Jim Heaney

New York spends more on education than almost every state in the nation. But its reading scores are middle of the pack. Today's Off the News includes a new story by New York Focus on how that happened — plus some of our reporting from 2024 — below: investigativepost.org/2026/05/11/pen…

New: In this week's Off the News, Editor Jim Heaney covers the public pension battle in Albany. Gov. Hochul, with the blessing of lawmakers, is considering costly plans to improve retirement benefits for the public sector. Taxpayers would foot the bill. investigativepost.org/2026/05/11/pen…

The Supreme Court has spent the last 20 years making America nearly ungovernable. This trend can also be traced to the court’s self-aggrandizement, particularly when it comes to Democratic presidents. trib.al/W5CQMnN

Violent crime rates plunge in America's big cities axios.com/2026/05/10/vio…

A ProPublica investigation found that over a dozen years, a secretive group at the FDA granted exemptions to at least 22 foreign factories that had violated critical standards in drugmaking. From our “Rx Roulette” series, a 2026 Pulitzer finalist: propublica.org/article/fda-dr…

"Trump’s most lethal policy will almost surely be his 71% cut in humanitarian aid from 2024 to 2025....The aid cuts cost more than 750,000 lives worldwide in their first year" and "will cost 9.4M lives by 2030," including 2.5 million children under age 5. trib.al/XYWVxHW

3/ Videos show how immigration agents have used these weapons: at one point, officers hurl tear gas canisters at protesters without apparent provocation. With the street flooded in white smoke, a CBP agent shoots pepper balls before muttering “Fuck yeah,” and “Woo!”

This is what it sounds like living next to a data center. The video below was recorded at midnight, and the data center is situated next to 100s of residential homes.

The drama at Western Regional OTB never stops. According to a new lawsuit, the gambling agency is now split into two warring camps — those loyal to new CEO Byron Brown and those to Henry Wojtaszek. How this battle began & what's next at OTB, explained: investigativepost.org/2026/05/06/woj…

In May 2024, WBEN host Tom Bauerle's siblings sued him, claiming he cheated them of their late mother's nearly $1 million estate. Two years later, the feud continues. In a court doc, Tom described his siblings as "vultures waiting to pick the bones." investigativepost.org/2026/05/05/bau…

Henry Wojtaszek, the embattled former CEO of Western Regional OTB, finally gave his two cents on the state comptroller's damning audit. In front of the Niagara County Legislature, he called the comptroller "flat-out wrong." From the Niagara Gazette: investigativepost.org/2026/05/07/woj…

Now's the time to sign up for Investigative Post's weekly newsletters. WeeklyPost lands Sunday mornings. PoliticalPost on Wednesdays. Never miss another edition. investigativepost.org/subscribe/

The FBI’s reported investigation focusing on an Atlantic journalist would represent a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s war against press freedom, @GrahamDavidA argues. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/…

Investigative Post's J. Dale Shoemaker appeared on Channel 7 this week to take you inside all the latest drama happening inside Western Regional Off-Track Betting. A factionalized workplace. A new lawsuit. A former boss on a "revenge tour." Read more at: investigativepost.org/2026/05/06/woj…

The current session of Congress is marked by record-long government shutdowns, lawmakers who are sidelined on the Iran war and a wave of departures. 🔗 Read more: on.wsj.com/3R8tsag

ProPublica identified at least 79 children who’ve been left screaming, unable to breathe, or otherwise hurt by tear gas and pepper spray during Trump’s historic immigration crackdown. propublica.org/article/kids-t…

The FBI is said to have launched a criminal leak investigation focusing on the Atlantic staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick following her reporting on Kash Patel, @mviser writes; the FBI denies the report. theatlantic.com/politics/2026/…

Elon Musk’s DOGE “blatantly used” race, gender and other protected characteristics to execute the largest mass termination of federal grants in the history of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal judge ruled on Thursday. abcnews.link/kfJxWVn

WeeklyPost is Editor Jim Heaney's weekly roundup of the week that was. PoliticalPost is politics guru Geoff Kelly's inside look at the forces driving local government and leaders in Western New York. Sign up today at: investigativepost.org/subscribe/

"Not a real audit." "Flat out wrong." "It's a political document." That's what former CEO Henry Wojtaszek had to say about the state Comptroller's critical audit of Western Regional Off-Track Betting. He addressed the report for the 1st time Tuesday. investigativepost.org/2026/05/07/woj…