Items tagged with 'economy'
Job anxiety at Capitol, Albany Med planning more development, cell phone prompts school evacuation, NYSTI fighting merger with Egg
The change in control of the state Senate is causing a lot of anxiety for staffers -- many of their jobs are up in the air as resources are being re-apportioned. The state Senate has 1,300 staffers. [NYT]
Albany Med is looking to build an office building, hotel and parking garage on land owned by the VA across New Scotland Ave. The plan would also reconfigure that part of New Scotland into a four-lane street. [TU]
A chunk of ice flew off the back of a tractor trailer yesterday and smashed through the windshield of a Ballston Spa woman's car. (The picture is remarkable.) She says she'd now like to see a state law to making it illegal to drive with ice on your car. [CBS6] [CBS6]
Local auto repair shops say business is booming as people look to hang on to their cars longer because of the economy. [TU]
Police say they're not sure what led to the death of a man found along the side of the road in North Greenbush on Sunday. [Troy Record]
State of the State today, Democrats organize control of state Senate, unemployment claim system crashes, two-year-old found wandering snowy streets
David Paterson will deliver the state of the state speech today at 1 pm. A group of labor unions representing state, local and healthcare workers is planning a march through downtown Albany before the speech -- traffic is being re-routed as thousands are expected to take part. Paterson has largely been out of sight the last few weeks because he's needed the time -- some 60 hours -- to memorize his speech. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [CBS6] [Daily Politics] [ABCNews]
It appears the Democrats have worked out an arrangement to take control of the state Senate. The deal may -- or may not -- have included an agreement to block a vote on same-sex marriage. Malcolm Smith will become the state's first African-American Senate majority leader. And with the change of party control, there are a bunch of new committee chairs -- including the guy who was recently charged with felony assault. [NYT] [TU] [NYDN] [Daily Politics] [NYT]
On the first day of testimony in the trial of the teen accused of firing the shot that killed Kathina Thomas, a prosecution witness admitted he had lied during his testimony. The girl's mother also testified yesterday and her account of the incident was heartbreaking. During opening arguments, the attorney for the accused teen said his client did fire a shot that day -- but not with the type of gun police say killed Thomas. [TU] [AP/Daily Gazette]
Paterson annoyed by Senate chatter, horse found murdered, mortgage rates way down, shoe repair business way up
David Paterson says the chatter about who will get Hillary Clinton's Senate seat has "reached a new high and new low in areas of gossip, speculation, mind-reading." A Q poll reports that the public thinks Paterson will appoint Caroline Kennedy -- a conclusion that apparently frustrates the Gov. [TU] [Quinnipiac] [NYT]
The attorneys for a Troy man accused of killing his infant son in September say charges against their client should be dropped because the child named in the indictment is actually the deceased infant's twin brother -- who's still alive. [TU]
The chairman of CDTA's board says he realizes the 50 cent fare hike will be difficult for some people, but the transit org had "no other alternatives." [TU] [Daily Gazette]
A horse in Hoosick Falls was found dead this week, its throat slashed during what appears to have been an attempted robbery. [Troy Record]
Totaling up the "other" taxes
The state Assembly Republican Ways and Means Committee (apparently they had to start their own) has put together an estimate of how much increased fees and the "other category" taxes in David Paterson's proposed budget would cost "the average New York family." (We found it on Jim Tedisco's blog -- a copy is also posted after the jump.)
The analysis concludes that the taxes on items such as soda and music downloads will cost that average family $3,875.48 a year.
Bank robbery involves chase, fake beard and -- possibly -- gunfire, local unemployment rate up again, DA says RPI student's death a mystery, that's not Jimmy Tedisco
State police say a man, wearing a "a fake Abe Lincoln-style beard," robbed a bank in Latham at gunpoint yesterday afternoon before leading cops on a high-speed chase up the Northway and into Saratoga. They say the man the sped down Rt. 50 before striking another vehicle and flipping his SUV. Police are also investigating whether gunfire was exchanged -- there are indications a state trooper did fire his weapon. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian] [Post-Star] [TU]
The Capital Region's unemployment rate hit its highest point for a November (5.2 percent) since 1992's November. Retail jobs have been among the hardest hit. A state labor department analyst says he expects the numbers to get worse, but compared to the rest of the country, they're not that bad. [Biz Review] [Daily Gazette] [TU]
The number of calls last month to the state's unemployment insurance call center was almost triple that of the same period a year ago -- and as a result, about 40,000 calls went unanswered. Things are so bad the head of the center asked the TU not to reveal its location for fear that angry people would show up at the building. [TU]
Plug Power laid off 90 workers yesterday, most of them at its Latham headquarters. [Biz Review]
A quick read of Paterson's proposed budget
David Paterson at today's budget proposal release.
