March 1, 2018
Local judge guarded after death threats, gun control stalls in NYS Senate, Tyree takes stand in Jay Street fire trial, Cohoes & RPI team up on smart mural
Prominent judge receives death threats
Death threats received by State Supreme Court judge Thomas Breslin have been deemed credible and police are guarding his home while an investigation is underway. [TU]
Gun control measures stalled in Senate
The Republican controlled NYS Senate refused on Wednesday to take up gun control measures proposed by Senate Democrats. [NYT][TU]
Cuomo on gun control
Andrew Cuomo is blaming members of his own party in Congress for failing to advance tough gun control measures. [Politico]
Icy, Snowy Apocalypse Watch
How lucky are you feeling? Because the Icy, Snowy Apocalypse Watch is going to roll the dice.
The paraphrased forecast for the next few days:
Thursday: Some snow. Low 50s. What's the big deal?
Thursday night: Rain, maybe changing over to snow. Lows in the upper 30s.
Friday: Some sort of mix of snow and rain. Maybe 3 inches of snow during the day. Highs in the low 40s.
Friday night: Probably more of the snow/rain mix. Windy. Lows around 35.
Saturday: Cloudy, maybe some rain. Highs around 40.
OK, here's the important thing to know about the weather over the next day or two: No one seems to know exactly what's going to happen.
The signs are pointing to what the NWS Albany forecast discussion calls a "potent coastal storm" moving up the East Coast. Somewhere along the line it's going to meet colder air moving in from the west. It's just not clear exactly how that's all going the shake out. And you know about coastal storms -- a little shift one way or the other can make a big difference.
What's all that mean for what's going to happen here? Well, again we turn to our absolute favorite National Weather Service page: (trumpets) the probabilistic snowfall forecast maps. The "expected" snowfall forecast for the Capital Region core is 3 inches -- but the totals increase steeply to the west. Westerlo's pegged at 15 inches! And Canajoharie's tagged for 8.
Sometimes that happens, especially in the Hill Towns. But here's the part that should really catch your attention -- the probabilities for larger snowfalls in Albany:
+ >= 6 inches: 38 percent
+ >= 8 inches: 27 percent
+ >= 12 inches: 11 percent
+ >= 18 inches: 2 percent
While those (much) larger amounts aren't predicted to be the most likely -- a 6-8 inch total isn't exactly unlikely, either. And larger than that? What we're saying is, there's a chance.
So we're marking this Icy, Snowy Apocalypse Watch just short of the "proper winter" category because of the uncertainty and upper-end potential. It could end up being not much. Or it could be a lot. There's an extra ugh factor because it's probably going to be wet, heavy snow. Also: We've tasted spring and going back, even for a few days, will not be pleasant.
Shovels at the ready, hardy upstaters.
Media freakout forecast: Caveats.
Necessary note: You should take this all with an enormous bag of rock salt. AOA has absolutely no weather forecasting expertise. At all. That said, the world will probably not end because of some snow. Most likely.
Stuff to do this weekend
Update: Friday's snow is prompting event cancellations, so check before heading out to anything.
Step right up and get your winter weekend. Only three left, so act now.
After the jump, we've pulled together a list of things that might interest you this weekend.
Planning something that didn't make our list? Drop it in the comments so we can all see.
And whatever you're up to, have a fantastic weekend.
Proposed apartment project at the Playdium site set to move forward
The proposed redevelopment of the Playdium site in Albany is set to move forward after the Albany IDA approved a PILOT agreement and tax breaks for the project at a special meeting Thursday.
The project -- backed by the Jankow Companies -- involves demolishing the bowling alley to make way for the construction of three new apartment buildings. The proposal has gotten a lot of attention because it's set to replace a neighborhood landmark. And it's become a high-profile example of the simmering discussion in Albany about the density and height of new development around the city's neighborhoods.
The developers have a tentative closing date in early April, according to real estate agent David Phaff, who's been representing the project. Construction would start immediately after.
Here are a few more bits...
Today's moment between here and there
Walking from one thing to another Thursday on Beaver Street alongside the TU Center in downtown Albany, we stopped for a moment when we noticed how neatly everything just lines up in this view.
And then we kept walking.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?