Get culture all day at M&T First Fridays at the AKG

Charlie Garling, director of Learning and Creativity at Buffalo AKG art museum, says the $195 million in renovations have taken the M&T First Fridays experience to a whole new level. The renovations, which took three years and wrapped up in 2023, included the addition of a town square where cultures and creativity unite. First Fridays run from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. when attendees can explore the entire museum, take in an array of performances, visit a drop-in art activity or just socialize. Admission to the event is pay-as-you-wish. The AKG, 1285 Elmwood Ave., First Fridays have been a staple of the West Side experience since 2011. By Alex Miley

W.S. Community Services to serve as warming center

 

The West Side Community Services, 161 Vermont St., is the West Side’s warming center for the 2024 winter season. Each city district is allocated a warming center by the City of Buffalo, as listed on the 2024-2025 Winter Plan. Previously Asarese-Matters Community Center was listed as a warming center for the West Side, it has been replaced by the Northwest Buffalo Community Center, 155 Lawn Ave. Director of Operations for West Side Community Services, Mary Schaefer, says it's important to have resources, such as generator-provided heat, blankets, food and water. “Having a warming shelter within each city district is an important step toward accessibility of resources during intense winter storms. As we know from the Christmas blizzard of 2022, energy failures can put our neighbors in dire situations in their own homes." By Tofsekul Ahmed

Trolleys, holiday markets bring festive vibe to West Side

By Jim Tammaro

    The Christmas season is fast approaching and to help people shop for gifts or get in a festive mood, Allen Street Hardware Café, the Elmwood Village, the Buffalo History Museum, and the Richardson Olmsted Campus are making the season a little bit more merry and bright. 

     There will be three holiday trolleys traveling around the West Side this season to help people get to various events and markets, including the annual holiday market that is taking place at the Richardson Olmsted Campus on Forest Avenue.   

    The Buffalo Holiday Market will take place weekends between Nov. 29 and Dec. 22, on the south lawn of the Richardson Olmsted Campus.  There will be two trolleys going between the campus and other locations around Elmwood to help people shop and travel to the various markets taking place this Christmas season. 

    “Some items you can find at the Buffalo Holiday Market include Bills sweaters, Christmas ornaments, food, and Buffalo-themed items,” Patrick Ryan, cultural curator for the Richardson Olmsted Campus, said.  “We will also have about six to eight food trucks on site, as well."

    On Nov. 29 and 30, there will be a holiday trolley going between the Richardson Olmsted Campus and the Buffalo History Museum.  That weekend, to promote Small Business Saturday, the history museum will be having a Maker’s Market running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.  The trolley that weekend will run both days from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The two markets will be running concurrently at the two locations that weekend.    

    “Their own little artisan’s vendor fair combined with ours,” Ryan said.  “The trolley can bring visitors back and forth between the two locations.”

    On Dec. 7, a trolley will be running up and down Elmwood Avenue between noon and 6 p.m.  The Elmwood Village will be holding a holiday shopping event that weekend.  The trolley will travel from the Richardson Campus to Forty Thieves, at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Breckenridge Street, and back.

    “The idea is to have a trolley that runs back and forth from our campus to the Elmwood village so people can shop at the stores up and down Elmwood,” Ryan said.  "This can hopefully bring some people and some customers to the Elmwood village.” 

     Area businesses are excited for these weekends.  Plus, it will help to drive some economic action into the local shops.   

Starting point for the BYOB holiday trolley

 

    A third trolley, more for the adults, will be taking place around Allen Street and Elmwood Avenue.  A BYOB holiday trolley will start at Allen Hardware Café, 245 Allen St., and travel around the area.  The trolley will take place every Thursday to Sunday, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 22.  There will be two trolleys per day, one at 1 p.m. and one at 5 p.m.  This is the second year that the BYOB trolley will be running and Tony Cafaro loves that the trolley starts at Hardware.

    “The ladies that run it came in just on a whim and explained that they were shopping the idea of a holiday trolley and I thought that Hardware would be a great hub,” Cafaro said. 

     Not only can passengers imbibe on their favorite libation, but they can also look at the neighborhood all adorned with festive decorations. 

     “Christmastime is always the best time in my book, so people can have a good time, look at all the houses all decked out with Christmas lights and have fun,” Cafaro said.    

    There are plenty of events around the West Side for people to enjoy and lessen the stress from the Christmas season.

