After touring a house that was renovated by Schenectady YouthBuild students over the past two years, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Paul Tonko urged Congress to reauthorize continue funding vital programs like this that provide job training and educational programming to students. The YouthBuild program's authorization expired in 2012, and was slated for elimination in the House-passed SKILLS Act last year.

With the help of Northeast Parent & Child Society, YouthBuild USA and Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation the home at 843 Emmett Street, in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood of Schenectady, has achieved LEED Gold Certification and is now a model of how energy-efficient and sustainable homes can be built affordably. Through the program, students learned green job skills and worked closely with Saint-Gobain and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development "Options in Green Program" to learn many of the best practices for constructing LEED certified homes.

Schenectady

When the sisters walk in their yard, they pass trees and bushes planted by their grandfather. When the older sister looks out her front window, she can see the second-floor apartment where she was born.

Carmella and Mary Ann Ruscitto have spent their lives watching and guarding the East Front Street neighborhood, where they share a house that's been in their family for generations. The Schenectady neighborhood is their physical and spiritual home. They know and understand its streets in ways that few of us can fathom.

And they enthusiastically support having a casino built on adjacent land, at a long-abandoned site that was once home to the American Locomotive Co.

"You have to take a chance in life, and you have to be forward thinking," said Carmella Ruscitto, 76. "The ALCO site was an asset for this neighborhood before, and now it can be again."

The Ruscittos, by the way, head the East Front Street Neighborhood Association, founded by their father. They say they've polled their neighbors, and the majority also support the $150 million riverfront project proposed by the Galesi Group in Rotterdam and Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming.

What's this?

A neighborhood that actually welcomes gambling?

That hasn't been the case everywhere, of course, as developers compete for the right to build a casino in the region. Saratoga Springs balked at a gambling expansion, while residents on Thompson Hill Road in East Greenbush fiercely object to a proposed casino nearby. The Town Board in Bethlehem, meanwhile, opposes the casino proposed for just over the border in Albany.

But on East Front Street, the Ruscittos see the casino as an opportunity, rather than a threat.

The East Front Street area is a wedge of streets between the river and Erie Boulevard. It's one of the oldest sections of Schenectady, with small houses that were originally settled by Polish and Italian immigrants who worked at ALCO. It is near the famous Stockade neighborhood, but definitely not part of it.

"We're considered the laborers of the neighborhood," Carmella Ruscitto said. "We're on the other side of the tracks."

That's no analogy. The train tracks that run by her house really do separate the neighborhoods, which are the city's only two residential areas on the Mohawk River. The Stockade side is generally wealthier — and always has been.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the Stockade is also emerging as a hotbed of casino opposition in the city, although its neighborhood association has not taken a position.

I talked to David Giacalone, who's leading Stockade anti-casino efforts. He mentioned all of the usual — and legitimate — reasons for not wanting a casino nearby. He cited crime and prostitution fears. He cited concerns over traffic. He noted that casino job and revenue promises rarely live up to the hype.

Giacalone also talked of the Stockade as a historical treasure of a neighborhood, a special place, that's worthy of protection. Will the neighborhood continue to succeed, he asked, if people decide they don't want to live near a casino?

I asked Giacalone about East Front Street. Why are the Ruscittos and other residents there welcoming a casino?

"I know that they feel desperate, and you would too if you lived there," Giacalone said. "They think this is their only hope for gentrifying those blocks."

I didn't get a chance to ask the Ruscittos about that, but I'm not sure they'd disagree. Both sisters told me they see a casino as the best chance — maybe the last chance — to keep the neighborhood from further decline.

"We've struggled to keep the neighborhood where it is right now," said Mary Ann, 67. "It's been hard, but that's been the same in the whole city. Everybody has the problem."

The Ruscittos remember when their neighborhood was a very different place. They remember when many of their neighbors worked at ALCO, before East Front Street became another victim of the nation's long industrial decline.

"When I was a kid, we would sell lemonade out front because there was always walking traffic," Carmella said. "People would walk to work."

