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Apr 30

2019

A bad week for female candidates in Buffalo

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State Supreme Court Judge Tracey Bannister on Monday expressed “some regret” in upholding the disqualification of three candidates for Buffalo Common Council, based on what she called a “material” and “substantive” defect in the form of their nominating petitions.   Indeed, there is much to regret in this imbroglio, from its beginning to its conclusion. The case now moves to the 4th Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court. “I’ve done what you’ve done and I know it’s hard,” Bannister told the three women — Melanie McMahan, Bernice Radle and Antoinette Craig — who were knocked from the June 25[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Apr 26

2019

FBI investigating Buffalo-area OTB

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The FBI is investigating the awarding of lucrative contracts by the Western Regional Off Track Betting Corp. to politically wired companies. The investigation, confirmed by multiple sources, is looking into contracts involving firms with ties to OTB Chairman Richard Bianchi, a member of the Monroe County Conservative Party’s executive committee, and CEO Henry Wojtaszek, former chairman of the Niagara County Republican Committee. The full scope of the probe is unclear and an FBI spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny the investigation. But sources told Investigative Post that it includes, at a minimum, contracts the OTB has awarded to at least[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Apr 25

2019

Tesla reports big losses

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Tesla reported first quarter losses Wednesday of $702 million. What’s worse, Tesla reported a big drop in its solar business. Solar panel installations dropped by more than one third during the first quarter. Installations are down five-fold since peaking in 2015. Its market share has tumbled in recent years from 33 to 9 percent. All this is bad news for Tesla’s plant in South Buffalo, which was built and equipped at taxpayer expense. A slump in solar sales lessens demand for the products produced at the plant. That, in turn, could make it tough for Tesla to create all the jobs[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Apr 24

2019

Zellner’s conflict of interest

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When Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman Jeremy Zellner got himself appointed the Democratic commissioner to the Erie County Board of Elections in 2015, many protested that he was willingly courting potential conflicts of interest. Four annual election cycles later, those potential conflicts have become quite real and painfully evident. In the first stage of this year’s particularly dynamic political season, five women candidates for Buffalo Common Council presented themselves as a slate. They published photos of themselves together. They took training, advice and material support from the same consultants. They turned in their nominating petitions together. Though each had her[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Apr 23

2019

Sheriff Tim Howard, body cameras and Jesus

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Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard was questioned by legislators about the possibility of deputies wearing body cameras during a March 14 meeting of the Erie County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee. The proposition has won support among many legislators, particularly in the majority Democratic caucus, in the wake of a December 2017 incident in which a sheriff’s deputy severely beat a man during an arrest at a Bills game in the parking lot of New Era Field.  In the following exchange between Howard and Legislator April Baskin, who chairs the committee, Howard compared those who support his deputies wearing body cameras to[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Apr 12

2019

Geoff Kelly joins Investigative Post

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Geoff Kelly, former editor of The Public and Artvoice, has joined the reporting staff of Investigative Post. “I’m really excited to bring Geoff onboard. He’s a gifted reporter and editor and has a wealth of knowledge about the community,” said Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney. Kelly was a co-founder and editor of The Public, a weekly alternative newspaper launched in 2014. Prior to that, he was editor of Artvoice for 10 years, and editor of the weekly paper Pulp in Pittsburgh for two years prior. At Artvoice and The Public, much of his reporting focused on local government and politics,[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Apr 12

2019

Developer pauses wind power project

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  The developers of a proposed wind farm on the shores of Lake Ontario have put the project on hold. Apex Clean Energy has been working on plans to build 47 wind turbines in the towns of Somerset and Yates, about 50 miles northeast of Buffalo. Many residents oppose the projects, saying the wind turbines would will change the character of their rural communities. Federal conservation authorities have raised concerns about the towers’ placement in the path of migrating birds. The town boards in Somerset and Yates have passed local laws designed to prevent the project from moving forward. The[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Apr 11

2019

Info on doctors is hard to find

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In New York, information about a doctor’s disciplinary history is available online. That’s if you know where to look. And if you understand the quirks of the state’s disciplinary system. And if you can make sense of the information once you’ve found it. As Investigative Post reported, pediatric surgeon Dr. Kathryn Bass, director of trauma at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, was put on probation by the state health department last April. In settling the case against her, Bass agreed not to contest one charge of negligence and denied all the other charges, including gross negligence, negligence, incompetence, failure to[...]

Posted 6 years ago
Investigative Post