Mike Desmond
Multimedia ReporterMike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.
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The tightening gubernatorial race between Governor Hochul and Challenger Lee Zeldin apparently brought out a lot of voters, starting with a large number of early voters in the expensive and critical race.
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There are rules for voting, age and residence and citizenship. There are also rules for who can challenge someone who wants to vote. Not just everyone can challenge a potential voter. It has to be someone legally allowed, like a credentialed poll watcher or the person in charge of the polling place. It also can't be some random individual hanging around outside the polling place. Local boards of election administer all of these New York State law and rules and, sometimes, cops.
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As details become clearer about a settlement between the Buffalo Catholic Diocese and the state attorney general to toughen and make more transparent discipline of priests potentially accused of sexual abuse is drawing some opposition as details are teased out
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A South Buffalo bookstore brings books and words to people of all ages, from pre-K kids to grandparents, teaching the joys of the printed pages.
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British singer and union activist Billy Bragg sang in front of the struck Starbucks in the heart of the Elmwood Village. He was on the way to a concert in Toronto when union organizers persuaded him to stop and sing and he did.
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Kaleida Health and its unions teetered on a path to a strike, until they resolved everything early on Monday. Now, they have to work on finances and filling hundreds of vacant jobs.
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Workers from across Kaleida Health had approved a work stoppage, but CWA and 1199 SEIU hadn't issued the 10-day notice while talks continued to the deal early this morning.
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Surmet makes glass for military use, space use and some uses it doesn't know. The company cut the ribbon yesterday on a $14.5 million expansion using cheap Niagara power and promising to add to the work force over the next three to five years.
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Buffalo has an array of National Register and local historic districts across all sections of the city with a panoply of different racial groups. A study from PlaceEconomics in Washington, D.C. says those districts are leading the city's economic charge in jobs, development, income and high-cost housing.
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With schools trying to claw back from the academic damage of COVID-19, Buffalo public schools are trying to get kids to schools and after-school programs to help in the academic recovery.