tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13274678273895661952024-02-19T22:26:10.244-08:00Saratoga County ObserverCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-10053345847051647672013-10-21T11:50:00.002-07:002013-10-21T11:55:30.590-07:00Skidmore debate to be pre-empted by Justice for Darryl rally tonight<div class="MsoNormal">
Tonight the Skidmore College Republicans and College Democrats are holding a candidate forum from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_653232310" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">7 to 9 p.m.</span></span>
in the Spa in Case Center. All of the city candidates will attend and
give a three-minute speech. After, the students and public will have
the chance to talk with the individual candidates. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All are welcome.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before
the forum, the Committee for Justice for Darryl will hand out
information flyers demanding an independent investigation regarding the<a href="http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20130923/lawyer-claims-he-has-witnesses-with-different-version-in-darryl-mount-jr-case" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;"> <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_653232311"><span class="aQJ">Aug. 31</span></span> police pursuit </span></a>that left 21-year-old Mount in a coma from which he has not awoken.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to a press release sent out by <a href="http://saratogaindecline.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">local blogger</span></a>
and rabble-rouser John Tighe, the fliers will target the current Public
Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen, who has insisted there is no
need for an outside investigation.</div>
<div class="im">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's a segment from the press release:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>We
pledge as a group and individually to keep the handing out of flyers
low key and non- accusatory, we will not impede traffic either by
motorist and or pedestrians. We believe that this is a public meeting
and governed by the New York State open meeting laws. We are expressing
our first amendment rights in a respectful, nondisruptive and peaceful
way. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Please join us and demand a real change from the police and public officials.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Signed</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Committee for Justice for Darryl</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="tel:518%20421%208808" target="_blank" value="+15184218808"><span style="color: #0066cc;">518 421 8808</span></a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I will probably pop by and snap a few photos tonight. </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In other news, there were some very interesting statements made during
the public comment period at the City Council meeting last Tuesday that
The Saratogian will be digging into shortly. Several people spoke about
unsavory encounters with city police, including violence and racism.
If you want to hear and see what they said first-hand, <a href="http://www.saratoga-springs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=974%3A2013-10-16-city-council-meeting&catid=140%3Acity-council-webcasts-2013&Itemid=113" target="_blank">go here and click on the second webcast from the top which starts at 7 p.m.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Other cities have come up with creative solutions to rein in their police officers. The Minneapolis City Council <a href="http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3193796.shtml" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">recently decided it was going to make its police department wear body cameras</span></a> to
save the city money. In the past five years, the city settled police
misconduct lawsuits for around $8 million, and thought the body camera
tactic might just save them some money.</div>
Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-32345666457161958142013-10-02T08:46:00.002-07:002013-10-02T08:49:49.922-07:00This isn't a popularity contest; it's journalism<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_RmFJrwcSTfPyzvzmjAmnYDmhoc3Mm72MfjDoqbAeMdqMdaJiddxkkfW8tiSKVpV7jB8-5tjGL3AdcjOd0gRP3U8kR67l71LNorErnyyYn52qqcZh4ECzo0tQ1mpkkr6bTcmu36gjL0/s1600/occupy_03.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_RmFJrwcSTfPyzvzmjAmnYDmhoc3Mm72MfjDoqbAeMdqMdaJiddxkkfW8tiSKVpV7jB8-5tjGL3AdcjOd0gRP3U8kR67l71LNorErnyyYn52qqcZh4ECzo0tQ1mpkkr6bTcmu36gjL0/s1600/occupy_03.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">I want to take a moment to respond to all the criticism
regarding Darryl Mount and our coverage of this story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">My job as a journalist is to report the various sides of a
story, regardless if I agree with them or not, just like it is the job of law
enforcement to investigate a serious accident, even if the person injured was a
21-year-old with a criminal past. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">It’s my job to ask questions and to report back to you on
what I’ve learned. Sometimes the facts are indisputable. But many of the things
people tell me are their opinions, and it’s your job as readers to sort them
out and make up your own minds. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">Up until the most recent article, our coverage of the
police pursuit that ended with a young man in a coma was lacking, because it
was based solely on what we were told by the police department.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">The first time we report anything that is not from the
police is the fourth article, when reporter Lucian McCarty speaks with Darryl’s
family. This story garners very little information but reveals that the family
believes there is more to the story and that they are pushing for an
independent investigation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">Here are the stories:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Aug. 31 – <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/08/31/news/doc5222609741f71719301180.txt" target="_blank">The first story comes out</a>, based solely on what police have told the media.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Sept. 1 – <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/09/01/news/doc5222609741f71719301180.txt" target="_blank">The follow-up story comes out </a>and there is no mention yet of scaffolding, again it
is based on the information police have released to the media.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Sept. 2 – <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/09/02/news/doc5224df4875046895707661.txt" target="_blank">For the first time police say Mount fell from scaffolding</a>; the police are the only
sources we have used.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Sept. 3 –<a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/09/03/news/doc5226793588ad6694811841.txt" target="_blank"> Coverage of Justice for Darryl rally in front of City Hall.</a> His family declines to comment on what
they believe happened.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Sept. 7 – <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/09/07/news/doc522bbb4213f64140971117.txt" target="_blank">A brief article is released</a> giving the detail of a fundraiser for Mount.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Sept. 10 – <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/09/10/news/doc522f8378afcd9300829820.txt" target="_blank">Police refute police brutality allegations</a> concerning made at a City Council meeting
by Guy Pierce about himself, as well as allegations that Mount was abused.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Sept. 23 – <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2013/09/23/news/doc5240d86e91750947235630.txt" target="_blank">My story with Mount’s family</a> speaking out on the day of a fund-raiser on his behalf.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">As far as I was concerned there was more to the story, a
side that the mainstream media hadn’t reported. So when Darryl’s aunt agreed to
sit down with me for an hour-long, on-the-record conversation, I paid her the
same courtesy that I pay everyone else. No more and no less. I listened and I
asked questions, followed up with the attorney and wrote a story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">It was an unpopular story with commenters, but I’ve never
been much for popularity contests. The negative comments escalated so quickly
about Darryl and his family that we just turned them off.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">Anyone can leave a putrid comment in the ease of their
anonymity; can say that Darryl got what he deserved, that his family are gold
diggers. But remember that a culture is not judged by how well we treat the
privileged; it’s judged on how we treat the poor, the impoverished, the
outsiders. It’s easy to treat a celebrity or millionaire with respect and
equity, but how are you going to treat the underdog?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">I understand it’s difficult to sympathize with a guy on
parole, but I refuse to accept that a criminal past excuses, justifies or
condones abuse of any kind. Our job is to keep digging and to find the truth,
beyond the official voices.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">A civil society has standards of conduct and when they
break down we are all at risk. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;">The press is one vehicle to monitor, investigate and report
abuse or suspicion of abuse. I refuse to partake in packaged journalism or cite
the same three groups over and over. I’ll find out for myself and if that makes
me an outsider, then I’m probably doing my job right.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black;"></span>"I
have this sort of heuristic view that journalism, we possibly offer hope
because the world is clearly run by total nincompoops more than ever. … Not
that journalism is always wonderful, it's not, but at least we offer some way
out, some integrity.” — Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative
reporter, in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2013/sep/27/seymour-hersh-obama-nsa-american-media" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>
</div>
Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-40587449361567981142012-12-07T19:38:00.000-08:002012-12-07T19:38:14.935-08:00Death, ethics and the dark side of being a journalist<b> Death</b><br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/12/06/news/doc50c012721d274618875701.txt" target="_blank">video </a>I shot and produced of the candlelight vigil at Shenendehowa's football field, for the four popular students, was the most difficult assignment I've ever had. I had to force myself to intrude onto people's intimate moments after the vigil and ask to interview them in front of a camera.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, Saratogian sports writer Stan Hudy graciously introduced me to some of the people he has grown close with over the 15 years he's been covering sports in the region.<br />
<br />
But it was still hard. There are always going to be assignments like this, all you can do is hope they will be rare but press coverage is mandatory.<br />
<br />
Before I left my house the night of the vigil, I had triple-checked my video equipment (which I almost never do,) and convinced myself I was ready and confident to "do my job." Of course, the second I stepped out of my car and joined the 6,000 people on the football field, that confidence slipped away.<br />
<br />
It was humbling, to be privy to that kind of event, to talk to people and record their voices and tears and to be trusted with putting the pieces of their story together. <br />
<br />
As a journalist, the most intriguing and important stories often come from, in my opinion, asking the most difficult questions.<br />
<br />
What I had to remind myself on the night of the vigil, is that even though something is tough, it doesn't mean people don't want to talk about it. People do want to share their stories, their memories, emotions and opinions. It's better to at least ask and get turned down than to walk away from a story without even attempting to talk the people involved in it.<br />
<br />
<b>Ethics</b><br />
<br />
There is no disputing the fact that Dennis Drue killed two people and injured two more. Legal consequences aside, it will stain his life forever.<br />
<br />
However I think it's important to remember that he hasn't been charged with anything yet and I think it's safe to assume after yesterday's <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/12/06/news/doc50c108d62a266897211986.txt" target="_blank">announcement</a>, that he was not drunk when he got into the accident. <b> </b> <br />
<br />
Today's Times Union <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/A-troubled-past-now-an-uncertain-future-4093779.php#photo-3851450" target="_blank">article </a>painted a picture of a monster, who has gone on for years as an abhorrent person. The backbone of the article were quotes from Drue's ex-landlord, who clearly had an axe to grind.<br />
<br />
That's not to say there weren't some valid, relevant facts in the piece.<br />
<br />
It's easier to see Drue as a monster rather than a person who got into an accident, because it distances us from him. It's easier to cope with the grief and release the anger when you have a monster to pin it on. But it's not our jobs as journalists to provide people with the monsters and gods they crave.<br />
<br />
<b>The dark side of being a journalist</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Death and ethics are tricky areas in this line of work. When to step back and when to ask questions is something every journalist must grapple with and ultimately base those decisions on good instincts and critical thought. Stories like this one require even more than that. It requires compassion, for all the victims, even the ones we want so much to blame.<br />
<br />
Rather than focusing on blame, I would hope we all take a deeper look at this. Two people lost their lives, let it not be in vain. Drive safer. Know that life is unpredictable and value it. Know that there are inexperienced drivers on the road, elderly people who can't see well at night or in the rain, and as shown in our police blotter every single day, people driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.<br />
<br />
Forgiveness and resolving to be a better person are so much more constructive than anger alone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-16462189972205336432012-08-22T12:27:00.002-07:002012-08-22T12:28:20.353-07:00The Doobie Brothers and Chicago Last night I attended The Doobie Brothers and Chicago concert and wrote a <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/08/22/entertainment/doc503511a58995c698507220.txt" target="_blank">review </a>on it this morning. The guest-singer I mentioned in the review, Gene Gilbert, doesn't have any photographs of himself on-stage, he sent me a very nice letter about it:<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe Script","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hello,</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe Script","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am Gene Gilbert, I sang with
Chicago as mentioned in your article. By chance do you have any photos that you
could share with me. As a one in a life time opportunity I want to endeavor to
obtain every aspect of the show as I can....In addition, my son's camera
battery went dead as he used it way too much for back stage footage. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe Script","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In closing, thank you for writing a
nice review of me, as I personally thought I did not do well. You are way too
kind.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe Script","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sincerely,</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe Script","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gene Gilbert</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If anyone has any pictures of him, please send them to me and I will pass them along. My email is: cmorris@saratogian.com</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe Script","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-83166999591937334902012-08-20T14:51:00.003-07:002012-08-20T14:51:30.921-07:00Possible bidder for county landfill?
