Fans wonder if former Fantasy Island park will open for 2026 With the park's operators saying little, rumors have swirled on Grand Island that Niagara Amusement won't open for the 2026 season.

The print headline was so much better: "Fun!? Well ... Emotional roller coaster for fans who fret over former Fantasy Island's fate" buffalonews.com/news/local/a...

WNY readers and sellers prepare for Independent Bookstore Day From now until Independent Bookstore Day on April 25 readers can visit participating bookstores to collect stamps in a printable passport booklet and be entered to win prizes.

Buffalo booksellers have kicked off a bookish scavenger hunt.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Canadians are boycotting America. How do they feel about Americans? With Canadians feeling spurned by President Trump's rhetoric, Canadians have boycotted American products and visits to the States. But how do they feel about Western New Yorkers?

The last time I looked, there were 283 comments on this story.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Solid piece penned by @samchristmann.bsky.social .
Includes quotes from Heather Jackson, owner of "Merit Badge Books" in Hamburg (MY favorite bookstore.)

Link to the printable passport booklet:
www.bflobookstores.com/_files/ugd/5...

#Buffalo
#BuffaloBookstorePassport
#IndependentBookstoreDay

Work on North Tonawanda aquatic facility to start in 2 months North Tonawanda is moving ahead with a new aquatic facility that will replace its historic and well-loved Memorial Pool.

I lived at this park as a kid. This project will completely transform that space.

buffalonews.com/news/local/a...

Buffalo officer's 'selective recall' in Internal Affairs interview benefited Granville, supervisor A Buffalo police officer's answers about her involvement in the crash investigation of Daniel "D.J." Granville served to protect Granville and his sister-in-law, Lucia Esquilin, then a Buffalo police ...

New @buffalonews.com: Buffalo officer's 'selective recall' in Internal Affairs interview benefited Granville, supervisor

buffalonews.com/news/local/c...

Buffalo Next: The Book Corner gets reprieve Every year, Jeffrey Morrow makes a decision - whether to take on one more year as owner of The Book Corner, a beloved, sprawling bookstore on Main Street in Niagara

I'm still amazed at how many people don't know this incredible, giant bookstore in Niagara Falls exists.

buffalonews.com/article_7c92...

Looking for something to do Friday with no NCAA games? These local attractions have a deal for you With 19,000 NCAA basketball fans in town and no local games on Friday, some of the region's tourist attractions are hoping to give them something to do.

From @buffalonews.com & @samchristmann.bsky.social:

Looking for something to do Friday in Buffalo with no NCAA games? These local attractions have a deal for you buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

REI cuts compensation as labor talks break down The retailer declared an “impasse” in the bargaining process, which allows it to unilaterally make changes. The REI Union says the move was illegal.

www.retaildive.com/news/rei-cut...

As M. Steffan's Sons closes, so does a portal to the past Inside M. Steffan's Sons, leather was still cut by hand and repairs were done with tools older than electricity. Outside, the world moved toward Amazon orders and disposable fashion. With Linda Steffa...

More than 170 years after opening in downtown Buffalo, this one-of-a-kind shop will close this month.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Fashion Outlets is at the edge of a cliff. Here's how it got there Fashion Outlets owner Macerich is facing a $76.8M balloon payment on the mall due in October. But with the mall assessed at about $82M less than it was in 2010 when the loan was issued, it's a big cha...

Outlet malls don't have the same edge they once had over traditional enclosed shopping centers, but they foreclose at about half the rate.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Northtowns residents push back on license plate reader cameras There is growing push back from citizens across Western New York against municipalities using Flock Cameras, automatic license plate readers.

Flock cameras: www.wkbw.com/news/local-n...

Taste of China serves last meals at Boulevard Mall The popular Taste of China restaurant will serve its last meal at Boulevard Mall on Tuesday as the mall prepares for at least partial demolition.

It's getting real, folks. Soon, Boulevard Mall will only exist in our memories.

Prospectus: WNY Tourism sites are feeling the absence of Canadians Over the past year, visitation to Western New York from Canada has dropped 25%. That's a problem for the region's tourist sites, as well as the retailers and restaurants around them.

Our annual Prospectus edition will be out this Sunday. Here's a sneak peek at one of the stories you'll find inside.

Different rules govern Erie County's fleet of vehicles. The Legislature might change that An Erie County audit found big problems with how the county assigns and monitors use of taxpayer-funded vehicles. Now the Legislature is tasked with creating a new policy.

