BUFFALO, N.Y. — This Week in 2012
10 years ago, as we watched closely the battle between congress and President Obama over what was the best way to avert the pending "Fiscal Cliff", HSBC announced it would be taking its name off of, and moving out of Buffalo's tallest building (now known as Seneca One) and in his first year as County Executive Mark Poloncarz presented his first budget proposal.
It called for record spending of nearly $1.5 billion, along with a 3.4% tax increase.
Legislators proposed to stave off the tax hike by making cuts to the budget.
10 years later Poloncarz remains the County Executive and the budget he submitted this year of $2.1 billion is about 25% higher than the one he proposed this week in 2012.
This Week in 2002
20 years ago this week it was announced that a long-time Buffalo manufacturer would be moving its operation out of the Queen City, where it had begun 85 years before.
Trico, the maker of windshield wipers and components which started here in 1917, and once employed close to 6,000 workers, announced it was wiping out the last of its 200 or so positions here.
However, while one business was ending, another was just about to start, and crews were busy putting the final touches on more than $100 million of renovations to accommodate it.
What do you think crews were working at a breakneck pace to complete for a planned New Year's Eve opening this week in 2002 (Watch the video in this story to find the answer).
This Week in 1992
30 years ago this week, if you're old enough to remember pre-paid calling cards and plentiful banks of pay phones where you could use them, or shopping at Ziggy and Zons World, you might also recall how suddenly familiar you became with an East African nation of which you likely had no prior knowledge when it was announced 28-thousand US troops were headed to Somalia.
The humanitarian mission, announced by President George H.W. Bush in the waning weeks of his administration, was aimed at trying to stop warlords and gangs in a lawless land from pilfering supplies meant to aid people dying of starvation due to famine.
Named Operation Restore Hope, the United States would continue to command the operation until May of 1993.
It was also the same week that official word came from Buckingham Palace that Prince Charles and Princess Diana would be separating after 11 years of marriage.