🌱 MLK Day + Schools Connect + Elmwood Development

Hey, friends! I'm back in your inbox for another week of all the most important things happening in the community. Including news about...

• Honor the good neighbors of Buffalo.
• Details of the blizzard response.
• Donations to house fire victims.

But first, today's weather:

Turning cloudy. High: 39. Low: 34.

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Here are the top five stories today in Buffalo:

1. To honor Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend, the city recognized six neighbors and one organization that illustrate Dr. King's message. Of the six honored, one worked to keep people out of the cold during the blizzard, one works with traumatized children and one defied societal rules by succeeding in academia. World Central Kitchen was the organization honored, which fed thousands in the aftermath of the Tops massacre last spring. Learn more at WGRZ 2.
2. Students from St. Ignatius of Loyola School, a school in Cincinnati, sent St. Mark School students letters after watching Damar Hamlin get hurt on the Cincinnati field. “That’s what we’re all about, the City of Good Neighbors. It’s just helping other people, so to kind of get that love back that I feel like we’ve been outpouring for so long was just really remarkable,” reflected Francesca Harvey, Saint Mark School's Public Relations Coordinator. Saint Mark School is located in North Buffalo. For more information, visit WIVB 4.
3. Douglas Development is asking to add one more story to the apartment complex it is developing on the Bidwell and Elmwood corner. Residents of Elmwood Village are creating friction for the project due to concern about how it will affect parking near their homes. Read more at WGRZ 2.
4. Weeks removed from the blizzard that killed at least 44 people, reporters at The Buffalo News attempt to look the flaws the storm exposed in the face. In doing so, they ask the following questions: "Could Erie County have saved lives by imposing a travel ban earlier on Dec. 23? Why did the city's plowing efforts lag behind the county's? Should the state have sent more equipment and personnel, including New York National Guard troops, sooner to the Buffalo area? And why did so many residents lose power for so long?" While these prove difficult to answer, the questions themself are important to analyze to improve efforts moving forward. Visit The Buffalo News to read the report.
5. Court security officers were so hurt by the news of five young kids dying in the Dartmouth Avenue house fire that they came together to provide the remaining family with meaningful donations. The matriarch of the family, Lisa Liggins, survived the house fire but remains in a medically-induced coma with burns covering 80% of her body. The family's pastor and Liggins' husband are currently preparing to break the news of the fire and its aftermath to her when she awakes. Read more at WGRZ 2.

Today in Buffalo:

• 716 Days at the Aquarium of Niagara (Discounted Entry Fee)! Aquarium of Niagara, 9:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
• Reading Time with Sammy Sponge! Platter's Chocolate Factory & Cafe,10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
• Kids Day! Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
• Family Day at The Haus: Superhero Edition! Hofbrauhaus Buffalo, 12:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
• Buffalo Sabres vs. Florida Panthers! KeyBank Center, 1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M.
• Corks & Forks! Patrick's Rooftop, 6:30 P.M.

From my notebook:

• What Do We Want?: ""People from Buffalo only want one thing"⁠ ⁠ It's that time of the year again. #GoBills #BillsMafia💙❤️⁠ ⁠ TW: AdamZientek3" (Step Out Buffalo via Instagram)
• Hamlin Snow Sculpture: "Welcome Home Damar! 💙♥️🤍 #3 #BuffaloBills #Mafia #716" (Buffalo Waterfront via Facebook)
• Buffalo for Bills: "Game day! Let’s Go Buffalo! #GoBills ❤️🏈💙" (The Buffalo Zoo via Instagram)
• Pups Up for Adoption: "Some of the dogs 🐾🎉🐾🎉 that will be at WNY's Furtastic Adopt-a-thon today until 3:00 are: Ford Kirby Buttercup Mona Chelsea Dorothy new labradoodle, shepherd and a pittie puppy too! Stop by and see us at Eastern Hills Mall today." (City Of Buffalo Animal Shelter via Instagram)
• Post Game Exhales: "SMILES after the STRESS Nailbiter FINAL: Bills 34 - Dolphins 31 😮Swipe to see the last two pups who are still stressed out 🏈 " (Dogs Of Buffalo via Instagram)
• 1980s Bills Mafia: "We believe in the @buffalobills! Let's see them make history in 2023! This image from our collection shows fans cheering on the team at a Bills-Raiders game in 1980. #BuffaloNY #BillsMafia #ExperiencingHistoryWithYou #BuffaloHistory #Int..." (The Buffalo History Museum via Instagram)
• Bennett High School Coach Nominated for Coach of the Year: "Congrats to Steve McDuffie, Bennett High School football coach for being nominated!! Go Bills!" (Buffalo Schools via Facebook)

That's it for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!