Thousands homeless because of Sandy, mother says she was deceived by social services, Farley compared to Jeter (in a bad way), flight of the butterfly
New York City officials estimate as many as 40,000 people in the city have been left homeless by Sandy -- and finding places for them to live will be difficult. Parts of the city are still without power, and people in those neighborhoods say they say it feels like they're being abandoned. [NYT] [NYT]
A group of Wilton firefighters recently returned from storm recovery deployment on Long Island. Said one to the Saratogian of the scene there: "It looked like a wasteland." [TU] [Saratogian]
Scientists say climate change should make New York State think critically about better preparing for extreme weather events -- as well as how and where to rebuild. [Daily Gazette]
The state Senate was thought to be more or less a lock to stay in Republican control, but recent polls -- and the after effects of Sandy -- are pointing to tight races in many key districts. As election day nears, campaigns around the region are focusing on turnout. [NYT] [TU]
The mother of the 3-year-old who died from injuries sustained during a fire on Benson Street in Albany last month accused social services of deceiving her when it took her other children away. Said an Albany County spokeswoman to Fox23: "When there are instances where the welfare of the children is in question, we do go to court. In this case, the judge agreed it was in the best interest of the children that they be placed in foster care." [TU] [Fox23]
A class action lawsuit is challenging New York State's public defender system, arguing it has persistently failed to adequately represent poor people. [TU]
A lawyer representing a group of state Department of Taxation agents -- members of a team that went after uncollected taxes on petroleum, alcohol and tobacco traffickers -- accuses the state of now targeting them as part of a vendetta. [TU]
A Rensselaer County couple may end up spending $50,000 fighting an "adverse possession claim" on a piece of lakefront property at Burden Lake they've owned for decades. [TU]
Democrat Madelyn Thorne on her challenge to Hugh Farley for the state Senate: "I'm not going to insult an 80-year-old person, but he's like an old athlete. Do I want to see Derek Jeter trying to play shortstop for the Yankees at 45? No, because it's sad." [TU]
The union that represents Schenectady police officers is fighting the city's move toward having the public safety commissioner directly decide discipline for police officers. (The city's move was prompted by a recent state Court of Appeals ruling for another municipality.) [Daily Gazette]
Headline of the weekend: "Troy man found with screwdriver in neck." Troy police say the man was stabbed Saturday night downtown (map)[TU] [YNN]
Says the 58-year-old Schenectady man who reported being beat up and robbed by a group of what appeared to be 14-year-olds led by a young woman in Hamilton Hill: "This is a neighborhood where people don't snitch. To hell with that [expletive]." [Daily Gazette]
Idea for Troy: building solar energy arrays on the closed city landfill. The idea was also recently floated for Saratoga Springs. [Troy Record] [Daily Gazette]
The city of Troy will be placing decorated Uncle Sam statues around downtown next spring (like the horses in Saratoga, or moose in Bennington, and so on). [Troy Record]
About 150 UAlbany students participated in a Pine Hills neighborhood cleanup Sunday. [Fox23]
The backstory on The Coliseum building on South Pearl in Albany (map). [TU]
Bingo night at St. Sophia's in Albany -- which has run for almost 40 years -- ends this month. [TU]
Gaffney's in Saratoga is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week. [Saratogian]
When you have to change the time on 150 clocks, you get a head start. [YNN]
An Ulster County woman is transporting a monarch butterfly on flight from Albany to San Antonio today in an attempt to aid its migration. [TU]
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?