In many ways, East Front Street reminded me of Exchange Street in Colonie, near the former Tobin meatpacking plant, an eyesore if there ever was one. I talked to residents there when that site was briefly under consideration for a casino. They welcomed it, too.

Residents in both neighborhoods have long lived alongside bleak industrial sites, and they're hungry for change. They've already seen the property-value declines feared by casino opponents elsewhere.

When you have less to lose, a casino seems worth the gamble.

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5700 • @chris_churchill

Lake George

After riding in Americade for more than 10 years, motorcyclist Andy deLivron, 62, felt the need to give back to the event he knows and loves.

In 2011, deLivron's photography, taken as a hobby when off the bike, was featured on the cover of the Americade Times. The cyclist has been volunteering at the event ever since.

"Everyone wearing a purple wristband is part of a family," deLivron said. "These people are hard-working, middle-class men and women who love to ride a motorcycle."

Since Friday, motorcyclists from as far as New Zealand have been arriving in Lake George for the 32nd annual Americade motorcycle rally that starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Around 100,000 cyclists and spectators are expected to flood the village during the five-day event until its culmination Saturday evening.

With hundreds of activities, the rally features seminars by Americade University, hot-air balloon rides, stunt shows, a parade and motorcycle demonstrations. Kawasaki, one of more than 200 motorcycle vendors, offers demos for more than 250 bikes per day.

"Americade is my favorite," said Brian Gibson, Kawasaki's owners-club event coordinator. "People here are ready to ride. This is some of their first times riding for the year. It's exciting."

Robert Blaise, the mayor of Lake George for 44 years, has seen Americade grow from a small event to the world's largest motorcycle touring expo.

"When it began in 1983, we had 6,500 motorcyclists, and it's grown to more than 60,000," Blaise said. "Let's just say, you won't hear the birds chirp for the next week."

With participants lodging from Albany to Lake Placid, the mayor said Americade is the largest economically generating week of the year.

"As mayor, I've even married a few Americade attendees," Blaise recalled. "A few years later, I'll see the married couple come down the street with a gaggle of kids behind them, just enjoying what they find beautiful and enjoyable here at Lake George. They come for Americade but also return to give back to us."

Of the event, Bill Dorman, owner of Jasper's Steaks and More, said, "We always get excited and geared up for the rally because it's the kickoff of the season."

The restaurateur said the people of Americade are exceptionally friendly.

"They're patient people with good hearts," Dorman said. "We look forward to it every year."

Most see the wizard-like beards, leather jackets and intimidating tattoos and think of Hell's Angels, but that's not the case, according to Americade Director Christian Dutcher.

"We've created an event that attracts very serious motorcyclists," said Dutcher, the son of founder Bill Dutcher.

Americade cyclists tend to "buy more, ride more and stay more," the director said, and there's something new for them each year.

"This year, the Saturday morning parade has a cause behind it," Dutcher said. "It's called, 'Americade Salutes the Troops,' and all proceeds benefit an organization called Building for America's Bravest, which builds homes for catastrophically injured veterans that are purpose-built."

The parade will also feature a 2,000-square-foot exhibit and tribute to 9/11. Dutcher hopes to make the new additions an annual occurrence.

"Here at this motorcycle expo, we want it to be about all things motorcycle, but we think it'd be great if there was a moment during the week where people are truly touched," Dutcher said.

Participants from near and far love the diversity of events, and range in age from teenagers to senior citizens.

First-time volunteer Sara Bolton, 15, flew from Orlando to support her grandmother, who has volunteered for years. Bolton, who lives in Stuart, Fla., helped with cyclist registration and is eager to assist throughout the week. "I'm really looking forward to it," she said. "When I get older, I'd love to ride and participate myself."

Ken Kolacki of Buffalo, who has been participating in the rally since 1989, said there's always something to do. "Americade has great riding roads — better than anywhere else," he said.

"I'm all set for Americade every year," said Vicky Sunshine, 59, a motorcyclist since 1975 from Chambersburg, Pa. "It's the only vacation my husband and I take. From the bikes to the great people, it's worth the trip no matter where you come from."

kseckinger@timesunion.com • 518-454-5387

Albany

To police, the jaw-dropping remarks of Cohoes High School student Marquan Mackey-Meggs on Facebook in 2010 were grounds for his arrest under a new Albany County cyber-bullying law.

