Jul 24
2013
Prince and pauper …
Posted 11 years ago
Jul 24
2013
Jul 24
2013
City Hall’s belated effort to collect $22 million in unpaid Housing Court fines is coming up empty. A dry run by a collections agency hired by the city earlier this year that sought about $430,000 from deadbeat court defendants yielded only $59 in fine payments, according to City Comptroller Mark Schroeder. That experience prompted city officials to scale back their expectations of what was collectable from the $22 million in unpaid fines that have accumulated since Mayor Byron Brown took office in 2006. Rather than $1 million, Schroeder said administration officials believe only $40,000 to $80,000 is collectable. “In terms[...]
Jul 22
2013
Don’t believe in global warming? Then watch this 27-second eye-opening animated video from NASA that shows how significant global temperatures have increased since 1880. According to NASA, the red in the map indicates temperatures higher than the average during a baseline period of 1951-1980. Blue indicates lower temperatures than the baseline average. Why is this happening? Greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide levels, are on the rise. These gases act like a blanket over earth, trapping energy that should be rising into space, resulting in higher, sustained temperatures. Since 1880, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increases more[...]
Jul 22
2013
Jul 19
2013
Jul 19
2013
Astute analysis by Buffalo News columnist Donn Esmonde on Mayor Byron Brown: “He has conditioned people not to expect much. So he can take credit for anything good that happens – even when, like the waterfront or downtown revival, it doesn’t have much to do with him – while avoiding blame for problems.”
Jul 17
2013
It’s been a foregone conclusion that Mayor Byron Brown would continue to raise oodles of money in pursuit of a third term as mayor. The question has been whether his challengers would be able to raise enough money to mount a serious challenge. Brown’s two challengers – Bernie Tolbert, a Democrat, and Sergio Rodriguez, a Republican – filed their first campaign finance disclosure reports this week, and they provided insight into their viability as candidates. The numbers show Tolbert is well on his way to reaching his goal of raising up to $350,000 before the Sept. 10 Democratic primary. His[...]
Jul 16
2013
Mayoral hopefuls Bernie Tolbert and Sergio Rodriguez filed their first campaign finance disclosure reports this week. They show Tolbert, while outgunned by incumbent Byron Brown 6 to 1, nevertheless has more money to campaign on than the mayor’s opponent spent four years ago. Rodriguez, however, has struggled to raise money.