Albright Knox to Hike Admission
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is increasing the price of admission. Starting January first, adult admission to the gallery will increase from $10 to $12. Seniors and students will continue to pay $8 and children under 12 will be let in free. Albright-Knox Director Louis Grachos blames the increase on rising operating costs. The popular Gusto At The Gallery series will continue, which allows free admission on Friday nights.

Buy Local
A brand new all-local coupon book was unveiled by Buffalo First -- a non-profit organization committed to building the local economy. The book costs $10 and has more than $2,500 in savings. Buffalo First Director Amy Kedron says it's more than just coupons. She says the book is also an educational resource. "Every page of the book has tips on on how to be green and build the local economy by making small changes in consumer habits," Kedron said. Kedron says all 150 businesses in the book are independently owned and unique to Buffalo. She says when consumers shop locally, three times more of their money stays in the local economy. Kedron says this is an important factor in keeping Buffalo strong during the national recession. The book is on sale at 80 retail locations in the Buffalo area. More information is available at Buffalo First.

Buffalo Ends Fiscal Year with Increased Surplus
The City of Buffalo ended the fiscal year with a surplus of nearly $16 million. City Comptroller Andrew San Filippo says final numbers show a third consecutive year of balanced budgets without borrowing assistance from the city's control board. The total fund balance now stands at more than $133 million. The comptroller says that's good news given the shape of the state economy and likely cutbacks in aid to cities like Buffalo. San Filippo credits Brown administration policies and the role the control board has played in getting the city back on solid fiscal ground. But he says the positive results show it may be time for the control board to downshift to an advisory role, rather than the "hard" board that is now in place.

Could County Budget Dispute Be Solved By A Stroke Of A Pen?
Page Erie County Legislature Leg. will meet in special session, poised to add language to a bill usually passed without debate, in hopes of ending debate once and for all. Ordinarily there is a rather benign bill sent by the Erie County Executive to the County Legislature toward the end of the year. In the most simple terms, it merely directs property taxes to be levied. Ordinarily it is approved without fan fare. But this is no ordinary year, with the Legislature and the County Executive continuing to lock horns over the amount of taxes to be collected. Like in any ordinary year, the bill directing taxes to be collected, doesn't include the amount. So, on Monday, legislators will take the unusual step to amend it to include the amount they claim should be collected and therefore keep the rate flat.

UB 20/20 Tops Regional Agenda
Expansion of the University at Buffalo leads the regional agenda prepared by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. The U-B 20/20 plan calls for expanding the upgrading the school, increasing student enrollment by 10,000 and adding another 2,500 faculty and staff. This is the eighth-year the Partnership, the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and Erie and Niagara counties have listed priorities for the region which will be pushed in Washington and Albany. Rudnick says the agenda is being released almost two-months earlier than usual because New York's budget is being released in just a few weeks. Mayor Brown says the goals in the agenda are for the entire region. The regional agenda seeks nearly $250-million in funding for various projects in Erie and Niagara counties.

Quicker Border Travel at Inspection Plaza
New technology is now in place at Western New York border crossings. It is called Radio Frequency Identification technology. It works with new travel documents to make the borders more secure and efficient. By June 1st, citizens crossing the border into Canada will be required to use a passport card, enhanced drivers license or traditional passport. New passport cards or an enhanced New York State drivers license will allow quicker travel through the customs plaza.

UB Plans Shifts Medical School Downtown, South Campus to House Professional Schools
The University at Buffalo is unveiling its draft plan for redesigning its three campuses. Details are being presented at a day-long forum in Harriman Hall on the South Campus. The ambitious plan calls for moving the UB Medical School to the new downtown campus. UB President John Simpson says the South Campus would become a center of professional education in various disciplines, including Law, Social Work and Architecture. The parking lots along Main Street on the South Campus would be replaced by green space,and a new amphitheater would be tucked into the escarpment on the Main Street lawn. Multi-story ramps would be built for parking. The North Campus is envisioned as the "academic heart" of the university. Transportation improvements would be made, including what's described as a high-capacity transit service, linking downtown Buffalo with Amherst.

S. Buffalo Residents to Benefit from Redrawn Flood Map
After decades of paying for costly flood insurance, thousands of local property owners are finally off the hook. Under pressure from federal, state and local officials, FEMA has revised its flood map for South Buffalo and Kaisertown. The change means nearly 2,800 homes and businesses are no longer required to carry flood insurance. South District Councilmember Michael Kearns says premiums will be pro-rated, but he says it is up to property owners to get removed from the federal program. Kearns says applications for removal from the National Flood Insurance Program are available through his office or by contacting the Buffalo City Engineer's Office.

Mortgage Crisis Creeps into WNY
As the mortgage meltdown continues, many wonder just how bad the foreclosure rate will get in Western New York. The Erie County Distressed Properties Task Force warns it could be worse that first expected. Distressed properties and foreclosures are not a new problem to Erie County. The task force estimates there are roughly 30,000 properties in foreclosure. And that is not the bad news. According to legislator Robert Reynolds, who sits on the task force, there could be a wave of new foreclosures next year. The task force reports that predatory lenders issued 5,404 mortgages in 2007. According to officials, more than a quarter of those are three and four year adjustable mortgages that are in jeopardy. So, Reynolds said it will take a couple years for those mortgages to "re-set" before the full extent of the local mortgage crisis is known.