To civil libertarians, the remarks were jaw-dropping but perfectly legal.

On Thursday, his case and the future of the anti-bullying statute will be tested at the highest court in New York state. The ultimate decision by the Court of Appeals will set a precedent governing the limits of online expression and whether certain language is simply offensive or illegal.

Associate Judge Victoria Graffeo granted Mackey-Meggs permission to bring the case to the Court of Appeals.

Corey Stoughton, an attorney for the New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation arguing on behalf of Mackey-Meggs, wants the court to toss his conviction on the charge. She contends the county law violates the First Amendment, which protects speech, and the 14th Amendment, which addresses equal protection of the laws.

"Because Albany County has made no effort to demonstrate that this broad criminalization of speech is necessary to protect minors from harm, the court should strike the cyber-bullying law down on its face," she stated in court papers.

In December 2010, Mackey-Meggs created an anonymous Facebook page called the "Cohoes Flame." His expletive-laced posts identified multiple students by name and claimed they had several sexual partners and that, in some cases, were gay. The students were between the ages of 13 and 16.

The vast majority of his comments cannot be printed in a newspaper. He claimed one female student had 14 sexual partners and listed the names.

Among the remarks that can be printed included Mackey-Meggs suggestion that one female student "will make out with any boy in history if drunk."

Cohoes police arrested Mackey-Meggs on June 14, 2011. He was charged with eight counts of violating the county's cyber-bullying law, which was enacted amid increased efforts across the country to eliminate student bullying, much of which has been seen online.

In court papers, Albany County Attorney Thomas Marcelle said Mackey-Meggs inflicted vicious, life-altering attacks on fellow students for the express purpose of humiliating them.

"Freedom of speech is not the issue," he stated in a court brief. "It was his desire to inflict harm on his victims that got him convicted of a crime, not his desire to enter into the marketplace of ideas."

Marcelle said the law was tailored to include acts of bullying involving the electronic dissemination of sexually explicit photos, private or personal sexual information, false sexual information with no legitimate purpose and "with the specific intent to inflict emotional harm on a minor."

Marcelle said the First Amendment does not protect false statements designed to inflict harm on another person.

"The Cyber-Bullying Law is precisely targeted at speech in the narrow circumstances where the communication has no purpose other than to inflict emotional harm upon a child — that is, in situations where the speaker has no intent to communicate ideas and is without the protections offered by the First Amendment," the attorney stated.

The law defined cyber-bullying to include "sending hate mail, with no legitimate private, personal, or public purpose, with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten, abuse, taunt, intimidate, torment, humiliate, or otherwise inflict significant emotional harm on another person."

In turn, Stoughton argued: "These terms encompass countless emails, text messages, and postings on social networking and other websites, putting thousands of people in Albany County in jeopardy of criminal prosecution for expressing anger, criticism, intimacy, parody, gossip, and opinion."

Mackey-Meggs tried to get his case tossed on grounds that his speech was protected by the First Amendment, which specifically prohibits any law prohibiting freedom of speech.

Cohoes City Court Judge Richard Maguire upheld the law. In turn, Mackey-Meggs pleaded guilty to a single count of cyber-bullying, admitting he electronically disseminated false sexual information to inflict emotional harm on a minor.

But he did so under the grounds that the plea deal would not prevent him from appealing the conviction on its constitutionality.

He then appealed the case to Albany County Judge Stephen Herrick, who upheld the conviction but determined the law should only apply to victims who are minors.

rgavin@timesunion.com • 518-434-2403 • @RobertGavinTU

Albany

High poverty rates and a diminished tax base are among the challenges facing the city of Albany, according to a report released Tuesday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

And while poverty and the city's trouble raising revenue are often talked about as separate issues, they are also inextricably linked.

Demand for social services in Albany is high, according to the report, because 34 percent of the city's children live in poverty, a figure that far outpaces the statewide rate of 21 percent.