    “I would like to do this holiday trolley as many years as possible,” Cafaro said.  “Not just the trolley, but anything that brings people down here and lets people do something different.  I would like to see people get out and about, not just stay in the bar."        

           

Council takes up short-term rental issue

 Delaware District Councilmember Joel Feroleto is opposed to the recent proposal to temporarily ban short term rentals that has been raised by four councilmembers. He says there is a procedure in place and deems the issue as unnecessary, though he is concerned about the existing issue with many Airb nb units out of compliance with city code. In 2019 there were 580 Airbnb units in all of Erie County, and now there are over 1,000 in Buffalo alone. The moratorium was tabled during a recent meeting for greater discussion. By Matt Szucs

Elmwood Bidwell apartments expected to open in April

 

Douglas Development Property Manager Joe Konze is looking forward to the completion of the new Elmwood Bidwell apartments. Construction for the new apartment building started in the summer of 2022 and is expected to be completed in April of 2025. “We were able to remove the steel braces that were holding up the historic facade back in March and since then, we have been able to work our way up to working on floors three through five. Apartments have been laid out and we are excited at the progress that has been made,” Konze said. The building is expected to have around 50 apartments. By Rylee Shott

Italian group pursuing Christopher Columbus bust

 

 

Neighborhood Health Center Communications Director Ginger Geoffery stands beside the former location of a bust of Christopher Columbus, which was removed during construction in 2020. There are efforts being made to ensure the bust is put in the hands of the Federation of Italian American Societies of Western New York.  Federation President  Peter LoJacono says says the organization wants to preserve its history by restoring and relocating the bust. The bust was life-sized and installed on a pedestal that included four bronze plaques with names of notable hospital officials. The removal of the bust from 300 Niagara St. corresponded with the removal of the full-body Columbus statue located at Prospect Park, which was vandalized and damaged. Lojacono wants to keep the Columbus bust safe. Geoffery says the statue was part of the purchase for the building replacement back in 2020. It was removed during construction, and it is in storage. By Emmanuel Rogers

West Side schools ahead of state with cell-phone policies

Erin Clifford, principal of the West Buffalo Charter School, with a cell-phone home

 By Alexander Miley

Violence is on the rise, students' test scores are dipping, and students are just not paying attention in schools. Many believe these situations can be attributed to the increasing use of cell phones in schools.

Teachers and administrators do not want them in the classroom, it is a distraction, but students want to be on their phones and parents want to be able to contact their kids in case of an emergency. This is a struggle that schools have been dealing with for years. 

In New York State this is becoming a big topic of discussion as there is a bill that will be debated in the Senate in January that will ban smartphones from schools. Flip phones will still be allowed so parents can keep in contact with their kids. 

According to govtech.com Gov. Kathy Hochul went on a listening tour across New York to get input from teachers and parents about the potential bill. 

New York State United Teachers is in support of this bill with  85% of NYSUT members supports banning cell phones and personal electronic devices for the entire school day with approved exceptions. 

Schoharie Central School District, west of Albany, banned cell phones along with ear buds and smart watches two years ago and district officials have seen a decrease in violence and increased academic scores.

West Side schools have their own policies. 

At West Buffalo Charter School, from kindergarten to eighth grade, has a no cell-phone policy. Students have two choices: either put them in their locker or put them in a cell phone home, which is a locked-up transportable box, that travels with the students from class to class in case they need their phone due to an emergency. 

There are medical exceptions to this policy, such as for diabetic students who use a phone to track their levels. 

“I think that the students are doing well without having their cell phones attached to them,” Erin Clifford, West Buffalo Charter principal, said. 

If parents need to contact their children, they are allowed to contact the main office, and the administration will get a hold of the student. This calmed down a lot of parents who were worried they wouldn't be able to contact their children in the event of an emergency.

Clifford is not totally on board with the looming cell phone ban because she believes that it is important for students to have access to their phones in case of emergencies.

At Lafayette International High School, students are allowed to have their cell phones but are only allowed to go on their cell phones at breakfast from 8 - 8:20 a.m. and during their 30-minute lunch period. Individual teachers are allowed to collect students’ phones at the beginning of class periods if they choose.

There are exceptions to this rule for emergencies but if you’re caught abusing it then you lose that ability.

This is a new policy that was just implemented this year and there is an adjustment period for the students as many people are addicted to screen time, but overall, it has had a positive impact.

“The teachers feel heard,” Walter Diaz, assistant principal of the Lafayette International, said.

