Next story: Lecture on the Weather
Scorecard: The Week's Winners and Losers
by Zachary Burns
Fact Check
February 2 marked another Groundhog Day in Dunkirk, home of Dave, the morbidly obese marmot famous for his asinine and unscientific winter weather forecast. According to folklore, if Dave comes out and sees his shadow the cowardly rodent will scamper back inside and we’ll all be doomed to another six weeks of winter. If Dave does not see his shadow, as he did this year, an early spring is in order.
It’s an event that is almost as stupid as it sounds. In reality, it is much stupider—even if Dave’s record turns out to be pretty good. To test the furry forecaster’s climate claims, the Week in Review combed over five years of climatological data to fact-check Dave’s previous predictions.
The Week's Winners & Losers
 Trashy TV Stars On Jan. 29 Buffalo’s Pure Nightclub played host to a night of partying with walking Italian stereotypes and reality TV stars Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Vinnie Guadagnino of the MTV show Jersey Shore. Insert joke about de-evolution of society [here]. |
 Young, Rich Athletes South Buffalo’s Patrick Kane apologized on Jan. 28 after pictures of him and two teammates partying shirtless in a limo with some local puck bunnies appeared online. A 21-year-old millionaire partying with girls? Is this really a controversy? |
 Air QualityThe EPA issued several notices of violations against Tonawanda Coke on Jan. 28 for uncontrolled releases of benzene and ammonia into the air. Tonawanda Coke faces fines of $35,000 a day unless it cleans up its act. |
 Hoop DreamsThe minor league Buffalo Stampede erroneously reported on Jan. 28 that they had signed failed restaurateur Leonard Stokes (file photo above). Maybe they thought that Stokes’ good buddy in City Hall would give them a BERC grant in exchange. |
 Role ModelsEric J. Humphrey, a Buffalo youth football coach, was arrested on Feb. 1. for allegedly running a cocaine ring and purportedly even dealt in the parking lot during team practices. Is there any wonder why his team had so much energy in the fourth quarter? |
By the numbers...
|
58,378
Inmates in New York State prisons, who are counted as residents of the county where their jails are located. State Senate Democrats argue that if they were counted as residents of the urban counties they come from, seven Upstate Senate districts—five controlled by Republicans—would not exist. |
151
Millions of dollars in federal stimulus money that will go to development of high-speed rail from Buffalo to New York City. The announcement on Jan. 28 represents a fraction of the $4.7 billion originally requested by state officials. New York was the eighth-largest recipient among the 31 states to receive an award from the $8 billion fund. |
|
11,300
Total number of jobs lost in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metro area in 2009 according to data released Feb. 1 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Buffalo outpaced fellow Upstate metros: Albany (9,300), Rochester (7,600), Syracuse (4,600), and Binghamton (2,900) in job losses and overall lost 2% of its total workforce. |
blog comments powered by Disqus
|
Issue Navigation> Issue Index > v9n5 (week of Thursday, February 4) > Week in Review > Scorecard: The Week's Winners and Losers This Week's Issue • Artvoice Daily • Artvoice TV • Events Calendar • Classifieds |
Current Issue