Special election candidates fight over what's pork, SPAC director's salary in spotlight, man accused of threatening garbagmen with cleaver, new job for McNulty

The two major party candidates for the 20th Congressional District, Jim Tedisco and Scott Murphy, went back and forth at each other yesterday over the federal stimulus bill. The super condensed version -- Tedisco: it's pork; Murphy: no, it's not. Tedisco, who said this week that he would not have voted for the stimulus bill, also said he would have voted for it -- if he could have amended it. [CapNews9] [Troy Record]

Schenectady mayor Brian Stratton says he wants to fire five of the city's cops. The city hasn't successfully fired a cop since 1982. [Daily Gazette]

Organizers of the Dalai Lama's visit to Albany say the event will "change the face of Albany if the population of Albany embraces it and gets excited about and really understands the fortitude of something like this coming to this city..." The organizers of the visit are connected to a Clifton Park management training program that's been accused of being a cult. [TU]

Steven Raucci, the Schenectady School District employee accused of arson and terrorism, has filed an application for retirement. He's currently on suspension without pay. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

The salary for Marcia White, SPAC's executive director, is catching criticism after a survey revealed that the leaders of other local arts organization make much less. White was paid $244,865 in 2006. [Daily Gazette]

UAlbany's state funding will probably be cut $11 million (13 percent) this fiscal year. [TU]

Friends of Craig Vosburgh, whose father is accused of murdering him, say it was no secret that he and his dad fought a lot. His stepfather says he urged the teen to move out of the father's house because the father was troubled. [CapNews9] [TU]

The Shen School District's proposed budget would cut 46 positions -- 19 of which could be teaching positions. The districts says the cuts will help it meet necessary a budget cut of $6.7 million over the next year and a half. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [SCSD]

The Saratoga Springs City School District's proposed budget would cut 15 positions. [Saratogian]

Five of 16 schools in the Albany School District are listed as needing improvement by the state Education Department. Schools in Schenectady were also on the list. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Saratoga Springs mayor Scott Johnson says he's organizing a lobbying effort to push state leaders to get a contract in place for VLTs at Aqueduct. Why? Because NYRA, which runs the Saratoga Race Course, was counting on that money to prop up its operations. [Saratogian] [Post-Star]

Troy police say DPW workers said they were threatened by a man with a meat cleaver as they tried to trash the man's old, falling apart trash can. The guy didn't get his trash can back. [Troy Record] [TU]

Mike McNulty has a new job. The former Congressman is now working as a "senior business advisor" for a lobbying firm and a law firm. He also has plans to watch more Yankees games. [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record]

A church in Berne has saved itself from bankruptcy by leasing its bell tower as a cell phone tower. [TU]

Comments

You'll pry this garbage can from my cold, dead hands!

The schools losing money and therefore cutting teaching positions is horrifying. I'm sure the incredibly powerful teacher's union will fight the cuts tooth and talon but the threat is heartbreaking. Our schools are already understaffed! The students are the ones who will really suffer and that's a shame.

I was excited for the Dalai Lama's visit and planned to go until I found out that even the cheap tickets are over $50.

What, no mention of Phish at SPAC?

It'll be the show of the summer!

That Raucci makes Groundskeeper Willie seem like Mother Theresa!

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