joseph lorigo

Albany made major changes in New York's criminal law in the last legislative session and those changes are slowly working into place. However, the cost of the changes is not yet clear.

The Erie County Legislature agreed to put up the $5 million promised to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery by County Executive Mark Poloncarz, but it was along fight.

The annual struggle over who will serve on the board of the political patronage-riddled Erie County Water Authority continues, after an Erie County Legislature committee interviewed the two candidates for a three-year term on the board.

New York State should slash the number of people who are held after arrest because they can't come up with cash bail. That is the message the Erie County Legislature sent to Albany Thursday.

While the major issue on Thursday's agenda was next year's budget, the Erie County Legislature also passed two other significant pieces of legislation.

Majority Democrats passed the Erie County budget they wanted Thursday, with a lot of new spending and a tax cut. That is because the county is awash in cash, particularly because sales tax revenue is so far above expectations.

Erie County Legislator Joseph Lorigo is accusing the Poloncarz Administration of a continued lack of cooperation in providing information that, he says, is needed if lawmakers are to vote on a request for more money for an expanded future convention center study.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the county is doing pretty well: jobs are up and county agencies are showing how well they can help members of the public. However, delivering his annual State of the County address Thursday, he said more needs to be done.

The extent of Buffalo’s childhood lead poisoning epidemic may be worse than documented by government agencies. Many children may not be getting tested for lead in their blood in a city that has been described as “ground zero” for the lead poisoning across upstate New York.

Erie County legislators have unanimously asked Albany to extend the deadline for renewing pistol permits, noting potentially thousands of permit holders have not renewed.

It was a mix of generational change and backroom politics Thursday, as the Erie County Legislature reorganized after an election that put Democrats in charge.

Al Dirschberger has gone from Erie County Social Services commissioner to a "person of interest" in a potentially criminal Albany incident involving a subordinate.

After an extended debate Thursday, Erie County legislators voted to send a proposed ban on people convicted of some crimes from holding elective or appointive offices in county government back to committee.

Erie County legislators want the start of ride-hailing moved up, to make for a better and safer Fourth of July.

In a day of complicated maneuvering, Erie County legislators killed a plan to refinance the debt of Erie County Medical Center, then sent back to committee a separate plan to borrow $100 million for the hospital using the county's credit rating. It was a day of attacks - some personal - and so much parliamentary maneuvering regarding the entangled finances of Erie County and ECMC even legislators were sometimes lost.

An Erie County lawmaker wants to put an end to conversion therapy on youths. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says Legislator Patrick Burke has introduced a local law that would ban the practice.