Categories for Featured

Nov 7

2017

Testing to get the lead out

Published by

The crisis in Flint, Mich., put a spotlight on the risks of lead in drinking water. The public water supplies in Buffalo and surrounding areas are not facing the same problems as Flint. Nonetheless, lead still poses a risk here because of our old infrastructure and housing stock. In fact, experts say there is always a risk of lead leaching into your tap water if you have a lead service line. Days after my story “Looking for lead (in all the wrong places)” in August 2016, I got calls from concerned Buffalo residents who wanted to know how they could[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Oct 18

2017

Land owners sue over radioactive waste

Published by

Twenty property owners in Niagara Falls, Lewiston and Grand Island have filed a lawsuit charging that three companies acted with gross recklessness by directly or indirectly disposing of radioactive wastes that they knew posed a danger to human health and the environment. The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York on behalf of 28 plaintiffs who own or share homes, businesses and vacant land in the affected communities. Investigative Post reported in July 2016 that government documents show the federal Department of Energy and state health and environmental officials have known for[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Oct 9

2017

Schumer to EPA: finish radioactive cleanups

Published by

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer called on the federal Environmental Protection Agency to finish the $11 million clean up of radioactive hotspots in Niagara County. Investigative Post reported in August that the EPA abruptly left the county without finishing the work. That story caught the attention of Schumer, who was in Lewiston on Monday to urge the EPA to return to clean up the “invisible stain of radioactive waste.” “This is EPA’s job, they shouldn’t be backing away from it, they shouldn’t leave homeowners like Mr. Wade in the lurch,” Schumer said. Left in limbo are property owners in Niagara Falls[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Oct 4

2017

Entrepreneurs take state grants and flee WNY

Published by

Cory Rosenfield knew the deal: in exchange for up to a $1 million state investment in his fledgling company, he would have to move the business to Buffalo for at least a year – and hopefully much longer. So, when he made his pitch to the judges of the 43North competition two years ago, he assured them this wouldn’t be a problem. “We are so excited to be making our new home in Buffalo,” he said. “We are here to stay no matter what.” Just over a year later, the company had gone back to Toronto – despite winning $250,000.[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 26

2017

City Hall agrees to increased police oversight

Published by

City officials, faced with growing concerns over the conduct of Buffalo police officers, agreed Tuesday to form a citizen advisory committee with Open Buffalo, an activist organization. The commitment came during a meeting of the Common Council’s Police Oversight Committee. Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda was in attendance and agreed to the advisory group. Details are to be worked out, and it is unclear whether the advisory panel will have any teeth. “I think [it will] provide more opportunities for folks in our community to be heard and for the police and council members [to] hear more directly from the community[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 20

2017

Buffalo police who cross the line

Published by

Mayor Byron Brown established the Strike Force and Housing units to address the scourge of gangs, drugs and guns in Buffalo. While few argue with the mission of these police units, the way they go about their job is raising alarm, with some defense attorneys characterizing Strike Force and Housing Unit officers as “vigilantes” with a “cowboy mentality.”   “I think they have a complete disregard for the Constitution of the United States, and most importantly, the Fourth Amendment,” said Michael Stachowski, a Buffalo defense attorney. “They just seem to roust kids in the street, chase people, and hope they[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 18

2017

SolarCity’s expanded escape clause

Published by

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was bullish about Buffalo on a call with investors last month. “We made that commitment to the state of New York,” he said, describing the company’s plan to hire thousands at a huge factory opening in Buffalo that was built at taxpayer expense. “We are going to keep that commitment.” In late 2015, though – before SolarCity was bought by Tesla – the contract that governs the company’s commitment to New York was tweaked to give it more ways out of the deal if its business goes south. Added to the list of reasons SolarCity could[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 13

2017

Assessing Buffalo’s mayoral primary

Published by

A win is a win, and Byron Brown certainly did that Tuesday, capturing a little more than half the vote in a three-way Democratic primary for mayor. The victory sets Brown up for a fourth term, equalling the tenure of Jimmy Griffin. That’s about where the good news ends for the mayor. The numbers are not otherwise kind. Let’s start with his 13,346 votes – the lowest of his four primary runs and little more than half of his total eight years ago. (Mickey Kearns garnered more votes eight years ago in losing to Brown in a landslide. Think about it.)[...]

Posted 8 years ago
Investigative Post