localnewsroundup

North Creek’s rail bike company rescued RPI students who got stranded while river rafting. After their rafts got stuck, the rafters hiked six hours and then, after midnight, pedaled back to civilization on the rail bikes.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/stranded-hudson-river-rafters-rescued-adirondacks-18352332.php

---

Bruce Springsteen canceled his Albany concert so he can deal with a medical issue. The concert was already rescheduled from March due to a band member’s illness.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ailing-springsteen-cancels-albany-syracuse-18351649.php

---

The holiday lights show which was supposed to move from Washington Park to Altamont Fairgrounds this year is also canceled, because the Albany Police Athletic League couldn’t get it organized in time. (During the pandemic the Bethlehem police department killed our adorable Christmas parade which brought the community together in favor of a drive-through lights event. If they stick with that this year, I bet it will be extra packed.)

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/no-holiday-lights-altamont-year-18350989.php

---

The Belmont Stakes will likely be at Saratoga in 2024 and 2025 as Belmont Park is being renovated.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/belmont-stakes-coming-saratoga-2024-18348161.php

---

The Saugerties town board would like to pass a motion to deny all FOIL requests for records regarding resignations and retirements, which is pretty clearly illegal. This is presumably to avoid releasing records about the police chief who recently left following a sexual assault scandal in his department.

https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/saugerties-foil-request-retirement-resignation-18350358.php

---

It’s the first day of a lot of local schools. Will this year continue the trend of chronic absenteeism, which spiked during the pandemic when many students either decided school was bullshit or were too sick to attend?

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/millions-kids-missing-weeks-school-attendance-18289670.php

Today’s DocGo news: the NYC comptroller rejected their contract, largely because “There was little evidence to show that this company has the experience to provide the services it has been contracted for” and because the CEO said out loud that the migrant crisis is good for them. I suspect it’ll go through anyway but this is a pretty big deal.

In addition, an audit by the NY Department of State found that DocGo security guards (because they provide migrants with security guards rather than social workers) lack proper licensing.

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/nyc-comptroller-rejects-docgo-s-432m-migrant-18350070.php

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/state-violations-security-upstate-migrant-18347653.php

---

There has been a big increase in the number of criminal cases dismissed because the prosecution takes too long. Defendants have the right to a speedy trial, and in NY that is defined as six months for a felony and 30-90 days for other crimes. Statewide they have increased 161% since 2019; in Albany County, from 92 to 150 speedy trial dismissals. (The article does not include what percentage of all cases this is.)

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ny-sees-surge-botched-prosecutions-speedy-trial-18277664.php

---

Employers now need to state salary ranges in NY job listings. It’s about time!

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/show-money-pay-transparency-law-takes-effect-18340241.php

---

Albany County is installing a solar array under a radar tower near the airport. Its production will offset the county’s electric bill. BOCES will also be using it as a teaching tool.

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/albany-county-breaks-ground-solar-array-18341175.php

---

Lots of people overstay the 14-night maximum at DEC campgrounds by having different family members sign up for consecutive weeks. The DEC is proposing a long-term permit option at Rollins Pond, but it seems unlikely to me that it will reduce the problem at other more desirable sites.

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/dec-considers-testing-longer-stays-at-adirondack-campground

---

Hochul signed the bill preventing radioactive water from being discharged into the Hudson. This mostly targets the Indian Point nuclear power plant, which has already been shut down but not yet dismantled.

https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/gov-hochul-signs-save-hudson-ending-18303513.php

---

Guilderland Library is getting a café.

https://www.timesunion.com/tablehopping/article/roundup-cafe-con-mel-18347539.php

Vassar women professors are suing due to gender-based pay discrimination, which is particularly sad since Vassar used to be a women’s college. Their evidence is pretty good.

https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/vassar-college-gender-discrimination-pay-lawsuit-18338123.php

---

There has been a spate of robberies of ice cream stores; the Saratoga Ben & Jerry's, Stewart's, and the Delmar Tastee-Freez. (William Kennedy was arrested for trying to steal an ATM at that last one, but not THAT William Kennedy.)

https://www.news10.com/news/crime/2-charged-with-jims-tastee-freeze-grand-larceny/

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/man-accused-robbing-stewart-s-shop-route-9-malta-18346514.php

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/man-e-bike-robs-crowded-ben-jerry-s-saratoga-18346457.php

---

If you miss going to a parking garage to buy weed but don't want to support Mexican drug cartels, you're in luck: legal weed is for sale in the Saratoga City Center parking garage.

https://www.news10.com/news/saratoga-county/cannabis-growers-showcase-coming-to-saratoga-springs/

---

DocGo, the company which is failing to provide or coordinate services for the migrants NYC paid it to relocate upstate, is poised to win an even bigger federal contract to do the same.