David Paterson released his proposed 2009-2010 budget today. In a short speech, Paterson reiterated that this is the worst fiscal crisis the state has faced since The Great Depression. He also said the proposed budget is not perfect and that he welcomes critiques and other ideas -- though he said that "endless ridicule" is not helpful.
Here's a very quick summary.
Ice storm knocks out power, violence at Albany High said to be out of control, Freihofers sold, alleged puppy-napping in Troy
Note: The Daily Gazette's website wasn't loading this morning.
Updated: 11:25 am
The ongoing ice storm has knocked out power for about 160,000 National Grid customers in the four core counties of the Capital Region (that figure is from National Grid's website this morning at 11:25 am). National Grid says it has 150 crews in the area working on repairs. [National Grid] [TU]
An anonymous Albany High School employee tells CBS6 that violence is out of control at the school. Among the incidents collected from police reports this school year: a teacher has been pushed to the ground and kicked, another teacher was punched repeatedly in the ribs, there was a three-on-one student beating, and two students hit another student in the back of the head with a padlock. [CBS6]
An anonymous source tells the TU that "ghost" parking tickets have been circulating in the City of Albany since the early 1990s -- and the stickers that marked a car as being eligible for the no-fine tickets were distributed by the Albany Police Officer's Union. Current police chief James Tuffey was president of the union in the early 90s, but he says he never knew about the stickers. [TU]
One upside to the slowing economy: the price of electricity and natural gas is falling. The price National Grid is charging for a kilowatt hour of electricity has dropped about 15 percent over the last year. [TU]
Layoffs coming to RPI
The announcement came in a mass email sent out by Shirley Jackson this afternoon. From the email (emphasis ours):
As the economy has worsened, and we have analyzed how it has affected, and will continue to affect, Rensselaer, we have determined that it will not be possible to reduce the budget sufficiently without reducing our recurring compensation expenses, which make up half of the Institute's operating budget. Staffing reductions will be necessary. We would prefer to rely on attrition, but it will not be adequate to meet our financial objectives. Each vice president and portfolio owner has examined their respective operations for reductions in staff, in a way that will enable greater efficiency, improved performance, and elimination of redundancy. We will manage the required staffing reductions as compassionately as possible. We will take such steps in the coming week.
There's already a hiring freeze in place at the school. According to the email, RPI is projecting downturns in income from tuition, gifts, research funding, and endowment.
The full email is after the jump.
Democrats strike deal for control of state Senate, Schumer touting Gillibrand, longtime Saratoga sheriff gets challenger, wrong way driver causes four accidents, students organize for french fries
Note: the TU's site wasn't loading this morning.
Democrats in the state Senate have worked out a deal with the "Gang of Three" senators who were threatening to side with Republicans in the upcoming leadership vote. As part of the deal, Malcolm Smith will become head of the state Senate (president pro tem), but Pedro Espada will become majority leader (no, it usually doesn't get split like that). Also apparently part of the deal: the chamber won't bring up a vote on gay marriage, which one of the Gang of Three opposes. [NYT] [NYDN] [NYP]
Chuck Schumer is reportedly encouraging David Paterson to pick Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton. [NYP]
The solider from Rensselaer County accused of killing two superiors in Iraq was found not guilty by a military jury yesterday at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. The judge had to clear the courtroom after the verdict prompted yelling from the victims' families. [AP/Daily Gazette]
Police say bystanders flocked to the aid of the family hit by a pickup truck on State Street in Schenectady Wednesday. An SPD spokesperson says the accident scene was one of the worst he's ever seen, with little kids "lying in the street screaming for their mother." [Daily Gazette]
Kaczmareks got "family plan" plea deal, early retirment incentives for state workers?, drug stores everywhere, bus fare price war
The attorney for former Schenectady police chief Greg Kaczmarek says prosecutors offered Kaczmarek and his wife the "family plan" plea deal in their drug cases -- and that Kaczmarek took a longer term in prison to shorten the term for his wife. As part of the deal, Greg Kaczmarek was sentenced to two years in prison -- but he could be out in 17 months with good behavior. [Daily Gazette] [TU]
The state legislature is reportedly working on a plan that would offer early retirement incentives to state workers as a way of trimming the state payroll. David Paterson says he's not on board with the plan. [AP/TU]
David Paterson is currently being treated like the "prom queen" as people lobby him about the decision of whom to appoint to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. [NYT]
Albany police say a group of "backpack bandits" (the TU's phrase) may be responsible for a string of muggings around the city. The group may have been in involved in a reported robbery late Monday afternoon in a which a man says five muggers stopped his car, bashed him in the head with a gun, and stole $2000. [TU] [Troy Record]
