Month: March 2021

Buffalo businessman Patrick Whalen is being floated to lead the New York State Department of Transportation in the likely event that Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul will replace the increasingly embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo. Whalen is a longtime civic leader who

Sources tell The Chronicle that longtime Western New York political operative and Bolton St. Johns lobbyist Camille Brandon is likely to lead Kathy Hochul‘s gubernatorial campaign in the increasingly likely event that Governor Andrew Cuomo is removed from office. Observers say

With Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s looming impeachment increasingly difficult to ignore, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul has begun transition planning in the event that she will be called on by the Assembly to perform her constitutional duties. Sources familiar with her thinking

The progressive wing of the Assembly Democratic caucus is becoming increasingly disgruntled with the leadership of Carl Heastie in recent weeks, as the Speaker pulls out all of the stops to play defense for New York’s embattled and newly disgraced governor.

The Chautauqua County Ethics Board will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 4 p.m. in Rooms 331 and 333 of the Gerace Office Building, 3 N. Erie St. in Mayville, N.Y. Current members of the board

The Niagara County Department of Health made an announcement today regarding quarantine requirements, to reflect the updated U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State (NYS) guidance. “Quarantine will no longer be required for fully vaccinated

Niagara County Public Health Director Daniel J. Stapleton today announced that Niagara County is expecting to receive 6,500 first doses of COVID-19 vaccination next week, by far the most the county has ever received for a single week.  The county

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 57-year-old Rafael A. Rodriguez of Jacksonville, Florida was arraigned on Friday afternoon before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan on an indictment charging him with two counts of Predatory Sexual Assault

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 64-year-old Edward Bald of Buffalo was arraigned on Saturday morning before Buffalo City Court Judge Betty Calvo-Torres on one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and one count of

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 31-year-old Jibreel F. Williams of Buffalo was arraigned this morning before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case on an indictment charging him with one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 38-year-old Joseph F. Aronica was virtually sentenced this morning by Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to a definite sentence of one year in prison. On November 24, 2019, at approximately

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 24-year-old Korron J. Brown of Buffalo was virtually sentenced this afternoon before State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller to a determinate sentence of 9 years in prison followed by 5

BY KATHARINE B. STEVENS Last Saturday, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed the massive $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, now under consideration in the Senate. The so-called “COVID-19 relief package” includes multiple childcare provisions: $39 billion to address “an acute, immediate childcare

BY JAMES PETHOKOUKIS  What sort of shape is the American economy in after a year of the pandemic? Maybe better than you might guess. Even better than many economists might have guessed. As the econ team at Goldman Sachs notes:

BY JAMES PETHOKOUKIS President Biden’s campaign tax plan was full of tax increases, some $3 trillion worth. But a wealth tax wasn’t one of them. And, according to The New York Times, a wealth tax is “not among the top revenue-raisers that Democratic

BY KEVIN R. KOSAR Last week, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hauled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy before it and spent the better part of five and a half hours denouncing him. In part, majority Democrats were politicking — they rehashed

BY DANIEL LYONS Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a report and order establishing the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB), a $3.2 billion program to help low-income families stay connected to the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The

BY KYLE POMERLEAU Last month, Senator Mitt Romney introduced a proposal to enact a “child allowance,” a monthly payment to households with children. His proposal would be financed in part by repealing other child benefits, including the “Child and Dependent Care Tax