Hoffman Car Wash faces lawsuit
Residents and a business owner have filed suit in the state Supreme Court to block construction of the Hoffman Car Wash on Route 9 in Queensbury, the Albany Business Journal is reporting. Whispering Pines apartments and Queensbury Holdings LLC, the owner of the building that houses 40 Oak Classic American Grille, have sued to overturn the area variances, environmental approvals and site plan approvals. Town land use boards had approved the variances. Hoffman Car Wash says they will fight the suit since the town panels had heard all these arguments and made decisions based on the input, the story says.
New, open Senate seat has Democrat and Republican candidates
Democrat Andrea Smyth and Republican Assembly Member Jake Ashby will face each other this fall in a race to fill the 43rd State Senate district, which has no incumbent, the Post-Star says. The new 43rd district was created when the election maps were redrawn in May. As part of his campaign focus, Ashby said he wants to turn the state Division of Veterans Affairs into a cabinet level department. Smyth said her campaign will focus on the needs of women and families, including healthcare policy.
Cambridge “Indian” loses court fight
The state Education Department commissioner acted legally when she told the Cambridge Central School District that its “Indian” mascot must change, a judge said. The school district lost its appeal in court late Tuesday, the Times Union says. The judge’s decision was based only on a single question, that asked whether Commissioner Betty Rosa acted rationally when she intervened in the Cambridge school board decisions. The court found that she did. The story says it was unclear if the school system would take any further steps.
Dems claim political bias in public venue’s use
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik held a meet-and-greet event at the Town of Brunswick’s Community Center, and people suspected of being political opponents were not allowed in, a story in the Times Union says. Town Supervisor, Republican Phil Herrington offered the space to Stefanik, though Antonio Delgado, a Democrat who represented Rensselaer County, was barred two years ago from using the same community center by a different Brunswick Republican. Delgado was a member of Congress at the time. Herrington said he thought he was being fair by giving the option for Stefanik’s Democratic opponent the opportunity to use the venue, too.