Reporting on Albany for the North Country w/ Johnson Newspapers, @wdtnews. My job is to tell you what’s happening, not what to think of it.
Joined December 2016
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Jun 11
A one-year moratorium on new data centers passed in Albany this year. A group of GOP lawmakers are urging Gov. Hochul to veto the bill, arguing it's "the wrong answer to the right questions," about data centers impact on the communities that host them.
nny360.com/top_stories/after…
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Alex Gault retweeted
Jun 10
Whoops!
Jun 10
Per the Division of Budget, the final state budget is now at $277 billion, not the $268 billion initially announced at the "general agreement" presser. The DOB says the extra money is due to accessing frozen Medicaid dollars by reverting back to the basic health plan
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Jun 9
The annual report from the NYISO (the people running the grid) is out: it doesn’t look particularly rosy right now, and paints a picture of a fairly difficult set of circumstances that are stressing the grid right now.
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Jun 8
Robert Smullen has been endorsed by the NRA for Congress #NY21.
The gun lobby group reviewed candidates for NY’s districts 21, 12 and 7. Out of 17 candidates, Smullen is the only one to get an A. Everyone else got an F or a “?”, like his opponent for the GOP nomination.
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Jun 5
The state legislature passed a new version of a bill that would put Syracuse, Rochester & Buffalo into their own judicial districts.
The prior version was the one bill from last year that Hochul pocket vetoed.
nny360.com/news/legislature-…
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Alex Gault retweeted
That's interesting -- I thought Gov. Hochul didn't take a position on legislation before it gets to her desk. Huh.
Jun 3
New: @GovKathyHochul blessed a legislative deal that protects the horseracing industry from losing money due to the tax fight between NYC's new Resorts World casino and the Gaming Commission.
Hochul's office called it needed "given the ongoing dispute."👀
nysfocus.com/2026/06/03/hoch…
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After a slow roll vote, the state Senate has officially passed a state constitutional amendment to permit mid-decade and partisan redistricting. Next is the Assembly, then second passage next year before it goes to voters.
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Jun 3
There's been quite a bit of online discourse around this bill that would replace "mother" with "gestating parent."
nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_…
Not everything is a weird conspiracy. The bill clarifies language to reflect that someone's "mother" isn't necessarily their "gestating parent" for certain *legal reasons.*
Like, if they were born from a surrogate or adopted. That person considers their "mother" to be the person who raised them, not the person who birthed them.
The bill doesn't change "mother" and "father" in all areas of state law.
Here's the sponsor's memo explaining the bill:
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Jun 3
Constantino responded to this story with a video on here. He’s blocked me so I can’t share; summary is that he points out that he’s has never said anything about Smullen’s child, says he would would never; it was an pro-Constantino poster on FaceBook who did so.
Jun 2
Robert Smullen held a press conference on Tuesday to explain why he thinks his opponent for Congress in #NY21 is unfit for office and why he declined to shake his hand after the two debated last Friday.
nny360.com/top_stories/smull…
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Jun 3
“I’ve said nothing about this man’s son, I wish him and his son the best in this regard.”
Also brings up his own relationship with his father, who died when he was seven.
“I know the bond between father and son.”
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Jun 2
Robert Smullen held a press conference on Tuesday to explain why he thinks his opponent for Congress in #NY21 is unfit for office and why he declined to shake his hand after the two debated last Friday.
nny360.com/top_stories/smull…
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Jun 2
It’s Dairy Day at the NY state capitol today, and that means you have a chance to name this calf if you can get to the LOB.
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Alex Gault retweeted
Last week @NassauExec also declined to weigh in on the split between Trump and the state party in this contest.
Jun 1
When asked by @KaitlynnLisa who he’s supporting for Congress in #NY21, Lawler declines to chime in.
“I’m not making an endorsement in that race,” he said.
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Alex Gault retweeted
Jun 1
Deputy Sen. Majority Leader @SenGianaris says we may no longer be looking at multiple redistricting amendments— tells us to stay tuned as to what is in—and what if anything is out—under that arrangement expected to hit the floor later this week
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Jun 1
When asked by @KaitlynnLisa who he’s supporting for Congress in #NY21, Lawler declines to chime in.
“I’m not making an endorsement in that race,” he said.
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May 31
An Oswego landlord has been assaulting his residents, and officials have declined to bring charges for over a decade.
No more - Doug Waterbury is charged with attempted rape, stalking and more. nny360.com/news/oswegocounty…
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May 29
The state budget does not start the amendment process to allow for the sale & redevelopment of the former Camp Gabriels prison in the Adirondack State park.
"After negotiations with the Legislature, it did not make the final plan," Hochul spox said today.
🔽
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May 29
The prison closed in 2009 and became forest preserve land, constitutionally protected from ever being sold or redeveloped.
After some confusion and an auction that never went through, it's still abandoned.
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May 29
Amendment language to allow the state to see the property and use the proceeds to add more preserve land has floated in Albany for years.
Hochul wanted to push it this year, and included it in her executive budget proposal. It fell out of talks - it's not clear who said no.
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May 29
In tonight’s debate, Anthony Constantino said he’s backing Bruce Blakeman for NY Governor. He said he wants to flip NY red while also criticizing the NY GOP who’ve endorsed his opponent
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