reassuring

It's estimated that US oil companies could gain a windfall of $60B this year if crude prices maintain the levels they have hit since the start of Trump's war on Iran.

Remember that Big Oil spent spent nearly $100M to get Trump elected in 2024.

That investment is paying off quite well for them.

Susan Collins Has Run the Same Campaign for Decades Here's the four-part playbook used by New England's only congressional Republican

The Collins playbook #mepolitics open.substack.com/pub/amyfried...

Williamsville village trustee will challenge Kearns for Erie County clerk A business consultant who serves as a Williamsville village trustee is challenging incumbent Michael "Mickey" Kearns for the Erie County Clerk's Office in what will be one of the most-watched local ra...

Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns has a Democratic challenger - a Williamsville trustee who came close to defeating an incumbent assemblyman at the age of 22. share.google/yMjab8R7ZiX4...

Who controls the Erie County fleet? Erie County administrators say no one person has oversight and accountability rights over the county's entire fleet of 1,400 motor vehicles. Legislators say that's wrong.

.Erie County, NY government has more than 1,400 cars and light-duty trucks but how the county should keep employees from abusing the system has led some long arguments between department heads and county legislators. Here's the latest.

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:

Legislators look to fix 'broken system' after audit slams tracking and use of county-owned vehicles Erie County Legislator Jeanne Vinal intends to chair a special, bipartisan committee after an audit found that a lack of accountability and oversight has resulted in mismanagement of a vehicle fleet that the county spends more than $10 million a year to maintain.

The Erie County Legislature is officially creating a new five-member subcommittee today that will meet weekly to discuss reforms to the county fleet management, in light of a critical fleet services audit. We had that story last week:

If you have questions about what's in the budget, Sandy Tan gives a great overview.

Great overview of the amendments the Legislature made to the budget. It will be up for a vote on Thursday.

No more 'collusion': Compromise reached after year of disagreement involving mortgage taxes in Erie County After a year of disagreement, accusations and budget gaps involving the previously uninteresting "mortgage tax," Erie County Clerk Michael "Mickey" Kearns and the County Legislature have reached a compromise.

This is a case study in the politics of tax collection. Yes, it's one of those how-the-sausage-is-made stories, but it'll give you a lot more insight than your high school civics class.

In all fairness, can you blame him? 😀

Diamond Jim Radio Hour - Ep 12 - 2025 Election Recap | The Diamond Jim Radio Hour

Had a great time joining Diamond Jim to talk through the 2025 results: what surprised us, what didn’t, and what the numbers say about where Erie County is heading. Always fun and a little chaotic. If you're curious how the cycle shook out across the county, give it a listen.

As Cheektowaga goes, so goes the nation The headline of this post is an old saw that at least anecdotally is truer than not.  How the Town of Cheektowaga votes often lays out a pattern that is duplicated countywide, statewide, and n…

In today's Politics and Stuff, @kenkruly.bsky.social reminds us of the old political saw: As Cheektowaga goes, so go the state and nation. After what happened a week ago, we can only hope that holds true next year. politicsandstuff.com/2025/11/11/a...

The 2024 Trump "realignment" is over already Claims of a conservative realignment of non-whites, the working class, and young voters have been highly exaggerated

The 2024 Trump "realignment" is over already open.substack.com/pub/gelliott...

For first time, anyone from the public who wants to speak before Erie County Legislature can Starting with this week's Erie County Legislature meeting, the public will have the chance to address the Legislature on agenda items and other topics related to county business during public

Have an Erie County issue to bring before County Legislature? Starting Thursday, for the first time, you'll get the chance to address the governing body directly. Here's how that will work.

A solid overview of this year’s races for Erie County Legislature.

After lengthy silence, Garcia to appear before the Legislature to address Granville case Erie County Sheriff John Garcia has agreed to appear before the County Legislature on Thursday to answer questions in relation to the Daniel "D.J." Granville case.

Here's how it Erie County Sheriff John Garcia agreed to speak with the Erie County Legislature regarding the Granville case after a lengthy silence.

Hell yes, Pittsburgh. Love Yinz. No Kings.

Over half of Iowa's energy comes from wind power. Because of Ashley Hinson's vote to gut clean energy tax credits via the "Big Beautiful Bill," Iowans will see their utilities go up by hundreds of dollars a year and thousands of Iowa workers are at risk of losing their jobs.

My View: Acts of service must be their own reward The lesson is that service does not wait for perfect conditions, nor is it just the responsibility of those in elected office. It belongs to the ordinary people who choose

We inherit stories from our families, reminders of how people chose to act when there were no easy answers. The Buffalo News has published my column about my ancestor, whose choice to enlist in the Revolutionary War has lessons for finding courage in our uncertain times. rb.gy/ygkjkq

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Ever since an Iowa-based newspaper chain bought @buffalonews.com in 2020, they have only taken from The Buffalo News and this community. We need ownership that invests in local journalism. But we don't have one. That must change.

Outside audit of Clerk's Office uncovers 'extortion' emails and faults lack of access to information Emails referencing 'extortion,' information delays and other issues were found in outside forensic audit of the Erie County Clerk's Office, which was released this week.

An outside forensic audit of the Erie County Clerk's Office found no additional public money missing from the Clerk's Office. BUT auditors refused to conclusively state that no other money was taken. The full scoop:

Erie County legislators want an outside investigation into Granville case, as Granville looks to return to work next week Erie County Democrats in the County Legislature are asking for a state probe of the case of Daniel "DJ" Granville, the high-ranking member of the Sheriff's Office who crashed his county-owned pickup truck into seven parked cars.

Following the Granville case? Read this early exclusive on D.J. Granville's plans to return to work, his intent to make restitution, and the latest on whether the Erie County Legislature is going to investigate anything after saying in March that they would.

Another elected official wants state attorney general to investigate Granville case Add Erie County Legislator Taisha St. Jean Tard to the growing list of elected leaders asking that the New York State Attorney General Letitia James investigate the Granville case as public pressure mounts.

Erie County Legislator St. Jean Tard is adding her name to the call for an outside investigation into the Granville case.

How Seattle fits into the modern Christian Nationalist playbook Stoking outrage in progressive cities is part of the game plan for evangelical preachers like Sean Feucht, whose influence has been steadily growing.

Ahead of this weekend's Revive in 25 event in Gas Works Park, Dominick Bonny took a deep dive into Sean Feucht's background, ideology, and right wing political affiliations and the provocative Christian nationalist playbook he uses www.cascadepbs.org/news/2025/08...

Diamond Jim Radio Hour - Ep 9 - Erich Weyant Podcast Episode · The Square Podcast · 2025-08-21 · 1h 26m

I first walked into the Rath Building in the early ’90s, a young gay man unsure if government had room for me. Today I help lead the Legislature that decides how it serves all of us. I shared some of that journey, along with a few behind-the-scenes lessonson the Diamond Jim Radio Hour.

Tariffs create dysfunction and unintended consequences... we are moving into the FO phase this Fall.

Why upgrades to one Erie County sewage plant could cost more than $200 million, and who pays Erie County's Southtowns sewage treatment plant is undergoing its first major expansion in 45 years at a potential cost of more than $200 million. That has implications for certain taxpayers.

There aren't many people who can make county sewage treatment sound interesting. But I know a guy. buffalonews.com/news/local/a...

Hochul: "This is a war. We are at war. And that's why the gloves are off and I say, bring it on."