Articles for Investigative Post staff

Aug 15

2023

iPost reporter assumes leadership role

I’Jaz Ja’ciel, a reporter with Investigative Post, has taken the reins of the Buffalo chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. Ja’ciel was elected president of the chapter in April and has been working to return the 30-member organization to active status after a period of inactivity. That accomplished, she is looking to the future. “It was extremely important to me that our chapter didn’t dissolve because we reflect and represent Buffalo’s diverse communities,” Ja’ciel said. “Our chapter has accomplished great things over the years and I’m confident that our resurgence will take us to even greater heights.” The[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jul 24

2023

iPost adds board members, elects officers

Investigative Post has added four members to its board of directors and re-elected its lineup of officers. New board members include Paul Vukelic, president and CEO of Try-It Distributing; Leah Hamilton, associate publisher of  The Challenger Community News; Chris O’Brien, an attorney and law school professor; and Alison Keane, whose history of serving in a fundraising capacity on nonprofit boards includes the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.  “Our new directors bring a variety of talents, connections and life experiences that enrich our organization,” said Jim Heaney, Investigative Post’s founder, editor and executive director. Vukelic, Hamilton, O’Brien and Keane join six incumbents[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jul 2

2023

Investigative Post adds two veterans

Investigative Post has added two veteran, award-winning journalists to its staff. Bruce Rushton will cover criminal justice, drawing on his 36 years of reporting for daily and alternative newspapers.  Sue Schulman will serve as assistant editor in a part-time capacity. She is the former editor of The Buffalo News investigative reporting team and has 42 years in the news business. “Our bench is deepened considerably with the addition of Bruce and Sue. They’re experienced, highly skilled and their addition positions us to take the next step as a news organization,” said Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney, who worked under Schulman[...]

Posted 3 months ago

Jun 2

2023

Tickets on sale for our summer benefit concert

Circle your calendar, buy your tickets, a popular summer concert tradition is returning after a pandemic hiatus!  Tom Toles and the Junkman’s Choir will play the Sportsmen’s Tavern the evening of Thursday, July 13, to benefit Investigative Post.   Toles, of course, is the Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, late of The Washington Post and Buffalo News. (He presently serves on Investigative Post’s board of directors.)  “It’s exciting to restart the iPost Sportsmen’s summer concert series,” Toles said.  “It’s always a crazy fun gathering of great local musicians and a guest drummer/singer who is a joyful and unpredictable wild animal.[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Mar 18

2023

Help wanted: criminal justice reporter

Investigative Post is seeking an experienced, aggressive reporter to produce deeply reported, high-impact investigative and enterprise stories on the criminal justice system in Western New York for our website and television partner. Investigative Post will build off its extensive coverage of the Buffalo Police Department and extend its reporting to the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and other local police agencies. The beat will also focus on criminal courts, including Buffalo City Court and the U.S. Western District Court. Also of interest are jails and prisons; parole and probation; and the policies and practices of the district attorneys in Erie and[...]

Posted 7 months ago

Feb 2

2023

A step forward for Investigative Post

Stephanie Lawson has joined Investigative Post as chief development officer. In this role, she will increase community engagement and grow our base of supporters.  Lawson previously spent six years with Habitat for Humanity Buffalo, where she oversaw fundraising, communications, advocacy, outreach, and the ReStore, a retail outlet. She helped develop signature campaigns, including Women Build Week, Leaders Build, and The House Beer Built. Lawson led state- and nationwide trainings and mentored other development and communications professionals. In 2021, she was recognized as Habitat for Humanity Employee of the Year. Lawson previously worked for seven years with the Food Bank of[...]

Posted 8 months ago

Dec 31

2022

iPost readers vote evictions report top story of ’22

Readers have selected I’Jaz Ja’ciel’s report on evictions as Investigative Post’s top story of 2022.  Her Nov. 9 story, which also aired on WGRZ, not only reported on the large number of eviction warrants issued in Erie County, primarily Buffalo, but explained why. The reasons include Buffalo’s high poverty rate and meager government assistance for low-income renters. Buffalo landlords are acting to evict tenants in greater numbers than any portion of the state aside from Brooklyn, according to data from the New York State Unified Court System.  Judges have issued more than 3,700 eviction warrants this year in Erie County,[...]

Posted 9 months ago

Dec 20

2022

Donate to iPost and double your money

As Western New York’s only nonprofit newsroom, Investigative Post depends on the financial support of the community to fund our work. Our annual drive is an important source of revenue for us. We’re down to the final week-and-a-half of our campaign. Consider donating today to support Western New York’s only news organization dedicated exclusively to producing watchdog journalism. At a time when our democracy is under threat, and our leaders are less transparent than ever, supporting local journalism has never been more important.  “Love your publication and your attention to the facts,” one donor wrote in a note that accompanied[...]

Posted 10 months ago