Dorsa Derakhshani in Baku, 2017 (Image: Gibraltar Chess Festival)
In February 2017, the Iranian Chess Federation announced two teenage chess players, Dorsa Derakhshani and her younger brother Borna Derakhshani, were banned from representing the national team. The federation announced their decision although Dorsa Derakhshani had previously decided and informed the chess federation she did not wish to play for Iran.
Dorsa Derakhshani is currently 21 years old and holds the International Master (IM) as well as Woman Grand Master (WGM) titles. Her brother, Borna, plays for the English Federation and holds the FIDE Master title.
Dorsa Derakhshani was banned since she did not wear a hijab, an Islamic headscarf, while competing at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in January 2017. Under the laws of Islamic Republic of Iran, hijab is a mandatory dress code. Her brother Borna Deraskhsani was banned for playing against Israeli Grand Master (GM) Alexander Huzman at the same tournament. Iran does not recognise the existence of Israel, and previously, Irani athletes have avoided playing against Israeli athletes.
Mehrdad Pahlavanzadeh, the president of the country’s chess federation, explained the decision to ban the players saying, “As a first step, these two will be denied entry to all tournaments taking place in Iran and in the name of Iran, they will no longer be allowed the opportunity to be present on the national team.” ((fa))Farsi language: ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ????. He further stated, “Unfortunately, something that should not have happened has happened and our national interest is paramount and we have reported this position to the Ministry of Sports.” ((fa))Farsi language: ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ?????? ??? ? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????.
IM Dorsa Derakhshani, who currently studies at Saint Louis University in the United States and plays for the United States Chess Federation, discussed her chess career, time in Iran and the 2017 controversy, and her life in Saint Louis with a Wikinews correspondent.
Contents
1 Interview with IM Dorsa Derakhshani
1.1 Her childhood
1.2 Her decision to not play for the Irani Chess Federation
1.3 Her career in chess
1.4 Her games
1.5 Chess in general and other players
1.6 The 2017 Gibraltar Chess tournament and getting banned from the Iranian National Chess team
1.7 The Iranian government’s hesitation of Iranian players playing against Israeli athletes
1.8 More about her life in the US
1.9 The chess federations she was associated with
1.10 Bridging the gender gap, especially in chess and the society
Wednesday, March 30, 2005A survey carried out by BBC Wales has revealed that the contents of a school meal in Wales cost on average just £0.49 per pupil. Average spending on meal ingredients varied slightly from council to council; with the Cardiff City council spending just £0.40 on each meal, whilst Powys council lavished £0.69 per pupil.
The survey follows a recent surge in media coverage of the eating habits of teenagers and children in the UK. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver recently embarked on a campaign to improve food standards and raise awareness in schools. In response to his campaign the government has promised to spend an additional £280 million over three years on school food in England.
The survey covered twenty councils throughout Wales.
See the discussion page for instructions on adding schools to this list and for an alphabetically arranged listing of schools.
Due to the damage by Hurricane Katrina and subsequent flooding, a number of colleges and universities in the New Orleans metropolitan area will not be able to hold classes for the fall 2005 semester. It is estimated that 75,000 to 100,000 students have been displaced. [1]. In response, institutions across the United States and Canada are offering late registration for displaced students so that their academic progress is not unduly delayed. Some are offering free or reduced admission to displaced students. At some universities, especially state universities, this offer is limited to residents of the area.
Teenager auto insurance – Auto Insurance For A Teenage Drive
In our current day in age, parents always want the best for their children. Most parents want to provide their children with some of the good things life has to offer such as- materialistic items, vacations, amusement parks, carnivals,and road trips.; Hence, you feel that the children need to be comfortable as they travel to places and to go and have some fun, so long story short, you buy them a car. One major concern for all parents is acquiring affordable auto insurance for there teenage drivers. The next major step is how to secure the teenage auto insurance policy.
Auto insurance savings for your teenage driver is what you should be researching and also comparing different auto insurance policies and premiums, this allows you as a parent to be able to rest at night knowing that your child and their vehicle are both protected.
