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Oct 4

2017

Entrepreneurs take state grants and flee WNY

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Cory Rosenfield knew the deal: in exchange for up to a $1 million state investment in his fledgling company, he would have to move the business to Buffalo for at least a year – and hopefully much longer. So, when he made his pitch to the judges of the 43North competition two years ago, he assured them this wouldn’t be a problem. “We are so excited to be making our new home in Buffalo,” he said. “We are here to stay no matter what.” Just over a year later, the company had gone back to Toronto – despite winning $250,000.[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 26

2017

City Hall agrees to increased police oversight

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City officials, faced with growing concerns over the conduct of Buffalo police officers, agreed Tuesday to form a citizen advisory committee with Open Buffalo, an activist organization. The commitment came during a meeting of the Common Council’s Police Oversight Committee. Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda was in attendance and agreed to the advisory group. Details are to be worked out, and it is unclear whether the advisory panel will have any teeth. “I think [it will] provide more opportunities for folks in our community to be heard and for the police and council members [to] hear more directly from the community[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 25

2017

Buffalo police sued in fatal shooting

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The family of Jose Hernandez-Rossy, the man who was fatally shot by police in May, has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Buffalo and the police department. The lawsuit alleges that Housing Unit officers Justin Tedesco and Joseph Acquino conducted an illegal stop and search of Hernandez-Rossy and used unjustified deadly force against him. According to the complaint, Hernandez-Rossy was unarmed and dragged from his car and beaten by the two officers prior to the shooting. On Wednesday Investigative Post reported on cases involving a group of officers from Strike Force and the Housing Unit, including[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 25

2017

Heaney discusses Buffalo police on ‘Pressroom

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Jim Heaney tells Susan Arbetter that “Buffalo has a policing problem” on Monday’s edition of The Capitol Pressroom. Arbetter interviewed him about an Investigative Post story from last week that documented unconstitutional searches and other misconduct on the part of the department’s Strike Force and Housing Unit.  

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 20

2017

Buffalo police who cross the line

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Mayor Byron Brown established the Strike Force and Housing units to address the scourge of gangs, drugs and guns in Buffalo. While few argue with the mission of these police units, the way they go about their job is raising alarm, with some defense attorneys characterizing Strike Force and Housing Unit officers as “vigilantes” with a “cowboy mentality.”   “I think they have a complete disregard for the Constitution of the United States, and most importantly, the Fourth Amendment,” said Michael Stachowski, a Buffalo defense attorney. “They just seem to roust kids in the street, chase people, and hope they[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 18

2017

Podcast: Journalist Sarah Cohen

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After a hiatus, Investigative Post has resumed its podcast program with a Jim Heaney interview with Sarah Cohen, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and editor with The New York Times.   Cohen, a Buffalo native, will be the keynote speaker at Investigative Post’s gala dinner on Oct. 19 at the Hyatt Regency. She’ll discuss the state of investigative reporting and Donald’s Trump impact on the media. Cohen covers some of that ground in her podcast interview with Heaney. “A lot of places and people are realizing that investigative reporting … based on facts and documents and holding officials accountable is the[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 18

2017

SolarCity’s expanded escape clause

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk was bullish about Buffalo on a call with investors last month. “We made that commitment to the state of New York,” he said, describing the company’s plan to hire thousands at a huge factory opening in Buffalo that was built at taxpayer expense. “We are going to keep that commitment.” In late 2015, though – before SolarCity was bought by Tesla – the contract that governs the company’s commitment to New York was tweaked to give it more ways out of the deal if its business goes south. Added to the list of reasons SolarCity could[...]

Posted 8 years ago
Investigative Post