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Apr 07, 2011 4:26 pm
Hundreds sign petition calling for RCS Board of Ed to listen to taxpayers
Hilary Hawke of the Ravena News-Herald reports a new twist in local school budget battles. Taxpayers in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District submitted a petition asking their school board to make budget decisions, and not leave things up to school administrators. "Keeping the increases at acceptable levels or 2% over last year's expensed lines, with exceptions for known higher increases such as health insurance and fuel, should cover increases of goods," the petition reads. Hawke added that its presenter later called the district's proposal to eliminate a community swimming pool and varsity sports a "cheap shot", and pointed out that public calls for cutting district administrative costs had been ignored.

Tug of War over Prisoners Continues

Carole Osterink of Gossips of Rivertown writes that Senator Stephen M. Saland was one of nine state senators who filed a lawsuit on Monday, April 4, against the New York Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment and the New York State Department of Corrections. "The complaint seeks to reinstate the policy of counting prisoners as residents of the communities where they are incarcerated," she writes. The main argument seems to be that prisons use services.

Silver: Millionaire's Tax is Not Dead

Karen DeWitt of WXXI reports that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he hasn't given up on extending the state's tax on millionaires, even though it was not a part of the recently approved state budget. Silver pointed out that the current temporary income tax surcharge on New Yorkers making $200,000 and up does not expire until the end of the calendar year, so there's plenty of time to revisit the issue. "It will be debated now, it will be debated in January, it will be debated next March as well, with the next budget," said Silver in a radio interview with DeWitt.

Sound the alarm: Chatham, Ghent fire departments recruiting
Paul Crossman of the Chatham Courier writes that the Chatham and Ghent volunteer fire companies are inviting people in the community to come out, visit their local fire departments and learn what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday. According to Chatham volunteer firefighter David Chapman, who is also a Village Board member, this is an extremely necessary event, since over the years the number of active volunteer firefighters has been steadily dwindling. “We have no one to fight fires,” he said. “I know that sounds extreme, but we had an alarm last week for a house fire … and under 20 people showed up.”

Police: Grand Prix leads cops on wild 50-mile car chase
Julia Reischel of The Watershed Post reports on the Albany man who drove a stolen Pontiac Grand Prix for a 50-mile car chase through Albany, Greene and Schoharie counties, leading police and deputies from multiple jurisdictions before finally crashing in the Schoharie County town of Broome. The attempt to stop 44-year-old Joseph V. Wagner started in the Albany County Town of Guilderland, raced through Greene County on Rte. 32, where the Greene County Sheriff's Department blew out two of the car's tires with spike sticks, then back through Albany County and into Schoharie County, where he ran off the roadway and flipped over. The entire chase reportedly lasted about 45 minutes