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May 15, 2026

NYC firm to develop solar farm in Cambria and Pendleton

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Federal immigration agents in Buffalo have arrested a man whom they identify as a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador and suspected member of the violent crime gang known as MS-13.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Press Release – Sex Offense Arrest ocv.im/oOEqNpH

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Blasdell police are investigating allegations against a teacher aide at Blasdell Elementary School.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga has proposed a more than $1.4 billion budget for the 2027-28 school year as the district works to address an $80 million deficit.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said Wednesday that his proposed budget plan has millions of dollars to fix and maintain community centers and other city-owned buildings.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

The “Growing Beyond the Glass” campaign is working on investing $31 million to expand and renovate the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Construction along Jefferson Ave. as the $35 million streetscape project is underway.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Work has begun on a new $8.7 million project to resurface the LaSalle Expressway and a portion of Interstate 190 in Niagara Falls.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

Lockport’s former Candlelight Cabinetry factory on Michigan Street will reopen following an acquisition by the newly formed Candlelight Curated Inc., Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced Thursday.

Western NY Observer
May 15, 2026

5-14 memorial gets a $3 million boost from Hochul

Western NY Observer
May 2, 2026

Erie County Medical Center will receive $750,000 to renovate the outdoor recreation space and create an adjoining solarium for the inpatient psychiatric unit.

Western NY Observer
May 2, 2026

Wanted and caught at the border! Buffalo @CBP officers identified an individual with a full extradition FBI warrant for Sexual Exploitation of a Child. In coordination with @FBIBuffalo, the subject was arrested to face charges. Together, we bring fugitives to justice. #OFOProud

Western NY Observer
May 2, 2026

A Lockport man Devon Kutis, 30, of Lockport is facing second-degree attempted rape charges for allegedly attempting to solicit a minor, North Tonawanda police said.

Western NY Observer
May 2, 2026

A Vatican office has ruled that Bishop Michael W. Fisher erred in the way he went about collecting money from parishes to be used toward a bankruptcy settlement with nearly 900 child sex abuse victims.

Western NY Observer
May 2, 2026

U.S. Border Patrol & HSI conducted a targeted enforcement stop on a vehicle tied to a Honduran citizen with no legal status. Occupants fled; 4 Honduran nationals without documents were arrested, 2 previously removed—1 for felony sexual assault of a child. All face removal.

Western NY Observer
April 28, 2026

Milling, resurfacing nearly $9 million project to begin on Transit Road in Niagara County

Western NY Observer
April 28, 2026

The current lock at the Black Rock Lock has been in use since the early 1900s. Now a $6.9 million contract will start phase one of modernizing the system.

Western NY Observer
April 24, 2026

A New York State Supreme Court Justice has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to halt the construction of a Buffalo Police Department training facility in the East Side, but the fight may not be over.

Western NY Observer
April 24, 2026

Councilmembers questioned why more than $120 million has been allocated for Buffalo Police, but community services are losing nearly a million dollars in the proposed budget.

Western NY Observer
April 24, 2026

A company from Maine has been awarded a contract to install new fiber-reinforced bulkheads at the lock, which is 110 years old, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. $6.9 million project will modernize 110-vear-old lock in Black Rock Channel

Western NY Observer
April 24, 2026

Mayor Sean Ryan has pulled an amendment from has proposed budget that would give his administration broader latitude in executing contracts and accepting grants after a cold reception from Common Council members.

Western NY Observer
April 24, 2026

New York woman from Mexico set to be deported after being detained by ICE in Buffalo

Western NY Observer
April 24, 2026

Buffalo’s comptroller will now be required to issue bonds that were initially called for in former Mayor Chris Scanlon’s city budget last year, an appellate court ruled on Friday.

Western NY Observer
April 16, 2026

Erie County has a suite at the new Highmark Stadium, but there’s a debate over who should be allowed to use it.

Western NY Observer
April 16, 2026

A new 37-count indictment added more charges and revealed more alleged victims in an alleged sex-trafficking and extortion scheme in the Buffalo area

Western NY Observer
April 12, 2026

Border Patrol Agents from the Niagara Falls Station Targeting Unit apprehended a Costa Rican during a vehicle stop in Niagara Falls. The subject entered the U.S. illegally and will be returned to Costa Rica. Our agents work tirelessly 24/7 to keep our borders secure!

