Jan 8
2024
Monday Morning Read
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Mark Sommer of The Buffalo News has been doing a really good job of bird-dogging developments involving the Kensington Expressway.
At the behest of Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state Department of Transportation is pushing a project to cover a portion of the Kensington Expressway. Last week, Mark reported someone with ties to the DOT and the engineering firm in line for business if the project proceeds distributed prewritten letters of support for the work at a community meeting in an apparent effort to counter substantial opposition on the East Side.
Last month he reported that Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes has skipped some public meetings about the project to cover a portion of the expressway because she doesn’t want to hear from opponents. (So much for listening to her constituents.)
Get your tickets to our Feb. 7 event on organized labor
Mayor Brown Brown announced he won’t run for Congress to succeed Brian Higgins. He lacked support within the Democratic Party hierarchy to win their endorsement. It looks like smooth sailing for state Sen. Tim Kennedy. Read the story from The Buffalo News.
Ken Kruly previews the coming year in local politics in his latest post on Politics and Other Stuff.
The ice cover on the Great Lakes is almost nil, The Washington Post reports. I’m no meteorologist, but I think that could be a recipe for a major lake effect snowstorm for our neck of the woods later in the season than usual.
Americans are drinking more, mostly because of increased consumption of wine. Drinking is down among young people, up among older adults. That and more from the Pew Research Center.
Covid is back – if it ever went away – and we need to wake up to that reality, according to an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times.
A large number of Republicans remain in a state of denial over January 6, The Washington Post reports. Or is it delusion?
Meanwhile, Trump has indicated that if elected he’ll pardon those convicted for their role in the insurrection, according to The Guardian. An analysis by The Intercept shows that judges in most Jan. 6 cases handed down sentences more lenient than requested by prosecutors. Finally, Frontline recommends no fewer than 10 documentaries worth a watch.
How to make friends, or at least influence people: threaten them. That’s become part of our politics. A disturbing report from Vox.
College football is turning into another pro sport, with teams paying big bucks to recruit and retain talent. Like linemen getting paid $500,000. The New York Times reported this eye-opening story.