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spoke to Keith Manz earlier today, who is leaving his position as the Director of Planning and Engineering to take over the role of Saratoga County's Public Works Commissioner, and he had some interesting news.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Manz says he is giving a walk-through of the Saratoga County landfill tomorrow morning, to a prospective bidder. He said that while he was interviewing for the new job, one of the main queries was how he could streamline the county and make it run more efficiently. One of his ideas, a popular one at that, is to privatize the county landfill. Manz is getting a running start at his new job, I wish him good luck. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-23088359384170887472012-08-20T14:40:00.002-07:002012-08-20T14:42:17.080-07:00Hello Saratoga County!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am the new reporter at The Saratogian, taking over Michael
Cignoli’s job as reporter for the county. I know Michael will be missed, but rest assured you will still find his words in our sports section.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A little bit about me: I recently graduated from Temple
University in Philadelphia, where I earned a B.A. in Journalism. I specialized
in photo journalism and had a photography internship at The Philadelphia
Inquirer. After my internship I was driven to get a reporting job that would still let me play around with photography and videography on my down times. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I grew up in Central Pennsylvania and I’m excited to be leaving the
city life for Saratoga Springs, I couldn’t have imagined a better place to
relocate. Everyone I run into and work with have been incredibly kind, from the
people serving me coffee at Uncommon Grounds to the Town Supervisors I
interview for articles. For that, I say thank you Saratoga Springs. It isn’t
easy moving to a new place alone but the residents of Saratoga County have
certainly eased the burden. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are interested in seeing any samples of my
photojournalism, take a look at: caitlinmphotography.com/portfolio/ </div>
Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-8115328096528191432012-06-18T15:11:00.000-07:002012-06-18T15:17:32.308-07:00A bizarre county stat 6/18<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A
remarkable streak could come to an end during Tuesday afternoon’s meeting of
the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The
23-member board is expected to vote on whether to charge for-profit emergency
medical service providers, like Empire Ambulance, to tap into the county’s 911
dispatch system.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The
Board of Supervisors, on a bad year, will review more than 200 resolutions.
Virtually all of them are approved unanimously because the county’s lower
committees work out the kinks ahead of time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But
supervisors have publicly spoken out on both sides of the fee proposal, so it’s
extremely unlikely that a vote on the subject would be unanimous. That would be
a rarity in itself, but there could also be enough support to actually vote
down the proposal. That is practically like witnessing the Transit of Venus.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The
last time the board actually voted down a resolution was Feb. 26, 2008, when
supervisors nixed a plan to support an Assembly bill that would have given
towns the authority to create a new tax in order to support open space
preservation efforts.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: double windowtext 2.25pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Since that date, county
lawmakers have not defeated any of the past 1,014 resolutions to come before
the full Board of Supervisors. That includes a handful they have tabled and
never brought back for a vote, but most of those 1,014 were resolutions were approved.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The county
administrator’s office verified the Board hasn’t defeated a resolution since
Feb. 2008, but wanted to point out that supervisors have defeated some motions
during that time frame. I’ll have more on that in a moment, but I wanted to be
fair and say supervisors aren’t rubber stamping things through. </span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Much of the review and
vetting takes place at the committee level so that supervisors have had most of
their concerns addressed by the time things get to the boardroom.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">They have also had
pretty significant discussions at the full board level since that time,
including whether to award $570,000 in open space grants (November 2011),
increase the population threshold for a second supervisor and accordingly
change the size of the board (August 2011), change pay rates for some county
employees (March 2011), approve bonds for the Water Authority (August 2008),
and authorize the expansion of the Sewer District’s treatment plant (March
2008).</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I came aboard in May
2011, but I think that just about covers all of the biggest votes at the county
level since 2008. If there was a big discussion to be had, the supervisors had
it. Ultimately, though, all those associated resolutions passed.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I couldn’t seem to
find a story about one that didn’t pass in our archives – and the supervisors I
spoke to couldn’t seem to remember the vote – so the following account is based
off the meeting minutes: </span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The legislation the
county was seeking to endorse would have enabled towns to impose a real estate
transfer tax, which would have been imposed on a surcharge over the median
value of a home. It was proposed to generate funds to conserve open space,
particularly in towns like Malta that saw developers buying, selling and
subdividing land.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But objectors pointed
out if a town were to acquire the property to preserve open space, it would
have been removed from the tax rolls. The burden would have then been shifted
to other landowners in the county because the county’s tax base would have been
unchanged. So basically, if Malta enacted the law, people in Edinburg could
have been making up the difference in property taxes.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">It was defeated 115,680 to 73,448.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Now, my review looked at resolutions, but the
county administrator’s office pointed out the Board of Supervisors has defeated
“a number of” motions at Board meetings since 2008. Those include a motion to
waive the reading of all resolutions in April, when they had like 30, as well
as reconsider open space grant funds in December 2011. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But those motions had
nothing to do with the established committee process. They were things that were presented that day. It's very weird for supervisors to spend a month reviewing something and tweaking it only to vote against it.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">“We’re pretty complete
in our discussions before it ever gets to the full board,” Saratoga Springs
Supervisor Joanne Yepsen said. “If it doesn’t make it through Law and Finance,
it’s not going to make it to the full board.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But this time, though, the Law and Finance Committee chose not to nip the proposal in the bud. Officials said it didn't seem right for a seven-member committee to make a decision that could affect the entire county, so any of the debate that would have ordinarily happened at the committee level is now going to happen before the full Board of Supervisors. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">"It's such an issue that they really wanted the supervisors to go home and research it themselves," Stillwater Supervisor Ed Kinowski said. He is one of three supervisors (John Collyer, Dan Lewza) who has never seen the Board of Supervisors vote down a resolution. They all came on after February 2008.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: medium none; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Yepsen, for the record, is voting against the
current draft of the proposal. She said it puts too much pressure and risk on
the public safety program, noting Empire provides back-up service to the city
of Saratoga Springs. Matthew Veitch is away on business and won’t be voting,
but his absence is excused, so he won’t be counted as an affirmative. Either
way, he’d be voting against it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">One more stat before I go: </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-image: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-style: none none double; border-width: medium medium 2.25pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">1,575
– Days between Feb. 26, 2008, the date of the last defeated resolution, and the
Board of Supervisors’ scheduled meeting on June 19, 2012.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Until next time,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">MC </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">
</span></div>Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-79270611006026770842012-05-08T19:01:00.001-07:002012-05-08T19:11:06.961-07:00Obamania 5/8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2HnbRsfSS95usuY3NGIgAycFD38dQQs6aduiIpjhsVz2oqYh3AWpwqe469-Iso0bPcSI50FoftLK7Y6Wt64JcxX4A1mgrsqAs7i_dYKK7OmBxe75KjFnjGj4bmNyaFPp6XViqkB6ssw/s1600/IMG_8215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2HnbRsfSS95usuY3NGIgAycFD38dQQs6aduiIpjhsVz2oqYh3AWpwqe469-Iso0bPcSI50FoftLK7Y6Wt64JcxX4A1mgrsqAs7i_dYKK7OmBxe75KjFnjGj4bmNyaFPp6XViqkB6ssw/s320/IMG_8215.JPG" width="289" /></a></div>
By my best estimate, President Barack Obama spoke to a standing-room only crowd of about 750 people at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering on Tuesday afternoon.<br />
<br />
That's about how many words I had to tell the story that you'll read in Wednesday's <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/05/08/news/doc4fa9b5532dc1b400992941.txt">print edition</a> of The Saratogian. I lobbied for about twice that number.<br />
<br />
Regardless, there are a lot of pieces of information that wound up not making it into my story, mainly quotes from some of the lucky people who got into the invitation-only event.<br />
<br />
Turns out having the President show up is a pretty big deal and
basically everybody you talk to will have something exceptionally
profound or worthwhile to say. <br />
<br />
Lucian McCarty spoke to a lot of people and got their reactions, which he compiled into a story <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/05/08/news/doc4fa9b59b8528f413901548.txt">here</a>. I didn't have the opportunity to sneak my quotes into his story, so I'll just share them with you here. We'll use subheads to break things down. Look for your favorite name.<br />
<br />
<b>Chris Gibson</b><br />
<br />
So Obama pretty much threw Republicans under the bus<b> </b>during his speech, attempting to portray them as stymieing his previous economic initiatives and said that the two sides need to work together. They have worked together to pass some bills, he said, but they need to do more.<br />
<br />
Gibson, a Republican Congressman, said that a lot of the initiatives Obama discussed were discussed in a bipartisan budget proposal called Cooper-LaTourette that he entirely supports. This is the best <a href="http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/2012/03/cooper-latourette-fiscal-year-2013-budget-details">link</a> I could find on the subject. You can read up on it there.<br />
<br />
"Many of the major issues we have to tackle are addressed in that bipartisan budget," the Congressman said, though acknowledging that more needs to be done. He did say that he was "so proud" that Obama selected Albany for his speech, the public-private partnership showcasing what he believes is "the future of our economy." <br />
