Imagine this scenario: You have been a green card holder for the past five years and have made sure to spend less than six months a year outside of the United States. You can now finally apply to become a U.S. citizen! 

After submitting your application to USCIS and attending your biometrics appointment, you have been scheduled for your final naturalization interview. You’ve heard that the tests are fairly easy and did not think you would need to study. You’re shocked when the interviewing officer asks you question after question that you do not know the answer to. You sadly do not pass the naturalization test that day. 

The Pasta Peddler and Blackbird Sweets, two family owned businesses that operate side-by-side, will move to a larger location at 1547 Hertel Ave., Buffalo, in early August. The businesses currently operate in the Horsefeathers Building at 346 Connecticut St. 

“Our businesses are growing, and as a result we have outgrown our current 650-square-foot operation,” said Eric Amodeo, co-owner of The Pasta Peddler. “Our new location will offer approximately 3,000 square feet of retail and production space. We also hope to add lunch and dinner service and an outdoor patio in the future.”

The U.S. Embassy in Paris will transition to a new visa appointment system on July 31, impacting visa applicants. As with any significant change to a bureaucratic system, Embassy France cautions that, “The transition to the new visa appointment system may cause some temporary delays. The U.S. Embassy strongly encourages all visa applicants who intend to travel to the United States during the summer to schedule a visa appointment or request online preclearance to travel via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) as soon as possible.”