Local governments line up stimulus projects, sniping in the Governor's office, DA says 40-year-old case will be hard to prosecute, group trying to raise money for cat's heart surgery
Local governments have quite the wish list lined up for the federal stimulus money that could be on they way. The cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy combined have more than $600 million of proposed projects. On the list: a new city hall for Troy, money for the Albany convention center, and a new rail line connecting Schenectady and Albany. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
As Kirsten Gillibrand becomes more of a "Democratic team player" in the Senate, constituents around Saratoga say they feel betrayed. [Newsday] [NYT]
The state worker unions have been meeting with the Department of Civil Service to discuss procedures for layoffs. There has been no official word that mass layoffs are in the works. [TU]
The chatter around the Capitol: David Paterson's staff is incompetent, fighting with itself over stuff like office space.
Malcolm Smith, the state Senate majority leader, indicated this weekend that same-sex marriage would probably not become law in New York this year. [NYT]
James Murphy, the Saratoga County DA, says that people with knowledge of the alleged 40-year-old murder of David Bacon came forward with info after they "couldn't bear the burden anymore." He also said the man accused of the murder, Nelson Costello, was in the Capital Region last week to influence witnesses. Murphy says the once-cold case won't be easy to prosecute and it will "be a rollercoaster ride for me and my office." [Daily Gazette] [TU] [Saratogian]
State legislators say they're looking into the story of the state worker who says he's been getting paid $94k a year to do nothing. [TU]
There's been a rash of robberies in Troy over the last few days. [Troy Record]
GE's alternative energy division is growing -- and it plans to add 500 jobs in Schenectady by 2011. [TU]
CDTA will be getting 20 more hybrid diesel electric buses in May, making 25 percent of its fleet hybrids. The hybrid buses are about 47 percent more fuel efficient than a regular bus. [Daily Gazette]
OTB wants the state to allow it to take bets on Palm Sunday. [Daily Gazette]
The Schenectady Greenmarket, which opened in November, has been drawing big enough crowds that other businesses in downtown Schenectady have expanded their Sunday hours. [Daily Gazette]
An animal group is trying to raise $2,700 so a cat can have heart surgery. [TU]
A Welsh Corgi from Glenmont will be competing in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden today. Champion Benever's Winter Wonderland is known among friends as Teddy Spaghetti. [TU]
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Comments
Re: $2,700 cat heart surgery
As a fellow animal lover who has rescued several animals and donated money to several groups, it angers me that almost 3 grand is being raised to save one cat. You know how many other perfectly healthy animals could be helped with that kind of money, especially given these tough economic times? This cat better be some sort of miracle cat with golden whiskers who can conduct symphonies with it's tail or something. Just sayin.
... said Pantaloons on Feb 9, 2009 at 10:49 AM | link
Maybe if they don't raise all the money for the one cat then the money they were able to raise would go to the other cats...
... said Katherine on Feb 9, 2009 at 11:10 AM | link
I have to say, the amount of money seems high for just one animal. And yes, they could use the money for many animals instead of just one.
But on the other hand, it will make a big difference to that one cat. Without that surgery, the cat won't live past a year.
I guess it is a question of whether we save one or many. Either way we are talking about having to choose which lives to save.
... said Pallagia on Feb 9, 2009 at 11:25 AM | link
Is would seem that Senator Corning is proving to be a typical politician after all: do what ever is needed to get elected. What happened to people with integrity and principles?
... said hrgreen on Feb 9, 2009 at 11:27 AM | link
As an animal lover, I'm usually the first to give kudos to people that help the sick strays....but how many uninsured children in the capital region could benefit from $2700 to have, say, a visit to the dentist? I think a child with a good quality of life is more likely to grow up to conduct a symphony than this cat.
