Categories for News

Nov 2

2015

State, Cheektowaga agree on Scajaquada plan

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Cheektowaga officials and the state have finally agreed on how the town will begin to address its sewer overflows. The problem is, it took seven years to end the dispute. Investigative Post reported the state Department of Environmental Conservation last month had rejected the town’s sewer plan for the second time in five years. DEC officials said the town was not taking enough steps to reduce problems on private property, such as roof downspouts and sump pumps connected to the sewer system. These connections are prohibited by town ordinance because they can flood the sewer system with rain water and cause[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Oct 14

2015

Updated Buffalo Billion diversity numbers

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Figures released Wednesday by developer LPCiminelli show diversity hiring goals are being met on the construction of SolarCity’s plant at Riverbend. The goals call for minorities to work 15 percent, and women to work 5 percent, of hours on the project. The numbers released Wednesday show 16 percent of the hours to date been worked by minorities and 6 percent by women. The disclosure comes after Investigative Post reported that the minority hiring goal on the project was lowered from the 25 percent originally announced to 15 percent. State officials now say the higher goal was only “aspirational.” The change in the goals[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Oct 9

2015

Protestors want more diversity at Riverbend

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Protesters from local community groups gathered outside the SolarCity construction site in South Buffalo to call for a return to the 25 percent minority workforce goal originally floated for the project. As Investigative Post reported last week, that goal was agreed to when the city sold the land for the factory to the state, and publicly announced in two press releases. But a more recent agreement between developer LPCiminelli and the construction unions established instead a goal of 15 percent. State officials now say the higher goal was purely “aspirational” and that the revised goals are being met. Erie County[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Oct 5

2015

State says lower Riverbend goal being met

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The state released figures Monday related to the employment of minority construction workers at the SolarCity plant that they had previously refused to disclose. The release follows a report last week by Investigative Post that showed it was unclear whether the project’s diversity hiring goals were being met. Those figures show that minorities have done 16.2 percent of work on the site from the start of construction in May 2014 through July this year, based on the number of hours worked. Investigative Post had earlier reported that minorities made up 6 percent of the workforce from the start of construction through[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Sep 28

2015

No action from state on Scajaquada

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In July, Cheektowaga officials submitted to state regulators their $50 million workplan to address sewer overflows, which continue to pollute the Scajaquada Creek. More than two months later, the Department of Environmental Conservation still hasn’t responded to the town. This is déjà vu for Cheektowaga officials, who had their original plan rejected by the DEC in 2010. Time stood still for four years while the DEC failed to force the issue, until we reported on the deadlock in July 2014. On Monday, Senator Tim Kennedy joined town officials Monday to urge the DEC to expedite the review so that the[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Sep 28

2015

Park planned on a polluted creek

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Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and the Niagara River Land Trust are taking on a risky project. The $850,000 plan announced Monday is to demolish a decrepit former car repair shop on a brownfield to construct a half-acre public park with a paddle boat launch for one of the state’s most polluted creeks, the Scajaquada. On one hand, the project at 1660 Niagara Street in Black Rock could accelerate more investment into the badly polluted creek. On the other hand, without more cleanup, the project will leave exposed one of the creek’s most polluted sections, that even during the press event reeked[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Sep 20

2015

Heaney analysis of Buffalo Billion probe

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Jim Heaney of Investigative Post, whose reporting foreshadowed the ongoing federal probe of developer contracts awarded under the Buffalo Billion program, took to the airwaves over the weekend of offer his take on U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s investigation. Heaney told Maryalice Demler of WGRZ Friday evening that the probe will almost certainly focus on Alain Kaloyeros, the Albany nanotech guru who is quarterbacking the Buffalo Billion program. Sunday, in an interview with Dave Debo of WBEN News Radio, 930 AM, Heaney covered a range of related issues, including the investigation, the state’s pay to play culture and the significance of[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Sep 20

2015

Heaney: Probe should focus on Kaloyeros

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U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s investigation into contracts awarded under the Buffalo Billion program can’t help but scrutinize the actions of Alain Kaloyeros, who is quarterbacking the program, Jim Heaney has told Maryalice Demler of WGRZ. Heaney also said the investigation has statewide implications because Kaloyeros has emerged as Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s point man on major economic development projects in Rochester and Utica. Heaney said Kaloyeros has operated in a non-transparent manner in Albany for years, exported that approach to Buffalo and will likely do likewise elsewhere upstate unless challenged.

Posted 9 years ago
Investigative Post

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