North Country Dem retiring. Lake House NIMBY?

Albany Med's big expansion and a judge blasts Hochul Admin.

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Day 3: Heat advisory noon-8p.m. today.

The National Weather Service, for the third straight day, has issued a heat advisory for the region. Scroll down below the fold for more.

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Civitello’s reopens in Schenectady

After being closed since January 2024 for major renovations, Civitello's Italian Pastry Shoppe is back open in Schenectady, the Daily Gazette is reporting. The renovation was expected to take months, but as the structure of the building was exposed, more problems were found and fixed. The interior has been remodeled to resemble the interior when it opened in 1921, the story says.

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North Country Dem. Billy Jones resigning

North Country Assemblyman Billy Jones, a Democrat in Chateaugay Lake outside Plattsburgh, will resign to spend time with family, the Adirondack Explorer is reporting. He represents the North Country’s 115th District. He has spent nine years in office and will submit his resignation in coming days, the story says.

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WAMC’s Pickus says goodbye

Saratogian Ian Pickus, who first joined the public radio station WAMC in 2008, left Friday to take a new job at the state Office of Mental Health, a story in the Times Union says. He starts at OMH next month. He has held roles as a professional and intern in various local news outlets including the Saratogian and the Troy Record. Under his watch, the newsroom gained two more producers and a Southern Adirondack news bureau in Saratoga Springs, the story says.

“And so I have had this privilege of being in a job where when people have a great news day, you know, I get to take a little credit for it, and when they have a bad one, we kind of all wear it together. And in the meantime, we've got this great WAMC listening audience that keeps us honest,” he said in a radio interview on WAMC.

Schenectady’s housing task force

Schenectady has chosen a new housing task force instead of opting into the state’s Good Cause Eviction Law, the Daily Gazette reports. The nine-person panel will consist of landlords, tenants and housing nonprofit representatives tasked with examining eviction data, market trends and the impacts of the Good Cause law, which requires landlords to explain that they have “good cause” to break or not renew a lease, the story says.

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NIMBY or nonsense? Lake house draws concern

A family in Blue Mountain Lake has won approvals to build a 6,290-square-foot vacation home, despite concerns from neighbors that it will “environmentally and spiritually damage” a portion of the hamlet’s rustic lakeshore, the Adirondack Explorer is reporting. The house had been planned at 9,000 square feet. The approved plan allows them to build on the footprint of a current, dilapidated building, 20 feet from shore rather than current standards of 75 feet.

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Below the fold:

Judge blasts Hochul admin. Albany Med big expansion. New HQ for Carver Cos. Weather, traffic and stocks.