May 1
2013
Craig Rogers, associate professor of economics at Canisius College, tells Jim Heaney that policy makers often work off faulty assumptions. Watch WGRZ’s Daybreak on Saturday for more.
May 1
2013
By Jeremy Izzio and Dan Telvock The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, the city’s biggest landlord, is ignoring a City Charter requirement that mandates recycling at apartment buildings and other multi-family housing units. As a result, roughly 500 tons of recyclable materials end up in a landfill each year, costing the city both money and an opportunity to improve its anemic recycling rate. There also may be a related out-of-pocket expense to the authority. The authority appears to have engaged a public relations firm to coach officials on how to deal with reporters inquiring about the recycling program. Managers are unwilling[...]
Apr 27
2013
Peace Bridge General Manager Ron Rienas has become a lightning rod over deeper divisions within the board that manages the Peace Bridge. American board members contend the Canadians are not cooperating with efforts to improve the bridge on the Buffalo side; the Canadians label the charge “absurd.” Jim Heaney reports for WGRZ.
Apr 25
2013
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver are among those who have gone on record in favor of tougher enforcement of election laws and other statutes aimed at promoting ethical conduct on the part of public officials. The catalyst to these calls has been two recent high-profile corruption cases that snared New York City politicians. Not that we needed two indictments to know something is rotten in the Empire State. Look no further than the “D” grade the state received on a risk for public corruption report card issued by the Center for Public Integrity. Nor do[...]
Apr 19
2013
Jeremy Zellner, elected in September chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party in a contentious race, represents a departure for a party usually led by a grizzled veteran in the vein of Joe Crangle, Jim Sorrentino or Len Lenihan. Zellner, 35, has worked in party headquarters since 2005, including a three year stint as executive director. His “day job,” so to speak, is chief of staff for the Erie County Legislature’s Democratic majority. He is a graduate of Buffalo State College, where he majored in political science, and Niagara County Community College. Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney interviewed Zellner on[...]
Apr 4
2013
By Justin Sondel Two boys stood at the end of a dock off the shore of Grand Island on a hot day last July casting fishing lines into the shallow water, time after time pulling up small rock bass from the edges of the Niagara River. The boys are Parker and Connor Cinelli, two of Chris Cinelli’s sons. They are waiting for their dad to finish preparing his 2025 Lund Pro V, which Chris describes as the Cadillac of fishing boats, before they head out onto the largest freshwater system in the world for an afternoon of angling. Chris, a[...]
Feb 27
2013
Editor’s note: The story below provides the full details, but to get the full effect, readers should view the television version posted above and, especially, the video of the complete unedited interview with Peace Bridge General Manager Ron Rienas posted below. New York’s labyrinth of authorities are widely decried as shadow governments that shield their activities from public scrutiny. But they are a model of transparency compared to the Public Bridge Authority that operates the Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo and Fort Erie, Investigative Post has found. Authorities and other governmental bodies on both sides of the border are obligated to[...]
Feb 26
2013
Editor’s note: Investigative Post reported last November on Buffalo’s anemic recycling program. The story prompted a pledge by Mayor Byron Brown to take steps to bolster the recycling rate. Investigative Post follows up to see what the city has done. Coming soon: An update on recycling efforts in Buffalo public schools. Mayor Byron Brown’s administration has yet to meet its goal of doubling Buffalo’s curbside recycling rate in the year since green totes were distributed to residents. The city’s curbside recycling rate – based on what residents place in green totes – rose from 8 percent to 12.2 percent in[...]