Pittsfield's camping ban. Playground revamp.

$2M bilked from Medicaid. Judge dismisses BLM case.

Jul 02, 2025

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The Morning Call wakes you up with the top news that affects Saratoga.

City fumbles on protest tickets

A judge has thrown out tickets issued to Saratoga Black Lives Matter leader Lexis Figuereo for his role in supposedly organizing rallies last May, a story in the Times-Union says. Officials with Saratoga Springs could not prove to the judge that their prosecutorial filings were accurate, making Figuereo’s lawyer wonder aloud, and not for the first time, if the city was targeting people of color. Also, his lawyer wondered about the constitutionality of the event-sign-up-process for political protests.

Taxi-type service bilks Medicaid of $2M, AG says

The state Office of the Attorney General has started an investigation against Super Auto Care Services, Inc. of Albany, saying the company bilked more than $2 million from Medicaid over the course of a five-years. The company was enrolled in a state program allowing them to deliver Medicaid recipients to their non-emergency medical appointments, a story in the Times-Union says.

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In Mass., Pittsfield decriminalizes public camping

Leaders in Pittsfield removed the criminalization component of a proposed camping ban put forward by the mayor, but debate on the continues, radio station WAMC is reporting. According to the story, the proposed ban would aim to help the homeless who camp in downtown areas, but those against the measure argue that it’s aimed at criminalizing homelessness, especially for people of color.

Editor’s note: Check back this morning for our coverage of the Saratoga Springs camping ban, that went before the City Council last night.

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Albany playground groundbreaking

After five-years of design, the Washington Park playground construction began with a groundbreaking, the Times Union is reporting. It is expected to reopen in the fall with updated equipment and safety features.

At this hour: Traffic, weather and the markets

Weather

Warm and sunny today with a high temperature of 87 degrees, according to the National Weather Service’s Albany office. The NWS says the area may get thunderstorms tomorrow, but the July 4 weekend is looking goooood.

Traffic

7:10 a.m.: The usual slow-downs in the commuter lanes, according to Google Maps.

Premarket trading

Mixed markets this morning with the Dow and the S&P500 up by tiny bits and the NASDAQ down by an equally small amount, according to numbers from Marketwatch.

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