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.

Apr 9

2014

Cuomo’s contempt for public’s right to know

You may recall a series of stories Dan Telvock did last fall about the push by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, among others, to open Gallagher Beach for swimming despite its PCB contaminated water and proximity to not one, but two Superfund sites. State officials, after first suggesting they might not test the beach for its fitness as a swimming hole, relented and announced the soil and water at Gallagher Beach would be thoroughly tested. We were told test results would be available in February. Well, folks, it’s now the second week in April and state officials are still refusing to say[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Mar 27

2014

Chippewa Street is a red blight district

Last week I wrote about the overflowing trash bins up and down Chippewa Street that greeted fans in town for the NCAA basketball tournament. That did not make it an unusual week for the downtown entertainment strip – actually, it was a typical one. The truth is, Chippewa is dirty, smelly and uninviting most of the time. I know because I walk the street five, sometimes six days a week. I park workdays at WGRZ on Delaware Avenue and walk up Chippewa to my office on Pearl Street. I retrace my steps on the way home in the evening. In[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Mar 22

2014

The State of Investigative Post, 2014

Investigative Post recently celebrated its second anniversary and I want to use the occasion to recap the past year and provide a peek of what lies ahead in 2014. When I contemplated leaving The Buffalo News several years ago I wrestled with the prospect of losing the platform that comes with writing for the largest media outlet in the region. That was no small consideration because journalism, to have value, must have impact, and to have impact, must reach a broad audience. Using those benchmarks, Investigative Post had a successful second year, and is poised to have an even better[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Mar 21

2014

Belated Chippewa Street cleanup

Rain washed away the stale beer and vomit and city crews finally emptied overflowing trash receptacles along Chippewa Street on Wednesday after Investigative Post and WGRZ pointed out the poor impression conditions were leaving on basketball fans visiting Buffalo for the NCAA tournament.

Posted 11 years ago

Mar 20

2014

Welcome to Pigsty City

Buffalo is teeming with visiting basketball fans who are being encouraged to hit the town. Chippewa Street is the entertainment strip closest to the NCAA tournament action, but the city has yet to empty the trash cans, much less clean up the trash, vomit and broken glass from last weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day ‘festivities.’

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 25

2014

Heaney’s take on IBM announcement

Gov. Cuomo’s announcement of a $55 million state investment to attract IBM to downtown Buffalo is pricey, but less so than the two previous Buffalo Billion projects that have been rolled out, Investigative Post editor tells WGRZ.

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 24

2014

Heaney talks Paladino with WBFO

Investigative Post editor recaps his recent exposé on Carl Paladino’s double standard of criticizing Republicans who donate to Democrats while doing the same thing himself.

Posted 11 years ago

Feb 12

2014

Carl Paladino is a RINO

RINO is a four-letter word to Carl Paladino. It’s short for “Republican In Name Only.” Paladino dismisses many mainstream Republicans as RINOs for failing to subscribe to his Tea Party-flavored politics, committing the sin of compromising with Democrats or contributing to their campaigns. Republicans donating to Democrats is supposedly so repugnant to Paladino that he organized a protest outside a fundraiser Dec. 16 that was co-hosted by GOP heavy hitters to benefit Congressman Brian Higgins. Paladino held a sign for part of the demonstration that read: “No Funding For Dems.” The fundraiser put one of its organizers, Anthony Gioia, who has[...]

Posted 11 years ago