Feb 14
2013
Feb 14
2013
Feb 14
2013
After several back-and-forth emails and a refusal to return phone calls, it appears the state Health Department won’t commit to conducting further studies to determine why so many people living near Tonawanda’s industrial corridor have cancer. The Health Department thus far will only commit to a public forum on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Sheridan Parkside Community Center. At this meeting, health officials will provide an overview of its health review and answer questions. Here is the Investigative Post story about the review. The department took almost four years to conduct its review, prompted by a 2009 air[...]
Feb 14
2013
Investigative Post introduces a new feature that uses Storify, a publishing platform that enables the curation of online content, including stories, video and social media. Our first Storify post, prepared by Jeremy Izzio, our intern this semester from Fredonia State University, focuses on pollution in the Town of Tonawanda. Take a look and let us know what you think. [View the story “Tonawanda: A History of Pollution” on Storify]
Feb 13
2013
The state Health Department’s review of cancer rates and birth defects for the Town of Tonawanda that were released Tuesday can be a bit confusing because the author used a complicated method to come up with the elevation rates. I reported on the review Tuesday and WGRZ aired a version of the story during its 11 p.m. newscast. You can read and view the story here. Basically what the health department found was elevated cancer rates in neighborhoods surrounding the industrial corridor. The review does not make any cause-and-effect conclusions. In other words, it doesn’t place any blame on any[...]
Feb 12
2013
Feb 12
2013
Politico reports that Carl Paladino, who tussled with New York Post columnist Fred Dicker during his failed race for governor two years ago, sought out the scribe Tuesday during a trip to Albany long enough to flip him the bird. A report from Politico.
Feb 12
2013
Residents living near the Town of Tonawanda’s industrial corridor have higher cancer rates than others in the state and region. The state Health Department revealed the concerning data Tuesday in a health review that has been in the works for almost four years. The review also noted that two of the cancer types are associated with chemical compounds the state Department of Environmental Conservation detected in its 2009 air monitoring program of Tonawanda, which has one of the highest concentrations of industrial polluters in the state. “There are definitely health issues of concern in Tonawanda that could be related to the pollution,”[...]
Feb 11
2013
Fred Dicker of The New York Post portrays the governor as obsessed with his poll numbers and election prospects. “He’s running around like a banshee, blaming his staff and everybody else for the problems of his own making,” Dicker quotes one insider.