<br />
<b>Todd Shimkus</b><br />
<br />
I read a really interesting Associated Press story not too long ago about something called the Obama effect. You can read it <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/05/03/obama_romney_star_power_shines_on_businesses">here</a>.<b> </b>Essentially, presidential visits drive up publicity for local restaurants.<br />
<br />
One of the first questions I asked Shimkus was whether the same principle applied to nanotechnology. After all, you can't just walk into GlobalFoundries and order a computer chip in the same sense that you can walk into a restaurant and order a hamburger. That would be absurd.<br />
<br />
Shimkus agreed, but said it never hurts to have Obama show up. <br />
<br />
"He's so incredibly popular," Shimkus said. "He's a virtual rock star. He's a trendsetter." <br />
<br />
Perhaps someone didn't know the Capital Region was building one of the
world's most advanced computer chip manufacturing research centers. Maybe they do now. Shimkus said the one thing he was hoping was Obama to say the words "Saratoga County" or "GlobalFoundries."<br />
<br />
"I guarantee that'd be cut out and edited into our promotional materials," Shimkus said.<br />
<br />
For the record, Obama did name-drop GlobalFoundries. He didn't mention Saratoga County.<br />
<br />
The other question I had for Shimkus was about a poll result that I saw last night. I can't seem to find the link now, but I know it said Obama had a 4 percent lead over GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney among voters who said the economy was the most important issue in the upcoming election.<br />
<br />
So an aptly timed speech on the economy would be apropos, right? Absolutely, Shimkus said, but it would be more effective for Obama to that speech in a battleground state like Ohio. New York hasn't gone Republican since the years of Ronald Regan.<br />
<br />
Shimkus says that means Obama really believes the Capital Region is doing it right. <br />
<br />
"He doesn't need to give these speeches in New York," Shimkus said. "The fact that he is doing it here is pretty significant."<br />
<br />
<b>Pete Bardunias</b><br />
<br />
The president of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County and I chatted briefly on his bus ride into the fab. You could tell he was pretty excited.<br />
<br />
"The president's visit showcases what Tech Valley means to our nation's economic future," he said. "Locally educated people are getting local jobs and combining with talent from all over the world to make our region a true center of technological excellence."<br />
<br />
Which begs the follow up -- we're in a pretty unique spot here, having CNSE and GlobalFoundries so close to each other. Is that kind of public-private partnership the kind of thing that can be implemented elsewhere in the country?<br />
<br />
"Yes," he said. "The work being done in the labs of Albany and the clean rooms of Malta is an example for the rest of the country. Businesses large and small working with educational institutions, government and community leaders have given our region a bright economic future. People of our area can get a good education and high-paying job within an hour's drive of their childhood homes. That will allow future generations to stay here and help our region thrive." <br />
<br />
<b>Ron Canestrari</b><br />
<br />
I asked the Assembly majority leader the same question I asked Pete. Do you think this can be replicated?<br />
<br />
"I do," he said. "I think (Obama's) being here is recognition of what we've done and it can be replicated in a lot of the other parts of the country as well."<br />
<br />
But we want to stay competitive, right? So if it can be replicated, then don't we need to keep investing into our region so that we stay in the upper echelon? That's rhetorical.<br />
<br />
"I think it's very important," he said. "Success builds upon success. We've done well here in Malta and Watervliet. It didn't happen by accident. ... More can be done with some federal and state incentives. This could be the next area of job growth that we desperately need."<br />
<br />
<b>Ed Kinowski</b><br />
<br />
Stillwater Supervisor Ed Kinowski is a guy that I feel gets lost in the shuffle sometime. A portion of the Luther Forest Technology Campus -- and the GlobalFoundries property -- sits in his town, but it is most commonly associated with the Town of Malta, which has the majority of the land.<br />
<br />
"There's national interest in what we're doing here," he said. <br />
<br />
National interest brings international interest, Kinowski said. If people didn't know the Capital Region was among the world leaders in the high-tech sector, they know now. But he said that it's exceptionally important to keep investing in high-tech growth or else they won't be able to stay competitive in the global economy.<br />
<br />
He called it an "understandable challenge, but it's a necessary thing to do."<br />
<br />
One other point he mentioned that the national unemployment rate is still above 8 percent, but the Capital Region is doing pretty well. This actually got into my story, but his quote didn't. <br />
<br />
"Where else can you say it's as strong as this?" he asked, rhetorically.<br />
<br />
<b>Joanne Yepsen </b><br />
<br />
I was talking to Gibson when Yepsen was on her way out. The Saratoga Springs supervisor was kind enough to e-mail me this statement.<br />
<br />
"<span style="background-color: white;">I was honored to be in attendance
today to support President Obama, his policies, and the region's future," she said.
"Education at reasonable costs, clean energy, giving incentives for
businesses to move back to the United States to promote 'Made In America,'
and creating
jobs in high tech and manufacturing are all extremely important to
Saratoga County. What a feather in our region's cap to have this be the
third Presidential visit in four years. The support of the President and
our Governor will allow us to forge into the
future by continuing to focus on a winning partnership between private
industry, government leaders and education." </span><br />
<br />
<b>Sheldon Silver</b><br />
<br />
I figured this would be my only chance to ask the Assembly Speaker how the state can continue to provide incentives so that projects like GlobalFoundries will come to New York State. That $1.3 billion incentive package the state gave GlobalFoundries came before the economy went south. Things aren't like they used to be. The Empire Zone program is gone.<br />
<br />
He really never directly answered my question. He kept talking about how important the college is because it's developing the next generation of computer chip technology and it got $4.4 billion in private investment to do that.<br />
<br />
I agree to some extent. It's great if they can develop the technology, but the last thing I would imagine anyone wants to see
want to do is develop the technology here and see it used in Singapore. Silver, though, said the college is an incentive enough. It gives companies the opportunity to co-locate their research and development programs. That's what GlobalFoundries is doing.<br />
<br />
"The research is here," he said of the college. "The facilities are here ... this is the place."<br />
<br />
<b>Travis Bullard</b><br />
<br />
<br />
One of the things that Obama talked about was creating a new job corps that would help returning veterans find work. I thought this was relevant because GlobalFoundries discussed a new "Field-to-Fab" initiative a couple of weeks ago when they <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/04/26/news/doc4f99f44ed10b0735997292.txt">hosted a top Navy official</a>. <br />
<br />
The company likes to say that 10 percent of its current workforce is veterans. They also say they employ about 100 veterans and have 1,300 total employees. I barely passed calculus, but I know one of those claims has to be wrong. Regardless, they're looking to hire more. That's important.<br />
<br />
I'm going to throw this under here because I don't think it needs its own subhead. GlobalFoundries' CEO Ajit Manocha called President Obama a "champion of American innovation." That was interesting because Obama never really took much of the credit for anything that was happening in Albany.<br />
<br />
The President basically said the Capital Region was doing it right and everyone else should take note. So we have that going for us.<br />
<br />
<b>Andrew Cuomo </b><br />
<br />
Cuomo, who introduced Obama, joked the rest of the state is going get jealous that Obama keeps coming to the Capital Region. It's the president's third visit since 2009.<br />
<br />
Other than that, he praised Obama's leadership skills dropped references to political taglines like "Building a New New York" and "New York is Open for Business." He was only up there for, like, three minutes. He really didn't have anything really compelling to say.<br />
<br />
<b>Barack Obama</b><br />
<br />
One of the little known aspects of computer chip plants is just how clean the clean rooms are. They are about 10,000 times cleaner than a hospital emergency room. At CNSE, students are taught how to work on atom-sized particles in these ultra-clean environments. Obama found this amusing.<br />
<br />
"Clean is not usually a word associated with college students," he joked, drawing a laugh from the audience.<br />
<br />
Earlier, while touring the college, he and Cuomo met with some of the students who were showing off manufacturing tools. "This looks like a pretty fancy piece of equipment," Obama said.<br />
<br />
One other thing about President Obama. He entered to "Hail to the Chief," which I should have expected but forgot would actually happen. So for the first 30 or so seconds of his speech all I could think of was this classic scene from "My Fellow Americans." <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rxtj-8vAfhk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
===================<br />
<br />
Before I go, a personal story.<br />
<br />
The Saratogian media contingent carpooled down to Albany today. Media check-in was like hours before Obama arrived and there was no food there. We were probably inside the building from about 10:30 to 2:30. Some of us were really hungry by the end of it, so we decided to stop for food on the drive back to the office. We settled on Burger King in Clifton Park.<br />
<br />
The problem was that some of us -- read: me -- forgot to take off our White House press credential before walking into the restaurant. I got some odd looks. But, at the risk of sounding unprofessional, the whole day was pretty awesome.Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-31738303960419009652012-05-04T16:00:00.000-07:002012-05-04T16:04:44.096-07:00Obama Update 5/4President Barack Obama's third Capital Region visit has been shifted to Albany due to "logistical reasons." The official word from the White House is below. Our story is <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/05/04/news/doc4fa441d039164629952284.txt?viewmode=fullstory">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Anyone disappointed he won't be coming to Saratoga County? I bet Paul Sausville is. He was going to <a href="http://saratogacountyobserver.blogspot.com/2012/05/obamamania-53.html">give Obama a key to the town</a>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>President Obama to Travel to Albany, NY </b></div>
<br />
WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, May 8, the President will travel to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering’s (CNSE) Albany NanoTech Complex at the State University of New York in Albany, New York for an event on the economy.<br />
<br />
CNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex is a fully-integrated research, development, prototyping, and educational facility that provides strategic support through outreach, technology acceleration, business incubation, pilot prototyping, and test-based integration support for onsite corporate partners, including IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, Applied Materials, as well as other next generation nanotechnology research activities.<br />
<br />
