IN DEPTH: Olmsted's pruned trees ready for new storm

             Seven years after the October surprise storm, Buffalo’s trees and parks have made a full recovery, and should another surprise storm hit the city, the trees will be better prepared thanks to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy's pruning crew. Full story by Chris Direken and Leif Reigstad

            

Buffalove paints so W.S. houses can pop

Bernice Radle, co-founder of Buffalove Development, above, stands in the stairway of the 351 Massachusetts Ave. house that she is currently working to rehab. Buffalove Development purchases houses on the West Side and brightens them up, inside and out. The organization just started a fundraising campaign online, Paint Out Loud!, where the goal is to raise $15,000 by the spring to paint houses whose owners cannot necessarily afford to do it themselves. “Even if we don't meet our goal, I think that we will take that paint and repaint porches, and try to repaint the front door of every house on the block as well, to make it pop and make it look a little more loved," Radle said. By Lauren Coppola and Samantha Wulff

IN DEPTH: Magazine keep 'old neighborhood' alive

           There was a time when  Italian families living on the West Side left their windows open and doors unlocked and when the smell of Sunday sauce wafted through the street, everyone was invited for dinner. Today there's a magazine to help bring those memories and local history alive. It is edited by West Side natives and written by anyone with a connection to the old neighborhood's Italian culture. Full story by Marybeth Calabrese and Ally Selva

Speaking the same language

IT Garden, located at 212 Grant St., is owned and operated by Aung Kaung Myato and Mustafa Abdo. Through their fluency in six languages, they are both helping make the West Side’s computer and cell phone issues easier to understand. By Sean Dwyer and Youleidy Vega

Homework help

Abinash Kami,13,works on his homework during the after school program at the WASH Project, 417 Massachusetts Ave. The afterschool support program is a simple wind down from a long day, where several students receive tutoring from volunteer teachers and college students from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. By Shanice Core and Elias Taveras

IN DEPTH: Buffalo CarShare revs engine for expansion

Buffalo CarShare has its foot on the gas and is driving to expand its services to the city of Buffalo, including the West Side. The non-profit organization, which offers access to a lower-priced and environmentally friendly transportation system, recently received a $300,000 grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation to double its number of vehicles to 30 by December 2015. Full story by Caitlin Kupiec and James McDonald

West Side part of immigration docudrama

        A docudrama about immigration in Western New York during the Great Depression, with reference to the West Side, will be shown at SUNY Buffalo State’s Burchfield Penny Art Center.

The film titled, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” details the Italian-American community from 1939 to present. It was written and directed by Michael Giallombardo and Joseph Giambra. The scenes were shot around all areas of Buffalo including a special cameo of Guercios and Sons Inc. on Grant Street.

         The next screening of the film will be  at 7:30 p.m. on  Dec. 12. General admission tickets are $10 each.

         Mary Ann Lauricella, a promoter for the show, explained how it took four years to produce and more than 450 volunteers dedicated their time. Buffalo State College helped support this production by giving a $6,000 grant towards this film. All stories featured are told through narratives and re-enactments of real-life situations.

         “So many people in the community gave their time and authentic materials. For example, a lot of interviews were done right on Buffalo State’s campus, where people provided letters that they had from loved ones who were away during World War II,” Lauricella said.

         One of the directors, Joseph Giambra, 80,  encourages people to see the history that lies within their own backyards.

         “There are parts of the film where people will laugh and parts where people will cry, but most importantly I want them to see all the memories that people have shared,” Giambra said.

         The screenings will offer DVD copies for purchase at the end of the film. By Marybeth Calabrese and Ally Selva