Aug 27
2013
Like in Buffalo, Detroit’s combined sewer system is spewing billions of untreated sewage and storm water into local waterways each year with little immediate relief in sight because fixing the problem is expensive to ratepayers. About 800 communities still use combined sewer systems, many of which are in the Great Lakes region.
Aug 19
2013
The state had promised to cut back on the practice of sending mentally ill prisoners to solitary confinement. Instead, the number of inmates diagnosed with severe mental illness dropped by more than half – and solitary confinements continue. A report from ProPublica.
Aug 9
2013
Channel 2 reporter Scott Brown keeps the pressure on the Erie County Water Authority for answers on why it hired county Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy’s sister-in-law for a $37,500 job after she failed the civil service test for a higher-paying job. Authority members quickly left meeting room Thursday before Brown could ask a single question.
Aug 1
2013
The Niagara Gazette reports community residents are questioning the Department of Environmental Conservation’s oversight of Covanta Niagara’s expansion plans. The plant has already begun construction of the project without the required air permit. Covanta spokeswoman says it took the risk with DEC’s “knowledge and concurrence.”
Jul 31
2013
The Guardian reports “a top secret National Security Agency program allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals.”
Jul 30
2013
Dan Gillmor writes for the Guardian and quotes one national security reporter: “We’re in a moment when journalism is being criminalized.”
Jul 25
2013
The Erie County Water Authority is spending $122,600 a year in salaries for three messengers, two of who are politically wired. Messengers in this day and age? A report from Scott Brown of WGRZ.
Jul 24
2013
The House of Representatives narrowly defeated a measure Wednesday that would have reined in the federal government’s power to indiscriminately collect telephone records of American citizens. A report from the Guardian, including the roll call vote.