Fact – Most drivers who are under the age of 25 typically get quoted higher auto insurance rates, compared to those drivers who belong to a higher age bracket. Now, you can always seek the advice of an auto insurance agent at your local car insurance company, or you can do some auto insurance comparison shopping online.One critcal piece of knowledge to remember is to make sure to exclude your teenage driver from your own auto insurance policy or else you jeopardize your good standing and major discounts on your auto
insurance policy. Your teenage driver can always have their own car insurance policy, but they can always use a little guidance when shopping for auto insurance.
One crucial thing your teenage child needs to realize is that the value of being a responsible and safe driver will ultimately protect them but also some costs on their auto insurance premiums. Most teenage drivers are obviously new to the road and hazards that come with driving are all new to them. Making your teenager go through driver education is paramount, this allows your child to get driving time with someone whom they don’t know well, which sometimes makes it easier for both the parents and their children.
As a parent , you see your child doing something wrong you let them know in one way or another, a driver education teacher has trained for their position and know exactly how to NOT stress out or scare a new driver. Going to drivers education usually helps your teenager save additional money on there auto insurance policies and also allows the teenager to get more driving experience in a proper learning atmosphere.
Make sure that the car you are purchasing for your teenage driver is complete with up to date vehicle safety features. What this boils down to is mean that your teenage driver will receive high safety ratings for their car , which in turn, helps you secure an auto insurance policy with much lower auto insurance rates.
Yearly mileage is also a very crucial factor for the auto insurance company’s calculation of a new driver’s risk. Now, the higher your mileage is on an annual basis, the higher your auto insurance rates will be.
One good option is to let your teenage child purchase an inexpensive vehicle, as there are some makes and models of cars that will make anyone’s auto insurance skyrocket, let alone a new teenage driver.A sports car is generally one type of vehicle that causes your car insurance rates to go skyrocketing when it comes to the car insurance quote.
Another great way to cut costs on your teenage auto insurance policy , is to adjust your auto insurance deductibles to a higher amount. This will drop your teenage drivers insurance rates, but, now if they do get into an accident they may have to pay for the accident out of their own pocket if the accident is bad enough.
Most frugal people shop around for auto insurance, whether obtaining auto insurance online or at a local
auto insurance company,it is said that everyone should at the very least compare five auto insurance quotes
from trusted auto insurance companies online and/or from local auto insurance companies.
When it comes time to obtain auto insurance for a teenage driver, it boils down to this- “Knowledge Is Power”.
Need to compare local auto insurance quotes from multiple top auto insurance companies at once-
About the Author: General Auto Insurance Quotes – Slash Your Existing Auto Insurance Rates Now! Up to 50 % Savings on General auto insurance and general car insurance.
A Vestas worker stays in touch with the outside world via his mobile telephone.
Eleven of the 25 workers at the Vestas factory in Newport, Isle of Wight, England who have been carrying out a sit-in since Monday July 20 have been sacked with immediate effect.
According to one of the protesters known as “Mike”, the occupiers were given their dismissal notices concealed under slices of their evening meal of pizza. The company said that the protesters have had ample opportunity to air their point of view, and had no choice but to sack eleven of the twenty five workers that they had positively identified; and that given that the fact that the action constituted a “fundamental breach” of trust, that the eleven would not be entitled to redundancy packages. A press release from the company said that Vestas “saw no other choice than to dismiss the 11 employees, who the company has positively identified as the employees currently participating in the occupation of the factory.”
The protesters remained upbeat, vowing to continue their occupation and have called upon the UK government to save the 625 jobs and to nationalise the Danish owned factory. Occupier Ian Terry told the BBC that if the occupiers are forced out, they plan to leave the building “peacefully”.
Vestas management were dealt a setback today in ending the occupation as Newport County Court ruled that the papers accusing the occupiers of aggravate trespass and requiring they surrender the office they occupy by July 29 were improperly served. The case has been adjourned until Tuesday August 4. In court, Judge Graham White said he was “distinctly uncomfortable” with what he perceived as Vestas’ effort to “get around the rules” in retaking the factory from the occupiers.
Legal representation for the Vestas workers had been offered by Bob Crow, secretary of the RMT trade union. Crow has pledged the “full solidarity” of the RMT and seven other unions with the workers occupying the plant.
Vestas management has also been providing the occupiers with hot meals in an apparent response to Crow’s announcement, made on July 24, that the RMT was planning on airlifting food into the factory by helicopter. Crow is meeting today with Ed Miliband, the Environment Minister.
