Terrifying Weapons

On Dec. 9 an Erie County Jury found Erica Moreland of Buffalo guilty of second-degree assault for kicking a woman in the eye with her four-inch stiletto heel. Moreland and the victim, who required eye surgery, had fought after a night of drinking. The thought of that is just cringeworthy.

Event Planning

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt described Buffalo’s upcoming hosting of the World Junior Hockey Championships a “crisis in the making” on Dec. 10, due to the lack of cooperation between event officials and the convention bureau. Am I the only one thankful local pols weren’t involved in the planning?

Blackouts

Much like the Buffalo Bills game against Cleveland on Dec. 12 was blacked out on local television due to poor ticket sales­—the third game this season—in accordance with NFL rules and regulations this Scorecard™ item will not be viewable to local audiences due to Artvoice’s poor circulation. Apologies.

Financial Freedom

Gov. David Paterson vetoed legislation on Dec. 13 that would weaken the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority and grant more autonomy to the city. Yup, despite massive annual surpluses and a rainy day fund in excess of $30 million, the city’s still can’t spend its own allowance without “adult” supervision.

Love Letters

Facing the prospect of a vacant skyscraper, Buffalo Place directors pleaded via letter with HSBC Bank on Dec. 15 to stay at the HSBC Center downtown. Bank officials are considering leaving the 38-story tower, where they currently occupy greater than 75% of the available commercial space.

Number of items of extra spending passed by the Erie County Legislature that were vetoed by County Executive Chris Collins on Dec. 14. Democratic lawmakers were unsuccessful in persuading a single Republican to cross lines and give them the two-thirds majority necessary to override the vetoes. Among the highly contentious cuts were $1.2 million to local arts and cultural organizations.