Sandra Tan

Judge says no to allowing Depew High School senior back in school A judge has denied the chance for a Depew High School senior to return to school without getting her meningitis vaccine.

Lots of tough decisions involving this family and this case. It's easy to portray the vaccination controversy as a black-and-white issue. But there's a gray zone that landed this case in court.

Putrid, rotting stench and rats at downtown jail came from an unexpected source The disgusting odor wafting up from beneath the Erie County Holding Center wasn't sewage, but it was still bad. It's another sign of chronic problems plaguing the county's aging jails.

Why there's been a putrid stench wafting through the Erie County Holding Center and Sheriff's Office headquarters and what it means for the county's jails.

Two veteran Erie County legislators will step down at the end of the year, shaking up the Republican landscape Two veteran Erie County legislators, comprising half of the County Legislature's Republican caucus, have chosen not to run for re-election when their terms expire at the end of this year.

Two Erie County legislators – comprising half of the Legislature's Republican members – are stepping down after the end of this year. But two other Republican contenders are stepping forward to campaign for their seats.

There's 'cold' weather and then there's 'It's too cold for Ice Fest' weather Cold temps means canceling Ice Fest and reaching back years for the last time we've had such cold daytime temperature readings.

Tomorrow's daytime temperatures in the Buffalo region will be the coldest in eight years. That's just great.

AKG museum gave director low-interest $335,000 loan for home purchase. Erie County has concerns Janne Sirén, the executive director of the AKG, received a 30-year, ultra-low interest loan from the museum to buy a house now worth more than $1 million.

The director of the Buffalo AKG received a $335,000, nearly interest-free mortgage from the museum as part of a "relocation package," to help him buy a Buffalo home when he was hired in 2013. And he wasn't the first director to get this benefit:

Medicaid data shows familiar health struggles in Erie County and concerning trends emerging In Erie County, the most common drugs prescribed to county residents treat asthma and high cholesterol, and the percentage of Medicaid recipients being treated for mental health conditions has risen sharply over the past decade.

Are you taking one of the top 30 drugs prescribed in Erie County? Find out here in The Buffalo News:

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:

Chestnut Ridge's concession stand seemed to be either closed or filthy. Change is coming In 2023, Erie County awarded a three-year contract to a concessionaire that often failed to open and now owes more than $4,000 in unpaid revenue and late fees from its Grover Cleveland Golf Course and Chestnut Ridge Park locations.

Chestnut Ridge Park hasn't offered food concessions in a long time, but it isn't because there isn't any food vendor willing to set up shop. There's conflict, controversy and criticism, and downtown eatery owner who's taking a long fight public.

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:

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...

Audit shows $352,427 in overpayment to African American Cultural Center amid accusations of 'pilfering' An audit by the Erie County Comptroller has found that the African American Cultural Center has been overpaid more than $352,000 in county grants from 2020 to 2022. And so far, efforts to get that money back or find out what happened have failed.

ICYMI: Scathing report highlights mishandling and misappropriation of money given to the African American Cultural Center, by colleague @DeidreWilliamsB. Erie County Comptroller @kevinhardwick wants more than $350,000 refunded. 1st of 3 stories on this:

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.

In an unusual move, Erie County legislators are planning to create a special committee to review and reform policies in light of critical comptroller audit findings of lax oversight, abuse and policy failures regarding employee use of county-owned vehicles.

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 in New York City.

The push by Erie County officials to limit use of biometric data, such as what @Wegmans has been using, is quickly moving forward. Story by @samchristmann.bsky.social:

Family sues Depew school officials in vaccination dispute barring high school senior from school The mother of a Depew High School senior has filed suit against the principal and school district for barring her daughter, a high school senior, from attending school due to the failure to get a meningitis booster vaccine.

The family of a 17-year-old Depew High School senior has filed suit to allow senior Kayci Rae to return to school and accept her vaccination exemption. The mother had said this was a "last resort," but is pushing the legal fight as the clock winds down on Kayci's senior year.

After months of waiting, Erie County Sheriff's Office releases internal Granville report Documents provided through a Freedom of Information Law request show the Sheriff's Office sustained two charges against Daniel "D.J." Granville in connection with the April 2024 series of crashes.

Case study in Erie County Sheriff's Office transparency. As this @aaronbesecker.bsky.social story notes, @TheBuffaloNews and @WGRZ were EACH charged 2.5 hours of time at $25/hr for the work of emailing us a pre-existing 4-page Granville investigation report and two letters.

Erie County and Granville reach $75,000 restitution agreement for damage claims Daniel "D.J." Granville has agreed to make restitution for the damage caused when he drove his Erie County Sheriff's Office pickup truck into seven parked cars in April 2024.

D.J. Granville is going to make restitution to @eriecounty.bsky.social for more than $75,000 in damage caused when he crashed his Sheriff's Office pickup truck into seven parked cars in April 2024. But the reimbursement is going to take a while. Our story:

Depew High School senior barred from school over vaccination dispute Depew High School senior Kayci Rae has been barred from returning to school since October because of her failure to receive a meningitis booster vaccine. Her family is fighting to get her back in.