The big barrier to reforming government policies regarding employees being given take-home cars, access to free gas etc. isn't just updating a policy; it's ensuring the policy applies to everyone. How the Erie County, NY Legislature is wrestling with that:

Massive data center project in Genesee County revising incentives request After withdrawing a previous proposal, Dallas-based Stream has said it wants to build a data center campus in the town of Alabama that would double the project's square footage, to 2.2 million square feet, and would use twice as much power.

After withdrawing a previous proposal, Dallas-based Stream has said it wants to build a data center campus in the town of Alabama that would double the project's square footage, to 2.2 million square feet, and would use twice as much power.

Sentence of time served and $250,000 fine ends Buffalo Billion bid-rigging case against Ciminelli The corruption case against Louis P. Ciminelli – which spanned a decade and spawned a legal challenge that reached the U.S. Supreme Court – has ended with no additional prison time, but a $250,000 fin...

Time served and a $250k fine.

Tempur-Pedic, Warby Parker, North Face shops set for Amherst's Station Twelve The retailers, along with a relocated Black & Blue Steak and Crab restaurant, are the latest tenants announced for the Station Twelve development in Amherst.

The retailers, along with a relocated Black & Blue Steak and Crab restaurant, are the latest tenants announced for the Station Twelve development in Amherst.
buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Servers sue Hyatt Regency Buffalo over alleged wage theft A class-action lawsuit filed by two Hyatt banquet servers claims the Hyatt Regency Buffalo improperly kept almost half of banquet servers' tips for the past nearly seven years.

The state has very strict rules on how service charges are presented and divided. Hyatt ran afoul of those rules for years, the suit says.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Judge Restricts Immigration Agents’ Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters A federal judge ordered agents not to retaliate against people “engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity” in the state and not to stop drivers who are not “forcibly obstructing” officers.

Breaking News: A federal judge ordered immigration agents not to retaliate against people engaging in peaceful protests in Minnesota, among other restrictions.

Erie County study costing $481,000 finally to be released – long after first requested and paid for It has taken more than three years to deliver a costly Erie County disparity study that was supposed to take 12 months. But county leaders say it's finally ready.

The Erie County Legislature wanted to make it easier for women and minority-owned businesses to be awarded county contracts. The county spent nearly $481,000 on a study to figure that out three years ago. So why isn't it done yet? That story: buffalonews.com/news/local/a...

Employee surveillance has been linked to decreased morale and lower job satisfaction, which can lead to lower productivity and turnover.

The Wegmans Debate And The Rise Of Surveillance In Workplaces Wegmans’ biometric data practices point to a larger surveillance shift, raising urgent questions about privacy, equity, and the future of work.

Wegmans - consistently a "Great Place to Work," is threatening that title with its use of bioemetric surveillance that monitors workers, Forbes suggests www.forbes.com/sites/janice...

Macy's closing will make Boulevard Mall redevelopment even harder Now that Macy's is closing its Boulevard Mall store, it throws a wrench into plans to transform the sprawling property into a town center, a planned walkable community with retail and residential offe...

In case you missed it, new bumps in the road for Amherst's planned town center.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Macy's to close at Boulevard Mall in Amherst Macy's is closing its store in the Boulevard Mall in February, leaving just its Walden Galleria location for a department store chain that once had a big presence in Western New York.

It's not clear what this will do to Benderson's plans for a town center and they declined to comment as they don't yet own the mall.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Why are people so fired up about biometrics? Wegmans is facing a growing backlash after confirming Tuesday that it uses biometric data in some of its stores. But what is biometrics and why should shoppers care?

Biometric data collection happens all over New York, and not just at Wegmans. Here's what all the fuss is about.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Remember when they told us they were only interested in removing (ie censoring) books that are “obscene” and “harmful” to children?

They lied. 😑

Poloncarz calls for laws regulating biometric data use in Erie County Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is pushing for a county law that would regulate the use of biometrics by stores and businesses, days after reports that Wegmans was using the technology at a store...

The fallout from Wegmans' biometric data collection disclosure continues.

buffalonews.com/news/local/b...

Here’s the document giving ICE 80 million Medicaid patients’ data FPF and 404 Media won access to it in our joint FOIA lawsuit

Recently, @freedom.press and @404media.co obtained a data-sharing agreement between the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that would include ICE receiving the personal data of nearly 80 million Medicaid patients. freedom.press/the-classifi...