Earlier in the week, Miliband pledged £6 million in funding to an expansion of Vestas’ Isle of Wight research and development centre, which currently employs 110 workers and could, said the Minister, be expanded to employ 40 more.
Vestas workers spend time outside on a factory balcony
Rallies continued throughout the week in support of the Vestas occupiers. Since the occupation began, the Vestas workers have received declarations of support and solidarity from a wide swathe of the British left, including but not limited to: political parties Green Party, Respect, the Socialist Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Alliance for Workers Liberty, and the Communist Party of Britain; the TUCG group, which brings together the BFAWU, FBU, NAPO, NUJ, PCS, POA, RMT, and URTU; and environmental groups Greenpeace, the Campaign against Climate Change, Climate Camp, and Workers’ Climate Action, who claims credit for initiating the campaign to occupy the factory. Attendees of the Big Green Gathering, a large annual environmentalist rally which was due to take place starting today but was suddenly canceled on Sunday, are being encouraged to go to the Isle of Wight and take part in support rallies for Vestas instead.
Speaking to Wikinews about the “red–green” coalition supporting the occupation, a spokesman for the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty said: “We think this struggle is important on at least three grounds — it is central to the struggle for jobs, it is central to the struggle for the environment, and it is central to the struggle for rebuilding the labour movement.”
Photographs shared with Wikinews by the occupiers show the occupiers, mostly young men, talking, carrying out everyday tasks, and keeping in touch with the outside world via mobile phones. The use of mobile telephones in the Vestas occupation has given the press remarkable access to the occupiers and provided an effective platform for relaying their demands and feelings to the media. In contrast, Vestas’s designated media contact for the United Kingdom is on vacation. Attempts to reach Vestas Newport factory manager Patrick Weir, whom a Vestas representative at the company’s Danish headquarters stated was handling press inquiries regarding the occupation, received no reply.
Vestas plans to close the factory on July 31, citing the difficulties of obtaining planning permission for wind farms in the United Kingdom. All blades manufactured at Vestas’ Newport plant are sent to the United States. 1900 employees of the company in Northern Europe face job losses, 625 of them in Vestas’s plants in the south of England.
Computer hacking group Lulz Security has attacked a server of one of the United States affiliates of Nintendo, a Japanese-based video gaming company. Nintendo themselves confirmed the news on Sunday, with a statement from the corporation reporting that the unit was illegally accessed “a few weeks ago”.
Speaking on behalf of the corporation, Ken Toyoda had claimed that “[t]here were no third-party victims” but acknowledged “there was some kind of possible hacking attack”. According to Tomokazu Nakaura, Nintendo in Japan considers “protection of our customer information” to be the “utmost priority”. To adhere to this claim, the corporation does “constantly monitor our security”.
In this instance, the hackers were not able to gain consumer details as the attacked server did not have any on it, according to Nintendo. On social networking website Twitter LulzSec defended their actions, tweeting: “We’re not targeting Nintendo. We like the N64 too much – we sincerely hope Nintendo plugs the gap. This is just for lulz. <3”
Nintendo has reported that the issue has now been rectified and that the incident will have no effect on their intentions to launch an e-shop in association with one of their products, the Nintendo 3DS, a games console which allows users to play games in a three-dimensional space without the requirement of glasses.
Recently, LulzSec has claimed responsibility for a number of Internet attacks that have occurred during 2011. Amongst those were three aimed at the Sony online network. The first attack occurred in April, when the group hacked the PlayStation Network, placing the personal details of 77 million users at risk. This prompted Sony Pictures Entertainment to remove access to the network for in excess of one month.
The second attack occurred on May 23, when LulzSec unlawfully gained access to the details 52,000 Sony Pictures Entertainment consumers, as well as illegally taking them. In a third incident, LulzSec accepted responsibility for an alleged database hacking on the website for Sony Music in Japan on May 23.
Many Americans must visit health centers that are found in rural or urban areas and have limited health care alternatives. For most this includes their routine doctor visits but sometimes extends well beyond that. For example many community health centers provide prescription services and even primary dental care. Many of these centers have counseling services and even provide employment help. Some families even visit their local center to get help managing their diabetes or controlling other chronic diseases.The US government has recently approved a new round of Affordable Care Act grants that will provide $730 million to community health centers. This money will help urban and rural centers provide health care to communities that are vulnerable to social and economic changes that may prevent their operation. With these new grants centers will be able to serve almost one million patients. In addition this money will be used to expand and renovate their facilities as well as create more jobs in the local community.
