New York Almanack

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Despite Elise Stefanik’s Claims, NYS Gun Law Doesn’t Prohibit Historical Events

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Living historians firing blanks at a historical re-enactment in Lake George Battlefield ParkNew York’s new gun law, which bans weapons from “sensitive locations” such as parks and museums, will have no effect on musket demonstrations, including at Fort William Henry or re-enactments in Lake George Battlefield Park, according to Warren County Sheriff James La Farr.

“It is not within the spirit of the law to prohibit those activities,” LaFarr said.  The re-enactors’ muskets and cannon fire only blanks.

Fort Ticonderoga, which is located in Essex County, is also unaffected by the new law, says its president and CEO, Beth Hill. “We do not plan to change our operations or special events,” she said. [Read more…] about Despite Elise Stefanik’s Claims, NYS Gun Law Doesn’t Prohibit Historical Events

Dear Museums: Host A Polling Site

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Ticketing area in the Great Hall equipped with hand sanitizer stations and social distancing markers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at Fifth Avenue.This open letter to the museum community was written by New York State Assembly Member Danny O’Donnell, Chair of the NYS Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development and shared by the Museum Association of New York (MANY).

Across New York, museums serve as anchors as well as reflections of your communities. Your missions to connect individuals to culture, history, and information is deeply needed and commendable. [Read more…] about Dear Museums: Host A Polling Site

Chester A. Arthur, The Spoils System & Civil Service Reform

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Chester Alan Arthur by sculptor George Edwin BisselYates Street in Schenectady runs north and south from Union Street to Liberty Street, from the Friendship Baptist Church on Union Street to the Katbird Shop at the corner of Liberty and Yates.

In the late 1840s it was regularly traversed by the only former resident of Schenectady and the only graduate of Union College ever destined to occupy the office of President of the United States. [Read more…] about Chester A. Arthur, The Spoils System & Civil Service Reform

Adirondack Council Lauds Climate Bill

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US Capitol Building SouthAdirondack conservation advocates the Adirondack Council today celebrated the U.S. Senate’s approval of landmark climate legislation, applauding a bill that invests hundreds of billions of dollars into programs designed to speed the nation’s transition away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner energy sources.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will also reduce the fossil fuel-fired emissions that cause acid rain and smog, while increasing employment and boosting domestic manufacturing.  The bill is expected to pass the House of Representatives later this week and be signed into law by President Joe Biden. [Read more…] about Adirondack Council Lauds Climate Bill

Student Loan Debt Strike Info Session July 26th

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debt collectiveAs of right now, President Joseph Biden is still planning to turn on federal student debt payments on September 1st, 2022. The payment pause was originally initiated by former President Donald Trump in March 2020.

About 43 million student loan borrowers, mired in more than $1.6 trillion in debt, are still waiting on Biden’s promise to cancel student debt. [Read more…] about Student Loan Debt Strike Info Session July 26th

Despite GOP Claims, Guns Not Banned in Adirondack Park

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hunting camp on state-owned lands near Saranac Lake courtesy Lisa HallThe claims of US Representative Elise Stefanik, New York State Senator Dan Stec and others that the six-million-acre Adirondack Park is among the “sensitive locations” from which all firearms would be banned under new legislation signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, while ludicrous, at least concentrates our minds on the question of what, precisely, makes the Adirondack Park a park unlike almost any other. [Read more…] about Despite GOP Claims, Guns Not Banned in Adirondack Park

Adk Council: Manchin Harming Adirondacks, Local Green Jobs

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Adirondack CouncilWest Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s refusal to negotiate legislation to curb climate change will harm New York’s Adirondack Park as well as the growing clean-manufacturing economy in nearby Plattsburgh, according to the Adirondack Council.

The Council called on New York State government to intensify its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and called on the state’s voters to approve the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act on the ballot November 8th. [Read more…] about Adk Council: Manchin Harming Adirondacks, Local Green Jobs

Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

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Alton B Parker and Henry G Davis 1904 Democratic Party candidates for President and Vice President of the United States campaign posterThe History Channel’s new special on Theodore Roosevelt describes his victory in the 1904 presidential election but doesn’t even mention his Democratic opponent.

That was New York Court of Appeals’ former Chief Judge Alton B. Parker (1852-1926), probably the most neglected major party presidential candidate in U.S. history. Yet at the time of the election Parker was the leader of one of the nation’s two major political parties and one of the nation’s foremost judicial statesmen. [Read more…] about Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

Museum Study Act Passes State Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature

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New York State Legislature A.9710/S.8934The New York State Legislature passed A.9710/S.8934 “An act in relation to conducting a study of public and private museums in New York state,” unanimously in the Assembly on May 24th and in the Senate on June 2nd.

“This bill will make a difference to every museum in the state regardless of budget size, discipline, or location,” said Erika Sanger, Executive Director of the Museum Association of New York (MANY). The bill is headed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk and her signature would enable the act to take effect immediately. [Read more…] about Museum Study Act Passes State Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature