Beads cause stir
Last week, a Mont Pleasant middle school student found herself in some trouble after wearing a handmade red, white, and blue necklace to class. A lawsuit has been filed by her mother alleging her daughter’s freedom of expression was violated by local school officials.
According to the suit, Raven Furbert received the string-it-yourself bead set as a Christmas gift and made the red, white, and blue necklace to symbolize her love of country and respect for soldiers in Iraq. Those include her uncle, a member of the Army National Guard’s 42nd Rainbow division, and three other close relatives.
Schenectady school officials allege in court papers that the jewelry was “gang related” and violated school policy. Furthermore, they have barred Furbert from wearing them under or over her clothing under penalty of suspension.
Furbert and her parents will appear June 15 before US Magistrate Judge David Homer, and are seeking a change of dress code rules, monetary damages, and a declaratory judgment against the school district.
Tax expected to stay
The Troy Board of Education is expected to vote next week to retain the two percent tax on Troy residents’ utilities. A maximum of three percent is allowed under New York State law. Utilities such as electric, gas, and telephone are allowed to be taxed.
The Board of Education, which controls the tax, estimates that the retention of the tax for this year will bring an additional $650,000 into the annual budget. This form of tax is meant to lessen the impact of the property tax, which is traditionally levied on the lands people own to fund the school system.
One member of the board, Dorothy Daniels, remains unconvinced, and has pledged to vote against the measure as she perceived it to be adding to everyone’s tax burden with dubious benefits.
Non-profit organizations, such as churches and universities, can apply for exemptions, but the Board consistently receives few requests for exemption. The vote will take place on Wednesday, March 2, and if passed, will extend the tax enacted last year for the next five fiscal years.
Troy closes bar, hotel
For the second time in the past five years, Troy has closed down the Eldorado bar and hotel for the rest of the year. Using a nuisance abatement law, Mayor Harry Tutunjian closed the bar and evicted many of the adjoining hotel’s residents, although he has recently given them two more weeks to make preparations to move.
Though the owner, Elda Abate, had known of the closing for some time, officials concluded that the residents, many of whom are low-income or homeless, were not properly informed of their eviction.
Incidentally, Abate and her family also own and operate Elda’s, a bar across the street from the Eldorado, which has been closed until mid-year as a result of state Liquor Authority Action regarding the serving of alcohol to minors.
The city’s new public nuisance law was passed in 2000 and has been used to close bars, restaurants, and apartment buildings that harbor drug sales and other urban crime. Though there were reports of police with warrants searching the Eldorado premises for drugs and drug deals, Mayor Tutunjian vehemently denied any such warrant or search.