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/docgo-looks-toward-4-billion-migrant-contract-18340462.php

---

A fugitive evaded capture for five months, camping out in the Adirondacks. I wonder what his plans were for winter?

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/dec-fugitive-hid-months-adirondacks-18338811.php

---

In fraud news, a Mechanicville man has been charged with Medicaid fraud after charging Medicaid for over $1 million in transportation services which didn’t happen, and a woman got worker’s comp to pay $27,000 over six years for travel reimbursement to “aquatic therapy” at the Guilderland Y.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ex-postal-worker-watervliet-sentenced-27k-scam-18294921.php

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/saratoga-county-man-charged-1m-medicaid-scheme-18335138.php

---

Albany Med continues to have the second longest ER wait time in the state, and the median time listed here (six hours) is a lot shorter than what I’m hearing from friends who’ve gone. St. Peter’s is only ten minutes faster. The other area hospitals don’t have the facilities to do as much, plus they are dangerous to women because they’re affiliated with the Catholic church and can't be relied on to prioritize women’s health over their fetuses.

https://www.timesunion.com/health/article/albany-area-hospitals-longest-er-wait-times-n-y-18336129.php

The Guilderland IDA unanimously approved $2.2 million in tax breaks for Costco. https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/guilderland-ida-backs-2-2-million-tax-breaks-18334088.php

---

The owner of five historic buildings on Troy’s River and Front Streets wants to knock them down because the city hasn’t installed a sewer line to them. The city says they can’t install the line until he tells them how he plans to use the buildings. Razing the buildings could threaten the structural integrity of neighboring buildings and of River Street, which is held in place by the Front Street buildings. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/troy-s-oldest-downtown-commercial-buildings-face-18306630.php

---

A Gloversville neo-Nazi cried in court while pleading guilty to conspiring to rob a bank and to possessing a weapon he wasn’t allowed to have because he previously assaulted his wife. He previously operated Tyr Tactical Training, focused on “primitive survival skills.” His social media and group chats are filled with Nazi shit. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/alleged-neo-nazi-gloversville-weighs-guilty-plea-18300661.php

---

NYRA asked Saratoga Springs to remove animal rights protesters from the racecourse entrance. The city did not do that (which would be illegal; it’s a public sidewalk) but pressured them to reduce the number of people there. Counter-protesters from a group backed by NYRA showed up. The animal rights group thinks they were trying to force a confrontation which would allow police to remove them. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/churchill-hiding-saratoga-horse-deaths-conceals-18333794.php

---

The Schenectady school district is proposing modifications to its grading system that will make grading more consistent across classrooms and end consideration of attendance or behavior in academic grades. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/schenectady-city-schools-look-make-grading-18338351.php

---

Broadview has donated a hydroponic “freight farm” to the regional food bank, which allows it to grow fresh produce year-round. Apparently it has previously funded them for other local groups so hopefully it works out well, but it strikes me as a logistical headache and unlikely to save a ton of money over buying wholesale produce. https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/broadview-federal-credit-union-donates-farm-18334141.php

---

Stewart’s won awards for chocolate and Mint Cookie Crumble ice creams at the state fair, and again won the best milk award. https://www.stewartsshops.com/news/stewarts-shops-wins-big-at-the-new-york-state-fair-once-again/

Migrant updates: Hochul called out Biden for federal inaction on immigration, particularly focusing on the need to expedite work permits. The state attorney general reminded public schools that they need to admit migrant children. (The law already included special protections for those living in temporary housing so they don’t need to wait for proof of residency to enroll.) She also informed DocGo, the company which has been doing a very bad job at managing housing and services for migrants it’s been contracted to serve, that it’s under investigation. It does not seem they are assisting migrants in applying for asylum.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/24/nyregion/hochul-biden-migrants.html

