Montagnino makes school traffic decision; offers an apology
“Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino pleased one set of constituents on a pedestrian safety concern, but disappointed another on a race-related matter during Tuesday’s City Council meeting,” a story in the Daily Gazette begins. With the support of the Saratoga Springs City Council Montagnino moved to prohibit vehicular traffic on Caroline Street near the Caroline Street Elementary School during pickup and dismissal times. A number of parents attended the meeting to plead for some immediate relief as they wait for a full plan to be implemented. Those in attendance when the decision was made were happy. Montagnino's apology for saying that gangster rap brings the wrong sort of people to the city fell on deaf ears, with Camille Daniels, a local activist, saying, "You're not helping yourself."
Funeral home director makes bail
Brian M. Barnett, the 35-year-old Johnstown funeral home owner and former director of the Ehle-Barnett Funeral Home in Johnstown, has been accused of improperly storing four corpses and 18 or more containers of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty. He was temporarily sent to the Fulton County Correctional Facility after facing additional charges. He was released on bail, a story in the Daily Gazette says. According to the story, charging documents said that he stored remains in his garage and gave family members the wrong ashes after cremation.
Stewart’s Shops will not develop Snake Hill
Citing high construction costs, especially to cut a road, Stewart’s Shops has withdrawn its application to build homes on Snake Hill, a tree-covered knoll on Saratoga Lake, the Times Union is reporting. Stewart’s Shops had proposed to build four homes on the 30-acre property they own near Brown's Beach, the story says. Neighbors had argued against the proposal saying that the hill was more of a community asset than private property and that more development along the lake would be harmful to the water.
Schumer on restaurant fund: refill it
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund ran out of money last year before many in the hospitality and food services industry could take advantage of it, the Times Union is reporting. The federal Restaurant Relief Fund spent $28.6 billion to 100,000 businesses, but another 200,000 or so needed help, the story says. Chuck Schumer, New York's senior U.S. Senator is renewing a call for funding to a total of $76 billion. The Times Union has the story.