WBFO Business & Economy Desk

Buffalo may be known for its chicken wings and fish frys, but Western New Yorkers also have an appetite for locally produced healthy foods. In WBFO’s Farm-to-Table series, we meet entrepreneurs in the region's growing industry and how they're helping to change the local economy. 

Donuts, chicken wings and fish frys are certainly popular in Buffalo, but residents also have an appetite for a variety of locally grown healthy foods. In WBFO's Farm-to-Table series, we meet entrepreneurs in the growing industry, including a unique farm without fields that relies on fish for growing leafy greens and herbs.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul visited a Buffalo business planning to move to Lackawanna next year, and grow its workforce upon completing the move. TRS Packaging will receive $400,000 for job skills training, one of numerous awards announced by New York State Monday.

Buffalo may be known for its chicken wings and fish frys,  but Western New Yorkers also have an appetite for locally-produced healthy foods. In WBFO’s Farm-to-Table series, we meet entrepreneurs in the region’s growing industry. At a family farm in Darien, a healthcare professional is raising pigs the old-fashioned way.

Since it was initially proposed, the Outer Harbor residential development Queen City Landing has sparked a number of questions from community interests.  The height of the main tower and how the complex would restrict public waterfront access have been two of the major concerns. Jim Fink of Business First says developer Gerry Buchheit has altered the proposal. While a 20-story tower remains at the heart of the plan, Fink says a 2.5-acre green space has been added to make the location "welcoming" to the public. The alterations will need approval through the city's regulatory process before becoming reality.

"Shocked and speechless" was how the president of the Buffalo Newspaper Guild described the sale of The Buffalo News to Lee Enterprises. It could be a major change for the region, in an industry where cuts and consolidation are already common. For more information about the new owner and what the sale could mean for Western New York, WBFO's Marian Hetherly talked with Jim Heaney, a reporter at the News from 1986-2011 and now editor of Investigative Post, a nonprofit investigative reporting center based in Buffalo.

And the winner is.... Those were the words anxiously clung to Tuesday evening, as "Small Business Revolution" live-streamed which of its Top 5 finalists would receive a $500,000 small business makeover. In the end, there was good news for the packed crowd inside and outside the Fredonia Opera House - and a special live appearance by the television show's co-host.

43North, the startup competition that aims to attract new businesses to Buffalo, has a new leader now that the organization's board of directors has tapped Colleen Heidinger to succeed Alex Gress as president.

The Buffalo Niagara Convention Center is "antiquated and beyond its useful life span," according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. WBFO's Chris Caya talked with Poloncarz about plans for replacing the facility.

Two prominent Buffalo-area businessmen were killed in a helicopter crash Thursday night.

Issues impacting older adults — including lowering prescription drug prices, tax relief for caregivers and large Medicaid cuts — will be some of the major issues during New York state’s 2020 legislative session. 

A coalition of New York State dairy and vegetable farmers has filed a federal lawsuit to temporarily halt a new farm labor act set to take effect on New Year's Day.

The retail landscape for cannabis in Ontario will start to look much different beginning in January of 2020. The lottery system implemented by the government of Premier Doug Ford has faced widespread criticism.

New York state begins the new year with the biggest budget deficit since the Great Recession, estimated at $5 billion to $6 billion.

With support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and many members of the state legislature, 2020 could be the year when New York legalizes the adult use of recreational marijuana. But the issue has become complicated by a widespread lung ailment linked to vaping.