Bruno speaks out about case, dog found duct-taped and bagged, another student mugging in Pine Hills, Albany High production prompted by protests
Joe Bruno called into Talk 1300 yesterday to complain about the federal case against him. During the segment, Bruno said of the federal investigation of him: "I wasn't a terrorist.... I never abused the public trust that people put in me. I never, never used politics to make money. I just didn't do that." Bruno's comments may not go over well with the judge presiding of his case, who has warned both sides in the trial about speaking outside of court -- and just the day before said scolded them in court: "This is not an election campaign." [NYDN] [TU] [TU] [NYT]
About Gary Sharpe, the judge in the Bruno trial: An op-ed in the Troy Record this past weekend questioned whether the judge had a conflict of interest because his son works as a prosecutor in the Albany US Attorney's office -- the same office that's prosecuting Bruno. The head of that office told the NYDN yesterday that Sharpe's son has had no involvement with the case. [Troy Record] [NYDN]
David Paterson said he will pull the $25 fee for the new "EmpireGold" license plates -- if someone can come up with a way to replace the $129 million the fee is projected to contribute to the state budget. [NY Post]
The Paterson Administration projects that increases in the fee that retailers pay to be sellers of tobacco products will reduce the number of tobacco retail outlets by 40 percent. [TU]
A group of hunters in Saratoga County say they found a dog wrapped in duct tape and stuffed in a garbage bag. [WNYT]
Albany police say a St. Rose student was mugged at State and Ontario in Pine Hills Tuesday night (map). It's the second student mugging in that area during the last week. The APD is urging students to walk in groups. [Troy Record] [TU] [Fox23]
The APD says there's been a string of burglaries in Pine Hills. [Fox23]
Two studies -- one by the state, the other from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health -- will be looking into whether emissions of the LaFarge cement plant in Ravena have affected the health of people living nearby. [TU]
The Army has not yet released the body of Amy Seyboth Tirador, the Colonie soldier killed recently in Iraq. The military has said it's still investigating the circumstances of her death. [CBS6]
Chuck Schumer says there are about 8,600 homeless veterans in upstate New York. [AP/WNYT]
A study of water samples from the local section of the Hudson River and nearby tributaries indicates that bacterial counts exceed state limits during wet weather, probably because of sewage overflow from surrounding municipalities. [Troy Record]
The Saratoga County sheriff says a further search of wooded area where Jennifer Hammond's remains were found has turned up nothing related to the case. [CapNews9]
A Schenectady resident has been told his FOIL request for an electronic version of the city's codes was rejected for copyright reasons. [TU]
The new branch locations of the Albany Public Library will be open for more hours per week -- but those hours will be spread over six days instead of five. [TU]
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will be adding 50 jobs to its Rensselaer plant after it signed a $1 billion deal with pharma giant Sanofi-Aventis. [Fox23] [NYT]
Albany High's drama teacher says the school's production of The Laramie Project was prompted by the Westboro Baptist Church protests earlier this year. Performances start next week. [TU] [WNYT]
The Schenectady Armory will go up for auction next Tuesday. The Glens Falls Armory recently failed to sell at auction. [Daily Gazette $] [Saratogian]
Jon Bon Jovi will be playing Andrew Cuomo's upcoming birthday party/fundraiser. [NYO]
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Comments
Can I just pay the State/DMV/etc. the $25 not to get those ugly looking 'new' plates? That would save/keep more money since you'd just be giving $25, which wouldn't have to cover the costs of making and distributing the new ones.
And BTW Paterson, if you could arrange for Hello Kitty on license plate backgrounds, I would totally pay another $25 for that.
... said Albany Jane on Nov 12, 2009 at 10:53 AM | link
Patterson's response is essentially a ransom demand. Create a fictitious need for new plates, show a potential income source from it, and then demand that the only way to avoid the "plate penalty" is to come up with the money another way.
Pssst, David, that money wasn't yours to begin with.
... said Jon (was) in Michigan on Nov 12, 2009 at 11:30 AM | link
The hunter from the duct-taped dog article: "describes himself as an animal lover". Hmph. Loves to pet them...and eat them?
... said Meagan on Nov 12, 2009 at 12:25 PM | link
I am stunned by the beagle story. I just can't believe people can do such things. Thank goodness the pup is OK. Poor baby.
The mugging in Pine Hills is also sick. Who punches a 19 year old girl in the face after she gives you what you want? You know, assuming you're not Mike Tyson.
... said Summer on Nov 12, 2009 at 1:21 PM | link
here here @Albany Jane and @Jon!
Just how many cars are there in NYS?
There are currently 12 million registered vehicles in New York State
12,000,000 * $25 = $300,000,000 (money collected from this scam)
$300,000,000 - $129,000,000 = $171,000,000 (Money spent on this scam)
Those are the state's projected numbers. The actual cost may be higher.
Keep the plates! Charge the $25 per car. Make NYS $300 million.
Problem is, you can't do this every year. So next year you will have to face the actual problem and cut the bloated state government.
... said Mr Fancy Pants on Nov 12, 2009 at 2:22 PM | link
Gotta love/be proud of Albany High...turning hate-mongering into consciousness-raising.
Remember these are adolescents. Somebody is doing something very right here.
... said KM on Nov 12, 2009 at 3:52 PM | link
I agree with the above (re: plates). The funny was "if he could find someone to fill the $129 million budget gap." How much did Bloomberg pay for his campaign advertising? Maybe he'll ante up, since, apparently, this deficit is going to hit NYC hard. Interesting that most of the city takes metro transit. *shrug*
... said Kari on Nov 12, 2009 at 4:15 PM | link
If Albany Jane gets 'her' face on her license plates - can the rest of us non-cartoon-faced residents get ours too?
... said the_exile on Nov 13, 2009 at 2:49 PM | link