What’s happening this week in Buffalo Niagara business?

The Buffalo Niagara unemployment rate has steadily crept higher for most of last year, until starting to turn slightly lower again in February and beyond.

On Tuesday, we’ll find out if jobless levels have continued to ease, when the state Labor Department releases local unemployment rates for May.

In April, the Buffalo Niagara region’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.1%, down from its recent peak of 4.3% in January.

Buffalo Cooperation is accepting applications for the first cohort of Cooperative Changemakers: A Community Power Fellowship. The free training program for cooperative entrepreneurs and advocates will take place on Wednesdays for 10 weeks, from Sept. 4 through Nov. 6. Applications at cooperationbuffalo.org/fellowship are due by Aug. 1.

Tea State Department of Labor will host a Dunkirk job fair from 10 am to 12 pm Tuesday at Chautauqua Works, 407 Central Ave. More than 20 employers are scheduled to attend.

World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara will host “coffee with the chairman,” a new monthly discussion, from 8 to 9 am Wednesday at Spot Coffee at 5330 Main St. in Amherst. The discussion will be led by Damon Piatak, the organization’s chairman and a licensed customs broker. It is open to members and nonmembers of the WTCBN.

The New York State Cannabis Advisory Board will hold its regular public meeting in New York City at 11 am Wednesday. The meeting will be livestreamed.

Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you the latest coverage on the changing Buffalo Niagara economy – from real estate to health care to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com.

A pair of local business groups are moving to new offices.

The state is cracking down on illegal pot shops.

UB researchers say telemedicine helps limit Hepatitis-C.

The Save-A-Lot in the Broadway market is closingbut its impact is much broader.

A South Buffalo manufacturer is expanding.

Local wages are rising. Here’s how much.

Graycliff is getting a new – and bigger – visitors center.

A Niagara Falls movie theater is set to become a car parts center.

A Canadian developer plans to turn the former Howard Johnson hotel in Niagara Falls into a music came.

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. The evolution of Viridi Parente in a changing market.

2. Some development projects are running into a new problem: They can’t tap into enough electricity.

3. A closer look at the Rails on Main apartment project.

4. The Buffalo Niagara region’s people problem is getting worse − and that’s bad for business.

5. 43North winner Bounce Imaging earns a shot at more work with Department of Defense.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the region’s economic revitalization. Email tips to [email protected] or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.

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