Diaz, who made the jump from teacher to assistant principal this year understands the struggle of teaching students who are constantly being distracted by their cell phones and supports their new policy.

Buffalo Holiday Market moves to West Side

 

The Richardson Olmsted Campus is set to host the annual Winter Market, previously held on South Park Avenue across from the Buffalo Creek Casino, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 29 to Dec. 22. The new location allows for a more spacious and comfortable shopping experience. It is expected to hold 70 vendors at a time and rotate around 500 total vendors for the season.  The Buffalo Holiday Market hosted its first-ever Falliday Market at the Richardson Campus for five days in October. Co-owner Jillian Cannan estimated that around 85,000 to 90,000 attended the event overall. At the same time, about 150 vendors participated in the event. By Evan Harrington

Olmsted Conservancy prepping parks for winter weather

 

 

Maisy Bennett cleans up some brush as part of Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy's clean up in preparation of the winter season. Director of Engagement and Inclusion Zhi Ting Phua said that the conservancy has been putting its focus clearing  trails of fallen branches from trees as well as any other objects that can become a hazard when walking on these trails that can become slippery. She said protecting plants and trees by covering them up to avoid any sort of frost from the low temperatures is important as well. The conservancy is asking for volunteers to help with the cleaning efforts. Phua is confident in the conservancy's plan to protect the parks ahead of winter. By Antonio Calderon

 

Events help Forest Lawn mark 175th year

As Forest Lawn Cemetery celebrates 175 years, it invites the public to reflect on a century and three-quarters of local history and stories. Tour guide Jane Hopkins, left, introduces visitors to the upcoming Founders of Forest Lawn Trolley Tour, which will traverse the 269-acre property. The tour aims to share stories of notable permanent residents, honor the cemetery's connection to Native land and highlight the beauty of the burial ground. Founders of the Forest Lawn Trolley Tour will take place at 10 a.m., Nov. 8, beginning at 1411 Delaware Ave. The final trolley tour, Legends on the Lawn, will be held beginning at 10 a.m., Nov. 15. Other events include the Erie County American Legion Veterans Day Ceremony, 9 a.m., Nov. 11 By Caleb Babula

Scientists see tiny fish as big deal in waterway health

Bird Island Pier figures into the project to increase emerald shiners population

By Matt Szucs

            A new initiative spearheaded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers will help the Niagara River and Lake Erie sustain their ecosystems by providing one of its smallest fishes, the Emerald Shiner, a fighting chance against the current and help them make their way upstream.

            The project plans to build metal attachments known as baffles for 700 feet along Freedom Park’s seawall, passing under the Peace Bridge and continuing on towards Bird Island Pier.

            The construction opportunity was granted to BIDCo Marine Group by the Army Corp of Engineers for $11.8 million. BIDCo is an aquatic-based local construction company, that will design and construct the baffles.

            Mark C. Judd, the president and founder of BIDCo,  said work will being in the spring and continue to a 2026 completion.

            Over the years the seawall along Freedom Park has been hardened, a term referring to the fact that over the years any rocks, trees or plants have disappeared resulting in nothing in the way to slow down the current as it flows.

The emerald shiners come downstream from Lake Erie in the spring to lay their eggs. At the end of summer the newly born shiners ideally swim back upstream from the Niagara River to Lake Erie, but due to the hardening of the seawall the current has become too strong for most to make it. The dwindling number of shiners that can make it will have a severe impact on the local ecosystems if left alone.

The baffles, which will be trapezoid shaped metal structures filled with concrete, will counteract the hardened seawall and help slow down the flow allowing for the majority of the emerald shiner population to return upstream and continue their cycle.

Ten prototype baffles designed by University at Buffalo researchers were put into place along the seawall in 2022. This initiative was funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for $1.6 million the Army Corps of Engineers found that these designs successfully slowed the current of the Niagara River by 0.4 meters per second, an amount that on a large scale would slow the stream enough for the emerald shiners to pass through.

Through Buffalo State University the Great Lakes Center  has studied the emerald shiners  with funding from the US Army Corps of Engineers. It conducted the first major study into emerald shiners to better understand just how important the tiny fish is to the ecosystem of the local lakes.

The project was led by Dr. Alicia Pérez-Fuentetaja and lasted from 2013-2018. Much of the initial research into the migration cycles of emerald shiners involved figuring out just how important these fish are for the Niagara River.

