Metroland

Chickens Tonight!

At the request of Albany Common Council Majority Leader Daniel Herring, who sponsored the initial ban on farm animals and fowl within city limits, Realtor David Phaff created an online survey to determine the real estate community's opinion on city chickens.

After his survey was discovered by numerous pro-chicken folks who answered in support of urban fowl, Phaff is apparently trying again with a more private survey. This evening we recieved a forwarded copy of the email below.

Dear:

We are conducting a survey regarding the proposed amendment to the Albany City Codes regarding the keeping of hens. Your response would be appreciated. This survey has been modified from its original version.

Here is a link to the survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=SV9cE1X8YOhKEJ_2fVQexEvg_3d_3d

This link is uniquely tied to this survey and your email address. Please do not forward this message.


Thanks for your participation!

The 905 vs The 55

The shiny red schedules for the new BusPlus service between Schenectady and Albany are turning up at info kiosks and on buses around the CDTA region. Here are the first bits of info that struck me, comparing thr current direct service--the No. 55, Albany-Schenectady bus--which is about to fade into the mists of time, with the new service--No. 905, BusPlus--which officially starts April 3rd.

First bus Weekday morning from Schenectady:

No. 55:       4:05 AM

No. 905:     4:00 AM

First bus Weekday morning from Albany:

No. 55:       5:05 AM

No. 905:     5:15 AM

Those are comparable.

Last bus weekday evenings from Schenectady:

No. 55:     12:15 AM

No. 905:   10:00 PM

Last bus weekday evening from Albany:

No. 55:      1:12 AM

No. 905:   11:15 PM

Huh.

The weekends are when things really change . . .

The Year in Pictures: Around the Corner and Down the Block

The Albany Public Libraries finalized their $29.1 million branch improvement plan, which opened two new branches, expanded and renovated three existing locations and overhauled its collections to better serve the city’s residents. Photo by Joe Putrock.

 

At the Open Door Bookstore

Photo by Martin Benjamin

 

Remember Them?

Two well-known ex-journalists, who both left significant imprints on the Capital Region’s media landscape, were at the Open Door Bookstore & Gift Gallery in Schenectady on Friday (Dec. 17) to sign their books.

Ed Dague (left) was signing the memoir Six and Eleven: A Television News Anchor’s Story. According to a press release, the book is “a sage and penetrating look at the news business in the Albany metro area, at the people and personalities who both made and reported that news.” On his sharp, to the point, and entertaining Times Union blog In Media Res, Dague wrote “it is a lot better than I expected.”

Dan Lynch (right) was signing The Thunder of Captains: A Novel of the Battle of Saratoga. The former editor, reporter and columnist’s book was praised in Metroland last summer for capturing the “gripping drama of the courageous soldiers behind both lines,” and for its “rich descriptions of life in colonial upstate New York.”

 

Updated to include photo credit & links.

The Misadventures of Brian "Skeevo"

Our favorite neighborhood stalker/County Legislator Brian Scavo steered his misogynistic public comments in a new--and racist--direction this week.

Tuesday morning, Scavo commented on the Times Union Blog in response to fellow legislator Wanda Willingham's attempt to convene the City Committe, which Albany Democratic Chairman Dan McCoy says no longer exists since a new chairman was not appointed following the elections.

His comment?: "Back of the bus sister, so sayest king MC coy, let us bow before master MC coy."

Yeah. He really said that--and pissed off a whole slew of folks in doing so.  

Now Willingham, some of her Legislative colleagues, representatives of the NAACP and the Albany faith community and members of the Albany Common Council and the City Democratic Committee are holding a conference tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 19) at the former YMCA building on Washington Avenue at noon to condemn his comments and demand an apology. 

"These comments are not only disrespectful and offensive to me but an affront to the entire African American community of Albany,” stated County Legislator Willingham in a press release issued earlier today. “Thoughts and comments such as this demonstrate ignorance of the history of the African American community and serve no purpose other than to divide our city.  No one, especially an elected official should be heard uttering these words in 21^st Century America.”

This afternoon, Scavo released an e-mail apology with the subject heading "Learning Experience."

"I see this as a learning experience and an opportunity to have an open conversation about diversity and cultural sensitivity without automatically branding each other a racist," Scavo's email reads.

"Now, I look forward to turning my attention back to passing a budget that meets needs of the resident’s of Albany despite of race, creed, color, age, sexual orientation, social status or otherwise without unreasonably raising taxes upon the people of Albany."

Yup Brian. All fixed. Now back to "Helping People."

 

 

Response to SUNY Program Cuts

On Oct. 1, SUNY Albany announced that they would be terminating programs in French, Italian, Russian, Classics and Theater, and eliminating 160 positions in these fields. Needless to say. it's caused quite an uproar. Here's an interesting video, created by members of these departments and opponents of the cuts, maintaining the importance of these programs to the mission of public education.

Delectable Election Morsels

Looks like Jack McEneny is turning the knife. Celebrating a little early at Albany's Polish American Club, the  assemblyman gave Metroland his cell phone number, along with a request to pass it along to his challenger, Deborah Busch and ask when she was going to concede.

Busch took the high road, replying that only 4,000 votes had been counted at that point.

And, following Cuomo's decisive victory, Metroland's acting-news-editor extraordinaire, David King, asked our ol' pal Jerry Jennings if he'd be taking a position with the Governor-elect's administration.

Jerry's answer?: "Not right now. I have a three year contract with the people of the city. I don't take orders from anyone at my age kid."

And a hearty slap on the back, of course.

 

Pics of the burning Central Warehouse (from 787)

 

R.I.P. This place would have made for the coolest guerilla art space...

"In Our Backyard" Returning to WAMC

We were going to press with this tomorrow, so WAMC helped us out. More Thursday!

http://tinyurl.com/365xm4m

Metroland Endorses Neil Breslin for State Senate

Sure, Sen. Neil Breslin had a rough couple of years. He looked a bit lost presiding over the senate during the coup. Who wouldn’t have been? And he gave an embarrassing answer during a T.V. interview. But Breslin has provided steady, coherent leadership in the senate while others were irrational, crazed and completely out for themselves. Breslin should have done more to distinguish himself publically, spoken out more vocally against the troublemakers, despite the backlash he could have faced from his party. He should have pressed harder for more legislation to benefit his district while nothing much else was getting done. But Breslin deserves a chance to accomplish more while his party is in the majority (if they retain the majority). His challenger Luke Martland has run a fiercely negative campaign, based on anti-incumbency, but has done very little to establish what he would do differently than the incumbent.

Metroland firmly recommends a vote for Neil Breslin.