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/hochul-pitches-biden-new-yorkers-new-strategy-18329023.php

https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/state-officials-direct-n-y-schools-enroll-18332913.php

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/ag-investigating-docgo-say-cease-limitations-18307511.php

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/asylum-cases-lag-migrants-lack-required-casework-18328465.php?IPID=Times-Union-state-article-ribbon

---

Horseracing stuff: Two horses died on Travers Day, bringing up this year’s total number of deaths to 14. NYRA said they would “examine the overall condition of all three racing surfaces.” A new federal authority was already conducting an expanded review of the track.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/nyra-said-track-checked-travers-day-horse-deaths-18332920.php

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/new-federal-authority-probing-saratoga-race-18330442.php

Attempts to unionize Saratoga backstretch workers are tricky because they are employed by individual owners/trainers, because its agricultural classification would mean that unionization is overseen by the state Public Employment Relations Office instead of the federal NLRB, and because most workers are immigrants who do not speak English. (This last bit, of course, means they are more easily exploited.)

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/group-pushing-saratoga-backstretch-workers-18310466.php

Some horseracing dude in Walkill filled 18 acres of federal wetlands, rerouted streams, and discharged pollution into waterways. He has regularly won more than a million dollars per year, so the $200K civil penalty won’t hurt him much.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/epa-reaches-deal-ny-horse-trainer-wetlands-18303737.php

---

The nanotech college is back at SUNY Albany, splitting off from SUNY Poly.

https://www.timesunion.com/education/article/suny-poly-s-nanotech-college-returns-ualbany-fold-18299392.php

---

Albany Bicycle Coalition meets at 6pm on 8/30 at the Bull Moose Club to propose improvements to pedestrian and bicyclist infrastructure.

https://www.facebook.com/100064425024574/posts/pfbid05aG75gVTPigkk7qCXTs7kTkBP2KcsvTYm11WfuZic7Afp1zx7MX4juP4SqLy7Snbl/?mibextid=Nif5oz

---

A man who refers to himself as “Mr. Pickles” is going to jail for cocaine trafficking, so will miss out on the Mr. Pickle beer that will be release at Indian Ladder Farms’ Picklepalooza on 9/2.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/christopher-kelly-key-witness-mafia-linked-drug-18303828.php

---

The Albany school district wants public input on what to do with 16 stained glass windows from 1887-1909.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/albany-school-district-display-historic-stained-18305340.php#photo-24155974

Forest rangers responded to a 3am call from a drunk 57-year-old hiker who said he was being “hunted like in Predator.” They found him at 6am asleep off the trail.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/dec-hiker-feared-hunted-predator-18312614.php

---

New owners of the property which for decades has served as a trailhead for Chimney Mountain near Indian Lake have closed it to the public.

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/chimney-mountain-trailhead-closed-to-the-public

---

Albany, which previously categorized cannabis dispensaries the same way a methadone dispensaries, are looking to change that to allow them to open in more areas. They would be classified the same way as liquor stores or bars.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/albany-change-cannabis-zoning-18301096.php

---

The Galway school board voted to keep two books in the high school curriculum after complaints. The previous vote on the same issue was a tie, because “ two of the members who voted against it before explained Monday they are new to the board and didn’t understand the impact of their previous vote.” (I am now concerned about their education level.)

https://www.timesunion.com/education/article/galway-school-board-weighs-removing-2-books-18306351.php

---

The limo company manager convicted of manslaughter in May would like to be released on bail while he appeals. (I am not a fan of post-conviction bail; once you’ve been convicted and sentenced, that should be that until AFTER you win your case.)

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/can-i-bail-while-i-appeal-conviction.html

---

A carving of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been added to the state Capital’s Million Dollar Staircase.

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/justice-ginsburg-portrait-unveiled-new-york-18306893.php

---

Drome Sound is closing after over 50 years.

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/drome-sound-music-store-closing-offering-18307190.php

Albany County won’t release the report on the rail trail pedestrian bridge failure “over concerns of potential litigation.”