Due to logistical reasons, the President’s event will no longer be held at GlobalFoundries in Malta, New York but representatives from GlobalFoundries will join the President at CNSE. Governor Cuomo will also join the President at Tuesday’s event. <br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-32424266999462665632012-05-03T18:16:00.001-07:002012-05-03T18:16:46.549-07:00Obamamania 5/3Just got back from Chris Gibson and Paul Tonko's press conference about President Barack Obama's impending visit to GlobalFoundries. I'm sitting in our newspaper's video room and I know I'm going to be here for a while while everything buffers, so I think this is as good a time as any to share some items with you that I know won't make it into tomorrow's print story.<br />
<br />
1. Yes, District Attorney <strike>Jim</strike> James A. Murphy III says <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/03/04/news/doc4f525458c1c0a360181355.txt">Brent Dickinson</a> is still in Saratoga County Jail pending his next court appearance. <br />
<br />
2. Paul Sausville said he didn't get the opportunity to shake Obama's hand the last time the president visited the Capital Region. He told me he was disappointed, but hopes to change that this time around.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have a key to the town that I want to give him and I have a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV7pBCICOmU">recording of the song of Malta</a> that I'd like to play for him," Sausville said. </blockquote>
3. Remember those <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/03/15/news/doc4f6157c043a8d074737898.txt">county community forums</a> the supervisors are holding? Tom Wood had one scheduled prior to Malta's Town Board meeting on Monday night. I suppose that makes him the second-highest elected official that will give a speech in the town next week.<br />
<br />
4. The Saratogian City Desk blog and Saratoga County Observer blog are currently in a heated battle to determine which of us gets to cover Obama's visit. A bunch of us newspaper folk were supposed to go bowling tomorrow, but I'm now reconsidering because he seems really gung-ho about it and I'm worried he'll pull a stunt like this to strengthen his chances.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Y6AmgNEq3M?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
5. Props to V_is_for_Victory for what might have been the funniest comment I've ever read on our web site. In case you missed it, V <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/05/03/news/doc4fa2c099885b5873517466.txt">gave the odds</a> of state and local elected officials getting shout outs or photo ops at the event. I don't necessarily agree with them, but I chuckled at a few. Nicely done.<br />
<br />
That's all for now. The White House says to expect more information about Obama's visit Friday. I tried reaching out to GlobalFoundries to see if this is something for which the average person might be able to get tickets because they're pretty tight on security, but I haven't heard back.<br />
<br />
I'll post an update when I hear something.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-33763939145105731502012-04-30T16:49:00.000-07:002012-04-30T16:53:51.464-07:00In disturbing coincidence, Milton's new tanker truck maintains nautical theme 4/30If you picked up Monday's paper, you probably saw the story I wrote about the <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/04/30/news/doc4f9df5d03c90d985272121.txt">wet down</a> ceremony.<br />
<br />
To summarize, the Milton Fire District celebrated the arrival of its new tanker truck by hosting what was basically a Christening ceremony. Volunteer fire companies from as far away as Providence came to spray water on their new apparatus to officially mark the beginning of its service.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO19q_0uxLc4v8aYQ4NFoTAH3Rw7ALn6CDyr3GZIuLTT5DiQgIi5ReBh90g5QOcfolxomFma315UZtDjzVmSS8TMNnkRGjaVBe7pWoqLIUxyUbnxs5OlkdxsT-knH1teSabGOVTTcrqfE/s1600/doc4f9df5d03c90d9852721211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO19q_0uxLc4v8aYQ4NFoTAH3Rw7ALn6CDyr3GZIuLTT5DiQgIi5ReBh90g5QOcfolxomFma315UZtDjzVmSS8TMNnkRGjaVBe7pWoqLIUxyUbnxs5OlkdxsT-knH1teSabGOVTTcrqfE/s320/doc4f9df5d03c90d9852721211.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Erica Miller photo)</div>
<br />
The ceremony draws its origins from a nautical rite of passage in which newly-promoted sailors would fade their newest sleeve stripe by either getting thrown in the ocean or having a bucket of seawater dumped over their head — "wetting down" the stripes.<br />
<br />
The truck joined the district's fleet about a month ago and had even responded to a couple of calls, but it wasn't really "official" until yesterday's ceremony, which made Monday it's first full day of service.<br />
<br />
Coincidentally, the tanker got called to a devastating <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/04/30/news/doc4f9ef6e282105327961500.txt">structure fire</a> that completely destroyed a Route 29 home, leaving its five inhabitants homeless. Firefighters said there was little the tanker — or any of the trucks — could do to save the home, which was fully involved upon their arrival.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, the four people who were inside the house when it went up in flames escaped unharmed.<br />
<br />
The unfortunate and somewhat disturbing coincidence between the two events, though, is the home to which the tanker was dispatched also had nautical ties. It was being rented by five Navy men who were stationed at the Kenneth A. Kesselring site in West Milton.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MC<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-47978072106116704432012-04-25T16:20:00.004-07:002012-04-25T16:27:40.013-07:00We all scream for ice cream 4/25<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The jingle of an ice cream truck
is one of summer’s most unmistakable sounds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The trucks drive through local
neighborhoods and play music to draw children out of their homes. The first
hint of the sound of Mr. Ding-a-Ling’s truck is enough to cause children in
Malta to come running.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s also apparently enough to
send one resident to the town’s Code Enforcement office to file a grievance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Town Supervisor Paul Sausville
confirmed Wednesday that a woman in the Century Farms development lodged a
formal complaint against the truck earlier this week.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">“We get some really unusual
complaints,” Sausville said, though the town “takes all complaints seriously.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">In the complaint, filed Monday, the woman
claims that Mr. Ding-a-Ling’s loud music disrupts the quiet enjoyment of her
home and – most egregiously – wakes her son up from his daily nap.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">“Mr. Ding-a-Ling is depriving
our child of adequate rest important for health and development,” the complaint
states.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The town recently adopted a
revised ordinance designed to combat untimely construction noise, though it
also regulates the decibel levels. Sounds can’t exceed 60 decibels during the
day and 50 at night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Ordinary conversation is about
60 decibels, so surely an ice cream truck’s music must represent some kind of violation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The only way to know for sure,
Building and Planning Director Anthony Tozzi said, would have been to have a code
enforcement officer stand in the ice cream line with a decibel meter in his
hand. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">“We just called Mr. Ding-a-Ling
and explained he may be in violation,” Tozzi said, adding that the vendor
agreed to turn down the music when entering that neighborhood. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Tozzi, though, noted that the
loud music can actually be a safety device. It’s not exempt from the ordinance,
he said, but the speaker notifies motorists that children are likely in the
area.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">“You just can’t please everybody,”
he said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">As far as the town is concerned,
the situation is resolved. Sausville said 99 percent of complaints are resolved
without the town issuing a citation, as most folks simply want to be a good
neighbor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Had the town issued him a citation,
though, Tozzi said the ice cream man could have wound up paying a $500 fine.
That’s a lot of Klondike bars. If the judge was feeling particularly strict, he
could have also sent the defendant in People v. Ding-a-Ling to jail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">“If we told him he couldn’t
operate in Malta, we’d have 1,000 people come out with pitchforks,” Tozzi said. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Until next time,<br />
MC</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-59715165517469942462012-04-05T15:34:00.004-07:002012-04-05T15:38:19.247-07:00Frank Thompson Update 4/6I heard a bizarre rumor the other day that former Milton Supervisor Frank Thompson, who really doesn't like current town Highway Superintendent David Forbes, was going to stage a big political comeback.<br />
<br />
Someone at the county told me they heard if the fourth-degree conspiracy allegations against Forbes ultimately resulted in the highway superintendent losing his job, Thompson was going to announce his candidacy for the post.<br />
<br />
Thompson, you'll recall, lost the Saratoga County Republican Committee's support after his wife was charged with stealing from an elderly woman while in charge of the woman's finances. She later pleaded guilty and received probation.<br />
<br />
He was later cleared of any wrongdoing in the case, though it contributed to him losing a Republican primary to current Town Supervisor Dan Lewza last fall. When I relayed the rumor of his possible political comeback, Thompson was frank. <br />
<br />
"I'm all done with them rotten (expletive)," Thompson said. "They're all dirty and I want no part of them. ... Politics is so screwed up I'm not interested in going back."<br />
<br />
So there you have it.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MC<br />
<br />
<br />Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-5431724391034587652012-04-03T20:35:00.000-07:002012-04-03T20:54:05.532-07:00More endorsements for Marchione 4/3<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Republican committees in Mechanicville and Wilton are the latest to show their support for County Clerk Kathy Marchione, <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/04/03/news/doc4f7b81ffde003136401867.txt">who will formally announce</a> her bid for state Senate on Wednesday afternoon.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Marchione
met with the committees on Tuesday night. She's also been endorsed by
GOP committees in Ballston, Malta, Saratoga and Halfmoon, where she was
town supervisor prior to becoming county clerk in 1997.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">“Kathy’s dedication to the Republican
Party and her strong belief in core
conservative values make her the candidate best suited to represent the
Republican community. Kathy’s hard work and proven track record of
getting the job done make her the candidate best suited to represent our
senate district,” Mechanicville GOP Chairman Chris Boyark said.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"T<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;">he Wilton Republicans are proud to endorse Kathy Marchione," </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">added <span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;">Elaine Gerber, vice chairwoman of the Wilton Republicans. “</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;">She has the values, the courage, and, most importantly, the integrity we need in a senator.”</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">That
out of the way, there's something that also needs to be addressed.