A tough situation unfolds: Depew HIgh School senior Kayci Rae was kicked out of school in October after failing to get the meningitis booster vaccine due to inexplicable leg pain. She loves the school and wants to return. The school says it's only following the rules:

More suits against Erie County get settled, but county still fighting multimillion-dollar judgments Erie County has settled a number of cases expected to go to trial this year, but the county is still fighting three cases in which juries have awarded judgments against the county totaling more than $130 million.

What's become of the major lawsuits and multimillion-dollar judgments facing @eriecounty.bsky.social? As we approach year's end, we take another look at cases settled, and those still looming in court.

With state Senate run looming, Zellner prepares to say goodbye to the Board of Elections As Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Zellner prepares to step down as Erie County Board of Elections commissioner after nearly a decade, he reflects on all that's changed while he's been there.

Jeremy Zellner has played a central role Erie County Democratic Party politics. As he prepares to leave his post as one of two county Board of Elections commissioners, he and other look back on the tumultuous time with elections over the past 9 years.

Erie County Legislature approves $2.28 billion budget. Here are 5 key takeaways The county’s property tax rate, the amount of taxes charged for every $1,000 of assessed value to property owners, is also falling again to historically low levels – from $3.29 to $3.09 – thanks to increasing property values and new development.

Yes, the @eriecounty.bsky.social budget is a lot, but it's official now. Here are five key takeaways.

Erie County Sheriff's new helicopter lands amid cost questions and controversy The Erie County Sheriff's office has a new helicopter. But behind the scenes, the issue of helicopters is a sore subject as county officials struggle with what is destined to be the most expensive equipment purchase made Erie County history.

Pilots from the Erie County Sheriff's Office flew up their new helicopter from Mississippi last week. It still needs outfitting before it can be used as a replacement for the old Air One chopper. In the meantime, concerns abound.

Erie County legislators offer amendments that shift $3.25M in spending Democrats trimmed 60 different lines in the proposed 2026 Erie County budget, cutting a proposed $3.25M. They then added back $3.25M in costs by offering more money to three regional nonprofits, and giving each of the 11 legislators $150,000 in handout money.

Also from Monday, find out how Erie County legislator amended - or attempted to amend - the proposed 2026 Erie County budget. buffalonews.com/news...
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The plan for new Erie County jail in Alden is 'dead.' Cause of death: price tag. The Erie County Legislature took the unusual step of scrapping a $20 million plan for a bigger-and-better jail in Alden. Here's what it means.

A lot happened Monday. First, actions by Erie County legislators make it clear: The costly plan for a new-and-improved county jail in Alden is dead. buffalonews.com/news...
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Audit: Hundreds of Erie County-owned vehicles mismanaged under 'broken system' Hundreds of cars in Erie County's fleet are unaccounted for and people are abusing the county's gasoline fueling system, according to the findings of a recent audit of take-home vehicles by Erie County.

Erie County owns or leases more than 1,200 vehicles and equipment that cost millions to fuel and maintain each year. But oversight of that system is "broken" and some vehicles were hard to track down, according to the latest Comptroller's Office audit.

Erie County Water Authority raises rates another 8.25%, exceeding Buffalo's rates The water rates for many suburban residents and commercial property owners are going up again, this time exceeding the effective water rates of other major cities and counties.

Yes, your Erie County Water Authority water rates are going up. Here's why and how to calculate exactly how much:

Want to own a piece of 'fandemonium'? You will get a chance soon Want to bring home a memento from the current Buffalo Bills stadium before it's torn down? You'll soon get your chance, but be prepared to really open your wallet.

Want a keepsake from the @BuffaloBills current Highmark Stadium? You'll get the chance to buy a piece of the stadium soon. Here's @buffalonews.com's exclusive first details on how that will work:

Estate of Buffalo 5 member Darryl Boyd awarded $80 million in wrongful conviction case A federal jury in Rochester has awarded $80 million to the family of the late Darryl Boyd, a Buffalo man who spent 27 years in state prisons for a 1976 murder that he swore he did not commit. “From our research, this is the largest jury award for a wrongful conviction case in American history,” said attorney Joel B. Rudin.

This $80 million judgment against Erie County is being called the biggest wrongful conviction judgment in the country. Appeals are in the works, but concerns linger about the county's growing set of prospective liabilities. Story with Dan Herbeck:

Term limits for elected Erie County leaders are 'dead in the water' Democratic Legislator John Bargnesi pushed for term limits for Erie County elected leaders for more than a year. In light of Thursday's vote, however, he's giving up.

Getting Erie County elected leaders to vote to limit their own terms was always going to be a hard sell, but the campaign to get it done is officially dead. Here's how it all went down today:

Western New York native tapped to lead National Women's Hall of Fame Buffalo native has been tapped to run a national Hall of Fame museum dedicated to honoring remarkable women.

Former Williamsville North High School student tapped to lead National Women's Hall of Fame.

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.