Western NY Observer
April 12, 2026

Officials break ground on major $29.3 million sewer project on Buffalo’s West Side

Western NY Observer
April 12, 2026

Jefferson Avenue Streetscape Plan to receive $500,000 in new funding

Western NY Observer
April 12, 2026

Cheektowaga, NY – Buffalo Station Targeting Unit Agents and ICE/ERO arrested a visa overstay with a felonious criminal history during enforcement operations. The individual was processed and transferred to ICE custody. We work with our partners to help keep communities safe.

Western NY Observer
April 12, 2026

Chautauqua County explores municipal consolidation for northern communities

Western NY Observer
April 12, 2026

Construction began Monday on the final phase of the nearly $60 million Cars Sharing Main Street project, a major transformation aimed at revitalizing downtown Buffalo.

Western NY Observer
April 6, 2026

Buffalo names first female police commissioner. Erika Shields previously worked in Atlanta and Louisville

Western NY Observer
April 6, 2026

Vive Shelter in Buffalo has opened a new playground for the children of asylum seekers, funded by a $250,000 state grant.

Western NY Observer
April 3, 2026

Currently, New York allows 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt deer when accompanied by a mentor, but each individual county has to opt in, and Erie County currently does not. They are the only county in upstate that has not opted in.

Western NY Observer
April 3, 2026

Empire State Development is investing nearly $3 million into the historic Renold, Inc. plant in Westfield in Chautauqua County.The facility is set to expand, adding an advanced manufacturing cell and nine new skilled positions.

Western NY Observer
April 2, 2026

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says that Western New York Off-Track Betting needs to “rein in costs and strengthen its financial operations,” following an audit that was released by the comptroller on Wednesday.

Western NY Observer
April 1, 2026

The Environmental Protection Agency will review soil in Buffalo after high levels of lead were found in soil at several properties on the city’s East Side.

Western NY Observer
April 1, 2026

Border Patrol Agents from the Niagara Falls Station, in coordination with ICE/ERO, apprehended 11 illegal aliens during a targeted operation near Olcott, NY. Day in and day out, our agents are committed to protecting our nation’s borders and securing the homeland. Honor First!

Western NY Observer
March 30, 2026

An Albion man Norman Kelly, 69, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for receipt of child pornography, the United States Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Western NY Observer
March 30, 2026

Buffalo has many giant historic buildings that are badly in need of as much as $300 million of rehab. So state Sen. April N.M. Baskin wants to triple the state’s historic tax credit to $15 million for these “white elephants.”

Western NY Observer
March 29, 2026

A $50 million proposal to construct a sprawling indoor sports facility has ballooned to an $80 million venture that now includes a $25 million hotel near the site.

Western NY Observer
March 29, 2026

$10M hotel, water park renovation approved in Batavia

Western NY Observer
March 28, 2026

The City of Buffalo has reduced the number of paid work placements in the mayor’s summer youth program by about half over the last two years.

Western NY Observer
March 28, 2026

The top leadership of the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy resigned in the last few weeks, leaving the nonprofit with no staff and only an acting chairman just months before the $250M public park is slated to begin reopening on Buffalo’s Lower West Side.

Western NY Observer
March 28, 2026

A young entrepreneur from Italy faces federal fraud charges in Buffalo, accused by the FBI of providing the payment infrastructure for cybercriminals to sell millions of stolen passwords and compromised email addresses.

Western NY Observer
March 27, 2026

Our office removed a criminal illegal alien and int’l Guyanese fugitive wanted for murder in home country. Our officers arrested this criminal after he strangled his x-gf & threatened to kill her and her friends. We are working every day to get these criminals out of our country!

Western NY Observer
March 26, 2026

Kristina Eaves became the second defendant to plead guilty over what prosecutors have described as a massive extortion scheme targeting men who responded to online ads offering sex with women for money.

Western NY Observer
March 24, 2026

Mayor Sean Ryan hopes to avoid selling the city’s parking ramps to a newly formed authority but will need Albany to pass a bill allowing the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority to borrow for operating costs.