Professor Randal Snyder, co-principal investigator, called the shiners are a “keystone” species, a building block at the bottom of the food chain that many forms of local wildlife rely on from larger fish to birds.  

The Great Lakes Center concluded that “A collapse in this species would have negative repercussions to their predators, sport fish and birds that depend on this resource. The impact would be felt by the public as well: sport fishermen and bird-watchers, nature lovers and river users.”

The Niagara River is currently listed as an EPA Area of Concern.

 

 

Help beat high food prices with homesteading

 The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) Development Coordinator Ben Bachman says there are simple steps for homesteading and how important homesteading can be in an urban environment like the West Side. The idea of homesteading and cultivating your own food has become a popular hobby for many urban residents. With grocery prices increase at a high rate many people are finding ways to grow their own food, raise chickens or small animals in their backyards, and canning at home. Urban farms like MAP host events to help promote homesteading, like a recent one called Seed Extravaganza.        By Rylee Shott

The bridge is in, now on to other updates at Wilson Park

 The pedestrian bridge in Ralph Wilson Park has now been fully erected over the I-190 to connect the park with the lower West Side.  The bridge, which was built in Italy, traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and up the Erie Canal to where it sits today in Ralph Wilson Park.  Gilbane Building Co. was the primary construction company on the $110 million bridge project. Parks Department Deputy

Commissioner Andy Rabb, left, along with head project manager for Gilbane, Sean Najewski, right, said that the next phase of getting the park ready for the public is to install softball and baseball diamonds, and a soccer field.  Although the bridge is in place, the park will not be fully open until next year.  Other plans for the park include planting gardens, and utility and drainage work. By James Tammaro

AI in art has its fans and foes on the West Side

 

Street Artist Jesse Zuefle at his creation at 795 Elmwood Ave.

By Emmanuel Rogers

            Artificial Intelligence generation has taken the world by storm with its recent technology of creating any thought or image based on a few sentences or phrases. Specifically, one use of AI that has caused different opinions and controversy is AI art or image creators. 

Websites that provide free access to the tools of image generation, such as Midjourney, Firefly Adobe, and Night Café, have given people the ability to make anything imaginable.

A case that occurred in 2020, brought up in a New York Times article, involves a man named James M. Allen, who entered the Colorado State Fair art competition and won a blue ribbon and a $300 prize for entering an AI image created on Midjourney.

Local street artist Jesse Zuefle, also known as Banksy Hates Me, says he can look on both sides of the concerns of AI usage. He understands the frustration of hard-working artists losing their credibility and the advantages of using AI as a reference. He is mostly comfortable with using AI for your personal creative gain.

“I think that artists will always be more important than AI. Are some people going to lose their jobs to an advertisement or marketing development where art is needed? For sure,” Zuefle says.

Zuefle says when photography was introduced the world took this as a dangerous new form of imagery and eventually became a huge success in art. He says using this new form of imagery can be good for new upcoming artists that need references.

“Artists need to figure out ways to take advantage of it and use it and to not let it use them,” Zuefle says.

Zuefle’s work consist of different styles that are mainly used by stencils and spray paint. He has used AI image generation to get inspiration for his pieces by manipulating them into his style.

Zuefle says he made a piece in New Orleans called “AI Made Me an Artist,” where he stenciled a man holding a sign that originally said, “I am an artist.” By spray painting over some letters, it would then read the quote.

Two local artists had a negative view on AI imagery and how it could potentially give artists difficulty adjusting to the new technology.

Esther Neisen, owner of Lumpy Buttons shop located on 717 Elmwood Ave., believes that AI makes it hard for artists to keep their credibility.

“It's taking without permission from other artists, feeding into it, and making it a way for people to not pay artists to create imagery,” Neisen says.

With AI having the possibility of reaching the level of being displayed and viewed in professional art galleries, Neisen says that this may cause some difficulty in the art community.

“AI is a huge competition for people who are actually doing their own work. AI is taking something from a resource and claiming that you made it,“ Neisen says.

Carl Lee, a media artist who specializes in video film and installation, says AI takes away the original form of an art piece and causes issue with telling what is artificially made and what is not.

“I think it’s problematic because it’s mining the work that people have created, and I think that’s an issue,” Lee says.

 

 

 

Fun, safe Halloween events planned for West Side

By Shanice Forbes

            The West Side is showing its Halloween spirit by hosting kid-friendly community events. These events not only bring the community together, but also allow children to celebrate the holiday as they please and in a safe area.

