New: In time, cities like Buffalo and Cleveland will become destinations for climate refugees. In this week's Off the News, Editor Jim Heaney covers looming water rationing in the West and why Buffalo should start preparing now for climate migration. investigativepost.org/2026/08/03/b...

Guards at ICE's detention center in Batavia make good money. Armed officers start at $81,000 a year — before overtime and bonuses. We've obtained records that offer a glimpse at who staffs the facility and what they're paid. Here's what we found: investigativepost.org/2026/07/28/i...

ICE guards in New York are anonymous but well-paid

Salary information obtained by Investigative Post shows ICE guards make $80,000 to start and that more senior employees make six figures.

investigativepost.org

New: A Niagara Falls family is worried sick they've been living on top of a toxic waste dump for years. The McKiernans recently found documentation detailing toxic waste cleanups from properties surrounding their home. Was theirs also part of the dump? investigativepost.org/2026/07/31/t...

New: Even more challengers are lining up to oust state Sen. Jeremy Zellner from his position as chairman of the Democratic party. The party boss lost his election last month. Challengers say the time has come for him to hand over control of the party. investigativepost.org/2026/07/29/c...

Breaking: The state education commissioner is due to visit Buffalo tomorrow as the city school district weathers several controversies. There's the sexual harassment scandal, for one, plus a looming budget crisis. Here's what we know: investigativepost.org/2026/07/28/e...

New: The starting salary for an guard at the ICE detention center in Batavia? $81,000. Through records and data, we've been able to piece together some details about who works at the detention center in Batavia. investigativepost.org/2026/07/28/i...

We're four days out from our annual benefit concert. Join us as we enjoy some live music by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Tom Toles and his band, the Junkman's Choir. All proceeds support our journalism. Get your tickets today: secure.qgiv.com/for/investig...

New: Last week, Gov. Hochul said no more taxpayer handouts for data centers. She's not alone. Why opposition to data center subsidies is gaining momentum from New York to Oregon — plus more local and national news, below: investigativepost.org/2026/07/27/s...

Is Buffalo’s Housing Court doing enough to hold negligent landlords accountable? Residents, advocates & one elected official say no. At the first public hearing held by a newly revived advisory council, they called for actual enforcement of the law. investigativepost.org/2026/07/24/h...

That's what one local official believes should happen. He & others voiced their frustrations about landlords and housing court at a recent public hearing with the rejuvenated Housing Court Advisory Council. investigativepost.org/2026/07/24/h...

For nearly a year, Investigative Post has sought salary data and other information on the ICE agents working in the Buffalo region. Arrests and raids have become common, and the ICE is on a hiring spree. But the agency last month rejected our request. investigativepost.org/2026/07/23/i...

Last month, Sen. Jeremy Zellner lost his primary election. Now, he has a challenger for his position as chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee. "I think the voters sent a message," the challenger, an Amherst Town Council member, said. investigativepost.org/2026/07/22/j...

Our John Kaehny in @ipostnews.bsky.social latest reporting on tax breaks for hyperscale data centers: "State taxpayer money should be spent through the constitutional budget process, not by some county IDA controlled by local politicians abating state sales taxes."

NY Gov. Hochul says she wants to ban tax breaks for data centers

At a roundtable event in Kenmore on Monday, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would work with lawmakers to ban tax breaks for large data centers

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New: Gov. Kathy Hochul says she wants NY to ban all tax breaks for large data centers, including those issued by local IDAs. In response to questions from IPost, Hochul said she supports a ban on property, sales and mortgage tax breaks for the projects. investigativepost.org/2026/07/21/h...

New: In this week's Off the News, Editor Jim Heaney looks at the wildfire smoke that hung over Buffalo this past week, the climate forces behind it, and Trump's threats to hit Canada with tariffs. investigativepost.org/2026/07/20/w...

Join the IPost team. We've hiring a part-time digital media manager who can shoot photo and video content for our investigations + coordinate production across our social media channels. Full description below: investigativepost.org/2026/07/15/i...

In case you missed it: Law-enforcement agencies have installed as many as 395 license plate reading cameras to track drivers’ movement across Western New York. We mapped out where they're located, who's using them, & how the data's being shared: investigativepost.org/2026/07/17/l...

Yesterday we reported on the wide-scale use of license plate readers in Western New York. But where are all those cameras? Investigative Post was able to track & map hundreds of them. See our map — and details of a Flock drone program — here: investigativepost.org/2026/07/17/l...

Drivers beware: Police license plate readers are tracking your movements all around WNY. Investigative Post counted hundreds of cameras and found police have searched the Flock system more than 218,000 times since January 2025. Read the full story: investigativepost.org/2026/07/16/d...

The future of a massive data center proposed in Genesee County is now uncertain following an executive order from Gov. Hochul and a new lawsuit. The order halts permitting of data centers and the lawsuit challenges the very existence of STAMP. Details: investigativepost.org/2026/07/15/f...

Come work with us at IPost. We're looking for an experienced digital media manager who can shoot and edit photo + video, oversee our social media accounts and create graphics for our investigations. Flexible, part-time schedule. More details below: investigativepost.org/2026/07/15/i...

Have we identified the worst landlord in Buffalo? The LLC owned by Menachem Zippel is the city's most prosecuted property owner in recent years. His properties feature gruesome scenes. He owes the city a lot of money. He appears to have fled New York. investigativepost.org/2026/07/14/5...

In case you missed it: The new chairman of Lee Enterprises, whose holdings include The Buffalo News, is hellbent on saving print newspapers. His plan to hire new reporters at The News, and more stories from this week: investigativepost.org/2026/07/13/b...

Buffalo News corporate chief making moves

I hope I’m wrong about David Hoffmann. The new chairman of Lee Enterprises, whose holdings include The Buffalo News, is hellbent on saving print

investigativepost.org

New: David Hoffmann — chairman of the company that owns The Buffalo News — was recently portrayed as "the man who's on a mission to save your newspaper." In this week's Off the News, Editor Jim Heaney explores what Hoffmann's vision is for the paper. investigativepost.org/2026/07/13/b...

We're a few weeks out from our annual benefit concert. Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Tom Toles and his band, the Junkman's Choir, will be playing live. Tickets on sale now: secure.qgiv.com/for/investig...

Buffalo could soon establish a police oversight board in an attempt to hold the police department accountable. The committee wouldn't have the ability to discipline officers. But it would be able to gather evidence of police misconduct & advise on reforms. investigativepost.org/2026/07/09/b...

Join us October 22 for an event featuring journalist Steven Brill, author of 'The Death of Truth.' Our event will explore the rise of disinformation, the decline in trust in media and where we go from here. Tickets on sale now: investigativepost.org/2026/07/08/i...

New: In 1970, the cartoonist Garry Trudeau created "Doonesbury," a series known for its sharp political & cultural commentary that runs to this day. In this week's Off the News, Editor Jim Heaney writes about its legacy & a new biography on its creator: investigativepost.org/2026/07/06/t...

Monroe County’s sheriff last year accused Michael Zamiara of felonies & misdemeanors. That includes illegally accessing confidential medical & internal affairs files over 130 times. Six months later, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia hired him anyway. investigativepost.org/2026/07/01/s...

Happy 4th of July, Buffalo! Enjoy the fireworks and your day off. We'll return with more investigative reporting tomorrow. 🇺🇸