Jim Heaney

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.

Mar 24

2020

Push on to release some county prisoners

Updated: 6:30 p.m. Nearly 600 men and women are incarcerated in close quarters in Erie County’s two jails, at risk of catching the deadly COVID-19 virus. More than half are being held on bail, yet to be found guilty of a crime. Others are jailed on parole violations or serving sentences of up to one year. What’s it going to take to get at least some of them released? County officials, both County Executive Mark Poloncarz and a spokesman for Sheriff Tim Howard, said Monday they lack the authority to release anyone. “We can’t just let someone out,” said Scott[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Mar 19

2020

Hospitals curtail non-emergency surgeries

All major hospitals in the Buffalo area have canceled elective surgeries to conserve dwindling supplies of blood and protective gear, such as face masks, that are needed to treat victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surgeons at Catholic Health and the Erie County Medical Center began canceling elective surgeries earlier in the week. Kaleida Health followed suit with a decision Thursday to cancel non-emergency surgeries effective today. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center announced it would take the same measure, effective Friday evening. The embargo on all non-essential procedures comes as hospitals seek to limit staff and patient exposure to coronavirus and[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Mar 18

2020

US, Canada banning most cross-border travel

Updated Wednesday at 6:58 p.m. Canada and the United State have agreed to ban most cross-border traffic to counter the COVID-19 virus. Customs officials on both sides of the border are expected to implement the ban at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Peace Bridge General Manager Ron Rienas told Investigative Post. Truck traffic will still be permitted as to not disrupt trade, but car crossings will be limited to essential travel, he said. Travelers returning to their home country will be permitted entry, he said. Other details are still being worked out. Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe & Mail, reported that[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Mar 18

2020

Health care system ill-prepared for Coronavirus

Gov. Andrew Cuomo told New Yorkers Tuesday the state’s health care system will likely be pushed beyond its limits battling the coronavirus pandemic. Current projections indicate ventilators and hospital beds could be in short supply during the outbreak’s estimated peak in 45 days, Cuomo said during a press conference. New York already has precious little unused capacity to handle the expected wave of patients, according to a report on ventilator distribution issued in 2015 by the state Department of Health. The report, the most recent assessment Investigative Post has been able to obtain, said an estimated 85 percent of the[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Mar 17

2020

Heaney talks Buffalo Billion on ‘Pressroom

Jim Heaney and David Lombardo discuss problems with the IBM and Tesla projects in an interview broadcast Tuesday on The Capitol Pressroom. The program is heard on some 20 public radio stations across the state, including WBFO, where it airs weekdays at 8 p.m.

Posted 5 years ago

Mar 5

2020

Buffalo Billion: $50 million of waste

Fifty million dollars is a lot of money. To most of us, anyway. Andrew Cuomo, not so much. At a time the state is grappling with a deficit you can count in the B as in Billions, taxpayers have been greeted with the news that Tesla’s plant in South Buffalo has scrapped some $50 million of equipment purchased with state tax dollars. It turns out Tesla didn’t need the equipment after all, what with its constantly changing plans to produce solar power products at the plant. Steve Brown of WGRZ broke the story last week — not that you would[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Feb 26

2020

State stonewalling on IBM project

Several years ago, the Cuomo administration spent $55 million of state taxpayer money to buy, renovate and equip seven floors of a downtown Buffalo office building to bring IBM to town. The payoff, we were told, would be 500 good-paying software engineering jobs and the start of a technology hub with all sorts of spin-off development. Now, four of those floors at Fountain Plaza are available for lease, raising all sorts of questions about IBM’s commitment to Buffalo. Has it pulled out? Working on a Plan B? None of the above? IBM isn’t saying. Neither is the Cuomo administration. In[...]

Posted 5 years ago

Feb 19

2020

Gambini talks OTB on WBFO

Phil Gambini discusses his recent story on the Western Regional Off Track Betting Corp.’s use of luxury suites it rents at KeyBank Center and New Era Field. On this installment of Press Pass, Gambini detailed how OTB tried to obstruct his reporting.

Posted 5 years ago