Jun 30
2013
Esmonde: Cuomo the Peace Bridge problem
Buffalo News columnist hits the nail on the head: “The governor didn’t so much ensure progress as threaten it.”
Posted 11 years ago
Jun 30
2013
Buffalo News columnist hits the nail on the head: “The governor didn’t so much ensure progress as threaten it.”
Jun 21
2013
The intent of the Sewage Pollution Right to Know law passed 10 months ago was to inform state residents within four hours of sewage overflows into waterways to protect them from the dangers of swimming or fishing in tainted water. Not only would residents know the estimated amount of all overflows, they would know where it happened, the duration, what time, the reason and a description of steps taken to control it from happening again. But only half of the disclosure is happening 45 days since the law went into effect. The Department of Environmental Conservation and environmental advocates are[...]
Jun 4
2013
Methane is a more harmful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It’s also a byproduct of hydrofracking. A report from the Guardian.
May 28
2013
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his minions are insisting long and loud that Canadian members of the authority that manages the Peace Bridge have shortchanged efforts to improve the American side of the bridge. But an analysis by Investigative Post found that nearly half of the $192.5 million spent or committed by the authority’s governing board since 1992 has been earmarked for work on the American side. What’s more, more funding has been committed to improve the plaza in Buffalo than in Fort Erie since the 9/11 terrorist attacks when projects on the books are factored in. Investigative Post also found[...]
May 25
2013
D’Youville Porter School is a few blocks from the Peace Bridge. Some 660 students attend the elementary school. A quarter have asthma. Instruction at the school includes reading, writing and, for some pupils, how to use an inhaler. “It is very difficult for these kids who are having asthma problems,” said Assunta Ventresca, director of health related services for Buffalo schools. Asthma is an epidemic on the Lower West Side. The victims, sometimes wheezing and struggling for breath, are in one in of every three households. Studies found asthma rates are nearly four times the national average in the neighborhoods[...]
May 22
2013
An Investigative Post report produced in partnership with WGRZ has found a strong link between Peace Bridge pollution, especially diesel truck fumes, and high asthma rates in the neighborhood adjacent to the bridge. An analysis of scientific studies and other data shows asthma rates on the Lower West Side are about four times the national average and residents with asthma can be found in nearly one in three households in the neighborhood. Seven public schools on the West Side report more than 500 students suffer from asthma, including one-quarter of pupils at the elementary school located just two blocks from the bridge entrance. A federal study has established a link between diesel[...]
May 17
2013
A public relations firm cast in a bad light by its no-bid contract with the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority that paid up to $325 an hour is walking away from the work. Eric Mower + Associates sent the BMHA a letter today (Friday) saying it won’t compete for the new contract the authority put out to bid earlier this week. “In this climate we can’t help our client right now,” said Greg Loh, the firm’s managing partner. When asked what he meant by “this climate,” Loh responded: “I think that speaks for itself.” The housing authority, landlord to some 10,000 low-income[...]
May 14
2013
The crime – or at least the appearance of one – is out there in plain sight. The intended victim is prepared to testify. But the investigators are nowhere to be found; not even curious, they say. Prosecutors and Board of Election officials agree that state election law prohibits the offering of public employment in exchange for running, or not running, for office. “You’re not supposed to do that,” said Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita. But Sergio Rodriquez, Buffalo’s Republican candidate for mayor, said in a televised interview taped March 18 that unnamed GOP operatives dangled a job offer[...]