Marchione's announcements generally say she is "considering a run for
state Senate" and the announcement of her press conference said there
was "speculation" about whether she would challenge Roy McDonald for the
43rd district. I call shenanigans. </span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">For one, she's actively seeking endorsements. That's not something you'd do unless you actually intended to run.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Secondly, she has a campaign <a href="http://www.marchione2012.com/">website</a>. It's not live now, but her campaign e-mails all come from marchione2012.com. She registered the domain name <a href="http://who.godaddy.com/whois.aspx?domain=marchione2012.com&prog_id=GoDaddy">on March 18,</a> the day after the Saratoga County Republican Committee <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/03/20/news/doc4f67b5d3e4e1e357673606.txt">postponed its state Senate endorsement</a> because of her interest in the post. Creating a campaign website is not something you'd do unless you actually intended to run.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Last
but not least, she has an election committee, which on March 23
received a $6,200 transfer from the committee that helped get her
elected to the County Clerk post. That was the day after the <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012/03/23/news/doc4f6cc502244ba167668204.txt">Saratoga Republican Committee</a> endorsed her. Some of you may know where I'm going with this.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
understand she's trying to drum up excitement for the announcement by
shrouding it in mystery, but there's really no speculation. I think the
real question is whether she plans to resign from her clerical post to
focus on her campaign. I plan on asking her tomorrow. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The
announcement is at an ice cream stand, which is awesome. With any luck
I'll be able to grab some cookie dough while I'm there. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Until next time,<br />MC</span></span></span>Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-24054724405733034002012-04-03T16:55:00.002-07:002012-04-03T21:13:23.300-07:00Dewey's Doings 4/3Earlier today, Charles "Dewey" Walling was <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/04/03/news/doc4f7b1f2b8b5d5308200509.txt">sentenced</a> to six months in Saratoga County Jail for stealing $27,111 from the St. Clement's Horse Show, a fundraiser for the Catholic church's religious school. He's paid back the money he swindled via cooking the books at the show's souvenir stand and will still face five years of probation upon his release.<br />
<br />
The Rev. Paul Borowski gave a victim impact statement prior to the sentencing. He said he would be willing to forgive Walling if he asked for forgiveness, but that wasn't the same thing as justice. He asked the judge to enforce the jail sentence that was part of the plea package.<br />
<br />
The most interesting thing about Borowski's statement though, was this excerpt: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"While I and all those involved with the case were conscious of not speaking publicly about this case and trying to keep a low profile about the subsequent investigation, it seemed that Mr. Walling had shown no remorse at the time about his crime. A few days prior to his being arrested on these charges, he willingly put himself front and center of the opening scenes of the highly-publicized Saratoga Springs Chamber of Commerce (sic) promotional video, hurting many people who worked so hard to make that production a success."</blockquote>
I had to think about that one for a second. Then it hit me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XW-e0wyJXBucLngOGjtAl09iO8jKSAIMj788x2uVpUhKJZj1QKjFbdwr6mWDA4SFrRedtJwI-s8tPKrySuUw_VTx6Fdf-rvdbZyfA5P8Bjvqe7ynylzqoJOHOKVpRtF5PJJ1rPxwJiw/s1600/Dewey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XW-e0wyJXBucLngOGjtAl09iO8jKSAIMj788x2uVpUhKJZj1QKjFbdwr6mWDA4SFrRedtJwI-s8tPKrySuUw_VTx6Fdf-rvdbZyfA5P8Bjvqe7ynylzqoJOHOKVpRtF5PJJ1rPxwJiw/s400/Dewey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Sure enough, there's Charles "Dewey" Walling (left) as Sam the Bugler in last summer's "<a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/09/02/news/doc4e6037d2e7070950752080.txt">Lip Dub</a>" production, which has more than 57,000 views on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34F9JjCXCjU">YouTube</a> at the time of this posting.<br />
<br />
Let's take a look at the timeline:<br />
<br />
The horse show was in May. An internal investigation into the souvenier stand's finances began shortly thereafter. When organizers learned Walling was creating false invoices, Borowski said he tried to schedule a meeting with Walling. When he refused, the results of the internal investigation were forwarded to the Saratoga Springs Police Department. He said Walling knew that would happen.<br />
<br />
That was in mid-July. The Lip Dub was filmed at the beginning of September, so at this point he probably realizes knows that things aren't looking good for him. You wouldn't know it from watching the video, though. Walling <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/09/13/news/doc4e6f74c2dc32c909399856.txt">was arraigned on the charges</a> Sept. 13. The Lip Dub <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/09/28/news/doc4e82907264065078973059.txt">premiered</a> Sept. 27.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure what the Chamber of Commerce can do in that situation. It's not like they were going to digitally remaster the footage to remove Walling from the video and it would have been even more ridiculous to re-shoot the whole thing. Borowski has a point: it put the chamber in a tough spot. <br />
<br />
One thing's for sure, though. Walling looks way happier in that video than he does in his mug shot.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSUdgv7FKiC2F00yPuM_Yji87J-24fCGL5pEZ1rxI9kOSPrlunuOXWPuqbEZkGBhVzLzPzsK6Ay7W6hbhqMyfJrGpLX_J-IBpCrBQFPAmTe7xurYQZiQldgzozjtTgsLNNyeqO-fMjC4/s1600/walling_booking_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSUdgv7FKiC2F00yPuM_Yji87J-24fCGL5pEZ1rxI9kOSPrlunuOXWPuqbEZkGBhVzLzPzsK6Ay7W6hbhqMyfJrGpLX_J-IBpCrBQFPAmTe7xurYQZiQldgzozjtTgsLNNyeqO-fMjC4/s200/walling_booking_photo.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-14857468596943422042012-04-02T20:41:00.000-07:002012-04-02T20:44:52.405-07:00Final bracket challenge standings 4/2With the benefit of hindsight, I should have seen this coming.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://saratogacountyobserver.blogspot.com/2012/03/ncaa-tournament-brackets-314.html">Last month,</a> I asked Saratoga County supervisors to fill out NCAA Tournament brackets.<br />
<br />
I figured it'd be a fun way to foster some competition between the supervisors, who were vying for bragging rights. I used the bracket I'd done the day before as a barometer and gave an extra bracket to County Administrator Spencer Hellwig.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't you know it? We, the only two entrants who weren't Saratoga County supervisors, finished 1-2. Actually, Hellwig beat me on the final day of the tournament because he selected Kentucky over Kansas in the National Championship. They just put the finishing touches on a 67-59 win.<br />
<br />
I had KU over UK, which is just about as close as I could have gotten without actually winning.<br />
<br />
The top finishers among supervisors were the three who picked Kentucky. They were Day's Mary Ann Johnson, Clifton Park's Anita Daly and Malta's Paul Sausville, who admitted he'd never filled out an NCAA bracket prior to last month. This calls for a <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/07/22/news/doc4e29abf7484b8915692895.txt">celebratory anthem</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vV7pBCICOmU" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Here's the full order:<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring:</b> 1st Round = 1 point; 2nd Round = 2 points; Sweet 16 = 4
points; Elite Eight = 8 points; Final Four = 16 points; National
Championship = 32 points.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Spencer Hellwig, County Administrator</b><br />
Score: 130 (First round 20, Second round 9, Sweet Sixteen 3, Elite Eight 2, Final Four 2, Championship 1)<br />
<br />
<b>2. Michael Cignoli, The Saratogian </b><br />
Score: 122 (22, 10, 6, 3, 2, 0)<br />
<br />
<b>3. Mary Ann Johnson, Day</b><br />
Score: 115 (19, 10, 5, 1, 1, 1)<br />
<br />
<div style="color: black;">
<b>4. Anita Daly, Clifton Park</b></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Score: 106 (16, 9, 4, 2, 1, 1)</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<b>5. Paul Sausville, Malta </b></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Score: 103 (17, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1)</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<b>6. Art Johnson, Wilton</b><br />
Score: 93 (21, 10, 4, 1, 1, 0)<br />
<br />
<b>7. Jack Lawler, Waterford</b><br />
Score: 85 (17, 10, 4, 1, 1, 0)<br />
<br />
<b>8. Thomas N. Wood III, Saratoga</b><br />
Score: 62 (20, 13, 4, 0, 0, 0)<br />
<br />
<b>9. Alan Grattidge, Charlton</b><br />
Score: 51 (21, 9, 3, 0, 0, 0)<br />
<br />
<b>10. Phil Barrett, Clifton Park</b><br />
Score: 44 (20, 8, 2, 0, 0, 0)<br />
<br />
<b>11. Matthew Veitch, Saratoga Springs</b><br />
Score: 39 (19, 6, 2, 0, 0, 0)<br />
<br />
<b>12. Jean Raymond, Edinburg</b><br />
Score: 35 (19, 6, 1, 0, 0, 0)<br />
<br />
I share a life philosophy with fictional race car driver Ricky Bobby –
if you ain't first, you're last – so I'm a little disappointed with my
late collapse. No worries, though. At least I beat
the supervisors.<br />
<br />
How'd you guys do? Let me know. <br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-81716173685870330312012-04-01T23:02:00.002-07:002012-04-01T23:20:31.482-07:00Marchione Endorsement 4/2County Clerk Kathy Marchione, who is challenging Roy McDonald for his state Senate seat, received the endorsement of the Town of Malta Republican Committee late Sunday.<br />
<br />
How late? We got the announcement at 11:11 p.m. I'm sure we'll have more on this <strike>tomorrow</strike> later today, but I wanted to pass the abridged version along before I head out for the <strike>evening</strike> morning.<br />
<br />
Malta was one of the local town Republican committees that publicly voiced their disapproval of McDonald about a month ago and declared he would not receive their endorsement.<br />
<br />
McDonald also lost the endorsement of the Saratoga County Conservative Party in the wake of his votes on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tax plan and the marriage quality bill.<br />
<br />
Marchione, who was Halfmoon's supervisor before she became County Clerk in 1997, said she's running because she thinks Saratoga County has lost a consistent, conservative voice in the Senate and she feels she can provide that. So do the Malta Republicans.<br />
<br />
“Kathy is a model public servant and was wholeheartedly supported by
the Malta Republican Committee," Malta GOP Chairman Bill Smith said in a statement. "We believe that she will
represent not only the 43rd Senate District but the people of the State
of New York by bringing a conservative voice back to Albany.”<br />
<br />
For those keeping score at home, Marchione now has the endorsements
of the Malta, Halfmoon, Ballston and Town of Saratoga Republican Committees. McDonald has been backed by the Stillwater and Washington County Republicans. He's also been endorsed by the state Independence Party.<br />
<br />
The last time I spoke with Saratoga County Republican Committee Chairman Jasper Nolan – about a week ago – he said that committee likely wouldn't be making an endorsement in the race until mid-April. I'll follow up with him Monday and see if that has changed.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-77998199681165976542012-03-28T18:16:00.001-07:002012-03-29T18:02:00.896-07:00One popular cat 3/28<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sg3yPLp5xWcV5AR3v3Qbx2wC3ZL9cJIvyRZiIUSuh8GHTSX1QgL1XIpcLcGWjcFTAUATcEMZ5drGMYoSYWBemWn2oY8KpA_Io0Irzhh7kHJRR6Vd0ycHW9mZ90ayTtBVg8z-mvC5eNA/s1600/doc4f71eb24a69f7561059191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sg3yPLp5xWcV5AR3v3Qbx2wC3ZL9cJIvyRZiIUSuh8GHTSX1QgL1XIpcLcGWjcFTAUATcEMZ5drGMYoSYWBemWn2oY8KpA_Io0Irzhh7kHJRR6Vd0ycHW9mZ90ayTtBVg8z-mvC5eNA/s320/doc4f71eb24a69f7561059191.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
I’ve been trying to reach out to Saratoga County Animal Shelter Supervisor Dan Butler all day to do a follow-up on the roughly 135 cats that were seized from a single trailer at a Halfmoon mobile home park on Monday. <a href="http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/03/28/news/doc4f71eb24a69f7561059191.txt">Click here</a> in case you missed it.<br />
<br />
I haven’t been able to get him on the phone, but I did talk to an employee there who filled me in on something that I thought you guys might appreciate. The employee, who didn’t want to identify himself, said the shelter has gotten over 100 calls today. That’s more than he can ever remember the shelter getting.<br />
<br />
