Investigative Post

Attendance in Buffalo schools has gone from bad to worse this school year. Last year, when instruction was mostly remote, 34 percent of students attended class at what the state considered a satisfactory rate. So far this school year, that number has dropped to 18 percent. Conversely, the share of students with “severe” attendance problems […]

Mark Scheer reported last week on the pandemic’s impact on downtown Buffalo. One-third of the workforce is working remotely, which has starved restaurants, bars and other retailers for business. Experts say downtowns, here and elsewhere, are likely to be less office-centric once the pandemic eases. Mark spoke Monday with Susan Rose and Brian Mazurowski on NewsRadio […]

Empty offices. Empty restaurants. Empty parking ramps. Empty downtown. “I’ve never seen downtown Buffalo so empty in all the years I’ve been here,” said Mike Schmand, executive director of Buffalo Place, who has worked for the organization since 1982.  The numbers are bleak.  Schmand estimates one-third of the downtown workforce is working remotely. Metro Rail […]

A COVID-19 outbreak has infected 22 immigrants held at the ICE detention facility in Batavia and prompted the testing of all others being held there. The first positive test result was reported Feb. 11. Half of the 26 people held in that section of the facility subsequently tested positive. Testing confirmed nine more cases in […]

Despite a push from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Erie County is releasing only a quarter of parolees being held in its county jails because of technical violations of their release. The number lags behind the statewide average and other upstate urban counties. While Erie County has released 28 percent of detained parolees, Monroe County, including Rochester,  […]

These are tough times, as tough times go. And they’re not going away anytime soon.  The COVID-19 pandemic remains a dual threat, to both public health and economic well being of the county, Buffalo and Western New York included.  While the coronavirus is under control locally, at least compared with much of the rest of […]

As reopenings across the country begin, the impacts of COVID-19 continue to threaten the economies of Native American governments, including the Seneca Nation here in Western New York. Many tribes rely on casinos and other Native-owned businesses to fund services and capital improvements, but how soon those enterprises bounce back is uncertain. Of particular concern […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we know it. That includes Investigative Post. Like most everyone, we began working remotely in the middle of March. It’s gone reasonably well. Suffice to say, I make a lot of phone calls to my reporters. A lot of phone calls, period. Our reporters have had to deal […]