Feb 12
2014
Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic in over 100 beauty and cosmetic products. Toxic chemicals attach to the beads and fish eat them. Research led by SUNY Fredonia’s Assistant Professor of Chemistry Professor Sherri Mason found high levels of microbeads in Lake Erie. Now, lawmakers and the attorney general want them banned.
Jan 31
2014
Levels of three artificial sweeteners found in Canada’s Grand River, which flows into Lake Erie, are the highest ever found in surface waters worldwide, according to a new study. Researchers aren’t sure what this means for fish and other aquatic species. A report from Environmental Health News.
Jan 30
2014
A nifty map tracks the impact of global warming over the past 60 years. “2013 was one of the warmest years on record … driven by man-made emissions,” reports Fast Company.
Jan 27
2014
Federal officials, concerned about health impacts of Peace Bridge, secretly considered, then rejected plans to divert truck traffic north, in part because of political considerations. A very important story by Jerry Zremski of The Buffalo News.
Jan 17
2014
President Obama today detailed what he intends to do about the NSA’s mass surveillance program. He mostly sided with the intelligence community, rather than civil libertarians. Concluded the Guardian: “The substance of his proposals for the future of mass data collection amount to a gift for the National Security Agency.”
Jan 16
2014
Unshackle Upstate is a pro-business, anti-tax group funded by corporate interests, including the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. It opposes public financing of political campaigns despite the corrupt culture the present system has fostered. LittleSis crunched the numbers and found out Unshackle has donated nearly $2 million to state pols, including more than $160,000 to Gov. Cuomo.
Jan 11
2014
Political operative/pundit James Carville has made a curious suggestion to Hillary Clinton if she opts to run for president: Locate her campaign headquarters in Buffalo. “Washington and the ways of Washington are going to be massively unpopular,” Carville wrote in The Hill. “The less Washington, the better.”
Jan 10
2014
Buffalo News television critic Alan Pergament reports a new contract that calls for more Investigative Post stories on WGRZ. Ch. 2 President Jim Toellner lauded iPost for doing “an extremely good job” and told The News: “In partnership with Investigative Post, we’re able to do deep and intensive investigations.”