All Over Albany

Focus forming around property tax cap, senators squabble over seating arrangements, cable rates increasings, that's a lot of laundry

Yep, it's still cold. But today's high is forecasted to be in the upper 20s (heat wave). And there's a chance of snow. [NWS]

The various actors at the Capitol now appear to be pointed in the direction of a property tax cap -- and the push back is now focused on getting a "circuit breaker" provision (ties a property tax rebate to income) and stronger rent control. Andrew Cuomo said yesterday he's not on board with a circuit breaker. [YNN] [TU] [State of Politics]

The big drama at the Capitol yesterday: the seating arrangement in the state Senate. [State of Politics]

A study of a potential consolidation of police services in Schenectady County concludes that the various agencies are not willing to merge -- but they are open to sharing some administrative services, which could save the City of Schenectady as much as $560k/year. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Fox23]

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The ethical dilemmas of Groundhog Day

Could be fun/interesting: the Arts Center of the Capital Region has a one-night film class coming up next Monday on the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. From the description of the class series:

Join Dr. Stan Yake for a new series of classes about film at The Arts Center. Experience great stories, new insights, fun discussion, and joyful visions! This class will use a variety of popular films to explore human relations, self-discovery, moral issues, and ethical dilemmas in political, cultural and religious contexts. The class will include viewing of the film, followed by commentary by Dr. Yake, and a group discussion. Reading material about the films will be provided in advance.

Other films in the series include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Wall Street -- you can sign up for just one class, multiple classes, or the whole series.

The cost for one class is $12 for non-members ($10 for members). The class runs from 6:30-9:30 pm.

Places to try cross country skiing

Look down. Look up. You're on skis.

The snow just keeps coming, and it's still only January.

We've got a lot of winter ahead of us, which means there's plenty of time to learn a new hobby. Maybe you'd like to try a little cross country (aka Nordic) skiing?

If you recently read the post on Lapland Lake, you're probably tempted to go. I have several friends who insist that it's their absolute favorite cross country skiing destination. But if you're a complete novice who'd like to test the snow drifts a little closer to home, you have options...

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Sharing the love: local Etsy valentines

Not to alarm you, but Valentine's Day is less than three weeks away.

Sure, you could grab a card at the grocery store on February 13th. But with a bit of planning ahead, you can find your Exceptional Someone an Exceptional Card from a local artist.

Etsy, the online marketplace for vintage and handcrafted goods, is my favorite place to buy greeting cards: they're original, unusual, fresh. They can be little works of art.

Here are some fun valentines from local card makers on Etsy...

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Don't feed the bears

Once just a bad idea, feeding bears in New York State is now against the law. From the DEC:

Specifically, the regulation bans intentional feeding of black bears, and, after previous written notice from DEC, also prohibits incidental or indirect feeding of black bears through food attractants such as garbage, refuse or bird seed. The regulation grants DEC the authority to require removal of these and other food attractants when bears become problematic.

The DEC reported last year that bear populations in the state are growing. And every year a few wander into parts of the Capital Region where you wouldn't necessarily expect them (hello, Troy and Delmar).

Feeding the bears -- or any wild animal -- sets up everyone up for problems. As Roland Kays, the curator of mammals at the State Museum, told us a few years back:

The other thing that can drive populations really high is feeding the animals. It's really important that people appreciate the animals and the rare glimpses they get, but not feed them because that causes numerous problems. You know, if you have a coyote that's used to coming into a backyard looking for food, then maybe it goes into your neighbor's backyard and they have a one-year-old kid or a dog or cat and you potentially have a problem. That hasn't been a big problem here, but it has in other regions with coyotes.

So please don't feed the animals. You're causing problems for all your neighbors. And by trying to help the animal, you could end up getting it killed. What happens is that a bear becomes a nuisance and it gets shot. And the person whose fault that was was the person who started feeding it.

And keep an eye on those picnic baskets -- we understand the smarter-than-average bears have a keen interest in them.

photo: Flickr user peupleloup

A tour of the Casa Visco factory

When people think of eating locally, they often picture farmers' markets and road-side stands, but there's this whole other world of regional fare: local manufacturers of food.

Casa Visco is family-run tomato sauce company in Schenectady. Carmella and Joseph Viscusi, Sr. started the company as a small wholesale grocery in 1945. The first sauce "factory" was in their basement. Today, Casa Visco makes 30 varieties of tomato sauce (including a kid's sauce, an allergen-free sauce and a fat-free sauce).

Cousins Adine and Michael Viscusi are the third generation to manage the company. On a recent visit to their factory, they showed us how their sauce goes from tomato to jar...

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Happy birthday, Executive Mansion

The Executive Mansion, as seen in a postcard from 1907 -- not too many years after Teddy Roosevelt referred to the place as a "gloomy pile," according to The New York Times.

Has your day been light on random historical facts? Fear not. We're here to help.

It was on this day 134 years ago that New York state's Executive Mansion officially opened.

Built for a banker in the 1850s, the 40-room house at 138 Eagle Street was being used as a rental by Gov. Samuel J. Tilden in the 1870s when the state decided to buy it. New York had not previously given its governors an official residence.

Gov. Tilden hosted a public reception at the mansion on Jan. 25, 1877, to mark its entry into public service.

The huge house has been neglected of late. Reportedly, Pataki, Spitzer and Paterson never really settled in there. The New York Times reported recently on the Cuomo family's love for the place, and Andrew Cuomo's enthusiasm for moving back in.

Want to tour the Executive Mansion? You can, for free, on Thursdays, if you make reservations at least two weeks in advance.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.