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/albany-county-won-t-say-rail-trail-bridge-failed-18289238.php

---

Two protests in Saratoga last weekend: one for tolerance in response to a Proud Boys gathering, one in opposition to the track and the animal cruelty inherent in horseracing.

(Saratoga Springs mayor Kim made a jab at the city’s public safety commissioner (Montagnino), who in turn blamed commissioner of accounts Moran for not signing an affidavit he says he needs to prosecute. All three have had a lot of drama surrounding them and their interactions in the past year.)

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/progressives-gather-anti-proud-boys-rally-saratoga-18291215.php

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/photos-protest-horse-deaths-saratoga-race-course-18293882.php

---

Howard Hubbard, molester abettor, denier of women’s bodily autonomy, and former Catholic bishop, has died.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/former-bishop-howard-hubbard-dies-84-18303838.php

---

Meanwhile, Catholic Central School is spending millions to expand, instead of recognizing that all the money associated with the Catholic Church should go to people the church harmed.

https://www.timesunion.com/faith/article/catholic-central-school-expanding-campus-building-18287256.php

---

A federal disaster declaration will allow farmers affected by the freeze in May to receive low-interest loans.

https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/upstate-ny-gets-federal-disaster-declaration-18302980.php

---

The NLRB dismissed a complaint filed against SEIU which alleged the union failed to bargain in good faith. The SEIU complaint against Capital Roots will be heard in February.

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/nlrb-dismisses-complaint-seiu-18289237.php

---

Someone tampered with a scenic railroad track in Corinth to try to derail a train.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/reward-tampering-railroad-corinth-18298582.php

The DEC is still accepting written comments about renewing the permit for the landfill in Rensselaer.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/rensselaer-foes-dec-don-t-make-mistake-dump-18280077.php

---

Oh yay, a new invasive pest! The elm zigzag sawfly has arrived, and the DEC would appreciate it if you report sightings.

https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/outdoors/article/elm-zigzag-sawfly-invasive-pest-18283307.php

---

NYISO says there may be power interruptions in NYC if “peaker” plants are phased out as quickly as planned.

https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/report-predicts-possible-power-shortage-plants-18201162.php

---

The hydropower plant on Great Sacandaga Lake wants to reduce the fees it pays the regulating district from $1.5 million per year to $250,000.

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/hydropower-plant-great-sacandaga-disputes-state-18269642.php

---

In my neighborhood, there were more fireflies than average this year, but light pollution, pesticides, and habitat loss threaten their existence. You can help by minimizing use of outdoor lighting and skipping the manicured lawn thing.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/light-pollution-habitat-loss-threaten-firefly-18272350.php

---

The DEC is using planes to track areas being harmed by spongy moth caterpillars.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/dec-uses-plane-get-birds-eye-view-spongy-moth-18210967.php

DocGo, the nonprofit ostensibly responsible for the needs of migrants relocated from NYC, is continuing to drop the ball: failing to provide information to school districts, dropping off migrants at community organizations without notice and failing to provide transportation back, and failing to provide adequate food and clothing.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/capital-region-official-demand-changes-migrant-18283826.php

---

Corey Ellis, Albany Common Council president and frequent mayoral candidate, proposes developing the Hotspot Elimination, Assessment and Tracking program, which would engage community organizations to increase attention to high crime areas. The current mayor’s staff notes that the city is already doing that.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/albany-common-council-president-proposes-hot-18282758.php

---

Nursing home operators under investigation for fraud and neglect donated money to Hochul.

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/ag-sues-nursing-home-operators-donate-hochul-18280307.php

---

The federal American Rescue Plan will bail out the pension fund for union workers at Tops grocery stores. Reduced union participation makes it hard for union pension funds to remain solvent.

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/food-commercial-workers-pensions-bailed-federal-18283331.php

---

The Spotlight just finished a three-part series on local restorative justice/ diversion programs.

https://spotlightnews.com/news/2023/07/26/albany-county-drug-court-practicing-restorative-justice/

---

Windham Mountain is proposing an expansion.

https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/catskills/article/windham-mountain-plans-giant-expansion-attract-18282961.php

---

Well there’s a lede: “Timothy Taylor set his sights on his ex-wife and the mother of his two children after beginning to feel bad about killing his pregnant wife in Brooklyn weeks earlier.”

