Buffalo Rising

Jim Santella, a longtime Buffalo broadcaster and radio innovator, died last week. He was 86. Since his passing, more than once people have asked if I knew him. I did. Informally, at first, as a listener. And later as a friend and colleague at WBFO, where we talked often about the craft of radio.

Those were the common themes Monday afternoon as hundreds of people, including political and business leaders, media, community activists, and neighbors came to the parking lot of Tops Market at Jefferson and Landon Street to marvel as the supermarket unveiled “Home Space” on the second anniversary of the racist mass killings of 10 beautiful Black men and women and the injuring of three others.

Stitch Buffalo and Water Buffalo Club 716 will be celebrating World Day of Cultural Diversity on Tuesday, May 21, from 1pm to 4pm at Stitch Buffalo. The celebration will also recognize two additional pro Buffalo facets:

Over the course of the next couple of days, Fitz Books will play host to a graffiti exhibition by Crime on Friday, and then Vibe Garden ( learn more ) will set up shop on Saturday. In preparation for the events, Vinny Alejandro (Crime 129) painted a graffiti piece on the patio wall of Fitz Books, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of hip hop culture, while recognizing Buffalo’s own hip hop community.

Buffalo’s cinematic journey is reaching new heights that many could never have imagined. Yesterday, crowds of supporters attended the ribbon cutting for Great Point Studios as Robert Halmi, Founder and

Cedarland Development is accepting applications for the affordable apartments at 950 Broadway’s Eckhardt Lofts. The building, opening in coming weeks, features 28 affordable housing units, a Head Start daycare center run by the Community Action Organization, plus additional retail and commercial space. An indoor urban garden is planned for the building’s basement. The building had been unused for 18 years, with portions of the building being vacant for decades prior.

Climate change and its local impact has drawn attention and leadership to the subject that informs, and more importantly, provides recommendations for our region to survive – and thrive.

Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers (BFNC) recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the agency’s new administration building at 2365 Main Street – formerly Canisius’ Demerly Hall.

The Basics: SHREK The Musical at Shea’s Performing Arts Center located at 646 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. For tickets: sheas.org or Box Office 716 847 0850. Production runs May 16-19th, 2024.

A new residence is taking shape at 130 Depew Avenue. Custom home builder Jurek Builders is constructing the residence for property owners Steven Elwell and Breanna Pugh. A circa 1920, 2,581 sq.ft. residence on the site was demolished in 2018 and Elwell and Push purchased the property in 2020 for $277,500.