Thursday, July 29, 2010

Another Palin endorsement for Hoffman?

Speaking during an appearance on Fox Business Channel, Congressional candidate Doug Hoffman said he expects to be endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The Saranac Lake accountant has Conservative and Tea Party support ahead of the September 14 Republican primary. Hoffman received an endorsement from the former vice presidential candidate last fall before a special election for New York’s 23rd Congressional District seat.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Poll shows Hoffman with lead over Doheny

A poll conducted for Doug Hoffman’s campaign shows the Saranac Lake accountant with a commanding lead over his GOP opponent Matt Doheny.

The poll was released by McLaughlin & Associates and shows Hoffman with a 52 to 20 percent lead over Doheny, a Watertown businessman.

More than half of voters in the poll said they’d vote for the conservative Republican over the moderate Republican. 54 percent identified Hoffman as conservative.

Elizabethtown man charged with second-degree rape

A 22-year-old Elizabethtown man faces several felony charges following allegations that he engaged a minor in sexual acts.

Saranac Lake Village Police arrested Kendall T. Fenton at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday and charged him with second-degree rape, a class-D felony.

He’s also charged with second-degree criminal sexual act, a class-D felony; third-degree criminal sexual act, a class-E felony; and endangering the welfare of a child, a class-A misdemeanor.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Truth is stranger than fiction, or, "Lake Placid (the Movie)!"

It was more than a decade ago when I sauntered over to the Palace Theatre in Lake Placid to watch, well, Lake Placid.

I'm an admitted horror movie junkie. When I say junkie, I'm not being kitchy; if I go too long without seeing a good gore fest, I start shaking and sweating, a la Trainspotting.

Well, it looks like Lake Placid (the movie) is reenacting itself in upstate New York. This from the Associated Press:

"Two teenage brothers following a turtle in a drainage area near an upstate New York park came upon an even bigger reptile: a 2-foot-long alligator.

"Nineteen-year-old Cliff Bickham III and his 16-year-old brother Jared were riding their bicycles Wednesday afternoon when they spotted a turtle across the street from a park in Johnson City, near Binghamton.

"They were tracking the turtle in a drainage area under an overpass when they saw the gator in several inches of water. Cliff Bickham pictures of the gator with his cell phone and sent them to his parents.

"Their father caught the gator and taped its mouth shut before taking the reptile to the police station.

"Police turned the gator over to a former pet store owner who specialized in reptiles."

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Gillibrand on a fundraising tear

If there were any questions surrounding Kirsten Gillibrand's ability to raise funds, they've been answered loud and clear.

New York's junior Democratic senator pulled in $2 million in the second quarter of 2010. The Associated Press reports Gillibrand has more than $7.2 million in her campaign coffers as she prepares to run for her first full term this fall.

She was appointed to the seat last year by New York Governor David Paterson after Hillary Clinton was appointed U.S. secretary of state.

Three Republicans hopefuls will square off in a September primary. Barring any petitioning setbacks, those candidates will be Bruce Blakeman, Joseph DioGuardi and David Malpass; the deadline to file petitions was Thursday.

Malpass has $2.4 million on-hand; $1.7 million through campaign donations and $1.5 million of his own money. Numbers for Blakeman and DioGuardi weren't available Thursday.

Gillibrand will face a challenge in a September primary. New York City lawyer Gail Goode filed her petitions Thursday morning. She says New Yorkers deserve another option as they had to the polls.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Business is 'smoking' in Vermont

I've been lazy about posting updates on the blog lately -- I'll blame it on the beautiful weather we've been graced with over the last few weeks (really, who wants to blog when it's 90 degrees and sunny?).

I stumbled across this Associated Press report this morning:

"Vermont store owners near the New York border say they’re selling more cigarettes to Empire State residents seeking to avoid that state’s higher tobacco tax.

"Dana Franklin of the West Addison General Store says sales have gone up since July 1, when New York increased its cigarette tax by $1.60 per pack.

"People who buy cigarettes in New York now pay $4.35 a pack in taxes. In Vermont the tax is $2.24.

"Franklin tells the Burlington Free Press cigarette sales also increased several years ago after New York increased its tax, but they later fell back after Vermont’s tax increased.

"And convenience stores operators in border towns say they also benefit from increased gasoline sales because gas is less expensive in Vermont than New York."

A cynic could read that brief like this: New York is sending consumers across the border to Vermont to spend their dollars.

What do you think? Is it sound fiscal policy to be forcing smokers to spend their money elsewhere? It would be interesting to compare the tax revenue raised by New York to the dollars lost through the tax hike.