threw penalty flags. The latest cop to be scrutinized: Detective Richard Hy, who has been a notorious figure for much of his 13-year career. “Detective Hy was repeatedly discourteous and unprofessional during encounters with civilians and escalated the encounters, including by using physical force,” Tyler Nims, head of[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Feb 12

2025

More subsidies for restaurateur accused of wage theft

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The  Niagara County Industrial Development Agency on Wednesday unanimously approved nearly $247,000 in tax breaks to a fast food operator being investigated on allegations of wage theft and other labor law violations. The IDA board did not discuss the allegations before granting the subsidy to Muhammad Shoaib, whose other fast food operations previously have received subsidies totaling close to a half million dollars. The latest round of assistance for Shoaib’s businesses comes as the state labor department probes allegations of wage theft made by several of his former employees. At least two have submitted complaints to the labor department that[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Feb 11

2025

Preservationist fined for housing code violations

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A cottage at 1029 West Ave.  formerly owned by Bernice Radle. Photo by I’Jaz Ja’ciel Bernice Radle, 38, is a preservationist who finds herself in the awkward position of being fined $13,500 by Housing Court. The reason: She failed to correct code violations on a West Side property she intended, but failed to renovate. Radle, executive director at Preservation Buffalo-Niagara, doesn’t dispute the code violations, but she does question the fines. She said the city’s inspections department, court, or both, have failed to maintain updated records related to the property and for some time sent her notifications to an old[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Feb 10

2025

Censorship, and other problems, at The Buffalo News

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Delivery problems – and apparently the lack of a spine – continue to plague The Buffalo News. Since the weather turned cold and snowy, home delivery has been hit and miss. I still subscribe and there’s probably been a half-dozen days since Christmastime where I haven’t received a paper. One time, it was a multiple-day stretch. Last week, technical troubles forced The News to shrink the size of its print edition.  “A serious technical outage is creating production issues for all Lee newspapers,” Editor Margaret Kenny wrote in Thursday’s paper. “Our IT staff is working around the clock to fully[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Feb 6

2025

Fate of Braymiller Market remains in limbo

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The now-shuttered Braymiller Market at 225 Ellicott Street. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker The future of the downtown building once home to Braymiller Market remains in limbo. For one, Evans Bank is moving to foreclosure on the property as a way to recoup the multi-million dollar mortgage it granted to owner Stuart Green. The bank has begun “pre-foreclosure” proceedings, according to Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope. At the same time, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency is weighing whether to call in a $561,000 loan the city granted to Braymiller Market in 2023. The money, meant to be a lifeline[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Feb 5

2025

OTB still doling out health coverage despite warnings

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OTB Chairman Dennis Bassett and then president and CEO Henry Wojtaszek. Photo by Garrett Looker In defiance of the state comptroller, the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. continues to provide gold-plated health insurance to its chairman and his wife, a dozen former board members and the widows of three others. In some cases, the former board members enrolled in the health plan haven’t served on the OTB board in two decades. Over the last three years, OTB spent an average of $149,000 annually providing the current and former board members with the insurance. OTB’s largess doesn’t end with the board. [...]

Posted 2 months ago

Feb 3

2025

Prospect of huge subsidies for data center at STAMP

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Around 50 people gathered at the Alabama fire hall for a series of public hearings about a data center locating at STAMP. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker. TOWN OF ALABAMA — Three data centers vying to build at the STAMP industrial park in rural Genesee County are seeking subsidies worth anywhere from $838,000 to $3.9 million per job. The proposals were the subject of three public hearings Monday at which about two dozen nearby residents voiced their strong opposition. Concerns ran the gamut: Some speakers said data centers — via water runoff and noise — would harm the surrounding environment,[...]

Posted 3 months ago

Feb 3

2025

Trump’s trade war with our northern neighbor

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Donald Trump declared economic war on Canada over the weekend. The Wall Street Journal called it the “dumbest trade war.” The Buffalo News assessed the impact on Western New York – not good – and noted how little fentanyl enters the United State from across our northern border. NPR details the folly in Trump’’s fentanyl claims. CNN details what consumer products will get more expensive as a result. Canada strikes back. Experts discuss the impacts, including the exchange rate. (The American dollar was worth $1.48 Canadian as of Sunday night.) Hockey fans in Ottawa and basketball fans in Toronto boo[...]

Posted 3 months ago
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