The Buffalo News: Local Columns

Bruce Andriatch: Considering a sidewalk as life-or-death: Bruce Andriatch

Updated: 11/18/08 7:27 AM; Eleanor Granica has wanted sidewalks in front of her house for all of the 50-plus years she has lived on South Park Avenue in Hamburg. Spurred by the death of a young woman hit by an SUV as she walked along the road, Granica recently decided to gather signatures on a petition to force the issue.

Bruce Andriatch: Amherst looks in mirror on downsizing: By Bruce Andriatch

News Columnist

Updated: 11/11/08 6:58 AM; Nine months ago, when Amherst lawmakers were debating whether to eliminate two members from the seven-member Town Board, Council Member Deborah Bruch Bucki voted against the idea, with a caveat: If it were to be done, it should be done over time by attrition.

Bruce Andriatch: The prospect of no library: By Bruce Andriatch

News Columnist

Updated: 11/04/08 10:21 AM; One of the many things Katie Burd likes about living in Kenmore is that she can walk anywhere she wants to go. She can walk to her daughter’s school, she can walk to church, she can walk to restaurants.

Donn Esmonde

Donn Esmonde: By not selling ourselves, we lose a fortune: By Donn Esmonde

News Columnist

Updated: 11/19/08 2:47 PM; Just when you thought we might get something totally right, reality intrudes. The New York Times did a three-page spread Sunday on Buffalo’s wealth of recently restored cultural attractions. The piece, by architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff, noted the spirit of a community that is — out of pride and a desire for cultural tourism dollars — reviving its masterworks as well as rebuilding tattered neighborhoods.

Donn Esmonde: Cote’s spirit rules pages of new book: By Donn Esmonde

News Columnist

Updated: 11/16/08 8:02 AM; Most families end up with just memories. The Cote family now has more than that.

Donn Esmonde: Damaged vets need America to keep word: Donn Esmonde

Updated: 11/14/08 7:35 AM; Her son went to war. Now she is fighting for his life. Her boy is broken. Her boy needs help. Her boy is like countless other sons and daughters who went to Iraq whole and came back in emotional pieces.

Charity Vogel: Cutting funds hurts the young: Charity Vogel

Updated: 11/17/08 10:27 AM; Carl and Buster don’t know it, but they have a lot riding on the county budget.

Charity Vogel: Poverty shrinks life’s choices: Charity Vogel

Updated: 11/10/08 7:30 AM; Rose Cannon goes to the supermarket on her $14. But she doesn’t get far.

Charity Vogel: Hockey lore galore seeks special home: By Charity Vogel

News Columnist

Updated: 11/03/08 6:11 PM; Some people get the look when they talk about religion. Or barbecue. Or politics.

Off Main Street: Hyphen-hated?: Updated: 11/15/08 8:29 AM; The excitement about the new Burchfield Penney Art Center is being tempered by serious questions about what the new facility is lacking: a hyphen.

Off Main Street: Hey, isn't that....?: Updated: 11/08/08 8:02 AM; In the past couple of months, Sue Buscaglia has been causing double takes across Western New York.

Off Main Street: Oh deer!: Updated: 11/01/08 7:49 AM; The saga of the China King restaurant in Hamburg, where a witness reported seeing a deer being slaughtered on the premises and the owners were subsequently fined, has attracted national attention. Jay Leno offered advice during his monologue this week.

Reporters’ Notebook / Bits and pieces of news...: Updated: 11/19/08 6:49 AM; OLAF FUB SEZ: According to television talk show host Dick Cavett, born on this date in 1936, “It’s a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn’t want to hear.”

Reporters’ Notebook / Bits and pieces of news...: Updated: 11/18/08 6:58 AM; OLAF FUB SEZ: According to “Life With Father” author Clarence Day Jr., born on this date in 1874, “If you don’t go to other men’s funerals, they won’t go to yours.”

Reporters’ Notebook / Bits and pieces of news...: Updated: 11/17/08 6:33 AM; OLAF FUB SEZ: According to film director Martin Scorsese, born on this date in 1942, “There’s no such thing as simple. Simple is hard.”

Rod Watson: Let’s profit from our weather: By Rod Watson

News Columnist

Updated: 11/20/08 4:24 PM; Drafty old houses. Cold, snowy weather. Sky-high poverty along with the highest black male jobless rate in the nation.

Rod Watson: Color counts, and the main one is green: By Rod Watson

News Columnist

Updated: 11/06/08 10:50 AM; Barack Obama’s historic election as president finally provides the answer I’ve waited some 30 years to find.

If GOP loses Senate, city looks to win: Rod Watson

Updated: 10/30/08 6:26 AM; There’s a lot of local hand-wringing over the possibility that Democrats will take over the State Senate on Tuesday and that downstate leaders will then redline Western New York.

Volunteers: / By Paula Voell

Updated: 11/20/08 6:13 AM; Autistic Services needs volunteers to staff its holiday gift wrapping booth at the Walden Galleria. Day and evening hours are available from Dec. 1 through Dec. 24. Individuals, high school and college students, and social, senior and religious clubs are all welcome. Proceeds benefit the agency’s programs for children and adults. Call 631-5777.

Trivia Quiz: ByDonald Saltz

Updated: 11/19/08 6:49 AM; 1. What is the name of the code of ethics taken by doctors?

Trivia Quiz: / ByDonald Saltz

Updated: 11/18/08 6:59 AM; 1. What is the largest city in Pakistan?