Categories for DailyPost

Jan 30

2025

State investigating claims of ‘Falls wage theft

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The Moe’s and A&W owned by Muhammad Shoaib on Rainbow Boulevard. Photos by J. Dale Shoemaker. The New York State Department of Labor is investigating claims that a Niagara Falls fast food restaurateur failed to pay overtime and withheld tips from employees. Two former employees of Muhammad Shoaib’s fast food restaurants have filed a complaints with the labor department and one has since been contacted by an investigator. Other former employees said they are in the process of filing complaints of their own. In a statement, a labor department spokesperson confirmed that it was in receipt of complaints but declined[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jan 29

2025

Does the GOP have a place in race for Buffalo mayor?

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Editor’s note: Scanlon on Friday clarified his position with Investigative Post, saying neither he nor his campaign staff have been in contact with Republican or Conservative party officials and stating that he would not accept their nomination for mayor. See related story. The race for Buffalo mayor this week was marked by a testy exchange between the frontrunners over Democratic Party values, a new candidate and rumors of another yet to come, and the resurfacing of a Byron Brown political operative. The clash between frontrunners happened at last weekend’s mayoral candidates forum hosted by the Erie County Democratic Committee. After[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jan 28

2025

Update on Buffalo school board elections

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Six Buffalo school board seats are on the ballot this November, presenting the possibility of new blood on a body where toxic relationships between members frequently have devolved into shouting matches and interfered with deliberations and decision-making. Last year’s elections for the board’s three at-large seats resulted in significant turnover. One incumbent chose not to run for reelection. Another was defeated. Two new at-large members were elected and seated earlier this month. Come next January, they will be joined by at least two more new faces, and possibly more. All six district seats are on the ballot this year. So[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jan 27

2025

Comptroller to audit OTB again

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For a third time in recent years, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office will audit the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. In a statement Monday, comptroller spokesperson Mark Johnson said the agency will audit “the financial operations of WROTB.” He said the comptroller’s office informed OTB of the audit last week and that it would begin in February. The review, broader in scope than the comptroller’s past audits, will take several months to complete, Johnson said. In a statement, OTB spokesperson Michael DeGeorge said the audit could include a review of agency finances stretching back three to five years.[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jan 23

2025

Subsidized ‘Falls restaurateur accused of wage theft

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A Niagara Falls business owner who is seeking a second round of tax breaks for his growing portfolio of fast food restaurants cheats workers out of wages and tips, nine current and former employees have told Investigative Post.  Muhammad Shoaib, who owns 10 fast food restaurants — including the Moe’s Southwest Grill, A&W Restaurant and Papa Johns Pizza in Niagara Falls — frequently fails to pay hourly employees overtime and managers the weekly minimum salary set in state law, six current and former employees said. Six employees also alleged that Shoaib has withheld thousands of dollars in credit card tips[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jan 22

2025

Vetting wannabe mayors from an East Side perspective

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Last week a group of East Side leaders met with declared candidates for Buffalo mayor to quiz them on issues ranging from city finances to investment in the city’s predominantly Black neighborhoods. The Urban Think Tank comprises prominent Black religious leaders, such as Bishops Darius Pridgen and Michael Badger, as well as business people, lawyers, elected officials and community activists.  City voters will choose Buffalo’s first new mayor since 2006 in this year’s primary and general elections. Samuel Radford III, an Urban Think Tank member, told Investigative Post the group wanted to see where the list of candidates — the[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jan 21

2025

The money behind Buffalo’s mayoral candidates

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The top two contenders for Buffalo mayor are both starting this election cycle with about a half million dollars in their campaign accounts. But their donor bases and the pace of their fundraising are far different. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon has been on a tear, raising more money since he took office in October than he raised in 12 years as a member of the Common Council, with much of his money coming from the real estate developers and city contractors who bankrolled his predecessor, Byron Brown. State Sen. Sean Ryan, meanwhile, has tapped longtime supporters — especially lawyers and[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jan 20

2025

Welcome to 1933

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Donald Trump is sworn in as president today. Welcome to 1933. That’s the year Adolf Hitler came to power. I’m not saying Trump will be another Hitler, but there are eerie parallels to their respective routes to power that should not be ignored. Trump’s more contemporary prototype is Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, termed “the ultimate twenty-first-century dictator.”    An op-ed in last week’s New York Times described Orbán’s playbook: In a second term, Mr. Trump’s actions may be even more dangerous because he is now following the playbook created by Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, who after losing and then[...]

Posted 2 months ago
Investigative Post