Good day! Thanks for tagging along with us for another hike down the Innovation Trail. Say, let's start with some Trail Mix, no?
A new pro-fracking movie comes to Buffalo.
Unemployment is up in Buffalo-Niagara.
And voters are cool to the idea of increased tolls and increased legislator pay.
Fracking
“Truthland” – a pro-fracking movie bankrolled by natural gas companies – premieres tonight in Buffalo. The Innovation Trail’s Daniel Robison plans to cover the event, which promises a Q&A with the filmmakers and the self-described “dairy farm mom” who stars in the movie. The entire movie can be streamed here.
Business
At 8.8 percent, the Buffalo-Niagara region now sports its highest summer unemployment rate in 22 years. But it’s not what you think. (David Robinson, Buffalo News)
Greatbatch, manufacturer of medical devices and pacemaker batteries, had a rough 2nd quarter. Remember, the formerly Clarence-based company recently left Western New York for Dallas. (Johnathan, Epstein, Buffalo News)
Earnings for Buffalo-based Synacor doubled from this time a year ago. The firm provides technology for telecom companies to deliver services like cloud-based computing services. (Jonathan Epstein, Buffalo News)
Spot Coffee, which operates a number of franchise locations in Buffalo and Rochester, has seen success in public trading lately. (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)
A Kiplinger study ranks Rochester as one of the best places to live. (Brian Sharp, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)
Politics
Governor Cuomo was expected to make an upstate swing today, with stops in Rochester and Syracuse. Those events were canceled due to weather. (Joseph Spector, Vote Up)
Speaking of Cuomo: he's announced a policy summit in August that's fueling talk of a presidential run in 2016. (Jacob Gershman, Albany Times-Union)
New Yorkers prefer Hillary Clinton for president over Cuomo by a sizable margin. (Tom Precious, Buffalo News)
Voters in the Empire State are opposed to the proposed toll hikes on the Thruway and the prospect of pay increases for legislators. (Jon Campbell, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)
Government
State tax revenues are up. (Associated Press)
Plans to improve and beautify the waterfront-lining Ohio Street in Buffalo are moving forward. (Mark Sommer, Buffalo News)
Amherst is in some hot water over its polluted water. (Sandra Tan, Buffalo News)
