Buff State paddles back into competition

Ed Corr, center, the president of the West Side Rowing Club, is opening the doors of the club for SUNY Buffalo State. The college will be paddling its way back to rowing for the first time since 1974, under the guidance of coach Mike Cute, left. Willow Greene, Buffalo State rowing club president, has been working closely with West Side Rowing to get students on the water. She believes that Buffalo State will feel at home. “West Side fosters an awesome tight-knit community of rowers,” Greene said. “Buffalo State is an awesome tight-knit community of students so it just makes sense to me that we would put those two together.” Despite not being on the water this semester, the club has 25 committed rowers, with many others interested. The rowing club is expected to be on the water this upcoming spring. By Zachary Memmott and Khalid Terrell

Forest Lawn 2017 tour season a success

Forest Lawn Cemetery will be ending its tour season at the end of October, making it one of the best seasons the cemetery has experienced, according to Coordinating Director Mark DePalma.

Eighty 80 percent of all historic tours sold out this season, which began in June, DePalma said.

. The tours consist of a trolley tour that lasts two hours and costs $25 per person. Walking tours last 90 minutes and are $15 per person. Each tour tells the stories of the famous residents who are buried in the cemetery, including President Millard Fillmore, singer Rick James and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

Actors are hired to play the cemetery residents portrayed on the tour.

“The live actors that play the residents bring life to the tour,” DePalma said. “It adds humor, and makes it interesting for the people on the tour.”

The staff of Forest Lawn is already brainstorming new ideas for next year’s tours.

“We change who we focus on in the tours,” DePalma stated. “Doing this keeps the tours exciting, and new for people who want to come back and do another tour with us.”

Forest Lawn Cemetery tours will resume next year in June. By Alyssa Brannigan and Taylor Carruth

Group raising funds to aid Puerto Rico

From left, Beatriz Flores, Erica Leon-Torres and Freddie Pagan, listen to stories from Buffalo residents who have family members in Puerto Rico struggling to get back on their feet after hurricanes Irma and Maria. Freddie Pagan founded Mission Puerto Rico 716, whose mission is to send relief to hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico. On Oct. 11 the organization held its second meeting, at the El Batey Dance Center, 289 Dewitt St. Pagan co-hosted the event with his sister Erica Leon-Torres, director of the Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, and Beatriz Flores, community leader “We need money donations, we need canned food and batteries, we need generators but we really need volunteers here and in Puerto Rico who are serious about doing this,” Flores said. The group set a long-term fundraising goal of $30,000 to $40,000  for supplies. Attendees included business owners, and individuals interested in raising money, including some who have already sold food, wristbands and T-shirts. While the organization is dedicated to sending relief to Puerto Rico, it also assists in the relocation of families in Buffalo. People who are interested in donating can find more information on the organization’s GoFundMe account and follow Mission Puerto Rico 716 on Facebook for updates on future meetings. By Tatiyana Bellamy and Edwin Viera

Monarch 716 steps up security after crimes

Monarch 716 is an apartment complex located at 100 Forest Ave that opened in August. Since then, multiple crimes have occurred around the property causing concern for many residents. The Buffalo Police Department did not respond to multiple press inquiries, but according to crimereports.com, there have been several crimes around Monarch since Aug. 13 including thefts, assaults, and robberies . However, residents have noticed that management has recently stepped up their game. Monarch now has security patrolling the property at night. They have also incorporated a sign-in sheet at the front desk to register guests coming into the complex. Management at Monarch 716 declined to comment. By Jacob Fyock and Christopher Prenatt

Mob tours show underside of W.S. of old

            The West Side in the 20th century had a very active mob scene and many of the Buffalo mob members lived, ran their businesses and engaged in feuds that often lead to deaths on the West Side.

            To get a glimpse of what it was like to live in this area when the mob was active, Explore Buffalo offers a West Side Mob Tour that occurs twice a month from May through October. The tour is inspired by the book “Gangsters and Organized Crime in Buffalo,” by Mike Rizzo.

            During the West Side Mob Tour, around 20-30 people are guided through a walking tour that starts at Providence Social on 490 Rhode Island St. Providence Social was previously called Romanello’s, which was the scene of one of Buffalo’s best-known mob killings.

“While the Buffalo mob was a relatively small group of people, its impact on the local community was significant,” said Brad Hahn, executive director of Explore Buffalo.

            The two-hour tour goes through the West Side stopping at the locations of various homes and businesses where mob members were once found. The mob was particularly active on Connecticut and Rhode Island streets.

 Hahn said these tours are given for people to understand the significance of the mob in Western New York and to get a sense of what life connected to the mob would have been like.

Not only are the tours given to show past mob activity, but to show the various businesses and community gardens flourishing on the West Side. Other tours given on the West Side besides the mob tour are of the Cottage District around Little Summer Street and Columbus Parkway near Columbus and Front parks.  By Jillian LeBlanc and Christina Stuart

Library on Wheels coming to the West Side

The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library is coming to the West Side. Melissa Blattner, a librarian for Library on Wheels, stands behind the Library on Wheels, a bookmobile that strives to deliver content all over Western New York. Blattner saw this as an opportunity to make content available to people of all ages in areas that may not have a library near them. People are able to check out books, movies and music, rent laptops and utilize free Wi-Fi all from the truck. The bookmobile will be located on the West Side from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 17 and June 21 at the Emerald Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on 1175 Delaware Ave. By Dan Carapetyan and Georgina Hallowell

West Side bakery Breadhive all the buzz

Valerie Rettberg-Smith, an owner of Breadhive Bakery & Café at 402 Connecticut St., celebrates the expansion and success of the West Side business. By Jessica Freda and Meaghan Michel