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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.

Nov 4

2013

Major developers vying for Buffalo project

A half-dozen firms, including some of the region’s most prominent developers, have entered the competition to build economic development hubs the Cuomo administration has proposed for Buffalo, Investigative Post has learned. Firms responding to a request for proposals include LP Ciminelli Inc., Uniland Development and Acquest Development. Others submitting proposals include McGuire Development, TM Montante Development and Mark Balling on behalf of Lend Lease, an international contracting and finance firm. The developers, in their submissions, identify elements of the team they would assemble to first design, finance and construct the hubs and then recruit companies function as anchor tenants. At least[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Oct 24

2013

State pursuing major jobs initiative for Buffalo

The state has quietly launched a major initiative to develop a series of economic development hubs in Buffalo aimed at attracting medical, energy and technology companies that would generate thousands of good-paying jobs. The state recently issued a request for proposals seeking developers to construct two or three facilities in the city and partner with a handful of anchor tenants who would employ an estimated 1,500 to 2,000. Much like a shopping mall, these large tenants would attract small and mid-sized firms that would add to that employment base and build a critical mass in fields regarded as regional strengths. The[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Oct 21

2013

iPost featured Spree magazine

Editor Jim Heaney, along with Geoff Kelly of Artvoice and S.J. Velasquez of The Buffalo News were interviewed for their take on writing for digital media. Heaney discussed the possibilities and challenges of digital story telling and running an investigative reporting center. “What we need to be, above all, is independent, aggressive and accurate,” he told Buffalo Spree. “We can’t ignore, though, the need to present news in the format that younger people want. I think more journalists are seeing that locally. But digital story telling requires a lot of manpower and resources. It can’t just be cutting what’s in[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Oct 21

2013

Fund-raising expert joins iPost board

Catharine Miles-Kania, an experienced fund-raiser and executive with one of the region’s leading social service providers, has joined Investigative Post’s board of directors. “It’s a pleasure to welcome Catharine Miles-Kania to our board of directors,” said board President Lee Coppola. “An accomplished professional, she brings a world of  fund-raising and non-profit experience to our board. I and my fellow board members are excited she’s joined us.” Miles-Kania is vice president of organizational development for Gateway-Longview, a child and family service organization serving the needs of disadvantaged children and families in Western New York. She advances the agency’s mission by raising funds[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Oct 16

2013

Cuomo muddies the waters on Gallagher Beach

A month-and-a-half ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared his intent to open Gallagher Beach near the South Buffalo – Lackawanna border for public swimming. Congressman Brian Higgins is pushing to open the beach as soon as next summer. Not so fast, concluded an analysis by Erie County’s former senior public health engineer. He concluded opening Gallagher Beach for swimming is “probably impractical” because of a raft of environmental concerns. The analysis, coupled with reporting by our environmental reporter Dan Telvock, painted a picture of a beach whose waters rest in a harbor basin contaminated with PCBs and whose neighbors include two Superfund sites that[...]

Posted 11 years ago

Oct 7

2013

Heaney talks elections, environment with WBFO

Editor Jim Heaney talks about two stories he and Dan Telvock have broken the past 10 days on Investigative Post. A conversation with WBFO’s Eileen Buckley on Press Pass.

Posted 11 years ago

Sep 29

2013

Buffalo’s disappearing Democrats

Four years ago, Mickey Kearns lost the Democratic primary for mayor in a landslide. He garnered 14,866 votes. Earlier this month, Byron Brown won the Democratic primary for mayor in a landslide. He received 14,433 votes. In other words, more people voted for Kearns four years ago than for Brown this year. That’s what happens when four out of five voters stay at home on primary day. This year’s turnout was a paltry 20 percent, well below any other mayoral primary in recent history, where up to 60 percent of registered Democrats cast ballots. Much has been made of the[...]

Posted 11 years ago
Investigative Post