A discussion about state aid for the City of North Tonawanda's Department of Youth, Recreation, Parks and & Senior Citizens is among the items on tap at tonight's Common Council meeting in City Hall, 216 Payne Ave. The meeting starts at 6 p.m., with an agenda review at 5:30 p.m. Take a look at the full agenda, subject to change, issued Monday by the city clerk's office. (Updated: 07/07/09 4:36 PM )
A scathing audit criticizes operations at Erie Basin Marina and insists that action is symptomatic of a vendor that has a track record of weak internal controls, shoddy record-keeping and taking liberties with its contract. (Updated: 07/02/09 4:28 PM )
Michael Jackson's 7-year-old will was filed Wednesday in a Los Angeles court, giving his entire estate to a family trust while making his mother the guardian of his children and cutting out his former wife Debbie Rowe. (Updated: 07/01/09 4:08 PM )
Cynthia Bianco, named the Niagara Falls school superintendent on Thursday night, made these comments during the School Board meeting after being named the district's top administrator. Bianco succeeds her brother, Carmen Granto, as superintendent. The board tapped Bianco after interviewing none of the six candidates for the job. (Updated: 06/26/09 11:37 AM )
The Starpoint School Board meets tonight, the final time before members reconvene in the fall. A public forum begins at 7:20 p.m. in the district's board conference room in Starpoint Middle School on the district's Mapleton Road campus. The regular agenda begins at 7:30 p.m. (Updated: 06/22/09 4:27 PM )
Lewiston-Porter School Board President Robert J. Weller forwarded e-mails with racial overtones to fellow members of the Board of Education which current and former colleagues said was inappropriate. The Rev. Darius G. Pridgen, after reading the story in The Buffalo News, called on his congregation to e-mail Weller and other board members calling for an apology. This is a copy of Weller's letter to Pridgen. (Updated: 06/10/09 12:25 PM )
Lewiston-Porter School Board President Robert J. Weller forwarded e-mails with racial overtones to fellow members of the Board of Education which current and former colleagues said was inappropriate. The Rev. Darius G. Pridgen, after reading the story in The Buffalo News, called on his congregation to e-mail Weller and other board members calling for an apology. This is a copy of Weller's letter to Pridgen. (Updated: 06/10/09 12:25 PM )
The 8,000 companies across New York State receiving tax breaks under the state’s Empire Zone economic-development program notifying them of their new status following changes in the program. About 6,000 companies will will retain their benefits, which companies say have helped create or retain jobs in the region. About 1,600 firms got letters informing them that more information is needed to determine if they are eligible. And 640 companies were warned they are in danger of being dropped from the program. This list identifies companies retaining their benefits. (Updated: 05/29/09 10:08 AM )
The 8,000 companies across New York State receiving tax breaks under the state’s Empire Zone economic-development program notifying them of their new status following changes in the program. About 6,000 companies will will retain their benefits, which companies say have helped create or retain jobs in the region. About 1,600 firms got letters informing them that more information is needed to determine if they are eligible. And 640 companies were warned they are in danger of being dropped from the program. This list identifies companies that need to provide more information to retain their benefits. (Updated: 05/29/09 10:10 AM )
The 8,000 companies across New York State receiving tax breaks under the state’s Empire Zone economic-development program notifying them of their new status following changes in the program. About 6,000 companies will will retain their benefits, which companies say have helped create or retain jobs in the region. About 1,600 firms got letters informing them that more information is needed to determine if they are eligible. And 640 companies were warned they are in danger of being dropped from the program. This list identifies companies in danger of losing their benefits. (Updated: 05/29/09 10:12 AM )
Tuesday night, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen face off in their final "American Idol" performance show, with the results show Wednesday. Half the fun of “Idol” is watching the squabbles, ramblings, cliched comments and wardrobes of Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi. Use this board to mark these events as they occur and see if you get a bingo. (Updated: 05/18/09 9:38 AM )
Mayor Byron W. Brown has released a long-awaited plan for fighting poverty in the nation's third-poorest city, saying the effort requires a coordinated game plan that includes boosting literacy rates, expanding job training, reducing neighborhood blight and promoting affordable housing. (Updated: 04/29/09 7:06 PM )
Because of the swine flu outbreak, the U.S. government is discouraging nonessential travel to
Mexico, and arriving travelers are being questioned at the Mexico border.
Here is the travelers health alert issued by the Centers for Disease Control, along with some links to more resources. (Updated: 04/28/09 12:45 PM )
Barack and Michelle Obama's 2008 federal tax return shows income of about $2.7 million, most from sales of his books. The Obamas paid $855,323 in federal taxes, while making $172,050 in charitable contributions. The White House released these copies of federal and state tax returns for the president. (Updated: 04/16/09 12:29 PM )
Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden had income of $269,256 from a Senate salary, teaching and royalties from the audio rights to a book. They paid $46,952 in federal income taxes and donated $1,885 to charity, a total the White House said did not include additional donations not claimed on their tax return. The White House released these copies of federal and state tax returns for the vice president. (Updated: 04/16/09 12:29 PM )
Terrell Owens was relaxed when he met with the press Thursday in Orchard Park. He addressed issues such as his attendance at organized team activities, quarterback Trent Edwards and his personal trainer. (Updated: 04/09/09 3:08 PM )
Susan Sorbera, whose daughter Meghan was struck by a driver who then fled the accident scene, silenced the courtroom when she read her personal statement on her daughter's life and death at the man's sentencing. (Updated: 04/03/09 9:44 AM )
State auditors found that contractors at Thruway travel plazas are sometimes overcharging their customers for gasoline. Under their contracts, prices are to be consistent with other gas stations in the area. (Updated: 04/03/09 9:39 AM )
The awarding of a county contract to Volland Electric, a company the county executive has a stake in, has raised ethical questions. Chris Collins' interest in Volland and other companies is spelled out in the financial disclosure statement he filed with the county. Note: Some addresses have been obscured for privacy reasons. (Updated: 03/02/09 2:41 PM )
This 140-page document provides a description of the Obama Administration’s fiscal policies and major budgetary initiatives. This document is an overview of the full Fiscal Year 2010 Budget expected to be released this spring. (Updated: 02/27/09 2:10 PM )
This is the FAA transcript of radio transmissions involving US Airways Flight 1549, which splashed down into the Hudson River Jan. 15. The first transmission from Flight 1549 occurs at 2025:51. (Updated: 02/05/09 2:09 PM )
This list of several thousand clients who lost money investing with Bernard Madoff was made public in a
court filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. The list includes Madoff relatives, celebrities, dead people and charitable institutions. Each page carries 84 single-spaced lines of information. Some customers are listed
multiple times, presumably because they had multiple accounts. (Updated: 02/05/09 9:48 AM )
A new study by the University at Buffalo calculates the long-term cost of retiree health
care for nine of the region's largest local governments and concludes all are failing to
adequately fund liabilities that in most cases are increasing at double-digit rates. (Updated: 01/30/09 3:30 PM )
President Barack Obama's economic stimulus legislation is headed for the Senate after a surprisingly partisan vote in the House in which Republicans united in opposition and 11 mostly conservative Democrats defected. Here is the text of the House bill. (Updated: 01/29/09 11:45 AM )
When the markets were booming, billionaire colleges like Harvard, MIT and Stanford tapped their swelling endowments and launched spending
binges on faculty, buildings and scholarships. Now, they're seeing firsthand the one downside to relying on a huge nest-egg: The market crash has them confronting the sharpest budget cuts in memory. Here is the complete, ranked list of college endowments as of June 30. (Updated: 01/28/09 2:32 PM )
