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Investigative Post
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Investigative reporting center serving Buffalo and Western New York. Send us tips, securely: investigativepost@proton.me
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Investigative Post, Western New York's only investigative reporting outlet, is now on Bluesky.

Find all of our work at: www.investigativepost.org

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And donate to our nonprofit newsroom at: www.investigativepost.org/donate/
Investigative Post
Investigative Post is a non-profit investigative reporting center focused on issues of importance to Buffalo and Western New York.
www.investigativepost.org
New: Editor Jim Heaney weighs in on the recent controversies involving Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino.

Most recently, Restaino said publicly he was "ignoring" requests for information from the local paper.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/25/f...
November 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
New: Immigration raids across Buffalo and Western New York have resulted in the arrest of 44 people.

Seven were arrested by ICE on Elmwood Avenue and Nottingham Terrace. Thirty-seven were detained by CBP in a dragnet operation targeting truck drivers.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/24/d...
Dozens arrested in recent immigration raids in Buffalo, Western NY
Three raids by ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents in November have resulted in the arrests of more than 40 men in Buffalo, WNY.
www.investigativepost.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Border Patrol isn’t just at the border anymore.

The agency now tracks millions of drivers nationwide, using license plate data & algorithms to “identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.”

Full story in our Monday Morning Read:

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/24/s...
November 24, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Attorney Peter Reese is hell-bent on preventing Jeremy Zellner from becoming a state senator.

This week, Reese spent $800K to form an independent expenditure committee "dedicated to derailing Zellner's efforts."

"I figured a million would be too gaudy."

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/21/l...
November 23, 2025 at 10:21 PM
“It was a tragedy.”

A cop who didn’t believe a teen rape victim failed to investigate the case. When the teen's father was later convicted, the cop got a slap on the wrist.

Now she's deputy sheriff.

What one case reveals about discipline statewide:

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/19/a...
November 22, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Investigative Post's annual fundraising drive is happening now.

Any amount you give — up to $1,000 — will be matched.

Please support independent, investigative reporting for Buffalo.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/14/i...
Investigative Post launches annual fundraising drive
Investigative Post launches annual fundraising drive. Donations of up to $1,000 made by Dec. 31 will be matched.
www.investigativepost.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:26 AM
"I shouldn't have lost my fingers."

Chidi Nwagbo, a Nigerian man, attempted to flee Trump's crackdown on migrants. He wound up in ICE detention suffering frostbite. ICE never provided prescribed care. Nwagbo eventually had his fingers amputated.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/18/d...
ICE denies medical treatment to detainee
A Nigerian man suffered frostbite in a failed attempt to cross from the U.S. into Canada. ICE denied or delayed medical treatment.
www.investigativepost.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
New: Will Erie County be the bellwether for the 2026 governor's race?

If who Elise Stefanik hired on her campaign is any indication — county chair Michael Kracker, Chris Grant and Stefan Mychajliw — it's a strategy Republicans are building their hopes on.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/17/a...
November 17, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Investigative Post's annual fundraising drive is happening NOW!

Amounts up to $1,000 will be matched if you donate from now until 12/31.

The journalism we publish can't happen without support from folks like you. Please consider making a donation today.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/14/i...
November 16, 2025 at 10:23 PM
An 18-year-old migrant worked her first shift cleaning the Bills Stadium. Then she was arrested.

Officials had revoked her work permit & status that same day without her knowledge.

“She has no criminal history anywhere in the world,” her attorney said.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/13/b...
November 15, 2025 at 3:18 PM
New: On Sept. 19, the after the Bills beat the Dolphins at home, a young migrant woman who had been hired to clean Highmark Stadium was arrested by ICE. It was her 1st day on the job.

She was then held at the Niagara Co. Jail for nearly 2 months.
www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/13/b...
Bills custodian, a migrant, detained by ICE in Niagara County Jail
Yusgleidy Villa Alvarez, a young migrant woman from Venezuela, was hired to clean the Buffalo Bills' stadium before being arrested by ICE.
www.investigativepost.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Please note: Our planned book club event to discuss Steven Brill's "The Death of Truth" has been postponed.

This event will be rescheduled soon. Stay tuned.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/10/b...
Postponing book discussion
Investigative Post has postponed its Nov. 18 book discussion on The Death of Truth at Fitz Books.
www.investigativepost.org
November 11, 2025 at 11:40 PM
"The United States is not an autocracy today," the New York Times wrote. "But it has started down an anti-democratic path, and many Americans . . . remain far too complacent about the threat."

