Buffalo Rising

Many Buffalo food enthusiasts will remember Deborah Clark from her days of owning and operating Delish! Well, it turns out that after closing up Delish!, Deb got married and moved to the south of Spain, where she lived for about four years. Then, a couple years back, she and her husband moved back to Buffalo, once his military work with the Spanish navy was over. Living back in Buffalo, Deb thought for a hot minute about simply retiring.

On the weekend of July 11-12, Mural Fest was held at Canalside. After stopping by, to check out the works by Max Collins, Angelee Vargas, Chuck Tingley, and Jackie Doyle, I began to think about the larger picture. The murals that were underway, were being painted onto temporary vertical wood structures. While these fixtures seemed to do the job, I couldn't help but think that the piers (or bents) that brace The Skyway would have been a better solution for the project.

Every year, leading up to 716 Day, we choose to highlight an organization that is looking for financial help for a significant project. This year, we're spotlighting North Park Theatre's quest to restore its letter "P" on its neon-lit sign. The letter is in need of some love, which means that the nonprofit cinema is reaching out to its supporters for help. And what better time to ask for a donation than on 716 Day?

There are lives that unfold in a straight line. Credential to credential, role to role, outcome to outcome. And then there are lives like Carolyn Montalbo's, which move less like a ladder and more like chamber music. Shifting arrangements, unexpected harmonies, recurring themes that only make sense in retrospect. At the center of her story is not a single profession, but a single throughline: connection.

Transformation of Long-Vacant Waterfront Site to Support Great Lakes Cruises and Fuel Western New York's Travel and Leisure Sector Board Authorizes a 20-year License Agreement with American Cruise Lines All lights are green for the start of construction of the Buffalo Cruise Terminal.

For the third straight year, Bridges from Borders will be hosting the One World Soccer Tournament, which is centered around immigrant and refugee families. When these refugees arrive to the United States, they are thrust into unfamiliar surroundings. One way to get the families acclimated to their new home is to provide them with resources that they might be accustomed to. Soccer is one of the pastimes that get young people out of their living accommodations and into welcoming social surroundings.

More than eight million visitors came to the Pan-American Exposition in 1901. There was a lot of money to be made in entertainment and hospitality - much of it under the table, or under the covers. A reporter from the Atlantic Monthly gawked at the "nocturnal architecture, nocturnal landscapes, nocturnal gardens and long vistas of nocturnal beauty." He was referring, of course, to the electric lighting. But there were other vistas of nocturnal beauty that did just fine by oil-lamp, or in the dark.

As the relaxed days of summer continue here in Erie County, I remind you that the Erie County Parks System is considered one of the finest in the country. I encourage everyone to spend some time reconnecting with nature in your own neighborhood by visiting one of the facilities made possible thanks to my administration's commitment to our community.

The inaugural Mafia Boat Parade took place in 2022. Since that time, founder Ashleigh Dopp (member of the Water Buffalo Club 716) has been working her magic, by growing the parade year after year. Last summer's parade was beyond fantastic, with a seemingly endless parade of Bills boosting boats circling the Inner Harbor. In 2026, we can expect to see even more boats out on the water, as we near the start of Bills season.

Toy Story 5 ★★1/2 (out of 4 stars) iPhoning It In A hundred or so of Buzz Lightyear not-so-bright astronauts "wake up" from a shipwreck to march together in search of Star Command. Their march, the first of many action scenes, ends with a joke, which we won't spoil. It's an auspicious beginning.