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/da-man-stabbed-former-wife-22-times-breaking-home-18285319.php

Menands is fighting hard against a methadone clinic.

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/albany-county-legislator-voracious-fight-18277895.php

---

In more evidence that the state should own the means of production, wind developers are threatening to renege on their contract because it won’t give their investors high enough returns.

https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/offshore-wind-developers-ask-new-york-higher-18274217.php

---

The Albany Civilian Police Review Board remains frustrated by its lack of power.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/albany-s-community-police-review-board-isn-t-18270145.php

---

Kingston is one of the first cities in the country to replace its zoning with a form-based code, focused on the built environment’s physical form rather than its uses. It ends minimum parking requirements, legalizes ADUs (such as mother-in-law cottages), legalizes multifamily development, and streamlines approvals processes. It will hopefully contribute to increasing affordable housing and walkability.

https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/kingston-new-zoning-code-18274465.php

---

A grade 6-12 charter school is being proposed in Schenectady. Charter schools can provide better choices when public schools aren’t meeting a student’s needs, but they tend to bleed money from the public school system because the highest needs students are left in public schools, they’re often run by for-profit companies who don’t have student interests at heart, and they often rely on a lower-paid non-unionized workforce.

https://www.timesunion.com/education/article/group-proposes-schenectady-charter-school-grades-18277342.php

---

Health officials advise beginning HPV vaccination at age 9 because it leads to better immune response ad requires fewer shots than if you start later. (Adults, if you never got the vaccine, you probably should too. The article implies that it only is for those under 26, but if you do not stay in the same mutually monogamous relationship after that time, you can and should get it up to age 45.)

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/new-york-health-officials-urge-hpv-shots-age-9-18274607.php

---

Albany County Executive Dan McCoy has over $300K and Sheriff Craig Apple over $600K in campaign fund accounts, even though they haven’t faced challengers in years. (Maybe he should have used THAT money to build the field he named after himself, instead of stealing it from forfeitures.)

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/mccoy-apple-campaign-coffers-swell-opponents-18204647.php

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/sheriff-federal-review-shows-300-000-misspent-18275074.php

A Schenectady woman stole over $150K in unemployment benefits by “helping” her father’s tenants apply for pandemic benefits and then having the money deposited into her accounts. She’s getting 1-3 years in prison.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/woman-admits-150-000-pandemic-scam-18264776.php

---

The Lake Placid emergency room may be closing, with the next nearest one 11 miles away. Like the Burdett Birth Center, they filed the request to DOH just before they would be mandated to conduct a community impact study. Adirondack Health also recently closed the only dental clinic in the area serving Medicaid patients.

https://www.timesunion.com/health/article/concerns-raised-planned-closure-lake-placid-18192876.php

---

Mohonasen will likely serve the 68 immigrant children staying at the Rotterdam Super 8. It sounds like the nonprofit managing their stay has been unresponsive to the superintendent’s attempts to meet and assess them; he doesn’t even know their ages and languages.

https://www.timesunion.com/education/article/mohonasen-welcoming-68-migrant-children-18262389.php

---

A drunk driver who killed a man on the Northway last year is going to prison for up to 25 years. His license had been previously permanently revoked for drunk driving and people begged him not to drive that day. Sadly this stuff happens all the time, but I’m including it here (1) because it frustrates me that there seems to be no way other than permanent confinement to keep some people from driving dangerously, and (2) because I’d never before heard of the charge of “depraved indifference murder.”

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/driver-convicted-manslaughter-wilton-crash-18264877.php

---

The South End Grocery is close to reopening three weeks after a fire extinguisher was accidentally discharged. It’s a darn shame that something so relatively small set them back so far.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/south-end-grocery-nears-reopening-temporary-18264948.php

---

A jail guard was arrested in Saratoga Springs for having an illegal gun.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ghost-gun-allegedly-found-outside-saratoga-18259403.php

---

Bethlehem folks, provide feedback on future use of the Heath Farm and on the library building. https://bethlehempubliclibrary.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=239acbd6f7030221d35995c80&id=524098fa16&e=f9f2e4f2c9

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5192236578df41e89c73e90a4f09cdd1