Final charge against Figuereo dismissed
Lexis Figuereo is off the hook, mostly, the Times Union is reporting. Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen dismissed the last of three charges against the leader of the Black Lives Matter Saratoga group. The charge, a violation similar to a traffic ticket, had been related to a July protest in Saratoga Springs last year. [Read more about him here.] Figuereo's phone was returned to him in an FBI evidence bag, which has his attorney wondering just how big and possibly illegal was the investigation into Figuereo’s activities, the story says.
Handgun holster is fingerprint safe
Vara Safety in Troy makes a handgun holster that locks the gun in place and unlocks it with a fingerprint, a story in the Albany Business Journal says. The company has struggled with inventory, which almost forced a shutdown, because they rely on the same computer chip that is used in new cars, a chip that has been notoriously out-of-stock during the pandemic. They have since changed the design to allow for a variety of chips, which helped draw investors. The company plans to sell $3 million in holsters at $299 each, the story says.
Prefab building contract awarded for wind turbine production
CDMG Building Systems of Pennsylvania, has won a $42.7 million contract to construct the buildings that will be the backbone of the off-shore wind manufacturing plant at the Port of Albany, the Albany Business Journal is reporting. The company will ship prefab metal buildings to the site starting in September or October and windmill production should begin before next year ends, the story says.
Owl Pen reopens under new ownership
Sydney Nichols and her husband Eric Kufs recently purchased the Owl Pen Bookstore in Greenwich and will reopen Saturday April 30 at 11 a.m., Post-Star is reporting. The owners admit in the story they are still learning about the store and its thousands of books themselves. Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, the story says. The store has a renowned 60-year history including the fact that it is inside what was a chicken coop.
Parent group still upset at Saratoga Springs High School
Last October, a group Saratoga Springs High School parents grew upset at the reading assignment in a literature class. They are raising the issue again, the Daily Gazette reports. The superintendent is wondering why the group is bringing it up again. Group leaders say they are looking for more transparency, and they would like to know in what way the teacher was disciplined. The story at issue was Tracey Baptiste’s “Gravity,” about a sexual assault. It uses language that upsets the parents, the story says.