Pataki receives letter
Many possibly dangerous letters were sent to state governors around the nation last week. The letters appear to have the return address of a maximum security prison in Nevada and may contain matches that ignite when the letter is opened.
One of these letters was addressed to New York State Governor George Pataki and was found last Friday morning after a federal warning was given the night before. The letter was discovered before Pataki had a chance to open it. It was seized by state police at the Office of General Services mail screening facility in Albany.
Although Pataki stated that he was more concerned about the well-being of the general public, he did comment to The Associated Press, “This is the reality of the post-September 11 world.”
Alumnus donates
During the gala kicking off the capital campaign last Friday evening, Curtis Priem ’82, a member of the Board of Trustees, publicly announced his donation of $40 million. Priem co-founded the NVIDIA Corporation and also served as its Chief Technical Officer. In recognition of his gift, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center will be named in his honor.
The Rensselaer Alumni Association also announced their full participation in the support of this campaign and donated as well. Their gift will go to support the expansion of the east campus athletic facilities.
The goal of the campaign entitled “Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute” is $1 billion. The campaign is scheduled to run until 2008 and $610 million has already been raised.
Censure requested
Republican City Court Judge Henry Bauer was suspended by the New York Court of Appeals last May and his attorney, Robert Roche, is now asking for censure instead of removal. His suspension came after a state oversight panel, the Commission on Judicial Conduct, recommended permanent removal from the bench.
Bauer was accused of mistreating at least 50 criminals in the past two years. His alleged mishandlings included setting excessive bails, persuading defendants to plead guilty, and neglecting to inform defendants of their rights to counsel. In one case, Bauer set bail at $25,000 for a woman in possession of one marijuana cigarette without inquiring about past offenses. This violation is only punishable by a $100 fine and no jail time.
The Court of Appeals is expected to rule on the case in October. Bauer’s judicial seat is up for re-election in this November’s elections.