Western NY Observer
March 24, 2026

Belmont Housing Resources for WNY and CB-Emmanuel Realty plan to spend $175 million to transform the vacant 17-acre site along Fillmore Avenue, just below the Kensington Expressway, into the Glenview Heights apartment complex.

Western NY Observer
March 24, 2026

Baskin, citing 5/14 massacre, seeks S1OM to expand food services to underserved communities

Western NY Observer
March 24, 2026

57-year-old Claude T. Tortora formerly from Amherst was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for predatory sexual assault against a child between 2013 and 2018

Western NY Observer
March 23, 2026

Mayor Sean Ryan’s team is pushing the state Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass a bill that would allow the city to borrow up to $500 million through the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, over the next five years.

Western NY Observer
March 23, 2026

Grape farmers in Western New York are facing an uncertain future after Refresco, one of the region’s biggest grape processors, canceled all of its contracts with local farms.

Western NY Observer
March 21, 2026

Amherst banned ‘gambling’ at its senior center. Some pinochle players are not happy

Western NY Observer
March 20, 2026

Federal report warns about eating fish from Eighteenmile Creek

Western NY Observer
March 20, 2026

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan pauses demolitions as he reorganizes problem housing plan

Western NY Observer
March 20, 2026

Man accused of transporting a family from Canada to Grand Island on a raft

Western NY Observer
March 20, 2026

On Feb 25, Niagara Falls Station, ICE/ERO, and Buffalo Sector SOD stopped a vehicle in Medina, NY. Four fled; all were caught with help from local partners and drone support. One MS-13 gang member and 3 Hondurans taken into custody. Great teamwork keeping our communities safe!

Western NY Observer
March 20, 2026

After years of planning, New York plans to kick off a $40 million to $45 million transformation of Buffalo’s Broadway Market this summer, turning it into a “vibrant year-round food and shopping hub.”

Western NY Observer
March 20, 2026

New York state has announced a first-in-the-nation pilot program aimed at reducing gun violence is coming to Buffalo and Rochester.The program works to equip health care providers who work in hospitals with training to assess firearm injury risk.

Western NY Observer
March 20, 2026

Neighborhood Health Center to receive $200,000 in state funding

Western NY Observer
March 18, 2026

The Buffalo Common Council is being asked to consider more than $1.7 million in settlements for suits filed against the city negotiated by the Corporation Counsel’s office, with most of them stemming from incidents involving the Buffalo Police Department.

Western NY Observer
March 18, 2026

Erie County has been awarded $800,000 in Greenway funding to support improvements at Isle View Park and the Two Mile Creek / Sherwood Trail system.

Western NY Observer
March 18, 2026

DEC reveals plans to restock Ischua Creek after major fish die-off

Western NY Observer
March 18, 2026

Construction begins on Buffalo’s Jefferson Avenue streetscape project. The $20 million upgrade is part of a broader $32.5 million project and is designed to improve roadway conditions, pedestrian safety, and accessibility.

Western NY Observer
March 18, 2026

Families speak out on alleged abuse at Lackawanna learning center

Western NY Observer
March 17, 2026

A new court ruling has allowed a philosophy professor’s lawsuit against SUNY Fredonia to proceed, four years after administrators removed him from the classroom and barred him from campus after his controversial podcast remarks about adult-child sex.

Western NY Observer
March 17, 2026

‘Energy prices are too damn high’: Governor Hochul speaks out against soaring gas prices

Western NY Observer
March 17, 2026

Shea’s gets additional $5M state funding boost for the $34.6 million expansion project, bringing the state’s total investment to more than $18 million

Western NY Observer
March 17, 2026

Buffalo homeowners push back on plan to raise property taxes to help plug a projected $25 to $30 million budget deficit

Western NY Observer
March 17, 2026

Lancaster reassessment project raises residents’ concerns

Western NY Observer
March 17, 2026

New: A sixth Buffalo cop has been cited for a pattern of misconduct by the state Attorney General.Calvis McKnight, the AG found, was found to have engaged in a pattern of unlawful anal searches of suspects.

