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Nov 1

2015

Dino Fudoli’s tax defiance

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Dino Fudoli contends the federal and state government effectively seized 12 acres he owns off Transit Road by declaring it wetlands in 2009. Not that he’s gone to court to press his case. Rather, he’s simply stopped paying his property taxes. For the second time. His delinquency was the topic of my coverage three years ago, and again last week, as I reported the Lancaster town supervisor owes nearly $19,000 on two properties he owns in Cheektowaga. Whether Fudoli pays a price politically will be determined Tuesday, when he stands for re-election. Steve Brown and I discuss Fudoli’s transgressions on[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Oct 30

2015

SolarCity: Mayday! Mayday!

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I have called Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s investment in SolarCity a high-risk, high-reward undertaking. The project took on an added air of risk Thursday, in light of not one, not two, but three pieces of bad news. For starters, the company disclosed it posted a net loss of $234 million in the third quarter. That’s the biggest quarterly loss in the history of the company and brings the year-to-date losses to a staggering $537 million. That puts SolarCity on track to lose more than $700 million for 2015, compared with net losses of $375 million in 2014, $152 million in 2013[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Oct 29

2015

Dino Fudoli is a tax delinquent – again

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Lancaster Town Supervisor Dino Fudoli has once again fallen behind in paying his property taxes. Investigative Post reported three years ago that Fudoli owed nearly $17,000 in property taxes on three houses and two vacant parcels he owned in Cheektowaga and Alden. He paid those taxes about a month after our story broadcast. Public records show Fudoli has fallen behind again in paying taxes on two of the aforementioned properties, both located in Cheektowaga. He owes $14,908 on 12 acres of vacant land off Transit Road near Rehm Road. The land was designated wetlands in 2009, effectively eliminating his ability[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Oct 26

2015

Child abuse unit an election issue

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The performance of the department charged with investigating claims of child abuse has become an election issue in the race for Erie County executive – and for good reason – Jim Heaney says in the latest video edition of Outrages & Insights. Charlotte Keith of Investigative Post broke a story in July that resulted in the performance of Child Protective Services becoming an election issue. She documented heavy workloads and delays in completing investigations. Heaney told Steve Brown that CPS was troubled prior to the election of Mark Poloncarz as county executive four years ago and the department has shown[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Oct 19

2015

Peace Bridge expansion talk premature

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Talk of a renewed effort to begin planning for a second span at the Peace Bridge is overblown, Jim Heaney told Steve Brown on Sunday’s weekly installment of Outrages & Insights. Heaney said his sources tell him the Peace Bridge Authority is focused on its $185 million capital improvement plan that will take another four years to complete. Any serious consideration of a second span would likely be put off until the bulk of that work is done, he said. Heaney noted that bridge traffic has steadily dropped since the 9-11 terror attacks. Increased wait times are not the result[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Oct 15

2015

iPost launches event series, membership drive

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Investigative Post has launched a membership program that seeks community support for our award-winning watchdog journalism. A membership for 2016 not only provides Investigative Post with the resources it needs to continue producing hard-hitting, high-impact stories, but purchases a season pass to our “At Issue” event series that launches Oct. 26. “Talk is cheap. Investigative reporting isn’t. In fact, it’s the costliest, most time-consuming type of journalism there is,” said Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney. “We need the community’s support to continue to dig deep and report on the important issues that many other news outlets are passing on with[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Oct 11

2015

Scajaquada and other pollution problems

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Jim Heaney and Steve Brown discuss the painfully slow progress being made in cleaning up polluted creeks and streams throughout Western New York on the second weekly installment of “Outrages & Insights” broadcast on WGRZ. The problem is rooted in antiquated sewage systems that are often overwhelmed by an influx of water during rain storms and snowmelts, Heaney told Brown. Systems, unable to handle the water, dump untreated sewage and runoff into nearby creeks and streams. The solution requires costly repairs to sewer lines and upgrades to treatment systems. Politicians at the local, state and federal levels have been unwilling[...]

Posted 10 years ago

Oct 9

2015

Protestors want more diversity at Riverbend

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Protesters from local community groups gathered outside the SolarCity construction site in South Buffalo to call for a return to the 25 percent minority workforce goal originally floated for the project. As Investigative Post reported last week, that goal was agreed to when the city sold the land for the factory to the state, and publicly announced in two press releases. But a more recent agreement between developer LPCiminelli and the construction unions established instead a goal of 15 percent. State officials now say the higher goal was purely “aspirational” and that the revised goals are being met. Erie County[...]

Posted 10 years ago
Investigative Post