Martin Cooks underway

Martin Cooks, a stand-alone version of the local catering business, will open to the public May 1 at Horsefeathers Market. According to Karl Frizlen, owner of the market located at 346 Connecticut St., an all day preview on April 21 brought a large crowd to the new restaurant. Martin Cooks holds two nightly dinner services Wednesday through Saturday, one at 6 p.m. and one at 8:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch is available for walk-in customers Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The eatery seats 12 people and reservations for dinner are mandatory and can be made through its Facebook page. Martin Cooks joins the growing number of restaurants at Horsefeathers including Jolie’s Traditional Chinese Food Inc., The Pasta Peddler, Blackbird Sweets, and Singer Farm Naturals. By Anika Rawlins and A.J. Speier

Billboards for change

Multi-language billboard message

 Marla Fulton, project facilitator for the West Side Youth Development Coalition, holds a billboard mock-up that the coalition will be installing at the corner of West Ferry and 19^th streets. The campaign is part of the coalition's  approach for responsible parenting. The messages are in five languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Burmese and Somali. Five billboards have been installed around the West Side in addition to five billboards that are already in place from last year. The coalition  received a grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration to put up the billboards. By Michael Mazzuto and Mike Provenzano

Postage galore

Buffalo State senior Jenna Hutlzer stands next to her new graphically designed postage stamp collection showcased at 464 Gallery on April 20 as part of her Americana exhibition. Hutlzer’s designs will be available for purchase at the same location on 464 Amherst St. from now until late August. By Brielynn Bell and Margot Harris

New city sweepers to aid West Side cleanup

 By Adrienne Boudreau and Caitlin Kupiec
BengalNews Reporters

         The West Side and other neighborhoods will soon be introduced to the city’s two recently purchased sidewalk sweepers.

         The commissioner of the Department of Public Works, Steve Stepniak, is finalizing a schedule within the next two weeks on when and where the sweepers will appear.

         “We are coordinating these machines with any special events that will be occurring in the West Side,” Stepniak said.

         The machines, purchased at $37,468 each, are smaller than traditional sweepers and are suction-based. Instead of bristles that push aside debris, they will suck up the grit from the congested sidewalks and narrow streets on the West Side.

         “This is a test sample to see how it impacts not only the West Side, but communities throughout Buffalo,” Stepniak said.

         West Side businesses will benefit from cleaner environments, said Louise Sanos, owner of Global Villages, located at 216 Grant St.

         “It does make (the West Side) more inviting,” Santos said. “If you have a cleaner place, then the property looks more beautiful. The owners also have to do their part in making sure their stores look beautiful. It’s not just the city’s job.”

         The idea is not only to promote cleanliness in the city, but also to encourage a sense of pride displayed through the improved look and feel of the area.

         The sweepers will aid in the city’s ‘Clean Sweep’ initiative, which works to tidy up neighborhoods in need of maintenance.

         Buffalo Police spokesperson Michael DeGeorge said that the ultimate goal is to make the city as clean as possible.

         “It’s a quality of life issue,” DeGeorge said. “You want to live in an environment that is clean and safe.”

Collecting for the community

 Sabina Mirza displays the clothes she has collected to benefit Asarese – Matters Recreation Center at 50 Rees St. She and her partners, Michelle Ostrovskis and Elisa Galante, are part of Dr. Vicky Oh’s Intro to Fashion Merchandising class at Buffalo State College. One of the class activities is a clothing drive to benefit the youth at the center. Mirza and her partners went around campus, collecting donations from students until May 4, when they gave them away at the center, which provides tutoring, sports, and art afterschool programs for children of the neighborhood. Buffalo State students and faculty have been working with the community and the center’s staff since 2005 to improve the building, programming, and safety.  By Jasmine Peterson and Maria Yankova

Running with a purpose

Katelyn Brickhouse, alumni events coordinator at SUNY Buffalo State, discusses the impact of the Boston Marathon bombings on annual West Side races such as, the Bengal 5k and the Friends of the Night People 5k. Hundreds of runners gathered at Delaware Park on April 21 for an impromptu solidarity run to show moral support for the victims of the Boston bombings. “The tragedy hits close to home,” Brickhouse said, “and will affect the planning for annual races that now need to account for tighter security during events big and small.” By Aaron Garland and Brandon Schlager

IN DEPTH: Hispanic parade embraces more nations

More than 22 nations and their national dances will be represented at this year’s Puerto Rican and Hispanice Day parade on Sept. 7. Full story by Anthony Howard and Lars Lewis