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Nov 17

2018

Tesla opens the door – a crack

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The building was completed two years ago and Tesla and its partners at Panasonic have been producing solar roofing materials since last year, but only this week did the company allow the press in for a peek. And only a bit of one. Jim Heaney told Scott Levin of WGRZ that the blatant attempt to spin is the way Tesla has dealt with the press and public since Gov. Andrew Cuomo invested $750 million in state tax dollars to build and equip the plant. Left unanswered by the dog-and-pony show: the quality of jobs being created, how much space is[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Nov 13

2018

Western New York’s version of the Amazon deal

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 The agreement that will place a new headquarters for Amazon in Queens is the biggest economic development deal for a private company New York has ever seen, with a subsidy package that could add up to more than $2 billion. The full value of the incentives Amazon stands to receive is unclear, but it might still work out to be a better deal for taxpayers than Western New York’s own marquee economic development project, the Tesla factory in South Buffalo. On top of a $500 million state grant, and more than $1.5 billion in performance-based tax credits, Amazon will[...]

Posted 6 years ago

Nov 9

2018

Heaney talks “big lie” strategy on ‘Pressroom

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What to make President Donald Trump’s banishment of CNN reporter Jim Acosta? Jim Heaney tells Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom that Trump’s continued assault on journalists is part of a “big lie” strategy intended in part to destabilize democratic institutions. Heaney also discusses a recent Investigative Post story on two economic development programs in Western New York that go begging for takers. Arbetter will discuss state and national politics this coming Tuesday at an Investigative Post event at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Details and tickets can be found here.  

Posted 7 years ago

Nov 7

2018

Upcoming event features Susan Arbetter

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The elections are behind us. So what does it all mean? Susan Arbetter, the popular host of The Capitol Pressroom, sorts it out with Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney this coming Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. There’s lots to consider. Female candidates did quite well. Democrats have gained control of the state Senate, along with every other arm of state government. The Democrats also take over the U.S. House of Representatives in January, providing a check of sorts on President Donald Trump. Republicans still hold the majority in the U.S. Senate. The event starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $10[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Nov 7

2018

Slowdown in Power Authority subsidy programs

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It’s an unusual problem: subsidy programs that can’t find takers. The New York Power Authority has two of them in Western New York. One provides low-cost hydropower to local industry, but a quarter of the pool of electricity lacks for customers and is sold on the wholesale market. The profits from the sale of this unallocated power are earmarked for a program that funds business activity and community projects throughout Western New York. But that money hasn’t been in high demand recently, either. Roughly $4 million sits, unused, in the fund and the board in charge of awarding the money[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Nov 2

2018

Missing Maziarz funds remain a mystery

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The office of Sen. George Maziarz did such a poor job tracking spending from his campaign account that it’s impossible to know exactly what became of up to $350,000, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said Thursday in explaining why he isn’t pressing charges against anyone who handled the money. Maziarz, who did not seek re-election in 2014 after being charged with unrelated campaign finance law violations, had accused his campaign treasurer, chief of staff and office manager of stealing the funds for their personal use. The state Board of Elections first looked into the matter and found the campaign’s[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Oct 9

2018

State finds police fault in Lehner drowning

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A state investigation into the drowning of Buffalo police diver Craig Lehner identified numerous problems with the policies and procedures of the city’s Underwater Recovery Unit. The report by the Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau of the state Labor Department concluded that Lehner drowned last October after his tether line became snagged on a boulder about 25 feet under water. The safety bureau faulted the police department on a number of fronts, including the inadequate training and equipping of Lehner. The findings mirror previous reporting by Investigative Post, which determined Lehner was not sufficiently trained or equipped to drive in the rapid[...]

Posted 7 years ago

Oct 5

2018

iPost adds Nicholas to its board

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George Nicholas, senior pastor of Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church, has joined Investigative Post’s board of directors. Nicholas is a member of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo’s Racial Equity Roundtable, a convener of the Concerned Clergy Coalition of Western New York, and chair of the African American Health Disparities Task Force. “I really believe in investigative journalism and we don’t have enough of it in our mainstream outlets,” he said. “Investigative Post fills a very important need.” Nicholas previously served as the CEO of the Geneva B. Scruggs Community Health Care Center and a legislative aid to Assembly Member Arthur O. Eve. He earned[...]

Posted 7 years ago
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