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Scorecard: The Week's Winners and Losers
by Zachary Burns
The Week's Winners & Losers
Warm WelcomesMultiplatinum rapper Lil’ Wayne [WHAAAAAAAT?] announced on Jan. 24 that he’ll kick off his new tour in Buffalo this March, his first since being released from prison. C’mon Buffalo, let’s give the exquisitely grilled and crunktastic candy aficionado a nice reception fresh off his stint in the stir. |
Slumming ItTravel and review website Tripadvisor.com recently listed Williamsville’s Rodeway Inn at number seven on its 2011 ranking of the “Dirtiest Hotels in America.” In total 88 percent of user reviews recommending not staying there. Maybe the owners could spin this off as a new form of adventure tourism. |
Courtroom TheatricsClaiming he has “the right to steer his own ship even if unwittingly he steers it into an iceberg,” Erie County Judge Thomas Franczyk ruled on Jan. 24 that Muzzamil Hassan—the Orchard Park man who allegedly beheaded his wife—will be allowed to represent himself in court. Be prepared for fireworks. |
CanonizationLocal Catholics on Jan. 25 cheered news of the advance of Father Nelson Baker’s path to sainthood. All that is left is evidence of two miracles performed by the all-around good guy and “Padre of the Poor.” By today’s standards, a career working with kids without a single complaint is practically a miracle itself. |
Get Away PlansBuffalo Police were able to apprehend 18-year-old Khalil Chambers on Jan. 24 and charge him with an alleged East Side armed robbery due to a trail of footprints from the crime scene left behind in the snow—a trail which led directly to Chambers’ home and the weapon and purse in question. |
By the numbers...
3.99
Vacancy rate of downtown Buffalo class A office properties according to figures released by brokerage firm CB Richard Ellis, down from 5.2 percent last year. Despite the rosy report, on Jan. 24 Mayor Byron Brown and the Buffalo Niagara Partnership announced a new initiative to address downtown vacancies in advance of threats by HSBC to leave their trademark tower. |
52,000
Annual salary earned by newest Buffalo Common Council member and Elicott District representative Darius Pridgen. Pridgen, who is also the head pastor of the mega-church True Bethel Baptist, announced on Jan. 24 that he will donate his salary in the form of “microgrants” to small businesses and groups, until he has walked every block in the Ellicott District. |
20
High-end estimated surplus in millions of dollars in the 2010 Erie County budget. The unexpected windfall announced on Jan.25 is estimated to fall between $15 and $20 million and comes on the heels of County Executive Chris Collins’ slashing of $1.7 in funding for local arts and cultural organizations. Collins’ budgetary team still predicts budget deficits in 2012 and 2013. |
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