LG Kathy Hochul says it's a war and New York needs Winter patriots who can fight COVID with all tools of science, masks, distance, all the rest. Albany is also changing the rules to get younger kids back in school while raising the pressure on adults to stop gathering unsafely.

COVID is spreading across Erie County, with three-suburban communities...West Seneca, Lancaster and Hamburg...leading the virus pack, while there are so many suburban cases Buffalo has gone from leader of the pack to a rate equivalent to its percentage of the population.

New state law might cut into the damage from zombie homes. Forecloser now has to identify the servicer who is supposed to cut the grass, repair the windows and all that so the home doesn't look like that bad tooth on a block and in good shape enough to be sold to someone else.

How about a machine on the sideline or at center ice to detect concussions? The machine would spot a protein put out by the body when the brain is damaged. UB concussion researcher Dr. John Leddy is part of national team which spotted the protein, now researching ready use.

WNY Veterans Housing Coalition within days of getting the old School 75 on Howard St. Two years and $29 million will turn the school into 47 apartments and 18 townhouses for vets with kids, housing for families. Extra year in planning to work it all out with the neighbors.

Buffalo school board extended Superintendent Kriner Cash's contract another 22 months even though the original deal was for 3 years. The board spent more than 5 hours behind closed doors talking about the contract. That's after some Black leaders wanted conditions on an extend.

A few patients under age 25 are being moved from Buffalo General to Childrens to clear beds for possible COVID patients. That's 3 right now into special isolation rooms. Hospital cases are piling up and hospitals are getting beds ready. 316 hospital cases Monday in Erie County.

The Red zone of life looms, not that of a football game. Erie County's COVID cases and test positivity could push the county Red as early as tomorrow. Contact tracing constantly expanding and hospitals getting tight and Convention Center hospital would need scarce medics.

Fight over closing the Erie County Holding Center and moving residents out to the jail in Alden dominated the County Legislature budget hearing. Usually, it's cultural seeking more cash or fights over spending. Here, it's the future of a jail and a rural area. Millions of $.

There apparently really is a development bonus along the curb lines from major street reconstruction, like the old factories turned into new housing along Niagara Street. Canisius College economist says there's the added benefit that workers are paid immediately for their work.

The rising COVID count is starting to deter parents from bringing the kids in for their routine vaccinations after a recovery from the same thing happening in the spring. It also means doctors don't get to see their small patients and see how they are doing in hard times.

The unemployment rolls in New York State are a little longer today, after the midnight COVID orange lockdown in Erie County. Indoor dining, nail salons, barber shops are now barred, at least for a while. Workers will have to deal with an unemployment system with troubles in 2020.

A new takeout for most Erie County residents, the public library system. In the COVID orange area where most of the residents are, you can't go in and browse. Instead, phone or order your book on-line and pick it up where you have your reservation. You can download audio books.

With Erie County a mix or yellow and orange and that's not the leaves, CE Poloncarz is warning people have to follow the rules to stop COVID from getting worse that it was to go orange. He's warning the lesson of Canadian Thanksgiving in October is mass infections at home.

Buffalo school board couldn't decide on whether to talk about approving a three-year extension for Superintendent Kriner Cash. More than 90 minutes of arguing over whether to talk about the contract. Instead, board members kicked the can down to road to a meeting on Tuesday.

Chautauqua County watching carefully what Albany does to Erie County over its COVID increases. Chautauqua at 1.3%. Erie at 5.8% in NYS figures. Both are in the state's WNY region. County doctors say Chautauqua being stringent on rules is blocking the surge hitting the West.

Catholic Health System clearing the deck, as it shuts off ER at St. Joe's in Cheektowaga. That was the system's COVID center in the depths of the pandemic. So far, CHS says it will continue to see regular patients there and increase beds at other hospitals for the COVID surge.

County Exec Poloncarz says today could be bad and the next few months could be worse. He's clearly expecting yellow Erie County to be orange or, worse, red as the number of COVID cases rises and positivity rate on tests keeps going up. He's calling on people to work together.

Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino says he has balanced this year's budget and submitted a budget for next year smaller than this year. That's while dealing with an empty tourist industry, COVID costs and still no state settlement with the Seneca Nation over casino cash.

Niagara County COVID cases continue to rise, offshoots of people attending Halloween parties and then infecting friends. Contact tracers found them out. County Health Department officials are planning for mass vaccinations even as they battle the virus, 158 cases on the weekend.