The new health care law has helped with construction projects and renovation at over 190 health centers across the country. In addition, these new grants will help build almost seventy new health centers. With a new round of financial help health centers have seen a fifteen percent increase in employment over the past three years. The Affordable Care Act has helped community health centers serve almost three million more patients than they would have without the grants.
One of the many problems community centers face is the lack of resources needed to help those in the surrounding areas. Most centers find themselves without enough space and limited supplies. Unfortunately there have not been enough clinicians and staff members available to handle the large amount of patients requesting their services.The lack of resources provided to community health centers has been a major focus for government groups. In fact the Affordable Care Act will increase the number of patients that can be served from seventeen million to over twenty million over a three year period. In addition, the Recovery Act has also helped improve the condition and available services at most health centers.With the help of the community and access to additional grants these centers will greatly be able to improve. For example, over the next two years the new law will provide assistance to almost five hundred renovation projects and over two hundred new community health centers. It is estimated that these new sites will create almost six thousand jobs. The hope is that the new laws will provide assistance to over one million new patients in the next few years.For many communities these government supported health centers are the only access point for quality health care. Out of necessity most centers must operate on small budgets in comparison to larger health care providers. Many believe that these low-cost health care providers are an excellent investment in the communities around the country.
Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START Treaty during a ceremony at Prague Castle, in the Czech capital. Image: White House – Chuck Kennedy.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have signed a treaty to reduce their countries’ nuclear stockpiles by 25 to 30 percent over seven years.
In the Spanish Hall, an ornate chamber within the Czech capital’s Prague Castle, the two countries, which own more than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, agreed to downsize their arsenals.
Presidents Obama and Medvedev sat in front of U.S. and Russian flags and signed their countries’ first major nuclear arms reduction accord in almost two decades.
The new ten-year pact, which is called the “New START Treaty”, requires the U.S. and Russia to cut their inventory of nuclear warheads to about 1,500 each in the next seven years. Both countries are estimated to have well over 2,000 warheads now.
The agreement also slashes by more than half the number of missiles, submarines and bombers that carry the weapons.
The pact replaces the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), which was signed by U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in the final days of the Soviet Union. START I expired in December of last year. The treaty complements the other two nuclear arms reduction treaties signed by the United States and Russia, which where the 1993 Russia, which where the 1993 START II treaty and the 2002 Moscow Treaty also known as SORT.
Obama said the treaty is a big step forward for world security. “Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and nonproliferation and for U.S.-Russia relations,” he said.
Medvedev said because of this treaty, the entire world community has won. The Russian leader said the year-long negotiations were tough, but hard work on both sides brought success.
“That enabled us to do something that just a couple of months ago looked like ‘mission impossible.’ Within a short span of time we prepared a full-fledged treaty and signed it,” he said.
Obama says, in addition, that the treaty paves the way for future arms reduction talks with Russia, mainly on short-range nuclear weapons. “This treaty will set the stage for further cuts, and going forward, we hope to pursue further discussions with Russia on reducing both our strategic and tactical weapons, including non-deployed weapons,” he said.
Tom Collina, research director at the Arms Control Association, says the new treaty is significant in reducing the threat from U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons, but more significant because it could lead to further cuts.
“We think we can even go to deeper reductions, and we hope they sign a new treaty after this one relatively soon. But this treaty is a great step forward, it is very important, and it puts U.S. and Russian arms control back on a firm footing, and, again, sets us up for deeper cuts,” he said.
The signing of the “New START” treaty is one of several arms control developments taking place in several weeks.
Earlier in the week, President Obama announced a major shift in U.S. nuclear policy. He said for the first time that preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism is at the top of the U.S. nuclear agenda. The threat of destruction by Russian warheads is now considered a secondary menace.
Under Obama’s nuclear posture review, the U.S. pledges not to use nuclear weapons on non-nuclear countries that abide by their nonproliferation obligations.
Frank Gaffney, a former arms control adviser to President Ronald Reagan, says the president’s nuclear posture review is based on a false and dangerous premise. “The idea that he can, by reducing America’s nuclear arsenal, contribute to the universal abandonment of nuclear weaponry. It will not happen. It will not happen on his watch. It will not happen ever,” he said.
