Progress was made today in the renaming of a stretch of Route 20A in Orchard Park (near Ralph Wilson Stadium) after Tim Russert, when the House of Representatives approved a resolution previously passed by the Senate last month. All it needs now is to be signed by President Bush.

US Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Congressman Brian Higgins proposed the renaming shortly after Russert’s untimely death from a heart attack.

Following the House vote, Higgins said it’s a “fitting remembrance of a man, who after all his success, never forgot his hometown.”

Under the legislation the stretch of Route 20A between Abbott Road and California Road in Orchard Park will be designated as the “Timothy J. Russert Highway.”

While it’s all fine and good that Brian Higgins did his part in this effort  – or at least is clamoring for accolades — I wish he put as much effort into tearing down the Skyway. Something tells me that Higgins wouldn’t ever have said “For the next five or 10 years, the renaming of the highway will continue to be subject to debate,” which he did say about the tearing down of the Skyway, despite the fact it was once a priority for him.

Since Higgins seems to be more effective at renaming highways than he is at removing dangerous ones, I think the Skyway should be renamed Brian Higgins Highway in honor of his tireless efforts to replace the dangerous Skyway.

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According to the Associated Press, Tom Brokaw will moderate NBC’s ‘Meet The Press’ through the November elections.

Veteran news anchor Tom Brokaw will moderate NBC’s “Meet the Press” through the November election in the place of the late Tim Russert, the network announced Sunday.

Brokaw is scheduled to start on June 29. He had filled in on the program for the Sunday following Russert’s death of a heart attack on June 13.

NBC News President Steve Capus said the show will continue to be produced in Washington.

“To have someone of Tom’s stature step up and dedicate himself to ensuring its ongoing success is not only a testament to his loyalty to Tim, but his enduring commitment to NBC News and our viewers,” Capus said.

Nothing was immediately said about who would anchor the broadcast after the election or whether Brokaw, 68, would be interested in continuing beyond that. He wouldn’t be the oldest man on the Sunday morning beat — CBS’ “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer is 71.

The filling of Tim Russert’s shoes is certainly a big challenge for NBC, and while Tom Brokaw is only slated to fill in through the elections, I would expect his place as moderator at Meet The Press will become permanent. He certainly would be a better replacement than the following names that have been floated.

David Gregory, Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews had been talked about as potential candidates for the full-time job as moderator. If Brokaw weren’t interested in continuing, his tenure would allow NBC more time to study a potential selection and have that person debut during a less intense news period.

All three of them would damage the integrity and reputation of ‘Meet The Press.’ In the wake of Tim Russert’s passing, one of the most common compliments Tim Russert got regarding his tenure at ‘Meet The Press’ was his ability to be tough and objective.

Objective is hardly a word to describe David Gregory, Andrea Mitchell or Chris Matthews. I’d hate to see ‘Meet The Press’ become another mouthpiece for the Democratic Party.

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Petition to Rename Buffalo’s Airport after Tim Russert

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Newsday has the story:

Federal lawmakers from New York say they want to rename a portion of U.S. Route 20 near Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park after the late Tim Russert.

Sens. Charles Schumer, Hillary Clinton and Rep. Brian Higgins say they’ll introduce a resolution regarding the highway’s name on Monday.

Under their proposal, a section of the highway that runs in front of the stadium _ home to Russert’s beloved Buffalo Bills _ would bear the late newsman’s name. They didn’t specify exactly what the new name would be or how long a stretch of the highway would be renamed.

Not a bad idea, but I also like Buffalo Pundit’s idea of renaming Buffalo Niagara International Airport to Tim Russert International Airport.

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This afternoon, while in the middle of a business meeting, I learned that Tim Russert had died suddenly of a heart attack.

The Washington Post reports:

Russert, 58, collapsed while recording voiceovers for his Sunday morning interview program, NBC reported. He was initially reported to have suffered a heart attack while working in his office on Washington’s Nebraska Avenue, but the network said later only that he was “stricken at the bureau” and subsequently died. Further details were not immediately available.

Russert served as NBC’s Washington bureau chief and the host of “Meet the Press,” the top-rated Sunday talk show, which had an enormous influence on politics and was marked by his aggressive style of interrogation. As a frequent commentator on the “Today” show, “NBC Nightly News” and other shows, Russert wielded such clout that when he declared that Sen. Barack Obama had wrapped up the Democratic nomination last month, his pronouncement was treated as a news event in itself.

Russert’s television career was marked by a voracious appetite for politics and a shrewd understanding of how politicians interact with the media. He also wrote a book about his father, titled “Big Russ and Me.” Last week, he moved Big Russ to a nursing facility.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw gave MSNBC viewers the news of Russert’s death at 3:40 p.m.

“He worked to the point of exhaustion so many weeks,” Brokaw said, adding: “This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice.”

I met Tim Russert back 2004 when I was one of the official bloggers at the Republican National Convention. I had been away from Blogger’s Corner and came back to my laptop and he was there, looking at bumper stickers I had brought to the convention for my blog, Blogs For Bush (now Blogs For Victory) I actually didn’t recognize him at first because he looked very different to me, but we spoke for a bit, and I gave him a bumper sticker.

MSNBC.com has a timeline of Russert’s life and career.

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