David Lombardo
Times Union
Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
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Past articles by David:
NYRA plans another five-day, seven-week schedule for Saratoga in 2020
ALBANY - Mondays will likely stay dark in Saratoga Springs next summer. New York Racing Association President & CEO David O'Rourke told state regulators Tuesday that he wants to stick with the reduced five-day-a-week racing schedule at the Saratoga Race Course that debuted this year, which stretched the 40-day meet beyond seven weeks. The schedule, if approved by the state, would mean no racing… → Read More
Lawmaker proposes review of staggered start times for state employees to ease congestion
Could commuting on the State Thruway and Adirondack Northway become easier with staggered start times for the state employees in the Capital Region? That's a question Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a Rotterdam Democrat, wants examined and has proposed legislation to find an answer. He is introducing a bill that would create a task force to study the issue and craft a report on the feasibility… → Read More
Cuomo's mandatory license plate replacement plan scrapped
ALBANY - Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's plan requiring the replacement of license plates that are at least 10 years old won't be implemented. Following Tuesday's release of poll results showing the policy was widely unpopular, the administration explicitly announced they will pursue a different strategy to ensuring all the vehicles on the roads have legible plates. The governor's plan was scheduled to… → Read More
Civil liberties group files brief in case challenging ‘Green Light’ Law
The New York Civil Liberties Union is arguing in a recently filed “friend-of-the-court” brief that the state’s law allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s lic… → Read More
New law allows key fobs to be covered in car service contracts
ALBANY - The next time you lose the key fob for your car, the out-of-pocket costs might not break the bank. Legislation, which was unanimously approved by state lawmakers and signed Monday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, will allow car dealerships to include the replacement of keys and key fobs to the list of items covered by service contracts, which is already allowed by 32 other states. Replacing a… → Read More
Meet the state's next license plate design
ALBANY - The next state license plate will feature Niagara Falls, the Statue of Liberty and New York's motto, "Excelsior." The state Department of Motor Vehicles announced Friday afternoon that the plate design had been chosen among five potential nominees by voters in an online poll that concluded Monday. The new design will be rolled out in April. → Read More
Advocates make the case for public financing of campaigns
ALBANY - A 29-year-old critique of New York's campaign finance system is as relevant now as it was then, based on a good government group's analysis of recent political fundraising. The New York Public Interest Research Group's review of campaign fundraising in last year's state legislative races reached the same conclusion as the anti-corruption commission assembled in the 1980s by then-Gov.… → Read More
Gillibrand drops out of presidential race
ALBANY - U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Wednesday, the same day she was formally shut out of the third round of Democratic presidential debates. "We wanted to win this race, but it's important to know when it's not your time and to know how you can best serve your community and country," Gillibrand said in a Tweet. "I believe I can best serve by helping to… → Read More
Prison guards allege religious discrimination by superiors
ALBANY - Two state corrections officers allege their superiors forced them to choose between their religion and their jobs. In a federal lawsuit filed on Monday, state corrections officers Brian Sughrim and David Feliciano maintain they were discriminated against by the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision because they they were suspended this summer for failing to shave… → Read More
Firefighters and medical professionals authorized to rescue pets left in cars
ALBANY - Firefighters and emergency medical responders are now authorized in New York to break into unattended cars when a pet left inside is in physical danger. Legislation signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday protects certain first responders from criminally or civilly liability when they make a good faith effort to rescue a companion animal during extremely hot or cold conditions. → Read More
Cuomo approves stricter gun storage law
ALBANY - Gun owners in New York with children in their homes have 60 days to comply with the state's new storage requirements or potentially face a misdemeanor charge. In order to comply with the requirement, which was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, New Yorkers living with a child under the age of 16 need to have a locking device for their firearm or store it in a locked… → Read More
'Revenge porn' legislation approved by Cuomo
ALBANY - Legislation designed to crack down on the non-consensual distribution of intimate images was signed Tuesday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. The new law, which comes after five years of back and forth negotiations around "revenge porn," creates a path for victims to get content off the internet and imposes a penalty of up to one year in jail for violators. The provisions takes effect in 60 days. → Read More
Racing cancelled Sunday at Saratoga ahead of excessive heat
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Racing at the Saratoga Race Course has been preemptively cancelled for Saturday in anticipation of excessive heat during the day. → Read More
Rivers Casino is moving forward with sports gambling plans
ALBANY - Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady is "100 percent" confident they'll begin taking sports bets on Tuesday. The casino will be the first in New York to accept wagers on sporting events, with the other upstate casinos expected to open their own operations by the start of the football season. Turning Stone Resort Casino in central New York announced Monday that it plans on taking sports… → Read More
County clerks ask Trump to order review of law giving licenses to immigrants
ALBANY - Saratoga County Clerk Craig Hayner and more than 30 county clerks across the state are asking President Donald J. Trump to instruct the U.S. Justice Department to review a new law giving undocumented immigrants access to driver's licenses and determine whether it should be challenged in federal court. A letter dated June 24 that was sent to Trump by Hayner, using his official Saratoga… → Read More
Behind NY's failed effort to legalize pot
ALBANY - Despite the three most powerful people in Albany publicly supporting the marijuana legalization effort this year, state lawmakers left the Capitol on Thursday with only a consolation prize. Advocates, lobbyists and lawmakers attribute the legislative failure to tepid support from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Democratic senators playing both sides of the issue, apathy from legislative leaders… → Read More
Legal marijuana in doubt after state Legislature doesn't introduce bill
ALBANY - Legislation to legalize recreational use of marijuana that was altered to quell concerns among some lawmakers was never brought to a vote Tuesday night, making legalization unlikely this year in New York. Lawmakers scrambled on Tuesday to salvage the legislation but lawmakers went home without a vote as the legislature's final hours of session tick off the clock. → Read More
Democratic lawmakers propose further decriminalization of marijuana
Supporters of legalizing marijuana hold a press conference to call on the governor and legislators to pass marijuana reform this session on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, in Albany, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski/Times ... more ALBANY — If New York lawmakers don't approve a commercial market for marijuana in the next three days, they could still sign off on legislation lowering criminal penalties for the drug.… → Read More
Gas distributor makes amends for failing customers during cold snap
ALBANY - A distributor that serves Capital Region homes is making restitution to customers and changing its business practices after failing to deliver heating fuel during a winter cold snap. The actions by Ferrellgas Partners are part of a settlement reached with the state attorney general's office, which received complaints from rural homeowners in Fulton, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer,… → Read More
State lawmakers strike deal allowing rent stabilization upstate
ALBANY - A legislative deal on tenant protections announced Tuesday night includes an option for upstate municipalities to opt into a rent stabilization previously reserved for downstate communities. The pro-tenant measure would apply to buildings with six or more units built before 1974 and ensure tenants have a right to renew their lease and avoid sharp increases in rent. The protections are… → Read More