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Oct 5

2017

The DEC’s puzzling fixation on Falls overflows

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The Niagara Falls Water Board is once again in the crosshairs of the state Department of Environmental Conversation for sewer overflows – a problem that plagues communities across the state. The Water Board reported three separate sewer overflows to the DEC on Wednesday. A total of 23.8 million gallons of untreated sewage mixed with dirty stormwater gushed into the Lower Niagara Gorge following a rainstorm. “These continued violations are wholly unacceptable,” the DEC said in a press release. Water Board officials said the rain overtaxed its sewer system, spewing raw sewage and stormwater into the river. Problem is, this happens[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Aug 31

2017

More honors for Telvock, Investigative Post

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The environmental reporting of Dan Telvock has been cited for excellence in two national journalism contests. His reporting that documented the disparity in Buffalo’s testing program for lead in drinking water won first place for interactive news by the National Association of Black Journalists. One of the chief findings of his report was that the testing did not target minority neighborhoods where the lead poisoning problem is concentrated. Instead, the city tested more often in predominantly white neighborhoods that report few, if any, lead poisoning cases. The other finalists were entries from Bloomberg News and The Chicago Reader. Winners in other[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Jun 13

2017

Headway on toxic former General Motors plant

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It has been a long wait for Virginia Golden and her neighbors in the Delavan-Grider community. For over a decade, they’ve wanted the state to clean up the former General Motors plant. There is finally progress to report less than a month after Investigative Post’s investigation. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has added a portion of the former General Motors auto manufacturing facility to its Superfund program, making it eligible for state funds for remediation. The state hired a consultant to begin the investigaton of the property at 1001 E. Delavan Ave., where oil laced with PCBs from past[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Feb 22

2017

Five years on for Investigative Post

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Today marks a milestone for Investigative Post: We celebrate our fifth year in business. We launched with what turned out to be a prophetic story: an analysis of what was then a fledgling program known as the Buffalo Billion. I quoted experts offering advice on how to make smart use of the money and cautioning against the temptation of spending tax dollars to secure on trophy projects. I re-read the story a couple of months ago and it seems as though Gov. Andrew Cuomo has done the opposite of what the experts recommended. Investigative Post has built its reputation for[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Jan 18

2017

Cuomo’s clean water proposal lacks details

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Update 11:14 a.m Jan. 18.: The governor did release some – not all – details Tuesday night about his proposal to spend $2 billion statewide on water quality and clean drinking water projects. First, the money is spread out over five years. So, that’s $400 million a year for five years. What remains unclear is how the money will be distributed. There are numerous programs this money could go to and the governor was short on those details Tuesday night. According to his capital plan, “The Executive Budget includes $2 billion to finance water quality capital projects to ensure continued access[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Jan 1

2017

Lead poisoning probe tops reader poll

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Dan Telvock’s reporting on Buffalo’s slipshod methods for testing drinking water for lead was voted by readers as Investigative Post’s top story of 2016. Looking for lead (in all the wrong places) edged out an investigation by Charlotte Keith into the awarding of a Buffalo Billion contract whose dynamics that bore a striking resemblance to the SolarCity factory deal that resulted in the filing of federal corruption charges. Between them, the two stories garnered 60 percent of the votes cast by readers. The best of the rest, according to voters, was Daniela Porat’s story about the inadequate training of Buffalo police[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 30

2016

A new low point for Buffalo’s Hoyt Lake

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Most people familiar with water quality problems in Buffalo were not surprised Thursday night when city officials issued a warning that a “harmful blue-green algae bloom” surfaced in Hoyt Lake at Delaware Park. Instead, they were surprised that it took this long for one of these blooms to appear in Buffalo. “Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until we started to see harmful algal blooms in Western New York’s waters,” said Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper Executive Director Jill Jedlicka. After all, Hoyt Lake and its neighbor Scajaquada Creek for decades have been cesspools of disease and fecal bacteria that[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Sep 28

2016

Journalism awards

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Investigative Post’s reporting has been cited for excellence in 20 journalism and other award competitions since it launched in 2012. 2021 Media Award, awarded by the Bar Association of Erie County. Details. 2019 Nellie Bly Award for Investigative Reporting Jim Heaney, awarded by the Museum of Political Corruption. Details. Sarah Metzger Award for Human Rights Charlotte Keith, awarded by Housing Opportunities Made Equal. New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association Daniela Porat, investigative reporting, radio, first place. Details. 2018 New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association Dan Telvock, investigative reporting television, second place. Details.  New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association Daniela Porat, investigative reporting, radio,[...]

Posted 9 years ago