A new editorial outlines the twelve benchmarks of autocracy:

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/10/c...
November 10, 2025 at 6:18 PM
"Zero accountability, zero consequences, just overtime sheets to pad their pensions."

In an email to officers and city officials, a Niagara Falls cop blew the whistle on internal corruption, alleging "fraudulent" overtime, nepotism & misuse of state funds.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/05/n...
November 9, 2025 at 8:03 PM
New: Our latest investigation found a pattern of medical neglect inside New York's largest ICE prison. We detail a dozen cases here.

One detainee arrived with frostbite and was never properly treated. He later had his fingers amputated.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/06/a...
November 6, 2025 at 5:47 PM
JOIN US TODAY for a FREE presentation and panel discussion on how Trump's immigration enforcement has affected Western New York.

We will discuss our reporting & then we'll hear from a panel of local experts.

Unitarian Universalist Church on Elmwood. 7PM.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/10/24/p...
Panelists set for Investigative Post event discussing ICE
Four panelists will speak at a Nov. 5 event hosted by Investigative Post to discuss ICE and the impact its had on Buffalo and WNY.
www.investigativepost.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:15 PM
New: From Cheektowaga to Niagara County, Democrats scored major wins in last night's election.

And Sean Ryan will officially become Buffalo's new mayor.

We have the results and analysis:

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/05/r...
November 5, 2025 at 2:10 PM
NEW: Today, we turn a magnifying glass on one corner of Buffalo's West Side, an intersection that illustrates much of what's wrong with the city's inaction on housing, vacant lots and negligent property owners.

The corner once held promise.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/04/5...
Derelict properties mar intersection on Buffalo's Lower West Side
A busy intersection on Buffalo's Lower West Side is a blighted mess thanks to negligent property owners and indifferent city officials.
www.investigativepost.org
November 4, 2025 at 5:11 PM
PLEASE JOIN US:

On Wednesday, Investigative Post will host a presentation and discussion on ICE and immigration issues and how that plank of Trump's platform has affected Western NY.

Unitarian Universalist Church, Buffalo. 7PM. Free. See you there!

www.investigativepost.org/2025/10/24/p...
Panelists set for Investigative Post event discussing ICE
Four panelists will speak at a Nov. 5 event hosted by Investigative Post to discuss ICE and the impact its had on Buffalo and WNY.
www.investigativepost.org
November 3, 2025 at 11:42 PM
"If the gambles of the tech bros don't pan out, we're in for a recession, if not depression," Jim Heaney writes.

Why you should pay attention to tariffs, the A.I. boom, and the other big risks Trump is taking in this week's Monday Morning Read:

www.investigativepost.org/2025/11/03/o...
November 3, 2025 at 6:19 PM
James Gardner has paid nearly $400,000 out of pocket on his mayoral campaign in the last three months.

Associate Editor Geoff Kelly breaks down the numbers and why Gardner's big push makes sense for his long-shot campaign, on our site and live for WKBW:

www.investigativepost.org/2025/10/28/5...
November 2, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Everyone entering the U.S. will soon be subject to facial recognition scans, the DHS announced this week.

Citizens can opt out, though the agency warns this could mean travel delays.

But non-citizens can't — and their photos will be stored for 75 years.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/10/30/u...
November 1, 2025 at 4:02 PM
New: The federal government quietly announced this week that it's begun rolling out a facial recognition system for all airports and border crossings into the US. Citizens and non-citizens alike will have their photo taken and compared against a database.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/10/30/u...
U.S. stepping up surveillance at border with facial recognition
Federal officials announced this week they would implement a facial recognition system at all points of entry to the U.S.
www.investigativepost.org
October 30, 2025 at 11:06 PM
When voters head to the polls on Tuesday, they may be surprised to find they have few choices on their ballots.

In less than half of all races across the county, there's only one person for voters to choose.

www.investigativepost.org/2025/10/29/l...
In 2025 elections, Erie County, New York voters face few choices
Voters in next week's municipal elections have few choices. Fewer than half of the seats on the ballot in Erie County, NY are contested.
www.investigativepost.org
October 29, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Voters head to the polls in less than a week to choose a new mayor of Buffalo.

Sen. Sean Ryan is the favorite, but the other candidates are raising money too.

Here's how the numbers break down ahead of election day:

www.investigativepost.org/2025/10/28/5...
Self-financing Republican spends big on Buffalo mayor's race
James Gardner, the GOP and Conservative candidate for Buffalo mayor, so far has spent close $400,000 of his own money on his campaign.
www.investigativepost.org
October 28, 2025 at 10:45 PM