🌱 Toxic Lake Erie Fish + School Suspensions + Blizzard Fatalities

Hi all, happy weekend!! Let's get this Friday started off right with a quick guide to everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days, including updates on:

• Lake Erie contamination
• Judith S. Kaye Solutions not Suspensions Act
• Erie County Fair poster design submissions

But first, today's weather:

Morning flurries; cloudy. High: 33. Low: 30.

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Here are the top five stories in Buffalo today:

1. Toxin levels in Lake Erie's fish are higher than in any other of the great lakes. The contamination come from PFAS, which are found in various consumer and industrial products and cannot break down in the human body. Read more through WKBW 7.
2. The community of Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) is campaigning for the city to pass the Judith S. Kaye Solutions not Suspensions Act, which would ban suspensions for students in the third grade or below. The president of the Buffalo Public Schools Parent Community Health Worker Association is among those advocating. She said, "there's this narrative out here that Buffalo Public Schools doesn't want to suspend students, but we know there's violent behaviors they have to keep other students safe, but only about 25% of suspensions fall into that category." Learn more about BPS suspensions via WBFO NPR.
3. The Buffalo News has identified four more people among the 47 deaths caused by the blizzard. The county, while releasing some information about blizzard fatalities, has not intentionally released the identities of any individuals that passed in the storm. To read tribute to the newly identified, read The Buffalo News.
4. The Erie County Fair has posted a call for local artists to design this year's fair poster, with the theme "Best 12 Days of Summer." To submit, you must be over 18. The deadline is February 27. Find more details at Niagara Frontier Publications.
5. After allegedly trying to pass contraband to a friend at the holding center, two Buffalo men were arrested and charged with the felony count of "knowingly introducing dangerous contraband into a prison" and "introducing contraband into a prison, a misdemeanor." The two men who supposedly attempted to give marijuana to the incarcerated were released, while the incarcerated remains in the holding center. Read more through WIVB 4.

Today in Buffalo:

• Art of Science! Buffalo Museum of Science, 12:00 P.M. - 12:30 P.M.
• Pride Skate Night! Canalside, 6:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.
• Deathwish by Cult Mother! Torn Space Theatre, 7:00 P.M.
• Disney on Ice- Into the Magic! KeyBank Center, 7:00 P.M.
• STOMP! Shea's Performing Arts Center, 7:00 P.M.
• Kids in the Basement, Strange Standard & Breakfast Beers Concert! Mohawk Place, 7:00 P.M.
• That Comedy Show! 9th Ward at Babeville, 8:00 P.M.

Saturday in Buffalo:

• STOMP! Shea's Performing Arts Center, 1:00 P.M. & 7:00 P.M.
• Jack Edson Tea and Tour! Kenan Center Campus, 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
• Disney on Ice- Into the Magic! KeyBank Center, 3:00 P.M. & 7:00 P.M.
• Mozart Masterpieces! Kleinhan's Music Hall, 7:30 P.M.

Sunday in Buffalo:

• Buffalo’s Original Drag Brunch on Chandler! Tappo Pizza @ Thin Man Brewery (Chandler St.), 12:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
• Disney on Ice- Into the Magic! KeyBank Center, 12:00 P.M. & 4:00 P.M.
• Mozart Masterpieces! Kleinhan's Music Hall, 2:30 P.M.
• The Dirty Show! Helium Comedy Club, 7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.

From my notebook:

• Delaware District Home: "Windsor Avenue - Delaware District" (Buffalo Homes via Instagram)
• Buffalo Fish Fry: "Looking for the best fish fry in Buffalo? Tap the link in our bio to check out this nationally recognized fish fry right here in the heart of Buffalo!" (Step Out Buffalo via Instagram)
• Downtown Bazaar: "DOWNTOWN DINING ALERT: “Downtown Bazaar” aiming to bring @WestSideBazaar’s Ethiopian (Abyssinian), Sundanese (Nile River), plus Filipino (instagram.com/pinoyboi_buf), and Puerto Rican (JiuJiu Blue’s Bakery) to 617 Main St (ex-Expo)" (Andrew Galarneau via Instagram)
• Photography Contest: There's less than a week left to enter your photos in the 2022 Buffalo Zoo Photo Contest Presented by the Women's Board of the Buffalo Zoo!" (The Buffalo Zoo via Instagram)
• Iron Works Giveaway Alert: "*GIVEAWAY ALERT!* We're teaming up with Buffalo Iron Works to give away the Ultimate Live Music Experience in Downtown Buffalo.⁠ ⁠" (Step Out Buffalo via Instagram)
• Buffalo Sunset: "No gatekeeping here 🙌🏻 Buffalo's best sunset can be found on the Independent Health Wellness Trail at the Outer Harbor, even in the winter ❄️ 📸 Tom Burns Photography" (Buffalo Waterfront via Facebook)
• Home Taste: "If you didn’t know pasta was invented in China, a visit Home Taste, 3106 Delaware Ave, Kenmore, can be instructive." (Andrew Galarneau via Instagram)

You're all caught up for today! See you tomorrow for your next update.