All Over Albany

Reaction to furlough block, Jack McEneny leads Trojan Horse of a tour, dog torturer gets two years, Kayaderosseras has rock snot

A spokesman for the Paterson administration said it's "disappointed" with the decision by a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order against the state worker furloughs (the decision allows temporarily blocks the admin from holding back the scheduled four percent raises). The unions were chuffed -- and asserted the furloughs would be permanently blocked after a hearing this month. [Paterson admin] [AP/Post-Star] [CSEA] [PEF] [UUP]

After the restraining order, Paterson told reporters it was "unfortunate" that for the moment "the state work force will not be making any sacrifice in our deficit-reduction plan." He also asserted that everybody would eventually participate in the plan -- "Because if these individuals are frustrated now, they have no idea how angry and anxious they'll be if the state runs out of money and you start having first-come-first-serve payments and difficulties all over the place." Paterson wouldn't address Richard Ravitch's earlier claim that layoffs could be ahead. [NYT] [TU CapCon] [TU]

Adding even more drama (or comedy) to yesterday afternoon at the Capitol, a group of Assembly members led by Jack McEneny staged a sit-in in Paterson's office. Said sitter Tim Gordon of Paterson: "He's not engaged. He likes to talk on the television and the radio, but he won't talk to the Assembly." Paterson later tried to put the blame back on the legislature. McEneny called the impromptu meeting with Paterson "cordial" and "productive." So how did McEneny get the group of Assembly members into Paterson's office? He acted like he was giving them a tour. [Daily Politics] [Daily Politics] [State of Politics] [Fox23] [State of Politics]

Almost all of Thacher Park will soon be closed to the public. [TU]

Schenectady police say they've arrested another suspect for March's fatal double shooting on Hulett Street. The 17-year-old is accused of shooting his cousin. [Fox23] [TU]

The Schenectady man who admitted to killing two dogs and torturing another was sentenced to two years in prison. [Daily Gazette $]

The fate of the bonding for the Albany landfill expansion is still unclear. [TU]

Albany County comptroller Mike Conners is criticizing the management of the county nursing home. [TU]

A coalition of state and federal agencies is lining up against GE's proposals for the next stage of the Hudson River PCB dredging project. [Post-Star]

The head of the Troy Downtown Business Collaborative on the new Troy parking meters: "Hopefully the meters will lead to a better turnover [of parking spots]." [Troy Record]

The City of Albany is highlighting a property tax abatement program for residential units created from non-residential buildings at the 17 Chapel development. * [TU]

HVCC announced that it's expanding its nursing program with the help of a local health plan. The college says its nursing program is getting many more applications than it has spots (almost 4-1). [Troy Record] [WTEN]

The Cohoes police chief, reacting to a string of accidents at intersections: "People do not seem to obey traffic lights." [Troy Record]

The saga of the zoning for the South Broadway McDonald's in Saratoga is nearing an end. [Saratogian]

SPAC says ticket service charges for its classical performances will be down 40 percent this year because of its new in-house ticketing system. Kids 12-and-under will also get free lawn seats for the classical performances (with a few exceptions). ** [TU] [Saratogian]

Rick Lazio told the Daily News editorial board that Andrew Cuomo has "the personality of Eliot Spitzer." [NYDN]

The DEC reports that invasive "rock snot" has been found in the Kayaderosseras Creek. The algae hurt trout populations because it disrupts the base of the food web in creeks. The DEC says the invasive probably tagged along on the equipment of anglers. [DEC] [TU] [Post-Star]

Former TV anchor Tracey Egan is now heading up a horse breeders organization. [Saratogian]

A local former Saturn dealership has found a way to stay in business. [YNN]

A dress shop in Saratoga keeps a book that tracks which prom dresses it sells to students of which schools so that no two girls will show up at the prom with the same dress from the store. [Daily Gazette $]

* 17 Chapel advertises on AOA
** SPAC advertises on AOA