Category: PostNews

LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Fresh off his appearance at this year’s WWE Wrestlemania event, Artpark has announced that country singer Brantley Gilbert will be coming to Lewiston this summer.

Tickets for the August 18 show will go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. It’s not clear who will be opening for him, but Artpark says a name will be announced at a later date.

Ticket prices range from $25 to $55. To get them, either visit the Artpark Box Office on Fridays or Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. or go to Ticketmaster.

The show will start at 7 p.m.

BATAVIA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Batavia police are trying to find a missing girl who they say ran away from home overnight.

Jaylynn Alvord is 12 years old and was last seen in the area of Liberty Street. When she left, police say she didn’t have a phone on her.

Anyone with information that could help authorities find her can call (585) 345-6350.

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Most of the places you find inside the Walden Galleria will be closed on Easter, but if you’re looking for a meal, you’re in luck.

The following locations will be open that day:

Aloha Krab – 1-8 p.m.Bravo! Italian Kitchen – 3-9 p.m.The Cheesecake Factory – 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.Dave & Buster’s – 11 a.m. – MidnightEscape the Mystery Room – 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.Five Guys – 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.P.F. Chang’s China Bistro – 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.Regal Cinemas – 10 a.m. – MidnightThe Melting Pot – 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.Texas de Brazil – Noon – 9 p.m.

Easter Bunny coming back to Walden Galleria for photos

BNP’s 2022 Q2 Manufacturing Council meeting covered a wide range of issues that impact the regional manufacturing community, including the 2022-2023 New York State budget, the proposed New York State Extended Producer Responsibility Act and New York’s Climate Action Council Draft Scoping Plan.

This meeting also provided an update on the BNP’s ongoing advocacy at all levels of government and a conversation on the BNP’s Employ Buffalo Niagara initiative, including the newly released Benefits Cliff Calculator as well as progress within the Career Pathways and Talent Pipeline Management projects.

View the presentation slides here.
Watch the full webisode here:

The post Manufacturing Council Meeting 4/7/22 appeared first on Buffalo Niagara Partnership.

photo: Jamil Crews, Owner of Crews Control Media, a LISC-GM Scale Up WNY Round 1 Grantee

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and General Motors launched an exciting new partnership in 2021 to scale and advance Black-owned business growth in the 8-county Western New York region. And we are back for round 2.

LISC WNY and GM recognize that there are several business industries in our region that have a projected demand for their services, yet need capital to scale up to meet that demand. With funding support from General Motors, the ‘Scale Up WNY’ Grant will assist the growth of Black-owned businesses that are under-capitalized, but well positioned for growth. This fund is designated to support procurement opportunities in several high-growth industries and/or services:

Construction
Childcare Services & Providers
Energy Infrastructure & Climate Response
Broadband, Digitization & Web Services
Medical Suppliers & Telehealth Services
Manufacturing
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion consultants

Funds will support innovative approaches to business growth, boosting competitiveness, and widening business service offerings and/or supplies for 10-30 businesses experiencing underinvestment. Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000. 

Initiatives supported by this grant include:

Projects or initiatives that a) seed a growth initiative for your company, b) strengthen business retention, and/or c) allow for business expansion.
Increase readiness for contract opportunities associated with the 1) American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; 2) New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act; and/or 3) Buffalo Sewer Authority Rain Check 2; 4) the New York State East Side Initiative; or 4) similar contract opportunities providing a pathway to grow your business.   
Support for broadband expansion, e-commerce, & growth through digitization.  
Funds to a) analyze the feasibility of purchasing an existing company, b) plan for business ownership succession planning, or c) co-operative employee ownership models.  
Technical assistance aimed at growing the business and increasing access to high growth industries.

Examples of how this grant may be used include, but are not limited to are listed below: 

Contractors, vendors and professional service providers may solidify contract opportunities that would not have been available but for these funds and/or pursue joint ventures that allow the business to go after larger contracts.  
Existing businesses may explore processes that lead to new contract opportunities for BIPOC contractors.  
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultants are able to pursue contracts with the support of these dollars, allowing them to grow their business income, audience reach, and/or services to meet the demand of organizations and corporations. 

Though preference will be given to businesses within the Buffalo-Niagara subregion, businesses within the 8-county footprint of Western New York are eligible to apply for this grant opportunity.

Applications for round 2 open March 24th at noon EST.

Application deadline is April 20th at 11:59 pm EST.

Want to learn more about what LISC does See Video Below and  if you are local to the WNY area be sure to connect with the WNY office at the link above.

CHEEKTOWAGA N.Y. (WIVB) — The Erie County Sheriff’s Office says it has taken an alleged cocaine dealer into custody following a brief investigation.

Jermaine Turner, a 49-year-old Buffalo resident, was arrested this past Thursday after law enforcement officers stopped him on Route 33 in Cheektowaga. In his possession, the Sheriff’s Office says more than half an ounce of cocaine packaged for sale was found.

Turner has an extensive criminal history, with five previous felony convictions. Three of these convictions were the result of violent crimes.

Following his arrest, the Sheriff’s Office, with help from the FBI, searched a couple of residences — one on Deborah Lane in Cheektowaga and the other on Durham Street in Buffalo.

