Sep 3
2013
Jane Corwin, the Clarence Republican who represents mostly rural portions of Erie and Niagara counties in the Assembly, enjoys the highest net worth and second highest annual household income of any state legislator. A report from New York World, based on a study done by a range of good government groups.
Aug 31
2013
Aug 30
2013
Can a New York town or city ban hydrofracking? Buffalo and 61 other municipalities already have passed bans. But the state’s highest court will decide if towns and cities have the power to do so. A report from Bloomberg.
Aug 29
2013
Aug 29
2013
Jim Heaney examined the words and numbers expressed by Byron Brown, Bernie Tolbert and Sergio Rodriguez regarding the local economy during Wednesday’s mayoral debate. The bottom line: Tolbert and Rodriguez were generally accurate, while Brown made several claims that were unsubstantiated.
Aug 28
2013
Mother Jones reports on the FBI’s ruthless response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. Wrote a top FBI official: “We must mark him now, if we have not done so before, as the most dangerous Negro of the future in this Nation from the standpoint of communism, the Negro, and national security.”
Aug 27
2013
NRG’s CEO David Crane believes the utility system as we know it today faces a “mortal threat” from green microgrids, political pressure and cheap natural gas. And that may not be a bad thing if it translates into cheaper and more sustainable energy for the end consumer, which may or may not be the case. New York has some of the highest electricity prices in the nation. Nonetheless, Bloomberg Businessweek has this fascinating article that offers some rare insight into Crane’s mind. Why does this matter in Western New York? NRG owns the coal-fired power plants in Tonawanda (Huntley) and[...]
Aug 27
2013
Like in Buffalo, Detroit’s combined sewer system is spewing billions of untreated sewage and storm water into local waterways each year with little immediate relief in sight because fixing the problem is expensive to ratepayers. About 800 communities still use combined sewer systems, many of which are in the Great Lakes region.