School board member party photos draw interest from police, DMV fees going up, Albany FreeNet expanding, cutbacks come to David Paterson's face
The Schenectady County DA says police will be looking into photos (originally posted on Facebook) that show a Schenectady school board member and his wife -- who's a teacher -- drinking from a Jagermeister luge and doing a keg stand at their son's high school graduation party. [TU] [WTEN] [Daily Gazette $]
DMV fees go up today -- the cost of renewing a driver's license is going up $14.50. Next year, car registrations will require a new license plate ($25) -- and keeping the same license number will cost an extra $20. Jim Tedisco called the higher fees a tax increase. Rensselaer County's clerk said the state legislature is treating the DMV like "a cash cow." [TU] [Saratogian] [WNYT] [CapNews9]
David Paterson and other state officials were at a middle school in Albany yesterday to raise awareness about prep for flu season. Officials say the recently emerged H1N1 flu is likely to flare up in schools. Local school districts and colleges say they're getting the word out about preventive measures to parents and students. [CapNews9] [Fox23] [TU]
A state comptroller's report indicates that county sales tax receipts in the Capital Region are down more than six percent this year. In Saratoga County, which the report indicates is down 12 percent, officials said the numbers seemed off the mark. [NYS Comptroller] [Saratogian]
Saratoga Springs' finance commissioner says the city could be facing a budget gap as big as $4.5 million because of lower sales tax revenue and the lack of VLT money from the state. That's about 12 percent of the total budget. [Saratogian]
HVCC has record enrollment this year -- about 13,000 students. One complication: it only has about 3,600 parking spots. [WTEN] [Troy Record]
Tech Valley Communications says it will be expanding coverage for Albany FreeNet, the city's constellation of free wi-fi points. It's also removing the one-hour/day limit on use of the system. [CapNews9] [TU]
Parents in Scotia are upset that the village has barred cars from driving on the street in front of an elementary school during drop-off and pick-up times on school days -- and the school district has gone to court in attempt to block the law. [CBS6]
SPAC says attendance for the Philadelphia Orchestra was up significantly compared to last year -- but was still down slightly from two years ago. [Post-Star]
Lydia Kulbida is coming back to local TV. She'll co-anchoring a new 4 pm newscast on WTEN that starts September 21. [AOA] [WTEN]
David Paterson is now rocking a more clean-shaven look. He attributed his new beardless face to "cutbacks." [AP/Troy Record] [PolitickerNY]
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>>The Schenectady County DA says police will be looking into photos (originally posted on Facebook) that show a Schenectady school board member and his wife......
oh jesus christ. you know what's more disturbing in the world of education? (and will actually HAVE an impact on children?) -- reading rainbow getting cancelled.
"funding is partially to blame, but the decision to end Reading Rainbow can also be traced to a shift in the philosophy of educational television programming. The change started with the Department of Education under the Bush administration, which wanted to see a much heavier focus on the basic tools of reading — like phonics and spelling."
i WORK as an elementary school reading teacher, and i can tell you that there is something very, very wrong going on here.
... said Kim D. on Sep 1, 2009 at 10:16 AM | link
With a firebug loose around Schaghticoke, we needed some good news:
http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/08/31/news/doc4a9b420b0ccf2694770449.txt
That's change you can believe in. FIRST BABY
... said Jeff Stannard on Sep 1, 2009 at 10:35 AM | link
Gotta love the gov's reasoning: "We are in a recession." If that were actually true and not a political excuse, then the fees would be repealed as soon as the recession is over.
Don't hold your breath.
... said Jon (was) in Michigan on Sep 1, 2009 at 11:21 AM | link
What do you do when the people are hurting in your state? Kick 'em where it counts. That'll learn 'em.
(sorry for the grammar, Reading Rainbow lost funding, you know)
... said James on Sep 1, 2009 at 11:36 AM | link
The hike in DMV fees doesn't bother me, but the BS with EVERYBODY having to get new plates is utterly stupid. I'd gladly just send them the $25 to avoid the hassle of dealing with the DMV an extra time. Really, just take it directly out of my paycheck. And an extra $20 for people to keep the same plates they already have? That just strikes me as unnecessary.
The day I'm on the same side of an issue as Jim Tedisco is a dark day indeed for NYS.
... said Slacker on Sep 1, 2009 at 11:46 AM | link