More than four ounces of cocaine and high amounts of money were found at each residence, authorities say. At the Durham Street residence, the Sheriff’s Office says two loaded handguns were found, while a loaded .22 caliber rifle was found at the other location.

Turner has been charged with the following crimes:

criminal possession of a controlled substance (two counts)criminal possession of a narcotic with intent to sell (three counts)criminal possession of a loaded firearm (three counts)criminal possession of a narcoticcriminal use of drug paraphernalia (four counts)

After his arrest, Turner was taken to the Erie County Holding Center pending arraignment.

by Betty Jean Grant

A big Thank You to Ms.Holly Nowak, Executive Director of  the Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ), for stating the obvious. Elected officials that represent us, here in Buffàlo and taxpayers across NYS, failed to hold those who negotiated the Buffalo Bills stadium deal accountable for approving a deal that does not have the best interest of a struggling and poor city and its people, at heart.

Instead of putting a sound and community minded Community Benefit Agreement in place that would call on the benefactors of the almost one billion dollar tax payers payment to support and fund community centers, child care, after school programs, education and crime prevention programs and health and wellness programs, our money will be used to allow multi- billionaires to keep a larger percentage of their wealth. Now, let’s talk about the M/WBE component that elected officials are touting as a ground breaking aspect of this deal. Please do not hold your breath as those Back and Brown subcontractors did when the Joint School Construction Project and the SolarCity Initiative happened. Minority contractors were left at the starting gate then and they will be left during this upcoming stadium project as well. Please, just think about this; if minority workers were not utilized during the Buffàlo-based, Joint School and SolarCity projects, who is going to guarantee that they will be hired for a suburban, Project Labor Agreement (PLA) or unionized workforce and contractors’ project? How many minorities or minority owned companies are members of unions? I guarantee you that number is extreme small!

I am still shocked that after numerous meetings where the majority of taxpayers who participated wanted a stadium with a retractable roof to be built in Buffalo, those who were elected to do the Will Of The People, were derelict in carrying out the people’s agenda.

I believe that to build a roofless stadium in Orchard Park will join the Failed Leadership List that includes the Robert Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls, that destruction of a vibrant Eastside neighborhood with an expressway down the middle, the failure to locate the train station back again at the Central Terminal and condos for the elite, on the Waterfront. 

With the Erie County Executive, The Mayor of Buffalo, the Governor of NYS and the Majority Leader of the New York Assembly all residing in Buffalo, one would think that the City  had enough allies rooting  for a downtown stadium to work this deal.

Right now, we are looking at an ‘out of Buffalo’ stadium that will be used less than a dozen times a year, built in an area that limits the game experience for poor and inner city residents who have severe transportation issues if public transit is not a factor. Poor and minority residents may not be great tailgaters but they are great at working hard, oftentimes at low paying jobs, to ensure that the billion dollars that NYS needs from us, will be there so the wealthy can get to  keeping most of their cash.

We are Women Warriors Founder / Community Organizer Betty Jean Grant

LANCASTER, N.Y. (WIVB) — Meet the Lancaster teen who helped raise $6,000 for Save the Children in Ukraine. She did this with the help of her school, community and Early Bird Bakery and Cafe.

Like so many of us, Lancaster High School Junior, Brianna Forzani is seeing the devastating images coming out of war-torn Ukraine.

“A picture that tugged at my heart strings was the little boy walking from Ukraine to the Poland border. That really just left me heartbroken,” said Brianna Forzani. ” I knew after I saw that, that I needed to do something, that I could do something, to be the change in this community.”

Be the change you wish to see in the world is a common phrase. What’s not nearly as common, is seeing a 16-year-old put change into motion.

“She came to me one day and said she had an idea of how she wanted to fundraise and she was very passionate about it,” said National Honor Society advisor, Lisa Granhert-Mullen.

Brianna saw that Early Bird Bakery and Cafe in Lancaster was selling Ukranian flag cookies, on social media. The owners and mother-daughter duo, Kathy and Nicole Kisiel were donating all proceeds to the Save the Children, an organization specifically helps children in times of world crisis.

“So we called her and asked if she’d be willing to do a partnership with us and she said yes immediately and loved that we could get this idea on a bigger scale,” said Forzani.

Brianna held an in-school cookie drive, raising $1,500 dollars, but that was just the beginning.

She also sold Ukraine bracelets and pins. She then held another drive at the Lancaster Youth Bureau, selling around a thousand more cookies and bringing the grand total to $6,000 dollars.

“I felt overjoyed by all the support in my community,” said Forzani. “I mean yes, I can orchestrate the whole fundraiser but it takes the community to step up and make the difference.”

Brianna will also be donating all proceeds to save the children.

“I hope it really makes a difference in the lives of the struggling Ukrainian children and I really hope that it provides relief for them, in any way possible,” said Forzani.

If you’d like to donate head here.

UTOPIAN EUPHORIA! Pictured above are scenes from the 12th Annual “Women Who Walk In the Footsteps of Greatness” Awards event hosted by Debbie Allen and Utopian Euphoria March 19 . Officer Kimberly Beaty was the keynote speaker at the lovely gathering  which honored some of the area’s most accomplished women. Ms. Allen, the founder, was surprised with two plaques of appreciation and a beautiful prayer wrap from Mrs. Beaty. Congratulations to all the outstanding awardees and to Debbie Allen!