“Every time I pick up the phone it’s something about the cats,” he said, but the overwhelming majority of those adoption inquiries are about the Siamese cat that was on the front page of Wednesday’s <i>Saratogian</i>. The employee said the cat seems to be the only one that people want. I can certainly see why.<br />
<br />
There was something exceptionally sassy, for lack of a better word, about that one. You can see it in the “Are you for real?” expression it’s giving in the great picture Erica Miller took that I've attached above. It's the cat on the right, for the record.<br />
<br />
That cat, ironically, was also on the front page of another local paper and featured prominently in a local television station’s report about the animal shelter. It'll have no problem finding a home.<br />
<br />
The shelter, though, has plenty of other cats – and dogs – available for adoption. I saw a guinea pig and rat when I was there Tuesday. The rats were $5. That's unbeatable. Some are available now, but the cats that were taken Halfmoon won’t be available until some paperwork is cleared up. The cats all need to be spayed, neutered and vaccinated, too. Butler said yesterday.<br />
<br />
If you're interested in adopting, call the shelter at 885-4113. They're also looking to expand their network of foster homes, where some cats are placed until they're mature enough to be adopted. <br />
<br />
One other update: Butler told me yesterday that the cats were taken from a woman, so I wrote the story that way. I’ve since gotten calls telling me the cats were taken from a man. State Police, in a release announcing the removal, said they were taken from an owner. The police didn’t specify a gender.<br />
<br />
When I talked to Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III yesterday, I specifically asked about the woman hoarding cats in Halfmoon. Going back through my notes, he didn’t correct me, but he also never explicitly told me it was a woman. OK, then. I reached out to him Wednesday for a follow-up.<br />
<br />
He said it “looks like (there are) three targets of the investigation at this point,” but he wouldn’t give me anything about gender. I know the owner(s) hasn’t been charged, but that lack of disclosure seems very odd to me. Based on Murphy’s statement, though, the cats could have been taken from any combination of males and females.<br />
<br />
State Police said charges are anticipated and could come as soon as this weekend.<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE, 10:15 a.m. Thursday: </b>We just received an e-mail from The Daily Mail asking us if they could use some of our photos for a story they are doing on the cats. Looks like it's gone international.<br />
<br />
I Google'd "130 cats" just to see what kind of other media attention this story is getting and came across the following video. It's not the inside of the Halfmoon trailer, but I think it gives you a pretty good idea of what it probably looked like.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bp0Q3UJHrkU" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-50823937746783544972012-03-25T17:09:00.001-07:002012-04-02T19:37:35.608-07:00Another Bracket Challenge Update 3/25The Kansas Jayhawks became the fourth – and final – team to punch their ticket to New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, turning on the afterburners to pull away from North Carolina in the game's waning moments. They'll join Kentucky, Ohio State and Louisville in Saturday's National Semifinals.<br />
<br />
That being said, it's time to update the inaugural Saratoga County Supervisors Bracket Challenge. There's been some shuffling, so <a href="http://saratogacountyobserver.blogspot.com/2012/03/ncaa-tournament-brackets-314.html">here's where we started</a> a week and a half ago and here's <a href="http://saratogacountyobserver.blogspot.com/2012/03/bracket-challenge-update-321.html">the update</a> from earlier this week before the Sweet Sixteen.<br />
<br />
Five supervisors – Thomas N. Wood III, Alan Grattidge, Phil Barrett, Matthew Veitch and Jean Raymond – have no teams left in the fight, so they're not moving up. Grattidge, Barrett, Veitch and Raymond are locked in spots nine through 12, respectively, and Wood may get bumped down from No. 6 depending on how things shape up.<br />
<br />
I broke the rest of it down so you can see how things might change in the next round. Here we go:<br />
<br />
<b>Scoring:</b> 1st Round = 1 point; 2nd Round = 2 points; Sweet 16 = 4
points; Elite Eight = 8 points; Final Four = 16 points; National
Championship = 32 points; <span style="color: red;">Red</span> = Previously eliminated.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Michael Cignoli, The Saratogian </b><br />
Score: 90 (First round 22, Second round 10, Sweet Sixteen 6, Elite Eight 3)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 154<br />
Picks remaining: Kentucky over <span style="color: red;">Marquette</span>, Kansas over Ohio State, Kansas<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>2. Art Johnson, Wilton</b><br />
Score: 77 (21, 10, 4, 1)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 93<br />
Picks remaining: Kentucky over <span style="color: red;">Marquette</span>, <span style="color: red;">North Carolina </span>over Ohio State, <span style="color: red;">North Carolina</span>.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Jack Lawler, Waterford</b><br />
Score: 69 (17, 10, 4, 1)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 85<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;">UCONN <span style="color: black;">over Louisville</span></span>, <span style="color: red;"> </span>Kansas over <span style="color: red;">Wisconsin</span>, <span style="color: red;">UCONN</span><br />
<br />
<b>4. Mary Ann Johnson, Day</b><br />
Score: 67 (19, 10, 5, 1)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 115<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;"></span>Kentucky over <span style="color: red;">Missouri</span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span> over <span style="color: red;">North Carolina</span>, Kentucky<br />
<br />
<b>5. Spencer Hellwig, County Administrator</b><br />
Score: 66 (20, 9, 3, 2)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 130
<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;"></span>Kentucky over <span style="color: red;">Missouri</span>, Kansas over <span style="color: red;">Florida State</span>, Kentucky<br />
<br />
<b>6. Thomas N. Wood III, Saratoga</b><br />
Score: 62 (20, 13, 4, 0)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 62
<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;">Duke</span> over <span style="color: red;">No selection<span style="color: black;">*</span></span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span> over <span style="color: red;">Ohio</span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span><br />
<br />
<b>7. Anita Daly, Clifton Park</b><br />
Score: 58 (16, 9, 4, 2)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 106
<br />
Picks remaining: Kentucky over <span style="color: red;">Missouri</span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span> over Kansas<span style="color: black;"></span>, Kentucky<br />
<br />
<b>8. Paul Sausville, Malta </b><br />
Score: 55 (17, 5, 3, 2)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 103
<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;"></span>Kentucky over <span style="color: red;">Missouri</span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span> over <span style="color: red;">North Carolina</span>, Kentucky<br />
<br />
<b>9. Alan Grattidge, Charlton</b><br />
Score: 51 (21, 9, 3, 0)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 51
<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;">Duke</span> and <span style="color: red;">Missouri</span>, <span style="color: red;">North Carolina</span> over <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse<span style="color: black;">**</span></span><br />
<br />
<b>10. Phil Barrett, Clifton Park</b><br />
Score: 44 (20, 8, 2, 0)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 44
<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;">Duke</span> over <span style="color: red;">Michigan State</span>, <span style="color: red;">North Carolina</span> over <span style="color: red;">Florida State</span>, <span style="color: red;">Duke</span><br />
<br />
<b>11. Matthew Veitch, Saratoga Springs</b><br />
Score: 39 (19, 6, 2, 0)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 39<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;">UCONN</span> over <span style="color: red;">Marquette</span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span> over <span style="color: red;">Purdue</span>, <span style="color: red;">Syracuse</span><br />
<br />
<b>12. Jean Raymond, Edinburg</b><br />
Score: 35 (19, 6, 1, 0)<br />
Maximum Possible Score: 35<br />
Picks remaining: <span style="color: red;">Duke</span> and <span style="color: red;">Florida</span>, <span style="color: red;">Alabama</span> over <span style="color: red;">Texas</span>, <span style="color: red;">Texas<span style="color: black;">***</span></span><br />
<br />
<i>* Wood, inexplicably, left one of his Final Four selections blank. He had the correct match – Louisville vs. Florida – but he left one of the picks blank. He'd be doing better if he picked Louisville.</i><br />
<i>** Grattidge picked a National Championship match-up that couldn't actually happen. Those two teams would have met in the Final Four. As fate would have it, they both lost in the Elite Eight.</i><br />
<i>*** Raymond did the same thing as Grattidge, except her teams lost in the Round of 64. That really hurt.</i><br />
<br />
How are your brackets shaping up? Leave a comment and let me know.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-43687241016571023372012-03-21T20:01:00.001-07:002012-03-25T16:48:17.440-07:00Bracket Challenge Update 3/21Scroll down, or click <a href="http://saratogacountyobserver.blogspot.com/2012/03/ncaa-tournament-brackets-314.html">here</a>, if you missed my last post about asking Saratoga County supervisors to fill out a bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament. With the Sweet Sixteen set to tip off March 22, it's time for an update.<br />
<br />
I thought it'd be a fun way to foster some friendly competition, but this undertaking is proving to be significantly more difficult than I anticipated.<br />
<br />
Keeping track of a dozen brackets is challenging in itself, but it's even more challenging when the brackets just aren't filled out properly. I'll give you some examples.<br />
<br />
One supervisor said the winner of the Round of 64 UNLV/Colorado game would be Baylor, which played South Darkota in the first round. That same supervisor picked South Dakota over Baylor, but then marked Baylor as beating South Dakota to advance into the Round of 32.<br />
<br />
Another supervisor left some of his first round choices blank. One's Final Four contains three teams. Two picked National Championship match-ups that were impossible, as the teams that they picked for the championship game were on the same side of the bracket.<br />
<br />
The most egregious error was a supervisor circling the names of the teams in the first round, then filling out the bracket one round in advance. I basically had to guess what that supervisor was trying to do.<br />
<br />
Malta Supervisor Paul Sausville admitted that he'd never filled out a bracket prior to last week, but I'm slowly beginning to think that he's not the only one.<br />
<br />
Those errors aside, some of the supervisors are actually doing quite well. After the jump, the complete list of standings, plus some highlights from each of bracket.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>Scoring:</b> 1st Round = 1 point; 2nd Round = 2 points; Sweet 16 = 4 points; Elite Eight = 8 points; Final Four = 16 points; National Championship = 32 points.<br />
<br />
Here we go:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Thomas N. Wood III, Saratoga</b><br />
Score: 46 (First round 20, Second round 13)<br />
<br />
Thirteen of Wood's teams are alive and well, but the horizon isn't looking good for the chairman of the board. His Final Four includes Duke, which has been eliminated, Ohio, which he may have confused with Ohio State, and Syracuse, of which I can't say anything critical. He didn't pick a fourth. That's going to hurt.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Michael Cignoli, The Saratogian </b><br />
Score: 42 (22, 10)<br />
<br />
Anyone who has ever been bowling with me knows this is my M.O. I start off well – really well, in this case, as no one correctly selected more first-round picks than me – but I quickly trail off. This round, for example, I've got Alabama over Michigan. All four of my Final Four teams – Kentucky, Marquette, Ohio State and Kansas – are alive and well, though. Knock on wood.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Art Johnson, Wilton </b><br />
Score: 41 (21, 10)<br />
<br />
Johnson is the chair of the County's Personnel Committee, which has got its work cut out for it this year as supervisors try and contain healthcare costs for county employees. Johnson got off to a good start and his prospects look even better. Seven of his Elite Eight teams (Duke) are still alive in the tournament. He's got Kentucky over North Carolina in the final.<br />
