🌱 Seneca Thruway Lawsuit + Postal Service during Blizzard + BPD

Hello, everybody! Happy Monday! Let's get this week started off right with a quick guide to the most important things happening in town these days, including updates on:

• Seneca Thruway lawsuits are still active.
• Postal Service is putting employees in danger.
• Burchfield Penney names new executive director.

But first, today's weather:

Colder; p.m. snow showers. High: 29. Low: 16.

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Here are the top five stories in Buffalo today:

1. Breaking precedent, lawsuits over the New York State thruway built through Seneca nation territory have not been dismissed by the courts. Under the 11th amendment, the Seneca nation can only sue with state's consent, which had previously been denied. These new lawsuits were filed by individuals and the judge has rejected motions of dismissal. Read more at Spectrum Local News.
2. During the December blizzard, Postal Service managers allegedly threatened to arrest employees who did not vacate their stations once the snow began on Friday December 23. While managers refused to speak to the news, multiple employees accuse the Postal Service of putting workers in harms' way, including a pregnant employee who was ordered to vacate during the first afternoon of the storm. Learn more through The Buffalo News.
3. Cariole Horne, a former Buffalo Police Department (BPD) officer, is facing charges of "obstruction of governmental administration, harassment and disorderly conduct." The charges are based on Horne allegedly refusing to leave and demanding the release of two suspects while police officers questioned them about a looting incident. Since being fired in 2006 for attempting to deter her partner from choking a suspect, Horne's name was used in a 2020 law about police speaking up over excessive force and she won her pension back in a 2021 State Supreme Court case. For more information, read WIVB 4.
4. Interim executive director of the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Scott Propeack, has been named the official executive director of the museum. Propeack told Mark Sommer of The Buffalo News, "Our mission is to serve our community, and all the quirkiness about our region is reflected in our own cultural DNA." Discover more about Propeack and Burchfield Penney through Sommer's article.
5. During this past weekend's 10th annual Buffalo Groundhog Day celebration, groundhog Buffalo Bert saw his shadow. This predicts six more weeks of winter. The event took place on Saturday at Flying Bison Brewing Company in its full capacity after being scaled-back the past two years due to the pandemic. Read more at WKBW 7.

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Today in Buffalo:

• Hertel Avenue History Walking Tour! Spot Coffee (Hertel Location), 11:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
• Gregory Alan Isakov Concert! Asbury Hall, 7:00 P.M.
• Bollywood Classes for Adults and Kids! Devi Studio, 7:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.

From my notebook:

• Eternal Flame: "🔥+🧊 Photo of the Eternal Flame by @jackharriganmedia" (Visit Buffalo Niagara via Instagram)
• Buffalo Winter Meme: "January in Buffalo hits different 😢⁠ ⁠ TW: OxfordPennant⁠ ⁠" (Step Out Buffalo via Instagram)
• Fostered Dog: "Goldie’s in the house! 💖🏡 🐾 Happy Foster Friday from Goldie who just got scooped up to go home for the weekend with one of our volunteers. This quiet sweetie will get a weekend of pampering, quiet time and cuddles." (City Of Buffalo Animal Shelter via Instagram)
• Miller's Thumb Bakery: "Buffalo’s modern bagel renaissance has been well documented, and newcomer @millersthumbbakery has thrown their hat in the ring with an outstanding product that has that soft-yet-chewy boiled New York bagel feel" (Buffalo Eats via Instagram)
• Beer Lover's Giveaway: "⁠ *GIVEAWAY ALERT!* We're teaming up with the WNY Beer Trail to give away the Ultimate Beer Lover's Prize Package ($125 value). ⁠" (Step Out Buffalo via Instagram)

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with a new update!