Articles for Layne Dowdall

May 10

2022

Q&A: Explaining cryptocurrency & blockchain

Dr. Bina Ramamurthy is director of the Blockchain ThinkLab at the University at Buffalo. She’s also a crypto miner herself. That puts her at the forefront of the industry, which poses a challenge to traditional currency and has raised environmental concerns because of its demand for energy. Blockchain and cryptocurrency are mysteries to many people, so to understand the interview, let’s define what we’re talking about. Blockchain, introduced in 2011, involves computers and servers programmed to solve complicated mathematical problems on an ongoing, virtual ledger. This work is managed by so-called “crypto miners,” who earn cryptocurrency – most commonly Bitcoin[...]

Posted 2 years ago

May 3

2022

School violence, this time in Niagara Falls

Buffalo isn’t the only local school district revamping its security measures as a result of violence. On Monday, Niagara Falls High School implemented new protocols for visiting parents and guardians after an incident Friday in which a parent attempted to attack a student. “Unfortunately, this was born out of our reaction and not a prevention. I’m not gonna lie to you. It was a reaction to a very unfortunate incident. The fortunate part was no one was hurt,” Superintendent Mark Laurrie told Investigative Post. According to Laurrie, a student left class toward the end of the school day and opened[...]

Posted 2 years ago

Apr 27

2022

School violence not limited to McKinley

District officials have taken steps to address violence in Buffalo schools since a February shooting and stabbing at McKinley High School left a student hospitalized. Violence in and around schools isn’t limited to fights between students. There have been reports in the news of students attacking their teachers and administrators. Parents have been involved, too, administrators told Investigative Post, attacking school staff, including security guards. An Investigative Post analysis of four years of 911 data found calls to Buffalo school locations have increased by nearly 20 percent since the 2018-19 school year, the last full year before the pandemic.[...]

Posted 2 years ago

Apr 25

2022

Billboard boosts Buffalo superintendent

Buffalo schools have started campaigning for their interim superintendent, Tonja Williams, with a publicly funded billboard. The billboard recently popped up at the intersection of Michigan and Genesee streets, broadcasting Williams’ smiling face and a quote from her: “It’s a new day for the Buffalo Public Schools. Ensuring safety & educational excellence.” It’s part of an over $72,000 annual contract the district has with Lamar Advertising to tout community schools, parent center programs and adult education programs on 11 billboards across the city — to “help promote these services and continued learning during the pandemic to residents immediately surrounding the[...]

Posted 2 years ago

Apr 6

2022

Buffalo FAFSA rates on the rebound

The number of students applying for federal student aid as they transition into college is on the rise in Buffalo after a significant decline during the pandemic. Students looking to enroll in colleges or universities are required to fill out The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine if they’re eligible for any financial assistance for tuition, housing and any accompanying fees. The number of students who completed the FAFSA in high schools across New York dropped 5 percentage points from before the pandemic in February 2020 through the same time this year, according to a recent report[...]

Posted 2 years ago

Mar 17

2022

Buffalo schools shedding administrators

There’s an exodus of sorts from the ranks of Buffalo school administrators. It started in January when Myra Burden, who earned $145,000 as chief of technology, resigned after only two years. She led the district through a rocky period, including the switch to remote learning due to the pandemic and a ransomware attack that hindered the district’s operations. The position remains unfilled. Elena Cala, who earned $88,265 as special assistant to the superintendent for public relations, was quick to follow and resigned to accept a similar position at West Seneca schools. She had worked for the district since 2010 and[...]

Posted 2 years ago

Mar 2

2022

Cash calls it quits

Kriner Cash has officially cashed out as Buffalo schools’ superintendent. He’s resigned after leading the district for five and a half years. The district’s Board of Education unanimously accepted his resignation at a special work session tonight. “Both the Board and the superintendent came to an agreement that we were going to part ways,” Board of Education President Louis Petrucci said. The full terms of the agreement aren’t clear — “You can FOIL for it,” several members told Investigative Post — but it is effective immediately. Tonja Williams, who served as associate superintendent of student support services under Cash, will[...]

Posted 2 years ago

Mar 1

2022

Superintendent about to Cash out?

Signs are pointing to Kriner Cash’s resignation or removal, as soon as today, as superintendent of Buffalo schools. Multiple sources told Investigative Post that Cash was out of the district last week, when schools were on break, and has not returned to Buffalo this week. It’s not unusual for Cash to spend time away, as Investigative Post reported last August. What is unusual, however, is that the district is still reeling from the shooting of a security guard and the stabbing of a student at McKinley High School on Feb. 9. The school began phasing in classroom instruction Tuesday amid[...]

Posted 2 years ago

Articles for Layne Dowdall

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