Nov 25
2013
Wealthy interests are driving the state’s education reform efforts, usurping veteran Education Department staffers. “It is unsettling to watch the dismantling of public education by inexperienced employees hired from a special fund,” one principal told the Albany Times Union.
Nov 22
2013
Jim Heaney interviews Alain Kaloyeros, who put together the clean energy project announced Thursday, and Howard Zemsky, co-chairman of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council. Some underreported details emerged from the 20-minute interview, which was conducted Thursday afternoon at WGRZ.
Nov 21
2013
Investigative Post teamed with WGRZ to provide insight into Thursday’s announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that the state is investing $225 million to build and equip facilities that will house two fledging clean energy firms. Dan Telvock provided background on the two companies, both based in California. They have small work forces and are still searching for profitability, but are nevertheless regarded as innovation leaders in their industries. The deal with the state obligates the firms to invest $1.5 billion and operate in Buffalo for at least 10 years. Jim Heaney interviewed Alain Kaloyeros, the chief architect of the deal, and[...]
Nov 14
2013
Ontario is a year away from removing coal-fired power from its grid. But the smog isn’t going away. That’s because half of Ontario’s smog comes from the United States, namely Michigan, where half of its electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. In comparison, about 3 percent of New York’s electricity comes from coal.
Nov 12
2013
New York’s electricity bills are 60 percent higher than the national average. And those bills could be on the rise by as much as 13 percent. A report from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Nov 8
2013
Uniland, which has proposed building a new corporate headquarters for Delaware North, is no longer seeking tax breaks beyond the normal package offered to office projects. The developer appears to have miscalculated whether the project was fully eligible for some of the extra incentives it was seeking. Its original plan sparked an outcry.
Nov 7
2013
Finally, some numbers about the Sabres to cheer about: Average ticket price of $48 ranks among the more affordable in the NHL and well below the league average of $62. A survey from the Team Marketing Report.
Nov 6
2013
Lake Erie holds 2 percent of the water but 50 percent of the fish. That may be a rough estimate, but the director of Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory told Michigan Public Radio that the “50 and 2 Rule” is an example of how each of the five lakes have their own unique characteristics.