<br />
<b>T-4. Alan Grattidge, Charlton</b><br />
Score: 39 (21, 9) <br />
<br />
Grattidge, the Law and Finance Committee chairman, was a perfect 8-for-8 in the tournament's early going. He was the only supervisor to have that distinction, making him the odds-on early favorite. But he fell off quickly when two of his Final Four picks – Duke and Missouri – were eliminated in the first round.<br />
<br />
<b>T-4. Mary Ann Johnson, Day</b><br />
Score: 39 (19, 10)<br />
<br />
The most important element of Johnson's bracket is that she's got 10 teams still alive, including seven of her Elite Eight picks. It's entirely possible that Johnson & Johnson could finish 1-2 in this contest. Does anyone have baby shampoo?<br />
<br />
<b>6. Spencer Hellwig, County Administrator</b><br />
Score: 38 (20, 9) <br />
<br />
Hellwig has a very likely title match in Kentucky and Kansas, but his other two Final Four teams have been eliminated. With Florida State and Missouri out of the equation, he's going to need some help. A lot of supervisors picked Syracuse to go far, but Hellwig had the Orange losing to Kansas State. That obviously didn't happen, but the quicker Syracuse loses, the better Hellwig does.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Jack Lawler, Waterford</b><br />
Score: 37 (17, 10) <br />
<br />
Lawler, who is also the Chairman of the Saratoga County Water Authority, picked UCONN to win the tournament. With the Huskies bowing out in the first round, have his chances of winning washed away? Not necessarily. His other three Final Four teams – Louisville, Kansas and Wisconsin – give the chairman a chance at redemption.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Phil Barrett, Clifton Park</b><br />
Score: 36 (20, 8) <br />
<br />
Barrett is winning the Battle of Clifton Park, but you have to wonder how long that might continue with his national champion, Duke, exiting in the first round. Michigan State, UNC, and the also-eliminated Florida round out Barrett's Final Four.<br />
<br />
<b>9. Anita Daly, Clifton Park</b><br />
Score: 34 (16, 9) <br />
<br />
With a championship pick of Kentucky over Syracuse, Daly, the county's Economic Development Chair, has the potential to make a comeback. But Sweet Sixteen picks of San Diego State over Kansas and BYU over Missouri are hindering more than helping.<br />
<br />
<b>T-10. Matthew Veitch, Saratoga Springs</b><br />
Score: 31 (19, 6) <br />
<br />
Veitch got off to a very good start, then trailed off very quickly. Only six of the Technology Committee chairman's Sweet Sixteen teams are still alive and he's got three of those – Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State – losing this round. He's going to need Syracuse, North Carolina and Marquette to carry his bracket.<br />
<br />
<b>T-10. Jean Raymond, Edinburg</b><br />
Score: 31 (19, 6) <br />
<br />
Raymond is one of three supervisors who have seen their national championship picks eliminated. She went with Texas, who got bounced in the first round. She had an otherwise stellar first round, correcly selecting 19 of the 32 winners. But with her other Final Four picks including Alabama, Duke and Florida, things aren't looking good.<br />
<br />
<b>12. Paul Sausville, Malta</b><br />
Score: 27 (17, 5) <br />
<br />
I can't say anything bad about Sausville, because he freely admitted he had never filled out a bracket before. He probably didn't know that a 16-seed has never beaten a 1-seed, which is why he picked Vermont over North Carolina and LIU Brooklyn over Michigan State. Kentucky, Syracuse and Kansas can still help him get out of the cellar.<br />
<br />
How are your brackets doing? Leave a comment and let me know. <br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MC<br />
<br />
<br />Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-26851415814620980222012-03-14T18:54:00.004-07:002012-03-15T16:49:59.858-07:00NCAA Tournament Brackets 3/14<b>UPDATE, 6:30 p.m.</b> – I received five more submissions. I've included them in the list.<br />
<br />
*** <br />
<br />
I've asked Malta Supervisor Paul Sausville a lot of tough questions over the past few months, so I figured asking him to fill out a NCAA tournament bracket would be comparatively easy.<br />
<br />
Turns out, it may have been the toughest question I'll ever ask him.<br />
<br />
Let me preface this a little bit. Remember when I asked the Saratoga Springs City Council members to give me <a href="http://saratogacountyobserver.blogspot.com/2012/02/super-bowl-picks-25.html">their Super Bowl predictions</a>? That wound up being a pretty popular post. Supervisors had some time to kill between their agenda meeting and the community forum, so I figured I'd hand them each a blank bracket and see what happened. <br />
<br />
When I asked Sausville if he'd do one, he legitimately had no idea
what I was talking about. I asked him if he had ever done a bracket
before. He honestly said he hadn't. I find that unbelievable.<br />
<br />
I have no idea how old Sausville is — he left it out of the candidate
questionnaire we sent him when he ran for re-election last November and
when I called and asked him about it, he said it was irrelevant — but
in all his years he'd never filled out one bracket? Not even for
curiosity's sake?<br />
<br />
Props to him for being a good sport about it, though, and filling one out on the spot. Five other supervisors did the same, others said they'd fax theirs in Thursday morning. <br />
<br />
I'm going to go ahead and post the ones that I have here and let you guys analyze them. I'll update them as I receive them. Keep in mind, there's no cash involved here. It's simply for bragging rights.<br />
<br />
The supervisors will get one point for a correct pick in the first round and those values with double through the championship, which is worth 24 points. <br />
<br />
Click the supervisor's name to see his or her full bracket.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<b><a href="http://twitpic.com/8wfbso">Alan Grattidge</a>, Charlton</b><b> </b><br />
<b>Final Four: </b>Duke, Missouri, Syracuse, North Carolina<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Syracuse def. North Carolina*<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://twitpic.com/8wfb9z"></a></b><b>Phil Barrett, Clifton Park<br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Duke, Michigan State, Florida State, North Carolina<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Duke def. North Carolina<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://twitpic.com/8wfb9z">Anita Daly</a>, Clifton Park</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Kentucky Michigan State, Syracuse, North Carolina<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Kentucky def. Syracuse<br />
<b><br />
</b>
<b>Mary Ann Johnson, Day </b><br />
<b>Final Four: </b>Kentucky, Missouri, Syracuse, North Carolina<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Kentucky def. Syracuse<br />
<br />
<b>Jean Raymond, Edinburg</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Duke, Florida, Texas, Alabama<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Texas def. Alabama**<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://twitpic.com/8wfdbr">Paul Sausville</a>, Malta</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Kentucky, Missouri, Syracuse, Kansas<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Kentucky def. Syracuse<br />
<br />
<b>Tom Wood, Saratoga</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Duke, ???, Syracuse, Ohio***<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Duke def. Syracuse<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://twitpic.com/8wffy4">Matthew Veitch</a>, Saratoga Springs</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Connecticut, Marquette, Syracuse, Purdue<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Syracuse def. Connecticut<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://twitpic.com/8wf91h">Jack Lawler</a>, Waterford</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Connecticut, Louisville, Wisconsin, Kansas<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Connecticut def. Kansas****<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://twitpic.com/8wf8lo">Art Johnson</a>, Wilton</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Kentucky, Marquette, Ohio State, North Carolina<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> North Carolina def. Kentucky<br />
<br />
<b>Spencer Hellwig, County Administrator</b><b><br />
</b>
<b>Final Four: </b>Kentucky, Missouri, Florida State, Kansas<br />
<b>National Champion:</b> Kentucky def. Kansas<br />
<br />
And, as a benchmark, <a href="http://twitpic.com/8wfhvb">my</a> selections:<br />
<b>Final Four:</b> Kentucky, Marquette, Ohio State, Kansas <br />
<b>National Champion: </b>Kansas def. Kentucky<br />
<br />
My immediate supervisor, Betsy DeMars, is a Kansas State grad, so she's probably not going to like that too much. Oh, well. Rock chalk Jayhawk.<br />
<br />
*<i>Grattidge's championship match-up is actually impossible, since those two teams would meet in the Final Four. Now, watch him win the whole thing.</i><br />
<i>** Same deal. </i><br />
<i>*** Wood, inexplicably, had Louisville and Florida in an Elite Eight match-up, but didn't pick the winner of the game.</i><br />
<i>**** As a Connecticut native, I admire Lawler's choice, but I think it's a terrible selection. Lawler, though thinks the Huskies have a legitimate chance now that Syracuse's Fab Melo is out. I don't see them getting past the second round.</i> <br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MC<br />
<br />
<br />Caitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-37258067460030446522012-03-12T17:27:00.000-07:002012-03-12T18:16:14.136-07:00County Property Auctions 3/12Tuesday evening, Saratoga County is auctioning off 55 properties that they’ve seized after the parcels’ previous owners failed to pay taxes on their land for three consecutive years.<br />
<br />
That number is probably outdated by the time you’re reading this, as parcels are constantly getting pulled off the auction block.<br />
<br />
The county started with a delinquent list of 98 parcels, Edinburg Supervisor Jean Raymond told me, but that number has been basically halved as supervisors either pull parcels off the block or their owners come through with last-minute tender offers to buy their land back from the county.<br />
<br />
The Equalization and Assessment Committee, which Raymond chairs, will hold a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, which is the last chance to reclaim rights.<br />
<br />
Registration for tonight’s auction begins at 5 in the Saratoga County Facilities Building at 40 West High Street in Ballston Spa.<br />
<br />
“The important thing is buyer beware,” Raymond said of parcels being auctioned off beginning at 6 p.m. tonight. “Do your research. At the very least, drive by and look at it.”<br />
<br />
I thought that was a very peculiar thing to say, so I asked her and Charlton Supervisor Alan Grattidge, who chairs the county Law and Finance Committee, about the auction. Turns out, the county has auctioned off some bizarre properties over the years.<br />
<br />
Raymond said one individual was the high bidder for a five-acre property on U.S. Route 9. At face value, that seems like an attractive investment, so Raymond was puzzled when the buyer never followed up on the purchase. Come to find out, Raymond said, “it was a swamp.”<br />
<br />
Grattidge took it a step further.<br />
<br />
“We had the bottom of Lake Desolation on the tax rolls once,” he said with a laugh. “Some guy owns the bottom of Lake Desolation.”<br />
<br />
Sure enough, that guy is Middle Grove’s Roy Simonds, who acquired the deeds to the properties in 2009. According to county records, he owns both the <a href="http://saratoga.sdgnys.com/propdetail.aspx?swis=413400&sbl=13500000030020000000">Greenfield</a> and <a href="http://saratoga.sdgnys.com/propdetail.aspx?swis=414800&sbl=13500000010130000000">Providence</a> portions of the lake and his property is assessed at $9,400. I’d love to know the circumstances surrounding its acquisition.<br />
<br />
Does anyone know Mr. Simonds? Tell him to give me a call.<br />
<br />
The properties on Tuesday's block range in size from a .04 acre parcel on Albany Avenue in Round Lake to a 24.41 acre parcel on Male Road in Clifton Park. Most will for less than $100, Raymond said, but it’s important for people to know what they’re buying before they start bidding.<br />
<br />
You can find the list of available properties online at <a href="http://www.saratogacountyny.gov/">www.saratogacountyny.gov</a> and use the county’s online GIS map at <a href="http://www.maphost.com/saratoga">www.maphost.com/saratoga</a> to search by the parcel’s print key. Make sure to include the dots and dashes, or it won’t work.<br />
<br />
Most of the interesting stuff has already been pulled from the auction block. In some radical cases, Grattidge said, you’ll find that the parcel is a drainage ditch that has been leftover from a subdivision.<br />
<br />
“Some of these are landlocked,” Raymond said. “You can’t even get there without a helicopter.”<br />
<br />
The county’s top priority in these auctions, Raymond said, is to get the properties back on tax rolls.
