As the city’s Department of Public Works focuses on clearing snow from side streets, residents who park on streets with alternate parking regulations must move their vehicles by 6 p.m. today to accommodate the Monday through Thursday parking switchover.

Failure to move vehicles on time may result in tickets or towing, city officials warned. 

The first-term Democratic governor and Buffalo native scored a 39% favorability rating, up three points from an October Siena poll. Hochul’s approval rating improved five points to 46%. And the governor’s unfavorable and disapproval rates, both at 51% in October, each dropped to 49%.

The improvements place Hochul above President-elect Donald Trump who, in a September poll of 1,000 likely voters, exceeded Hochul’s by 39% to 34% – a rare showing in New York, a heavily Democratic state.

On Tuesday, Trump’s favorability rating dropped to 37%.

“There’s some good news for the governor,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement. “The bad news is that both ratings remain stubbornly underwater.”

The poll asked voters if, as things stand now, they would vote to re-elect Hochul or prefer someone else. Only 33%, including less than half (48%) of Democrats polled, said they re-elect Hochul. Another 57% said they preferred someone else.

And 50% of sampled voters said they believe the state is headed in the wrong direction. Another 36% said the state was on the right track, with 14% unsure or unopinionated on the question.

“And as we now enter the 2026 gubernatorial election cycle, Hochul starts with less than an enthusiastic welcome from the voters,” Greenberg said.

Asked if they would rather see a Democrat or Republican elected as the next governor, 52% said Democrat, 34% Republican. 

The poll asked voters to identify their top priority for the State Legislature as it prepares to begin its annual session next month. The overwhelming choice for top issue was the cost of living (43%), followed by affordable housing and the recent influx of migrants (both at 19%) followed by crime (15%).

Cost of living concerns…

The unemployment rate increased to 3.6% from 3.4% in September, according to state Labor Department figures released on Tuesday.

The number of people counted as unemployed increased by 3.8% from a month ago, to 19,300. But at the same time, the size of the region’s labor force – a combination of employed and unemployed people – dropped by 1,800.

The size of the region’s labor force also dropped by 11,200, or 2%, from a year ago, continuing an ongoing trend.

That reduction is probably due to continued retirements, and perhaps some outmigration, as workers who were allowed to work remotely during the pandemic are called back to the office at employers based outside the region, said Julie Anna Golebiewski, a Canisius University economist.

“There is a movement in that direction nationally, and I anticipate that has some effect in Buffalo,” she said.

During the pandemic, Buffalo was an attractive spot for working remotely, with its lower cost…

The regulations will not be enforced until Dec. 1, due to unseasonably warm weather conditions forecasted for the upcoming weeks, said City of Buffalo Mayor Christopher P. Scanlon.

The restrictions are being delayed for parking on bus routes between the hours of 1:30 and 7 a.m., alternate street parking and other winter-specific rules for the road in the city.

The city already had postponed the start of its winter parking regulations by one week. The restrictions are typically scheduled to begin Nov. 15.

City officials say they will continue to monitor weather patterns and review parking needs on a weekly basis to determine if any further flexibility and adjustments are needed.

“We’re taking a proactive approach to accommodate residents as we transition into the winter season,” Scanlon said. “Safety and convenience remain top priorities, and we’ll reassess conditions with our Parking Department as we approach December.

“This has been a real kick in the teeth to a community that didn’t deserve this,” the Buffalo-born governor told reporters during a press briefing in the State Capitol.

Asked if there was any advance notice from the company that it was leaving, Hochul shook her head and said no.

“They did not telegraph this earlier. They did not say, ‘If you could do this for us, we’ll stay,’ ” the governor said. “It was presented to us as a very firm decision … It’s a sad day for Western New York.”

Hochul said her administration’s Empire State Development agency asked the company if it needed any assistance or financial help.

“The decision was already made and they don’t look like they’re about to reverse that,” the governor said.

Hochul said she reached out to federal officials to see if there was any way to save the jobs. She said Sumitomo officials decided that for financial reasons it was no longer viable to remain in Tonawanda. Hochul said the company, which she noted once employed her brother, has been part of the DNA of the Western New York industrial economy for some time.

The first raccoon was captured and removed on Oct. 23 on Parkwood Drive by a nuisance wildlife control official, the health department said. There were no reports of contact with pets or humans.

The second raccoon was caught Oct. 31 after it was involved in an incident with three dogs at a residence on Stone Road. No humans were exposed, health officials said, and the vaccination status of the dogs is being verified.

The bat was found Oct. 31 outdoors on Presidential Way and was not believed to have contact with humans or pets.

“While these three cases occurred within the same town,” health officials said in a press release, “there is no indication that they are related.”

Residents are reminded to avoid feeding or having contact with wild or stray animals. Health officials also advised that pets should be kept indoors at night and should be vaccinated against rabies. Law requires that all dogs, cats and ferrets over the age of 4 months should be vaccinated.

The health department noted that rabies is commonly found in bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes and is confirmed only through laboratory testing.

The winning ticket, which was purchased at the 7-Eleven store at 1329 Abbott Road at Ridge Road, matched all five winning numbers: 2, 8, 9, 16 and 22. There were 154 runners-up who matched four numbers, winning $354 each.

Take 5 drawings are held twice a day, midday and evening. Players pick five numbers between 1 and 39. Prizes are awarded for matching two or more numbers.