Former Schenectady police chief to plead guilty, chip fab clears another hurdle, Paterson "disturbed" by list, Jumpin' Jacks waterfront to get makeover
Both former Schenectady police chief Greg Kaczmarek and his wife are expected to plead guilty today to drug charges. The former top cop is expected to get two years in prison as part of the plea deal. [Daily Gazette]
State police incorrectly identified the victim in a fatal car crash over the weekend in Clifton Park. The mix-up led to the wrong family being notified. The situation was resolved after the grandmother of the man who actually did die noticed something was wrong. [TU]
Super Steel is closing its plant in Glenville. The manufacturer of train cars says it's seen "a steep decline in orders." The shutdown will put 175 people out of work. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The Malta chip fab project cleared another hurdle yesterday. The Empire State Development Corp. approved the transfer of $1.2 billion in state incentives from AMD to the new spin-off company that will run the plant. [Daily Gazette]
Home prices holding steady, Jennings starts up re-election campaign, RPI center will focus on extraterrestrial life, family gets Oprah makeover
The median sale price of homes in the Capital Region is holding more or less steady, even as many fewer houses are being sold. The number of sales in October was down 16 percent over the same period a year ago. [Biz Review] [TU]
New York State comptroller Tom DiNapoli is predicting the state could lose 225,000 jobs during the next two years. DiNapoli says about 3/4 of the lost jobs will come from Wall Street -- which could take a big bite out of state revenue. About 20 percent of state tax revenue comes from the Street. [TU]
The Albany Common Council approved a 2009 budget for the city. The budget includes a tax increase of $96 for the average homeowner. [TU]
Saratoga Springs' finance commissioner has proposed a new 2009 budget that takes into account the proposed cut in VLT money from the state. The new budget includes a tax increase of 3.5 percent -- up from 2.7 percent in the previous version. [Saratogian] [Daily Gazette]
Jerry Jennings' 2009 re-election campaign is starting up, apparently with some haste. The Albany mayor's campaign will be holding a fundraiser at the Fort Orange Club in December -- $500/person for the cocktail reception, $1000/person for dinner. [TU]
Family's SUV hit twice by trains, proposals include paying for parking in Saratoga, road salt costs up, state saving money on tree lighting
A father and his two daughters escaped with just a few cuts and bruises after two trains hit their SUV. The father said he never saw the trains coming as he drove through a train crossing near their home in New Scotland Saturday morning. The two collisions knocked the front and back ends off the SUV. The crossing has no signals -- the father says he'd been pushing the town and the train company to change that. [TU] [Troy Record] [Fox23] [Fox23]
Two of the three development proposals for the new public safety building in Saratoga Springs include plans to charge for downtown parking. And it looks like those two proposals, which also include plans for a movie theater, are the two leading candidates. The president of the Downtown Business Association called the idea of charging for downtown parking "ridiculous." [Daily Gazette] [TU] [Saratogian]
There have been a lot of shots fired in Albany over the past few days. Last Thursday evening, police say a man fired a shot inside a neighborhood grocery on Ontario St. On Saturday, police say three men conducted a bike-by shooting on South Lake near the uptown end of Washington Park (the gunmen missed). And then on Sunday, a man was shot in the butt while he was standing at the corner of Lark and Livingston. [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record] [CBS6]
Albany County officials are pushing for a 30 cent per month tax on mobile phones to help cover the cost of operating 911. Many other local counties already have such a tax. [TU]
Unemployment rate up over a year ago, Soares looks to crack down on DWI, Troy stores will be on Oprah, DiNicola has a brain tumor
The Capital Region's unemployment rate in October was 4.9 percent, up from 3.6 percent a year ago. [TU]
A Siena poll reports that a majority of New Yorkers are planning to spend less this year on holiday presents. [Daily Gazette]
A Thanksgiving food bank in Schenectady says requests are up about 20 percent this year. [Daily Gazette]
Albany County DA David Soares says his office will be cracking down on drunk drivers and will push to seize the cars of DWI suspects. [TU]
The mayor of Rensselaer says the city will not be prepared to handle snow removal this winter after the city council voted down a plan to use state money to replace equipment damaged during summer flooding. The council president says the city hasn't adequately documented what was lost. [TU] [Troy Record]
More people looking for work?
Updated 10:20 am Friday
The state released last month's unemployment data today. The short story: the Capital Region's unemployment rate in October was 4.9 percent -- that's up from 3.6 percent in October of last year.
OK, so maybe that's not surprising given the way the economy's been going. But get this: the number of jobs in the Capital Region over that time period didn't change.
Huh?
