Local News

Family Court candidate's death, at age 46, stuns colleagues
- 07/28/2010
The Saratoga County GOP endorsed Riebel earlier this year for Family Court, setting up a primary between Riebel and incumbent Judge Gil Abramson, a Republican who lost the support of his party. Riebel was also on the Independence and Conservative ballots where a primary was expected against Democratic nominee Robert Rybak, the Clifton Park town justice. The parties that endorsed Riebel now have until Aug. 6 to choose a new candidate, Saratoga Board of Elections Commissioner William Fruci said. The others were: assistant county attorney Hugh Burke, assistant district attorney Jennifer Jensen, Ballston town councilwoman and lawyer Mary Beth Hynes, and Saratoga Springs lawyer Dianne Freestone. Saratoga Republican Committee Chairman John "Jasper" Nolan said it was shocking to hear of Riebel's death after spending the weekend with her at the Saratoga County Fair.

9 targeted in vote conspiracy
- 07/28/2010
State Police investigators have obtained a court order that seeks DNA samples from nine people, including several Rensselaer County and city of Troy public officials, who are identified as targets in a massive voter-fraud conspiracy that took place during last September's primary elections. Court records filed in connection with the investigation include allegations that the officials, and several political operatives for the Rensselaer County Democratic Party, may have conspired to file dozens of fraudulent absentee ballots last year in an attempt to seize the Working Families Party line for the general election. Rensselaer County Board of Elections Commissioner Edward G. McDonough; city Councilmen Michael LoPorto, Gary Galuski, Kevin McGrath, and John Brown; City Council President Clem Campana; City Clerk William A. McInerney; and political operatives Dan Brown, who is John Brown's brother, and Anthony DeFiglio, a former Troy Housing Authority clerk. The application for a search warrant to obtain their DNA samples included hundreds of pages of ballots, witness and voter statements, and an affidavit by a State Police investigator. The victims include dozens of residents of city housing projects, all registered to vote on the Working Families Party line, who had absentee ballots filed in their name that included forged information, including signatures and the excuses for why they could not vote in person. Since my involvement in politics began it has been the way things were done and the ramifications are never considered. State Police, in court documents, said they have evidence some forged absentee ballots were delivered to McInerney at his office on the eve of the election. [...] entries on other ballots that list an excuse for why a voter couldn't vote in person, such as "recovery from surgery" and "bus trip to casino," were similar to McDonough's handwriting, according to State Police. According to an affidavit by State Police Investigator John J. Ogden, Jr., Couch told investigators the meeting included Brant Caird, vice chair of the county's Working Families Party.

Photos: Funeral for Wilton soldier
- 07/28/2010
David Taylor Miller, who was killed in June in a suicide bomb attack in northern Afghanistan, was buried Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Miller played lineman for the Saratoga Springs varsity football team for two years.

Tougher tests trip up students
- 07/28/2010
The scores also revealed that the racial gap between white and black students remains discouragingly wide, though education officials have claimed progress in previous years. The reduced scores have been widely anticipated for months, since the Education Department announced that it was toughening its scoring methodology because too many New York students were graduating from high school unprepared for college. Educators around the state expressed disappointment over the abysmal scores and accepted the more stringent testing while calling for more money since school aid continues to be slashed. The lower scores mean more students will qualify for academic intervention services, for which the state is not providing additional resources except to offer a one-year freeze on the requirement because of the score change. "Undoubtedly, these lower scores may potentially raise concerns for some students and parents but it is important to note that the results released by SED today do not reflect the ability of Guilderland students to learn or Guilderland teachers to teach," interim superintendent Michael Marcelle wrote to parents. "The state needs to give schools a clear sense of the ultimate goal we should aim for -- what should students know and be able to do when they graduate from high school," he said.

Tree removal dispute rooted in contract
- 07/28/2010
Tree removal dispute rooted in contract Sadly, it's a lesson that has played out for a Poestenkill woman who says she was shortchanged by the man who felled a large tree in her front yard but failed to clear up the branches or cut up the enormous trunk before he left with her $400 check in hand. Faria also pointed out two previous prices written and crossed out, $650 and $500, on the single page they signed. Anyone who is preparing to hire someone to do work on their property would be well-advised to check out the advice available from the state Consumer Protection Board, which recently revamped its Web site, http://www.nysconsumer.gov/, and added an updated online brochure on hiring a home improvement contractor (see box). Undoubtedly, some consumers and contractors will balk at the level of detail -- and some smaller jobs probably could be covered with less -- but it's a good reminder of the many issues that can trigger hard feelings and even legal disputes if not addressed in writing. Making sure there's agreement on the details of the matter, and having a carefully worded and considered contract in hand can avert a lot of aggravation for you and for the contractor.

A White House 'thank you'
- 07/28/2010
Vice president flies to Fort Drum to greet 10th Mountain Division troops returning from Iraq duty Vice President Joseph Biden flew to Fort Drum Wednesday to thank the Army's 2nd Brigade Combat Team for helping to bring the war in Iraq to a successful conclusion. Biden added that by the end of 2011 all American forces are scheduled to leave Iraq and the country's security will be left in the hands of Iraqis. Biden's plane landed at the North Country military base just after 1 p.m. He spoke for about 20 minutes after his wife, Jill Biden, introduced him to the crowd as a "military dad." The second couple's son, Beau Biden, a member of the Delaware Army National Guard, completed a year-long tour in Iraq in 2009.

Kaye report: No crime
- 07/28/2010

The text of the voice mail left on Booker's phone was revealed Wednesday in a report released by the office of the Attorney General but supervised by independent counsel Judith Kaye, the state's former chief judge. The report said Paterson and some gubernatorial aides made "errors of judgment" but did not act criminally, and that there was no evidence that the State Police or Paterson's staff interfered with the New York City Police Department's response to the alleged Oct. 31, 2009 domestic incident between Johnson and Booker. [...] Kaye's report noted that the administration did not cooperate fully with the investigation, and that "evidence revealed potential risks inherent in the relationship" between administration staffers, the Troopers assigned to protect the governor and the State Police as a whole. No policy or procedure required Day to do so," the report says, noting "it is a violation of State Police protocol and (database) regulations to access a criminal history without a legitimate investigative purpose. Superintendent Harry Corbitt and his successor, Pedro Perez, both resigned in the wake of this matter, as did Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Denise O'Donnell, who said she could not "in good conscience" continue in her position amid the allegations that some troopers were involved in contacting an alleged victim of domestic violence. The report punctuates the end of the most tumultuous period of Paterson's administration, in which the unfolding incidents it chronicles forced the governor to abandon his election campaign a week after it began and led to calls for the governor's impeachment and resignation. According to Michele McKeon of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the fact that he was not charged underscores problems in the law.

Cuomo ad pushes tax cap
- 07/27/2010
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Cuomo will dip into his $23.6 million war chest to air TV ads statewide boosting his support of a property tax cap. Legislators are set to consider a tax cap measure similar to Cuomo's in an extraordinary session today at the Capitol, and the push is well-timed to create momentum for the legislation, introduced by Gov. David Paterson. The New York State United Teachers has influenced the Assembly -- controlled by Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan -- to block tax caps in favor of "circuit breakers" that provide property tax relief based on income.