The sluggish bureaucracy that is the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) is finally surrendering control of the Outer Harbor, upon which it has sat for nigh on 55 years. The deal, which will lease 111 acres of “prime” waterfront land to the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC), has been in the works for a year and a half. There’s a good possibility of an outright sale of the land at the end of the five-year lease. The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding Monday and hope to complete the transfer by sometime this summer. In the meantime, the ECHDC plans to start “greening” the parcel (no small task) and will soon begin work on a $13.6M “green belt walkway” around the property, which should be completed later this spring.
The New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2-1 OT decision last night, lifting them above the Sabres’ reach. As it stands right now, there are only three teams the Sabres can surpass—Boston, Washington and Philadelphia—and they must beat out two of them to make the playoffs. They face the Maple Leafs tonight at 7:30pm.
The water wars continue out West, and the biggest losers, it’s no surprise, is wildlife in all of its forms. (In the long, arduous march of human history, that’s always been the case, hasn’t it?) In this case, we’re talking about fish. Prize, cold-water Montana trout. The biggest worry for the fish is that small streams will simply dry up in late summer, and those that don’t will reach lethally high temperatures. Scientists project that Western trout populations in general will drop by as much as 60 percent in some areas, and 90 percent or more of bull trout will die off by 2050. Up to 40 percent of salmon could disappear. The changes are already hitting Montana’s grayling populations, which have dropped by 75 percent or more in the past decade, as temps have risen by an average of 2 percent. (more…)
The Sabres squeaked by the Bruins at home last night in a 2-1 overtime victory, keeping playoff hopes alive, but gasping. With three games left, they are still five points behind the 8th place Flyers the 7th place Bruins and 6th place Rangers. Buffalo needs all three remaining games, and for Washington and Philadelphia, Boston or New York to drop each of their remaining three if the Sabres want to make the post season. Of the five teams, Buffalo has the second easiest schedule remaining. One slip-up, though, and it’s all over.
The governor and legislators have reached a final budget agreement for the state with well over 24 hours remaining to enact it before the 2008 fiscal year begins tomorrow. Major changes include increased school funding, a $1.25-per-pack increase in the cigarette “sin” tax, increased funding for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and rejection of a gasoline tax. The total budget—about $124 billion—constitutes a 4.5 percent increase from the 2007 state budget. (more…)