State leaders meet and get nothing done, Troy needs a fire truck, UAlbany students charged with rape, truck hits overpass
David Paterson, Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos met up on Sunday to discuss possible budget cuts ahead of tomorrow's special legislative session. And the result: nothing. [TU]
Saratoga Springs city officials say they'll be lobbying state leaders this week in an attempt to keep all of the VLT money originally allotted to the city. David Paterson's proposed budget cuts would cut $1.9 million from the city's share of VLT revenue -- that's five percent of the city budget. [Daily Gazette]
Seemingly half of New York's Congressional delegation -- not to mention a handful of other state officials -- could be in the running for an appointment to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat in the event she takes a post with the Obama Administration. Oh, and about that -- Clinton's not talking. [TU] [TU]
Troy's deputy mayor says the city's fire chief sent him a letter last week reporting that the city is in emergency need of a new fire truck after two of the trucks were recently taken out of service. [Troy Record]
A quick read of the Paterson budget plan
David Paterson unveiled his plan for cutting $2 billion from the current state budget today. He says this plan will cut $2 billion from this year's budget and $3.2 billion from next year's (in which a $12.5 billion gap has already been projected).
We've put together a quick rundown of the cuts/savings. It includes some possibly bad news for Saratoga.
Paterson says budget cuts will involve "a big knife," state economy in recession, recycling urged in effort to save money, proposed Saratoga horse park would be pricey
At a town hall-style meeting yesterday Syracuse, David Paterson said of making cuts to the state budget: "We'll be using a big knife but trying to operate it like a scalpel." The Gov will unveil his plans for cutting $2 billion from the current state budget this morning. Reportedly among the proposals: across-the-board cuts for health programs, big cuts to public universities, a repeal of the gasoline tax cap and increase in fees for health plans. [NYT] [TU]
The leadership situation in the state Senate is still unsettled. One of the three Democrats who have not pledged their support to Malcolm Smith says he'd prefer to see a Latino Democrat be majority leader. [NYT]
An analysis from a University at Buffalo center has concluded that New York State has been in a recession since the second quarter of this year. [Biz Review]
Local retail stores are hiring extra help for the holidays shopping season -- and this year they have their pick of employees. [AP/TU]
Stacking up tax increases
All around the Capital Region, municipalities are getting their budgets ready for next year. And you know what that often means -- yep, tax increases.
We've pulled together a list of proposed tax increases from around the area. It's not a comprehensive list, but it gives you a sense of how things are stacking up.
Local unemployment rate hits 13-year high, candidates debate energy issues, pharmacy college changes its name, yet another new hotel
The Capital Region unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in September -- that's up from 3.8 percent a year ago. It's the highest unemployment rate for the area in 13 years. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Jim Buhrmaster and Paul Tonko, the two candidates for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat), talked a lot about energy during their debate last night. Both have experience on the topic -- Buhrmaster's family owns a heating oil company and Tonko was head of NYSERDA. Buhrmaster said new drilling for oil should one of the first priorities in a national energy plan and Tonko said it should be one of the last. [TU]
Still to come in the race between Kirsten Gillibrand and Sandy Treadwell for the 20th Congressional District: a lot of TV ads. [Daily Gazette]
A former deli worker at the Sam's Club in Latham is suing Walmart (Sam's parent company) for $1 million. The man says he was fired because he's a Catholic who wanted Sundays off to go to church. He says Walmart told him he was being fired for misconduct. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Local economy OK... for now, Gillibrand talks about tobacco industry work, bridges described as "structurally deficient," neighbors fight over tree
How's the local economy? Not so bad, say business owners and other experts. But the future may be another thing. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Kirsten Gillibrand addressed her time as a lawyer representing tobacco company Philip Morris yesterday. Campaign finance records indicate she's received at least $16,700 from executives connected to the company (which is now called Altria) -- Gillibrand says she wasn't aware the company had contributed. Gillibrand's history with the company has been publicized recently by a former Pataki aide on a blog and in comments on other blogs (including here on AOA). Gillibrand's opponent in this year's election is Sandy Treadwell, who served as NY secretary of state during the Pataki administration. [TU] [OpenSecrets]
Those 4-foot by 8-foot Treadwell campaign signs are OK as long as they're on private property, according to Clifton Park's director of building and zoning. Democrats there had complained the signs violated zoning rules. [Daily Gazette]
A memo released by federal prosecutors alleges that former state assemblyman Chris Ortloff said "... honestly I don't have a moral problem with this ... " about his desire to have sex with tween girls. The now former member of the state parole board was arrested in Colonie this week after a sting operation. [TU]
Is the Capital Region in a recession?
According to an analysis by Moody's Economy.com, the answer is: yes.
The designation comes from an evaluation of employment and production data. To be "in recession," as Economy.com terms it, an area's economy must be showing contraction over a six month period. By that measure, Economy.com figures about two-thirds of metro areas in the country, including the Capital Region, are in recession. (NYT has a map, a clip of which is to the right. Red means "in recession," yellow means "at risk.")
The US as a whole is not officially in recession -- at least, not yet. That designation is made by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which isn't currently using the "r" word.
map excerpt: New York Times
... said Katherine about All hail the great State of Long Island