Oct 14
2013
The state League of Conservation Voters give high grades to two local state senators, Mark Gristanti and George Maziarz. Marks handed out by a second group, Environmental Advocates, are not nearly as generous.
Oct 3
2013
Opening Gallagher Beach for swimming is “probably impractical from a public health standpoint” because of stormwater pollution, sediment contamination and neighboring toxic sites, a consultant for the Erie County Health Department has concluded. The consultant’s analysis, obtained under the Freedom of Information Law, and subsequent reporting by Investigative Post raises serious concerns about a plan being pushed by U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Byron Brown. They want to open the beach for public swimming as part of a larger plan to develop the Outer Harbor into a state park. Higgins, a champion of opening the city’s[...]
Oct 2
2013
A top NSA official admits to a secret pilot program that uses cell phone technology to track the movement of American citizens. A report from the Guardian.
Sep 30
2013
“Gov. Cuomo has moved to grab greater control of the anti-corruption commission he vowed would be independent when he created it in July,” the New York Daily News reports.
Sep 29
2013
Four years ago, Mickey Kearns lost the Democratic primary for mayor in a landslide. He garnered 14,866 votes. Earlier this month, Byron Brown won the Democratic primary for mayor in a landslide. He received 14,433 votes. In other words, more people voted for Kearns four years ago than for Brown this year. That’s what happens when four out of five voters stay at home on primary day. This year’s turnout was a paltry 20 percent, well below any other mayoral primary in recent history, where up to 60 percent of registered Democrats cast ballots. Much has been made of the[...]
Sep 16
2013
The Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality altered reports and made blanket statements that lacked sufficient data and analysis. A report from The Center for Public Integrity.
Sep 10
2013
The U.S. government, acting mostly in secret, has imposed rules that effectively suspend Constitutional protections against unwarranted searches and seizures at border crossings. A report from The New York Times.
Sep 5
2013
Environmental News Network reports that the Clean Air Act’s regulations combating acid rain have brought life back to forestland in the Central Appalachian Mountain in West Virginia. Researchers chose this area because it is downwind from Ohio River Valley coal plants.