Obama also plans to hold a conference on nuclear security next week in Washington, D.C..
In their hour-and-a-half meeting before the ceremony, President Obama urged Medvedev to support new U.N. sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The Russian leader said the issue is not whether to impose sanctions, but what kind of sanctions.
“Smart sanctions should be able to motivate certain parties to behave properly, and I am confident that our teams that will be engaged in consultations will continue discussing this issue,” he said.
Obama said, “We are working together at the United Nations Security Council to pass strong sanctions on Iran and we will not tolerate actions that flout the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty).” He added, “My expectation is that we are going to be able to secure strong, tough sanctions on Iran this spring.”
The nuclear treaty is almost certain to be approved in the Russian Duma. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Russia reserves the right to drop out of the pact if it believes U.S. missile defense plans for Europe threaten its security.
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Many experts agree passage in the U.S. Senate is not as certain, but that its prospects are good. To ratify the treaty, it will require 67 votes, to pass it will require Republican votes. Republicans in the Senate have expressed concerns that too many restrictions have been placed on America’s nuclear arsenal.
However, Obama is confident the treaty will be ratified when asked during a press conference following the signing. Obama stated, “And so I’m actually quite confident that Democrats and Republicans in the United States Senate, having reviewed this, will see that the United States has preserved its core national security interests, that it is maintaining a safe and secure and effective nuclear deterrent, but that we are beginning to once again move forward, leaving the Cold War behind, to address new challenges in new ways.”
Obama also noted, “[T]hat both in Russia and the United States, it’s going to be posed on the Internet, appropriate to a 21st century treaty. And so people not only within government but also the general public will be able to review, in an open and transparent fashion, what it is that we’ve agreed to.” Copies of the treaty and it’s protocol have been posted on the State Department’s website.
“Old deeds threaten Buffalo, NY hotel development” — Wikinews, November 21, 2006
“Proposal for Buffalo, N.Y. hotel reportedly dead: parcels for sale “by owner”” — Wikinews, November 16, 2006
“Contract to buy properties on site of Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal extended” — Wikinews, October 2, 2006
“Court date “as needed” for lawsuit against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal” — Wikinews, August 14, 2006
“Preliminary hearing for lawsuit against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal rescheduled” — Wikinews, July 26, 2006
“Elmwood Village Hotel proposal in Buffalo, N.Y. withdrawn” — Wikinews, July 13, 2006
“Preliminary hearing against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal delayed” — Wikinews, June 2, 2006
Original Story
“Hotel development proposal could displace Buffalo, NY business owners” — Wikinews, February 17, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
Buffalo, New York —The Common Council of Buffalo voted on Tuesday to send the Elmwood Village Hotel proposal “to committee for further discussion”, after citing the need for more public involvement.
The Elmwood Village Hotel is a development proposal by the Savarino Construction Services Corporation, a project designed by the architect Karl Frizlen of The Frizlen Group. The hotel would be placed on the southeast corner of Elmwood and Forest Avenues in Buffalo.
To make way for the project, at least five buildings located at 1109 to 1121 Elmwood Ave would be demolished. At least two properties on Forest Avenue could also be demolished. The Elmwood properties, according to Eva Hassett, Vice President of Savarion Construction, are “under contract”, but it is unclear if Savarino Construction actually owns the Elmwood properties. Hans Mobius, a former mayorial candidate, is still believed to be the current owner the properties. Mobius also owns 607 Forest Avenue.
The properties 605 and 607 Forest Avenue could also be included in the proposal according to Hassett.
“We would use a Special Development Plan to rezone 1119-1121 Elmwood and 605 Forest to a C-2 zoning category,” stated Hassett. It is possible that Savarino Construction may try to obtain a variance for 605 Forest, which would allow them to enforce eminent domain, should the hotel be allowed to go forward.
The building at 607 Forest was also discussed to be rezoned, but it is unclear what the plans would be for that property. During the February 28 Common Council meeting, Hassett stated that the properties 605 and 607 were “now off the agenda”.
Pano Georgiadis, owner of Pano’s Restaurant at 1081 Elmwood, owns the property at 605 Forest and attended Tuesday’s Common Council meeting.