The county isn’t paying taxes on the land, but the person who buys the parcels will at the county property tax rate $2.23 per $1,000 of assessed value.<br />
<br />
Raymond said the ideal way – and these are her words, not mine – to get the properties back on the tax rolls is through patching the marriage between the original owner and his or her land, but the next best thing is “a clean and clear divorce” that allows someone else to pick up the property.<br />
<br />
Divorces? Those can be tough. But there’s plenty of fish in the sea.<br />
<br />
Or, in Saratoga County’s case, at the bottom of Lake Desolation.<br />
<br />
Finally, it’s been a while since my last blog post, so I wanted to share this anecdote.<br />
<br />
There was a 40-minute gap between committee meetings today, meaning I had a chance to start scribbling some notes on how I wanted my stories to look. I’m sitting in the committee meeting room and some observers from the League of Women Voters come in and sit to my left.<br />
<br />
While one guy is flipping through the pages of one of our free Life publications, which he picked up outside the meeting hall, he took a swipe at The Saratogian, saying something along the lines of – and I’m slightly paraphrasing here – the price is too expensive for the content of the stories.<br />
<br />
Then the woman sitting next to him said – I distinctly remember this one – “You shouldn’t say that when Lucian is sitting right there.”<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-87832356804325087642012-02-20T15:57:00.000-08:002012-02-20T16:05:29.888-08:00Penn State Update 2/20A <a href="http://saratogacountyobserver.blogspot.com/2012/02/college-students-helping-kids-fight.html">couple posts back</a> I mentioned Reilley and Eddy Barringer, who were raising money locally for Pennsylvania State University's efforts to conquer childhood cancer.<br />
<br />
The final step in their year-long effort was this weekend, as thousands of Penn State students packed the school's basketball arena for a 46-hour dance marathon. I wanted to pass along a quick update.<br />
<br />
Collectively, <a href="http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2012/02/20/thon_total_tops_10_million.aspx">The Daily Collegian reports</a>, Penn State students helped raise $10,686,924.83 for childhood cancer treatment and research. That's a record high. <br />
<br />
Kathleen Barringer, Reilley and Eddy's mom, told me the kids raised just shy of $5,000 by holding a coin drop and Italian dinner earlier this month.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This was enough to put their organization's total higher than last year's and they held on to fourth place among the hundreds of Penn State organizations raising money for THON," she wrote in an e-mail.</blockquote>
Add a few hundred canning drives like that around the country and it's not too difficult to see how they got to that number.<br />
<br />
Another Penn State student newspaper, Onward State, did a neat video where they slapped a helmet cam on one of the dancers. It starts just shy of the final reveal and gives you a pretty good idea of just how excited the kids were – and what you contributed to if you donated.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GLF05JQDIx8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
Kathleen and her husband drove down to State College to be a part of THON weekend. Her e-mail popped into my inbox early this afternoon, as she and her husband were driving back.
<blockquote>"We are wiped out," Kathleen wrote, "but the weekend was beyond inspiring."</blockquote>
Until next time,<br />
<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-54680422365263633472012-02-16T16:04:00.000-08:002012-02-17T15:03:03.111-08:00Closing Time 2/16Lucian McCarty will examine what it'd actually take to change closing time in Saratoga Springs in Sunday's issue of <i>The Saratogian</i>.<br />
<br />
Believe it or not, this issue would actually come before the Board of Supervisors. They'd have to make the request to the State Liquor Authority, who makes the final decision. <br />
<br />
Be sure to pick up a copy to read Lucian's full report, but I wanted to share some comments from Saratoga County Supervisors on the subject.<br />
<br />
I asked them if they'd support closing time in Saratoga Springs if that's what changing the City Council wants to do, if the time would affect their vote, and what if closing time had to be changed county-wide.<br />
<br />
The Liquor Authority has never had a request where it's only one municipality. That's not to say it can't happen, but it's something to consider.<br />
<br />
Comments after the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b></b><br />
<b>Matthew Veitch, Saratoga Springs</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I'm undecided on that," he said. "I'd let the City Council make their decision first before I'd even consider taking a stand on it."</blockquote>Veitch also said that the time could definitely influence his vote. If bars were shut down earlier, he said, he's concerned that there may be more people who aren't necessarily done celebrating for the night. That could, in turn, cause more trouble downtown if people were to hang around.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I'd say it's something to consider when we're taking our vote," he said.</blockquote>Saratoga County's budget woes are well-documented. Is it really in a position to voluntarily give up some of it's sales tax revenue by voting to shut down the bars earlier? On the other hand, supervisors cried foul when their state legislators <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/11/17/news/doc4ec571844875a414565946.txt">nixed a home-rule proposal to raise sales tax</a>. If the county were to put down the city's request, wouldn't it be doing the same thing?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"We have to consider our situation," Veitch said. "But if the city wants to do something, is it the county's role to stop it?"</blockquote><b>Dan Lewza, Milton</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><b> </b>"If the bar owners decided that was in the best interests of what they needed to do," he said, "then yes, I would support them?"</blockquote> If the bar owners did or if the City Council did? Because those are two different things.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Yes, it is. I haven't really thought about the issue, but I will support whatever the City Council puts forth. It's their city, I think they have a right to make their recommendations. I would support that."</blockquote>Would the time influence you at all?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I don't think that would influence me in the least. Whatever they think is best for the city is what I would join in with."</blockquote> What if it had to be county-wide?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"> "It would, then, a little bit because then you're talking the whole county. That's something I don't think I would say I would support or oppose. At that point, that's something we would definitely have to look at and see what the ramifications are for leaving it at 4 a.m. and maybe for closing it at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. for the whole county -- how much that would change the revenue coming into the county."</blockquote><b> Mindy Wormuth, Halfmoon </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I'd have to talk to some business owners and residents up there," she said.</blockquote>She said she was undecided on the proposal and if the time would affect her vote, but a county-wide stipulation could influence her decision.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"Probably," she said, "but I don't think there are many bars in Halfmoon that are open that late." </blockquote> <b>Phil Barrett, Clifton Park</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><b> </b>"I have put zero thought into it," he said. "I have no idea. I think I'd like to see what their thoughts are and how they came to a conclusion. As far as I'm concerned, if they have issues they feel that can be adequately dealt with by making closing time earlier, it's something we need to talk about."</blockquote> He said a 3 a.m. closing time would be a "seemingly minor" change, but a 1 a.m. closing time would be "significant" he said he'd like to get input from business owners in Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park before making the decision, particularly if it had to be county-wide.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"> "If you start talking about 1 a.m., that's a three-hour difference," he said. "I'd want to get input from business owners first before considering a change for the entire county." </blockquote><b> Preston Jenkins, Moreau</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I see no reason not to," he said of backing the city's request. "It has no direct effect on my community. I'd recognize anything that's not unreasonable."</blockquote>He said he didn't think an earlier closing time would be a major blow to the county's sales tax revenue, as "the bulk of the sales tax revenue in the city goes to the city." Changing the closing time across the county board, however, is a different story.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"> "If it was county-wide," he said. "I'd probably have a problem. If it was a county-wide issue, I don't think I'd support it." </blockquote> <b>Alan Grattidge, Charlton</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I really don't have enough information." </blockquote><b>Jean Raymond, Edinburg</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I don't think the government should be imposing terms and conditions on private businesses." </blockquote>She also said that not everyone works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closing the bars earlier could limit the ability of some customers to patronize the bars.<br />
<br />
I didn't have a chance to talk to Joanne Yepsen on Wednesday, but I have sought comments from her. As soon as I get them, I'll update this post. <br />
<br />
I can't sign off without including a link to the song that's been stuck in my head for the past 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xGytDsqkQY8" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327467827389566195.post-70218356860050248762012-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:002012-02-16T14:55:28.286-08:00Dan Lewza Statement 2/16During Wednesday night's Town Board meeting, Milton Supervisor Dan Lewza made the following statement regarding the felony drug charge against town Highway Superintendent David Forbes and the resolution of the ongoing legal battle between Heritage Springs Sewer Works, the Boghosian Brothers and the town.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“As the supervisor, I’d like to take a moment before we begin to talk to residents about what were are trying to accomplish and how I feel is the best way to get there as quickly as we can. I have stated many times that I feel we can accomplish many great things in this town, but we can only do it together. As you will see by the agenda tonight, we have accomplished something many said could not be done, but with the help of the community we proved anything can be done. And to continue to build on that momentum, we have to assure outsiders and developers that the negativity that has surrounded the town for so long is something of the past. So the town needs to lead by example. With that in mind, I feel like I need to make clear by position concerning the events surrounding Dave Forbes. After consulting with the Town Attorney, Jim Craig, and the town’s insurance agent, I feel the best thing for the town at this moment is to let the courts have the time to do what they need to do without any interference from the town. Our insurance agent has assured me the town is in good standing to allow Dave Forbes to continue his position until the matter is cleared up legally. I have received many comments from outside officials that it looks as if the town is headed in the right direction and I feel we are. But I will not allow us to move backward. We need to continue to let outsiders know we are a united, proud community that is open for business."</blockquote><br />
Though asking Forbes to resign could be viewed a good public relations move for the town, Lewza said that the Town Board can't do anything that could potentially influence the criminal case against Forbes, which is still pending.<br />
<br />
An important thing to keep in mind here is the only way Forbes, an elected official, can be removed from office is if he A.) quits or B.) is convicted of a felony.<br />
<br />
Why's that so important?<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The special prosecutor in the case didn't return a call seeking comment, but I'm curious to see what he elects to do as far as a plea deal goes.<br />
<br />
If the charge gets dropped to a misdemeanor, Forbes could -- conceivably -- take the plea bargain and keep his job, especially if all he has to wind up doing is paying a fine.<br />
<br />
Is that an option? Is he interested in doing that? I don't know. His lawyer didn't return a call seeking comment and Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III isn't prosecuting the case.<br />
<br />
If the special prosecutor doesn't offer anything less than a felony as part of the plea, however, things get interesting. <br />
<br />
We'll have to see how this progresses. I'll keep trying to get a hold of the special prosecutor and Forbes' attorney.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
MCCaitlin Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00857416044838317925noreply@blogger.com0