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4 • • Thursday, July 9, 2026 Federal appeals court upholds
Buffalo briefs the lawn of the Botanical Gardens, New York’s 'gas stove ban'

South Park Ave. The event is free.
Dogs are allowed to attend the
History Museum prepares event on the front lawn but may not amid legal challenge
Decades Dance enter the conservatory.
This summer, The Buffalo His- By Chris Wade emissions, which drive climate
tory Museum is excited to debut the Botanical Butterfly (The Center Square) — New change. They praised the ruling.
Decades Dance on Friday, July 17 Experience extended York could be moving ahead with a “The gas industry tried to take
from 7 - 10 p.m. in place of the The Buffalo and Erie County first-in-the-nation ban on natural away the ability for local voters to
Party on the Portico series as the gas hookups in new buildings after choose to build cleaner, healthier,
Botanical Gardens has announced it
museum begins several infrastruc- will extend its Butterfly Experience a federal appeals court rejected a and more sustainable homes for our
ture and preservation projects challenge from industry groups. kids to grow up in," Dror Ladin,
to July 26. Enjoy the conservatory
around our historic portico and ter- and the butterflies from 10 a.m. - 4 The ruling issued Tuesday by senior attorney at the environmental
races. the U.S. Court of Appeals Second advocacy group Earthjustice, said in
p.m.
There will be prizes for: Best Special BPS meeting set Circuit rejected a lawsuit by natural a statement. "But Congress has nev-
Outfit (any decade), Best Dancer, gas industry groups challenging a er supported such a power grab, and
The Buffalo Public School $7.16 Day is almost here
and Longest on the Dance Floor. Board has announced it will hold a And, on Thursday, July 16, 10 provision of New York's All-Elec- the court saw right through the gas
Admission: $30.00 tric Buildings Act, which would ban industry’s claims."
special board meeting Monday, July a.m. - 4 p.m. the Buffalo and Erie
The museum improvements, 13, 2026, at 6 p.m., 801 City Hall. County Botanical Gardens will gas hookups in new buildings under But construction industry
made possible through its partner- seven stories, among other restric- groups said in court filings that the
charge $7.16 admission for
ship with the City of Buffalo, will Bloom and Bark is July 12 #716Day. Included with admission tions. restrictions are government over-
help protect the museum’s collec- A coalition of construction and reach that would punish consumers
Get ready for a day of pawsitive on $7.16 day is access to the Butter-
tions, improve accessibility and vibes and garden-side fun at Bloom fly Experience! Visit www.buffalo trade groups sued to block the 2023 with higher energy costs but do little
safety for guests, and preserve the law, saying it conflicts with federal to blunt the impacts of climate
and Bark! Hosted by the Botanical gardens.com/ for details.
iconic building for generations to Gardens in partnership with Awe- law under the 1975 Energy Policy change. It would also cost jobs and
come. While portions of the outdoor and Conservation Act and would hurt the state's economy, they ar-
some Paws Rescue, this free, fami- Special meeting
spaces will be under construction drive up costs for businesses and gued.
ly-friendly event brings together
throughout the season, the museum on gun violence set energy consumers. "The ban presents an existential
adoptable pets from local rescues,
looks forward to celebrating with Buffalo Common Council Presi- But the appeals court upheld threat for the small, family-owned
pet-focused vendors, delicious food
the community in a new way while dent Pro Tempore and Masten Dis- lower court rulings that had deter- businesses in New York that sell,
trucks, and fun activities for all ages.
continuing its commitment to pre- trict Councilwoman Zeneta B. mined federal law "does not pre- install, and service gas equipment
Bloom and Bark will be held
serving and improving the historic Everhart is partnering with Intersect empt" the state's regulations on and infrastructure," the plaintiffs
Sunday, July 12, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on
landmark home. Buffalo and the City of Buffalo Of- natural gas hook ups, and on Tues- wrote in the legal challenge. "And it
fice of Gun Violence Prevention to day dismissed the industry lawsuit. threatens the livelihoods of the indi-
host an emergency Strategy Session "The statute does not directly viduals who work in these fields."
on Wednesday, July 8, following regulate the availability of fossil-fu- In Congress, a group of New
the violence that occurred through- el-powered appliances, and its ex- York Republicans pushed a plan
out the city over the July 4 weekend. press preemption provision does not that sought to block New York's
Councilwoman Everhart is hold- extend to laws far beyond its de- pending natural gas restrictions. The
ing the Strategy Session to identify fined regulatory reach," the three- Energy Choice Act, if approved and
new programs and approaches to judge panel wrote in the 46-page signed by President Donald Trump,
address the root causes of violence, ruling. would prevent states or local gov-
particularly those related to at-risk The New York law, which bans ernments from banning energy
teenagers and young adults. The natural gas and oil heating in most sources like natural gas or propane
session will be held at 5:30 p.m. at new construction by 2029, was set in new construction.
Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 701 East to take effect on Jan. 1 but the Gov.
Delavan Ave. Kathy Hochul decided to delay im-
Buffalo police responded to six plementation of the requirements
shootings overnight July 4 and into while the legal challenge from in-
July 5, resulting in 11 individuals dustry groups played out in court.
suffering non-life-threatening inju- Hochul has pushed for a ban on
ries. All of the shootings occurred in new and existing gas hook-ups as Contact
the area of a large, unapproved part of her environmental agenda,
“street takeover” party that took saying the move would improve Roxie Harbison
place in the Masten District neigh- public health and help reduce the
borhood. The latest episode of vio- state's carbon footprint. roxieriverrock@email.com
lence highlights the need for Environmental groups want
programming, events, and support New York to electrify its buildings, 716-835-9455 x 102
systems to provide young people saying they account for a large share
with resources and safe alternatives of the state's excess greenhouse gas
for social gatherings.

New York is 2026’s 2nd best
state for sports lovers
With the FIFA World Cup in
full swing and the final less than two
weeks away, the non-profit organi-
zation SmileHub recently released
new reports on the Best Charities for
Sports & Recreation and the Best
States for Sports Lovers in 2026.
To highlight the most sports-lov-
ing states, SmileHub compared each
of the 50 states based on 20 key
metrics. The data set ranges from the
number of sports charities per capita
to the number of sports-related jobs
per capita to the number of sports
scholarships per capita.
Support for Sports in New York
(1=Best, 25=Avg.):
Overall Rank: 2nd
2nd – Number of Professional
Teams
4th – Sports & Recreation Char-
ities per Capita
8th – Sports-Related Degrees
Awarded per Capita
8th – Sports Clubs per Capita
8th – Sporting Goods Stores per
Capita
7th – Sports Scholarships per
Capita
To view the full report and your
state’s rank, visit: https://smile
hub.org/blog/best-states-for-sports-
lovers/139