Oct 27
2020
Podcast: Local donors to Trump and Biden
Our “Money In Politics” posts today and yesterday detail the largest donors to the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joseph Biden. Ken Kruly and Jim Heaney discuss.
Posted 4 years ago
Jim Heaney is editor and executive director of Investigative Post. He was an investigative reporter with The Buffalo News from 1986 to 2011 and a reporter and editor with The Orlando Sentinel from 1980-86. His coverage over the years has focused on economic development, local and state government, politics, education, housing and transportation, and he was an early practitioner of computer-assisted reporting. Heaney has won more than 20 journalism awards and was a finalist for the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
Oct 27
2020
Our “Money In Politics” posts today and yesterday detail the largest donors to the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joseph Biden. Ken Kruly and Jim Heaney discuss.
Oct 25
2020
Oct 21
2020
Investigative Post this week launches a new feature, Money In Politics, based on research and analysis by Ken Kruly, who has had a distinguished career in government finance. Money In Politics will be accompanied by a companion podcast that will feature Ken and Geoff Kelly, who covers government and politics for Investigative Post. The first podcast, posted below, recaps Ken’s findings on the fundraising efforts of Sean Ryan, the Assemblyman running for state Senate. Ken found Ryan’s major donors include many out-of-town labor unions. He and Geoff also discuss the prospects of Mayor Byron Brown running for an unprecedented term,[...]
Oct 18
2020
Lieutenant Michael DeLong, suspended for calling a woman a vile name outside of a West Side convenience store this summer, wants a transfer from his command position in the city’s downtown police precinct. One of his two preferences is an assignment to a command position with the unit that investigates sex crimes, where the victims are predominantly women. In addition to his suspension this summer — for calling the woman a “fucking cunt” — the department suspended DeLong in 2018 for an incident described on his disciplinary card as “conduct-off duty domestic.” DeLong has also put in for a[...]
Oct 12
2020
Editor’s note: This column originally published in Buffalo Spree. Chris Jacobs used to be a moderate Republican who Democrats could think about voting for. No more. Not if you go by his words. The moderate Chris Jacobs made a deal with the devil in accepting the endorsement of Donald Trump during his successful special election campaign for Congress. There was clearly a quid pro quo: Trump endorses Jacobs, who in turn supports the president, no matter how outrageous his policies or behavior. Jacobs underscored his fealty to Trump during an interview with me a couple of weeks after he took[...]
Sep 30
2020
M.T. Pockets, the North Buffalo bar that closed earlier his month after its patrons shouted racist slurs at demonstrators rallying for police reform, has quietly reopened. The Erie County Health Department cleared the Hertel Avenue bar to reopen Monday, after it submitted a plan to ensure the safety of patrons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Plywood that had covered its door and front windows has been removed and a limited number of patrons are being admitted. Meanwhile, the State Liquor Authority told Investigative Post it opened an investigation into the bar earlier this month. Apparent violations of COVID-19 health and safety[...]
Sep 17
2020
The company that oversees people held at the immigration detention center in Batavia exploits detainees by paying them $1 a day to perform menial labor, according to a lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 3, stops short of saying the detainees are forced into doing the work, but suggests that there’s an implicit threat of consequences if they refuse. The practice of assigning work to detainees, a longstanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement initiative known as the “Voluntary Work Program,” violates the state constitution and labor law, the suit contends. The company, Akima Global Services, or AGS,[...]
Sep 4
2020
Jim Heaney made his debut Thursday on David Bellavia’s talk show on NewsRadio 930WBEN. Heaney and Bellavia, in a 41 minute interview, discussed a range of topics, including the M.T. Pockets situation, Mayor Byron Brown, the city’s contract with its police union, and the Western Regional Off Track Betting Corp. The show broadcast in three segments, which are below. First segment, talking about Investigative Post, incident outside M.T. Pockets and problems with distance learning in Buffalo schools. Second segment, regarding Mayor Byron Brown, unions and police contract. Third segment, involving more on police contract and OTB.