... said Madeline on Feb 9, 2009 at 11:50 AM | link
Why doesn't the vet do the surgery for free? I know they can't provide free services all the time or they couldn't run their business but here is a whole campaign to raise money (with a newspaper article) for one cat. I've got to agree with Pantaloons--I volunteered for years at the Humane Society in Menands and healthy cats are put down regularly because of the lack of resources. The public gets all gooey over the fate of one cat who got some media attention, but they don't support their animal shelter.
... said chrisck on Feb 9, 2009 at 11:54 AM | link
"No Cat Left Behind"
... said chrisck on Feb 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM | link
Pallagia, yes it's a choice. And the choice between saving just one animal or saving many seems like a no-brainer. I'm not technically an accountant or financial planner, but when you're asking for donations in order to afford the basics (compounded by a horrible economy), it might not seem like the smartest move to drop 3 grand on heart surgery for one cat. And really, I'm not picking on this individual case. I've seen several local cases of epic priority fail.
... said Pantaloons on Feb 9, 2009 at 12:11 PM | link
Three grand would pay for a heck of a lot of spays and neuters, and then there wouldn't be as many healthy cats being put down. I'm sure it's a very nice cat, but there are so many other nice cats out there that don't require that kind of money to stay alive.
... said Amy on Feb 9, 2009 at 12:33 PM | link
Aw, have a little "heart" (pun intended, harhar). I think it's sweet that people are actually trying to save the animal, instead of just putting it down. Plus, I'm sure any surplus raised would go toward helping other critters. Would you say the same about a child who needed surgery for a cleft palate, when the money raised could feed 100 other hungry children?
OK, bad analogy, but still...
... said Irina on Feb 9, 2009 at 2:51 PM | link
Everyone has a point, though I must say the softy in me is pleased that they're trying to give the little guy a shot. Besides, people can do whatever they want with their money. If they decide to donate $20 or whatever towards this cat's cause, who are we to stop them? This doesn't happen very often; my husband used to work at an animal hospital and after a while I forbade him to come home with more sad stories, so it's good to hear a nicer story for a change.
... said Summer on Feb 9, 2009 at 3:06 PM | link
Let's see... 9 lives x $3,000 = $27,000. Thats a purfectly cat-aclismic catastrophe. You could really run up quite a tabby.
... said Barold on Feb 9, 2009 at 3:15 PM | link
I have a fabulous dog who had upwards of $600 of emergency medical work done while she was at the shelter, and I can't thank them enough for taking care of her. Yet at the same time, her adoption fee was $20. Granted that's not thousands of dollars, but it's still a huge difference, and I do wonder who or what might've been cast aside to pay for it. I'm with chrisck on this one-- I'd LOVE to see the vet do the surgery pro bono, and milk the publicity he'd get for it like there's no tomorrow.
... said 23-Hour Alice Person on Feb 9, 2009 at 3:28 PM | link
I think we need to keep proper perspective and not compare animals needs with childrens needs. If your child needed surgery, that's a different situation than, say, a dog who needs dialysis in order to live. So, lets keep apples with apples and oranges with oranges (unless we're talking about the Mayor, in which case we need to keep oranges with oranges and away from skin tone).
... said Pantaloons on Feb 9, 2009 at 3:37 PM | link
Pantaloons, that's not funny
... said Lu on Feb 9, 2009 at 10:19 PM | link
Lu, more specific plz k thx
... said Pantaloons on Feb 10, 2009 at 9:08 AM | link
I gladly gave $25 to help the kitten. One's treatment of animals mirrors their treatment of humanity. The life of a dog or a cat or a moose or a cow is worth as much as a human life. Go veg.
Though clearly the vet should be giving a large discount in exchange for publicity.
... said beaverstreetjugband on Feb 10, 2009 at 12:20 PM | link
I thought the orange mayor comment was kind of funny... whenever I see him on TV I refer to him as "Duck L'orange"... also prob not funny to Lu and others, but I get a kick out of it...
... said Kiki on Feb 10, 2009 at 3:09 PM | link
An update on the much discussed kitty:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1578001794/bctid16390485001
:)
... said Summer on Mar 13, 2009 at 1:42 PM | link