“Having a hotel is a bright idea. We all love the idea of a hotel, but the way that it is presented, is wishful thinking. This hotel does not fit. It’s like putting two gallons of water in a gallon jug, it does not fit. At the last meeting, the architect admitted that they are planning to put the undergound parking lot and the hotel, right at the property line. If I open my window, I will be able to touch the wall, that goes fifty feet high”, said Georgiadis.
“There is a problem having a seventy-two room hotel and fifty-five parking spaces. That means that all the other cars will spill all over the neighborhood. The footprint is simply too small. If you have a bigger [parking] lot, and a smaller hotel, I will welcome a hotel. I have a parking lot at my own business, and I am chasing people all day long. Remember, the city says it has ‘zero tolerance [for illegal parking]’. Try telling that to the guy from Albany who came to see his kids, that are going to Buffalo State, who would get tickets totaling over a hundred dollars”, added Georgiadis.
The city’s Planning Board is scheduled to meet on March 14, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. about the proposal. Although a discussion will take place, no vote is expected to be taken.
At the moment, none of the properties are zoned for a hotel. Savarino Construction plans on asking for a C2 zoning permit. If that does not work, they plan to implement a new zoning plan called a “special development plan” which would allow for only a hotel on the site. That zone would not be able to be changed.
“This [project] justifies Mobius’s refusal to invest in any maitenance[sic] or improvements”, on the properties said Clarence Carnahan, a local resident. “Where were the Council persons over the years? Where were the city inspectors over the years, to make sure that he maintained and improved his properties? The government was supposed to be protecting, not being preditorial. I see a predatorial issue here when it comes to this hotel. Over the years: Why has the local government been disfunctional when it came to Mobius’s properties? Refusal to invest in improvements, doesn’t that sound like a slumlord? Maybe I am missing a point here, but what kind of messages does this send to other slumlords that havn’t[sic] been jailed or fined? It’s [the hotel] trying to be pushed through.”
Carnahan also presented signs for residents and or business owners who are opposed to the hotel, that could be placed in windows or on stakes in the yard. Some of the signs said, ‘No tell hotel’, ‘Hans off, no hotel’, ‘It takes more than a hotel to make a village’. and ‘Keep Elmwood free, no hotel’. Carnahan plans on making more signs for a protest to be held on Saturday March 18, at 2:00 p.m. (EST) on Elmwood and Forest. Some signs were given to individuals after the meeting.
“First things first, Hans is the problem, and I don’t think it has been addressed. Let’s roll back the clock on this project. What can we do with Hans? There is such thing as eminent domain, which could be of greater interest to the community, to seize the property at its lowest assessed value”, said Nancy Pollina, co-owner of Don Apparel with Patty Morris at 1119 Elmwood. “There are so many ideas that have not been explored and we are about to give this parcel away, to a big developer.”
Mobius has not returned any calls by Wikinews regarding the situation.
Letter to one of the business owners that could be displaced. Click to enlarge. Image: Jason Safoutin.
A freelance journalist writing for Wikinews has obtained a letter, exclusively, addressed to one of the five business owners from Hans Mobius stating:
There is a proposal to develop my property which you are currently renting. Because of opposition to this development, it does not look like it will happen. I will let you know if there any changes.
Despite the letter, there have been no plans or decisions made to end the proposal.
To date, none of the business owners or residents of 1119-1121 Elmwood have received an eviction notice.
These two buildings on Auburn and Elmwood, were newly renovated last year. The building on the left was boarded up for several years before the renovation took place. Image: Jason Safoutin.
Business owners and residents gave an indication of what they would like to see happen at the corner; a project similar to one done locally last year. There, developers renovated two buildings on Auburn and Elmwood Avenues, merging the buildings into one thus allowing for more shop space. Among some of the shops to move in after the development were Cone Five Pottery, The Ruby Slipper, and Abraham’s Jewelers. Prior to the renovation work, the left building in the picture was boarded up for several years. Many of the concerned locals would like to see a similar development on Forest and Elmwood.
Rocco Termini, a developer in Buffalo, proposed a similar design at the February 28 community meeting
In an interview after the February 28 meeting, Termini stated, “I will be willing to take a look at this myself, or I would be more than happy to be partners with Sam, Sam Savarino”, who is President and Chief Executive Officer of Savarino Construction Services Corp.
So far Savarino Construction has no plans to team up with Termini.