Western NY Observer
March 15, 2026

In a stipulation approved last month by State Supreme Court Justice Deborah A. Chimes, the town agreed to cut the assessed value of the four properties that constitute the Roycroft by 85%, from $1.48 million to $210,000.

Western NY Observer
March 14, 2026

Crews respond to fuel leak on USS Croaker, water aboard the USS The Sullivans

Western NY Observer
March 13, 2026

A Chad Campbell convicted of murdering a 15-year-old and a 1-year-old in the Rochester area in 1990 is being released on parole in Erie County.The Erie County Sheriff’s Office called the decision “appalling.”

Western NY Observer
March 13, 2026

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan says if the city meets its goal of hiring 100 lifeguards for the summer, he will jump in the Cazenovia Park pool dressed in a suit.

Western NY Observer
March 13, 2026

Just about every local television move recently leads to questions over whether it has anything to do with the pending $6.2 billion merger between the broadcast companies that own WIVB-TV (Channel 4) and WGRZ-TV (Channel 2).

Western NY Observer
March 13, 2026

Lockport babysitter 24-year-old Luke Smeal accused of rapeDeputies say the victim was younger than 5-years-old

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a Tonawanda man faces up to 930 years in prison for over 30 child pornography-related charges.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

In a note to shareholders last week, Plug Power made it official: It’s massive hydrogen production facility planned for Western NY was dead.The company had a rocky five years in the region as it ran into financial, permitting and political headwinds.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

County Executive Mark Poloncarz promises to veto a youth hunting bill for the second time.”I know what 12- and 13-year-old boys are like, and even with mentors, they do bad, goofy things. I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

A Blasdell contactor is expanding its operations to a new site down the street while creating nearly 30,000 square feet of office and workshop space for other contractors, in a $3 million project.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

A $29 million Buffalo Sewer Authority project on the West Side should prevent about 8 million gallons of untreated sewage from entering the Black Rock Canal annually. Work is set to begin this spring.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

Erie County is marking two years of progress under the Community Climate Action Plan. 🌎 Since its launch, the plan has helped strengthen local climate planning efforts and assisted in obtaining grants and other funding.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

The Seneca-Babcock Community Association is shutting down most of its services beginning Friday after its executive director admitted that the organization failed to submit any financial documents for the past nine years to the IRS.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

Buffalo mayor Sean Ryan asked in a letter sent to the NYS Department of Transportation that the city take the lead in the Scajaquada Corridor project.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

Tax hikes on the rich. Increased state aid for Buffalo. Rebates of up to $500 for cost-battered utility rate payers. Democrats who control the State Legislature approved all of those proposals in tentative state spending plans on Thursday.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

Developers of the Bewley Building in Lockport say plans could be in jeopardy if a vote currently under consideration to prohibit new approvals for multi-family developments passes.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

Five Buffalo Bills stadium construction workers were detained by federal immigration authorities last weekend, according to Timothy Benes, the business manager of SMART Local 71 in Buffalo.

Western NY Observer
March 12, 2026

Child care services at 11 State University of New York community colleges are being expanded to include evenings and weekends and create additional spots for infants and toddlers, Gov. Hochul’s office announced Thursday.

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

Dozens rally at Buffalo State University, calling for $16 million in state funding

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda school district proposes closing Holmes Elementary, reopening two former schools

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

Buffalo and Lackawanna schools have participated since the state Education Department and USDA launched the waiver in 2024, but others like Cheektowaga Central have now joined.

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

North Tonawanda City Attorney Edward Zebulske was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, according to a police report obtained by 7 News.

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

Mt. Aaron Missionary Baptist Church and its nonprofit affiliate are following up their Mt. Aaron Village affordable housing project on the East Side with a much smaller venture that will see construction of 15 affordable single-family homes.

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

University at Buffalo announces naming rights deal with BroadviewThe $32 million covers naming rights to both the football and venues at the school’s North campus

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

Buffalo Public Schools scrapped plans to close two elementary schools next year after community outcry, but 7 News has learned the idea has simply been kicked down the road.

Western NY Observer
March 11, 2026

A Cheektowaga man is facing sexual exploitation charges after he was connected to a case of a missing 16-year-old girl out of Ohio.

Western NY Observer

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