Stratton talks with Cuomo about getting rid of police force, father charged after whupping, Sundwall off the ballot, CDTA packs 'em in
Brian Stratton met with Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday about the idea of dissolving the Schenectady's troubled police force. Stratton says the AG "wants to help in every way possible." He says one of the options they discussed was the creation of a countywide police force. (Cuomo has lately been pushing for municipalities to consolidate services.) [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Fox23]
The Albany police detective accused of driving drunk through Albany and Bethlehem in January has been indicted on charges of drunken driving and reckless driving. [TU]
Albany schools superintendent Eva Joseph announced yesterday that she's retiring -- she had more than a year left on her contract. [TU]
Albany's city treasurer, Betty Barnette, says the common council's investigation of the ghost ticket scandal is a "witch hunt." Barnette is scheduled to testify before the council next week. [TU]
A Schenectady father has been charged with felony assault after he, in his own words, "whupped" his serially misbehaving 13-year-old son. The father says he "tried the Dr. Phil method," but when that didn't work he "flashed back to old school." [Daily Gazette]
The Three Men in the Room have a reportedly reached an agreement on reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The new laws would give judges the authority to send first time offenders to treatment instead of jail. [NYT]
The state Board of Elections rejected Libertarian candidate Eric Sundwall's bid for a spot on the ballot in the 20th Congressional District special election. Many of Sundwall's signatures were rejected because signers identified themselves using their mailing address, not the town where they vote. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Owens Corning in Selkirk furloughed 60 workers this week, bringing its furlough total for the year to 100. [TU]
The proposed budget for the Ballston Spa Central School District includes 27 job cuts. [CapNews9]
One of Troy highest-paid cops has pleaded guilty to harassment. [Troy Record]
Saratoga Springs' South Side Recreation Center projected cleared two hurdles yesterday. The project still can't move forward because of an order from the state Department of Labor. [Saratogian]
The good news for CDTA: ridership keeps increasing. The bad news: it can't find the money to add more capacity. [Daily Gazette]
The Sage Colleges new president, Susan Scrimshaw, has a Ph.D in anthropology from Columbia (where she studied under Margaret Mead) and says that administration is applied anthropology. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record]
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Comments
My mom used to whack me with wooden spoons and fly swatters, and you know what? I deserved it every time. Would I call her abusive? Certainly not.
I know it's a tough issue, but when I read the article highlighting his behavior, I was horrified. Perhaps we are too soft on kids these days...
... said Summer on Mar 26, 2009 at 10:51 AM | link
Yep, when your kid is hitting people, you should absolutely show them how wrong that is by hitting them. Next: explain that drug use is bad by getting them high and that arson is a terrible thing by setting them on fire.
... said B on Mar 26, 2009 at 12:19 PM | link
I used to get the wooden spoon too, when I deserved it. Never hard enough to get a welt, so maybe this was excessive - but then again I never beat up girls or stole from teachers.
... said Paul on Mar 26, 2009 at 12:23 PM | link
It's about time the Rockefeller Drug Laws were changed. Imprisoning first-time offenders is in no way a deterrent but a great way to waste time, money and resources.
... said Katherine on Mar 26, 2009 at 12:41 PM | link
I can see both sides of the corporal punishment thing. It does seem counter-intuitive to think that using violence will scare kids away from violence, especially if they are teenagers, with a personality already somewhat developed. But then I hear all the people who say things like Paul and Summer. And it does seem like this generation of kids is the brattiest yet. I wonder if that's because they don't get enough violence or something else. Like constant media exposure/consumerism, the dichotomy between neglectful parents and helicopter moms, and the constant diet of fear on the airwaves.
... said Lucy on Mar 26, 2009 at 1:13 PM | link
The other problem, is that these days you can't give your kid a whack without them threatening to call the cops on you. It's as if the parents no longer control the situation. The "Dog Whisperer" episode of South Park comes to mind. Haha...
I in no way want to come off sounding like I condone the excessive whipping, beating or any other severe form of punishment for kids. And perhaps this particular guy WAS excessive. But man, if I had a kid that rotten...well, I don't know what I would do.
... said Summer on Mar 26, 2009 at 1:48 PM | link
And it does seem like this generation of kids is the brattiest yet.
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they allow disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children now are tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.â€
-Socrates
... said B on Mar 26, 2009 at 2:08 PM | link
Every time I read "Three Men in the Room" somewhere, I think of "Three Men in a Boat", which, if you've read it, you know is pretty much the same difference.
... said Glenna on Mar 26, 2009 at 2:39 PM | link
I was spanked (and occasionally hit with a belt - but never very hard, mostly just to scare me) as a kid and I think I'm better off for it.
... said Cecelia on Mar 26, 2009 at 3:07 PM | link
Yeah, people need to learn where they actually live and stop using their postal addresses. Stop being retards.
... said Horeasfd on Mar 26, 2009 at 6:29 PM | link
@B:
"They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
Crossing legs and talking before company just can't compare with stabbing girls with pencils and robbing teachers.
... said Lucy on Mar 26, 2009 at 10:08 PM | link
Lucy, the point is way over there, if you hurry you might be able to catch it.
... said B on Mar 27, 2009 at 12:41 AM | link