State flu shot mandate cancelled, charges over ESP man cave, Paterson says Obama Admin cost state $1 billion, a big year for lady bugs

The state Department of Health has rescinded the flu shot mandate for health care workers. The DOH says there isn't enough vaccine to go around and the state would rather see the vax go to at-risk populations (young people, pregnant women). The Paterson Administration said the move was not related to the group of lawsuits filed over the mandate. [TU] [NYT] [NYDN]

The two men accused of being involved with the alleged "man cave" in the ESP have been hit with a bunch of charges that make the cave sound like some sort of stoner's paradise. Both men have pleaded not guilty. The attorney for one of the men said they were "shocked" to face charges over the cave "when there was actually a more publicized and egregious waste of tax money last spring as our state Senate sat around proud doing nothing while Rome burned." [Daily Politics] [AP/Troy Record] [TU]

A special meeting of the Troy city council turned into a bit of display as Democrats refused to show up and people ended up yelling at each other in front of TV cameras. Harry Tutunjian had called the meeting in an attempt to suspend three Democratic appointees accused of being involved with recent case of alleged voter fraud. [Troy Record] [TU]

Two alternate jurors from the Adrian Thomas trial say they would have voted "not guilty." [Fox23]

David Paterson said yesterday that the Obama Administration's efforts to limit bonus pay on Wall Street will cost the state $1 billion in tax revenue. [NYO]

David Paterson again vowed to put same-sex marriage legislation on the agenda for the upcoming special legislative session. [Daily Politics]

It sounds like the campaigning has already started in New York's 20th Congressional District (Scott Murphy) -- Republicans are arguing that stimulus money hasn't helped create or save jobs in the district. [NYO]

"Friends" of George Pataki say he's leaning against challenging Kirsten Gillibrand for the US Senate. [Daily Politics]

The St. Lawrence county clerk is leading a campaign to stop the state's plan to require everyone to buy new license plates next year. [AP/CBS6]

A Schenectady city employee has been charged with skimming money from fees paid for licenses. She's accused of taking more than $3k. [TU] [CapNews9]

The two candidates running for Colonie town supervisor don't agree on what's actually happening with the town budget. [TU]

The two candidates for mayor of Saratoga Springs met in what was apparently a heated candidates' forum. One of the big issues: the in-construction South Side Recreation Center. The Saratogian has long quotes from each candidate. [Daily Gazette $] [Post-Star] [Saratogian]

The new head of the effort to redevelop the Harriman State Office Campus in Albany said there are plans to make the site a "live, work, play" area. [TU]

The Bethlehem school district has decided not to install cell towers at two of its elementary schools. [TU]

That huge fire in North Greenbush Thursday was a $1.7 million not-yet-fully-constructed house. [TU]

Clifton Park has signed on to buy water from the new Saratoga County water line. [Saratogian]

Albany police say there's a peeping tom wandering the Delaware Ave and Pine Hills neighborhoods. [Troy Record] [CapNews9]

The EPA says about 280,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will have been dredged by this weekend when the first phase of the Hudson River PCB dredging project wraps. [Post-Star]

It looks like the condo market in Saratoga has slowed. [Post-Star]

A pilot program using cameras that read license plates found 20 people illegally passing school buses in Bethlehem during a 40 day period this past spring. [WTEN]

RPI is getting $16.75 million from the military for research into social and cognitive networks. [AP/CBS6] [RPInsider]

The State Museum recently got a 9-foot mastodon tusk from Orange County. [TU]

Apparently this was a big year for lady bugs in the Capital Region. [WTEN]

Comments

Re: the peeping tom: a friend of mine discovered a man looking (and...um...doing other things) into her window when she lived over on Park Ave in Pine Hills. This was about three years ago...I wonder if its the same guy.

@Summer- my old roommate and I had the same issue last summer near St. Peter's.

@jess: I just asked her, and he fits the description. She went on to add that he looked either stocky or pudgy, but she couldn't really tell because it was dark. He was quite obviously pleasuring himself, but none of the other stories mention that. The other REALLY creepy thing; this guy actually knocked on her window to get her attention.

I think our guy was a little younger. He knocked on our back door to get our attention and was definitely, uh, doing something, uh, down there.

Those man cave guys sound like they're awesome to hang out with.

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