            The Elmwood Village Association will host a Safe Trick or Treat event from 1-3 p.m. on Oct. 27 at participating businesses, Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, 875 Elmwood Ave. and the Crane Branch Library, 633 Elmwood Ave. Reservations are requested.

            PUSH Buffalo, 429 Plymouth Ave., is hosting its annual Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 29. The organization will be serving hot drinks and snacks, and kids will get to enjoy trick or treating and a costume party here as well. This event will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

            Trunk or treat events by a school or an organization offer a safer alternative to trick-or-treating door-to-door. Those hosting it will most likely be dressed in costumes while giving out treats out of the trunk of their cars. Parents feel safer knowing that their children will be given treats out in the open and would know who to hold accountable if things go bad.

            Halloween has been listed as one of the deadliest days of the year for kids due to food safety, potential accidents on the road, or dealing with malicious people.  Each year there are roughly 3,000 Halloween related injuries that take place according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

         

      Some tips to take precaution on this holiday are to choose costumes wisely, limiting the time spent on the streets, and inspecting every piece of candy given. It’s also best for children to be accompanied by someone of age while being out.

            Costume safety is crucial, so ensuring that it’s fire resistant and doesn’t consist of dark colors to where they’re unrecognizable to others is important. Certain makeup used can also cause irritation so it’s best to read all caution labels on all products.

            Those who aren’t taking children out also need to be mindful while being on the road. That means watching out for children crossing streets and being careful when pulling in and out driveways. The National Safety Council discourages new or inexperienced drivers to stay away from the roads this night.

            Officer Shree Siwakoti, community police officer at the Buffalo Police Department, said that the police department doesn’t have many restrictions, but it does suggest that residents light up their homes especially with solar lights and register all cameras with Buffalo Safe Cams.

            The Erie County Department of Health has more tips to help keep both children and adults safe during this scary time. Some suggestions include what can be down both in and outside your homes.

 

 

Ronald McDonald House updating accessibility

 

After celebrating 40 years of helping families, the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo is looking to improve its location even more. Executive Director Lisa Booz said there is an ongoing $800,000 project to address accessibility issues for all including people with canes, using wheelchairs and more. By Antonio Calderon

NY Prop 1 addresses equal rights in state constitution

 

Cindy Havey, League of Women Voters Buffalo/Niagara board member, encourages a Buffalo State student to vote.

By Rylee Shott

                  With the election coming up on Nov. 5, New York voters should be aware of Proposition One that will be located on the back of the ballot.

                  Proposition One is the New York State Equal Rights Amendment. The goal of this amendment is to change section 11 of article 1 of the Constitution to include gender, gender identity, health care choices, age, and disability to the State Constitution. The Amendment is not proposing new laws but enforcing and protecting the laws that are already in place in New York. 

                  “These things are already in New York law, but what this will do is put those rights into the Constitution,” Cindy Havey, League of Women Voters Buffalo/Niagara board member said.

                  Laws can be easily changed whereas the State Constitution is a lot harder to change.  

The amendment has plenty of support but, there are still plenty of people who oppose the amendment.

“People are afraid that it [the amendment] could lead to changes in their lives they are not comfortable with. Opponents seem to me are to be focusing on the possibility of what the constitution amendment could lead to, not necessarily what the Constitution says,” Blair Horner, executive director of New York Public Interest Research Group said.

There are some concerns with how people will understand the wording of the amendment.

                  “The legislature passed a law saying that ballot initiatives had to be written in accessible language where someone with a sixth-grade education could understand it. And so, they say that this initiative is written for someone with a fifteenth-grade education. It is written in a way that is very hard to understand,” Ruth Goldman, Women and Gender Studies professor at Buffalo State University, said.

Havey and the League in Buffalo Niagara have been getting the word out at Buffalo State University and Elmwood Village Farmers Market to spread the word about the amendment.

                  NYPIRG is working to inform the young voters on Buffalo State, Canisius and other campuses in Buffalo on how to vote and what will be on the ballot.

                  “We are going to educate voters more generally, particularly young voters, on how the system works so that they can cast their ballots,” Horner said.

                  The fight for equal rights has been an ongoing battle within the United States for decades. In New York the idea of amending the constitution to guarantee more equal rights has been in the conversation since 2019.

                  “I think it is very surprising to most people that we don’t already have this amendment to the Constitution, especially an Amendment protecting women,” Goldman said.