🌱 🚀 BPD Use of Force + West Side Bazaar Fire + Local NASA Engineer

Hey, everybody! Happy National Sponge Candy Day. I'm back in your inbox this morning to walk you through all the most important things happening these days in town. Today's briefing includes news about:

• 🚨 Buffalo Police use of baton
• 🚒 Fire at the West Side Bazaar
• 🚴‍♀️ Protected bike lanes in Buffalo

⛈️ But first, today's weather: Powerful thunderstorms later in the day. High: 77. Low: 59.

Here are the top stories today in Buffalo:

1.) Without body cameras on this past March, two Buffalo Police Department officers used a baton on a homeless man who was showing no signs of resisting arrests six times before jamming one into his body. Officers Joseph Walters and Richard Lopez said they were told the victim was a panhandler who had turned verbally aggressive on motorists who did not hand him money. “The officer used the correct amount of force needed to remove a subject from the street and then attempt to issue a ticket,” Captain Joseph Whitenight wrote in the use of force report.

Read more at WIVB 4.

2.) An early morning fire at the West Side Bazaar has caused $100K worth of building damage. The building, which houses many businesses run by new Americans and refugees, has visible damage across the ceiling and the door is off the hinges. The Bazaar has expansion plans to move to Niagara Street, but the new site won’t be ready until 2023.

Read WFBO NPR for more information.

3.) Bonita Season, local NASA engineer, is a Riverside High School graduate, who shared her story yesterday at the New York State Association of Counties Conference. To the students of Buffalo, NY, Seasons says, ““I’m always very proud to be here to bring representation of NASA back to Buffalo, my way of giving back. I would say study hard, find your passion. Once I took computer science, that was my passion. Just keep pursuing it, don’t let anybody stop you.”

Learn more via WIVB 4.

4.) Sally Gower, president of Eat Well Buffalo, recommends meal prep, leftovers, and budget-friendly shopping to create healthy and affordable school lunches as we re-enter this school year. Her favorite tips? Special daily lunch boxes and working in choices so that the kids can feel in control over what they are eating.

Find specific suggestions at Spectrum News.

5.) Bollards, which have been put up by GObike to make more protective bike lanes for cyclists and pedestrians throughout the city, are proving to run counter to the transportation culture of this vehicle-first city. Residents and passer-bys of the upper West Side are complaining that streets aren’t wide enough to add bike lanes, and traffic complaints are occurring throughout the city.

Read The Buffalo News to learn more.

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Today in Buffalo:

• Literacy NY Buffalo-Niagara Work Experience Program! Buffalo and Erie County Central Library. September 21st, 9:00 A.M. Details!
• Downtown Deco Walking Tour! Hotel at the Lafayette. September 21st, 10:00 A.M. Details!
• Collections Live: Geology with Joe! Buffalo Museum of Science. September 21st, 11:00 A.M. Details!

Buffalo Chatter:

• Blimp View of Monday Night Football: "✨ Monday night views from the Goodyear blimp ✨ 📷 @goodyear_blimp" (Step Out Buffalo via Instagram)
• University at Buffalo Marching Band: "The @UBMarchingBand brought the noise to the awesome @BuffaloBills home opener last night! 🤘🏼 We've just got one thing left to say...GO BILLS! 🏈 #UBuffalo #UBTrueBlue" (University at Buffalo via Instagram)
• Buffalo Pizza Logs: "Monday Night Footlog. Go Bills. #buffalobills @pizzalogs" (Buffalo Eats via Instagram)
• Dogs Proud of the Monday Night Football Win: "Looking Fine in Prime Time FINAL: Bills 41 - Titans 7 ⭐️ #dogsofbuffalo #buffalobills #dogsofbuffaloboosterclub #homeopener #mnf #primetime #billsvstitans @buffalobills #allendiggs @thebuffalofanatics #billsmafia #nfl #billsdogs #buffalo..." (Dogs Of Buffalo via Instagram)
• Tillinghast Homes: "Tillinghast Place - Parkside" (Buffalo Homes via Instagram)
• The Buffalo Zoo closed Today: "🚨Closure Alert: Tomorrow, Sept. 21 🚨 In order to thank our staff for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to the Zoo throughout the recent accreditation by @zoos_aquariums , we will be closed to the public tomorrow, September ..." (The Buffalo Zoo via Instagram)
• Rise Collaborative: "Nothing can stop us we're all the way up." (Rise Collaborative via Instagram)

Alrighty, you're all good for today. I'll see you soon!