Categories for Featured

Apr 3

2014

Buffalo’s decade-long dust bowl

Published by

The Weaver family and their neighbors on Peabody Street may be the only people in Buffalo who don’t look forward to warm weather. That’s when concrete crushing kicks into full gear at Battaglia Demolition, a construction and demolition processing facility that abuts their homes in the gritty Seneca Babcock neighborhood about a mile southeast of downtown. “I can’t open my windows because of all the dust from the rock crushing,” Jan Weaver wrote to the state Department of Environmental Conservation last fall. Between 80 to 200 diesel trucks a day rumble down Peabody Street loaded with concrete, scrap metal and[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Mar 27

2014

Chippewa Street is a red blight district

Published by

Last week I wrote about the overflowing trash bins up and down Chippewa Street that greeted fans in town for the NCAA basketball tournament. That did not make it an unusual week for the downtown entertainment strip – actually, it was a typical one. The truth is, Chippewa is dirty, smelly and uninviting most of the time. I know because I walk the street five, sometimes six days a week. I park workdays at WGRZ on Delaware Avenue and walk up Chippewa to my office on Pearl Street. I retrace my steps on the way home in the evening. In[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 27

2014

Cuomo’s costly Peace Bridge purchase

Published by

  The property was a mess — contaminated, mired in debt and depreciating in value — but Gov. Andrew Cuomo wanted it bad. As it turns out, as much as $27 million bad. To buy the abandoned Episcopal Church Home, a property considered essential to an expansion of the Peace Bridge plaza, state government under Cuomo’s direction paid a premium and inherited a costly environmental cleanup. The Cuomo administration also orchestrated moves that cost state and federal taxpayers millions more. The final tab hasn’t been tallied, but it could run as high as $27 million, for a property appraisers hired[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 19

2014

Peace Bridge: Radioactive roadway?

Published by

West Side residents have long complained about trucks crossing the Peace Bridge because of diesel fumes that have been linked to respiratory illnesses. They now have another reason to be uncomfortable with truck traffic: rigs carrying high-level radioactive cargo. Federal authorities in May gave approval for a company to truck spent nuclear fuel over the Peace Bridge. They say there haven’t been any leaks or other problems involving similar shipments elsewhere. But some experts and activists are concerned the route approval is a prelude to shipping highly radioactive liquid waste. This would be unprecedented for North America, let alone the Peace[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 12

2014

Carl Paladino is a RINO

Published by

RINO is a four-letter word to Carl Paladino. It’s short for “Republican In Name Only.” Paladino dismisses many mainstream Republicans as RINOs for failing to subscribe to his Tea Party-flavored politics, committing the sin of compromising with Democrats or contributing to their campaigns. Republicans donating to Democrats is supposedly so repugnant to Paladino that he organized a protest outside a fundraiser Dec. 16 that was co-hosted by GOP heavy hitters to benefit Congressman Brian Higgins. Paladino held a sign for part of the demonstration that read: “No Funding For Dems.” The fundraiser put one of its organizers, Anthony Gioia, who has[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 4

2014

Tonawanda Coke claims disputed

Published by

Contrary to claims by Tonawanda Coke, at least one person was hurt in an explosion that rocked the plant and nearby homes on Friday, sources have told Investigative Post. In addition, records obtained by Investigative Post revealed that Tonawanda Coke in at least one instance told emergency responders who showed up at the plant that they had not felt the explosion that had been reported by neighbors. “At this time, Tonawanda Coke says normal operations,” a first responder said in radio communication. “They did not feel anything. They’ve got somebody coming up to talk to me.” The state Department of[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Jan 30

2014

Recycling comes to Buffalo public housing

Published by

The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority is finally launching a recycling program that should service all 30 of its developments by the end of this year. This decision comes almost 10 months after Investigative Post reported that the authority was ignoring a longstanding city ordinance that requires residents of multi-family residences to recycle. The authority is the city’s biggest landlord with 4,748 apartments that are home to 7,642 low-income families and senior citizens. “It is something that we looked as the responsible thing to do and we want to do the right thing,” said Modesto Candelario, the authority’s assistant executive director.[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Jan 28

2014

NRG Huntley plant belching red ink

Published by

NRG’s coal plant in the Town of Tonawanda is losing an average of $1 million a year and is at risk of closing, according to a new report. The report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis provides a warning to Huntley employees, community residents, the Ken-Ton school district and elected leaders: prepare now for the plant’s closing. The warning is based on the financial stress that such a closure would create for the community: 70 lost jobs and $16 million less tax revenue, half of which goes to the Ken-Ton school system. The Buffalo News reports that town officials said the analysis uses[...]

Posted 11 years ago
Investigative Post