"Poverty is a critical indicator on many, many levels," said Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, at a news conference Tuesday, adding that the level of financial hardship in a community is often the "single biggest" predictor of a city's success.

Meeting the needs of Albany's poorest residents is complicated by difficulties raising revenue. Albany has the sixth highest proportion of tax-exempt property among cities in the state at 59 percent, mostly because of state-owned property, while the city's property vacancy rate, at 16.5 percent, easily surpasses the 10.5 percent median rate for cities in New York.

All of this has led Mayor Kathy Sheehan to embark on a new approach for Albany: long-term planning.

"The city of Albany has never engaged in multiyear budgeting," said Sheehan. "We are beginning that process in this current fiscal year so that we can see out onto the horizon and start to better plan for what we are going to be facing."

Sheehan said she is reviewing "everything from health care to worker compensation to street lights."

The report is part of DiNapoli's fiscal-stress initiative, and while Albany did not make the list of local governments with high fiscal stress, the findings are based on data from 2012. According to Sheehan, the budgetary situation has grown more dire, and she expects a deficit of more than $10 million by the end of 2014, up from $1 million in 2013.

The budget deficit has been worsened by a decrease in state payments for land in and around the Empire State Plaza, which decreased from $23 million in the 2011-2012 fiscal year to $15 million in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

Sheehan noted the city cannot borrow or tax its way out of this situation, particularly because commercial and residential property tax rates are already "higher than what you would expect for a city our size."

In February, Sheehan turned over Albany's books to the newly formed state Financial Restructuring Board, which makes nonbinding recommendations to municipalities and could provide up to $5 million in loans and grants to improve government operations. A determination from the board is expected by August.

There were a few bright spots in the comptroller's report. Jobs in state government, hospitals, universities and the emerging technology sector have stabilized Albany's economy. After half a century of decline, the city's population has grown slightly over the past decade to nearly 98,000 people, and the median home value in Albany of $180,000 is significantly higher than the statewide city median of $102,000.

And while Albany's unemployment rate of 7.2 percent is slightly less than the statewide rate of 7.7 percent, Sheehan said that number doesn't "reflect economic realities. ... We have a significant underemployment issue where people may have jobs, but they don't have jobs that provide them with the ability to support their families."

That, Sheehan said, is what people mean when they talk about a tale of two cities.

"That's the paradox of Albany," she said. "We have a relatively stable, solid middle class as well as affluent areas. And then, we have extreme poverty."

asanto@timesunion.com • 518-454-5008 • @alysiasanto

Albany

Fresh off his work in the acquittal of former Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, Albany defense attorney William Dreyer has a new battle: Convincing the state's highest court to keep Albany County Surrogate's Court Judge Cathryn M. Doyle on the bench.

The stakes are different — Doyle is not facing criminal charges. But the language being used is similar.

In the Bruno case, Dreyer and fellow attorney E. Stewart Jones suggested the federal government was after the former Republican senator's "scalp."

This time, Dreyer contends Doyle, a Democrat, faces a "judicial beheading."

The Court of Appeals will hear arguments in her case on Thursday.

The state Commission on Judicial Conduct wants to boot Doyle from the bench after finding she took action in cases between 2007 and 2010 without disclosing personal conflicts.

The cases involved her former campaign manager, Matthew J. Kelly, her personal attorney, William Cade, and her close personal friend and attorney, Thomas J. Spargo.

Spargo, a former state Supreme Court justice, was removed from the bench and convicted of attempted extortion in federal court. Doyle has said her relationship with Spargo is "as close as a friend can get," according to a court brief filed by the commission with the Court of Appeals.

Dreyer contends Doyle failed to disclose the conflicts "mistakenly and in good faith." And even if she did commit misconduct, he argued in a brief, it does not rise to the level of removal from the bench, which Dreyer stated would be harsh and excessive.

Doyle, who was admitted to the bar in 1979, served as the chief clerk of Surrogate's Court from 1980 to 2000, when she was elected to the bench to a 10-year term. She was re-elected in 2010. The commission voted to remove her last November after finding she committed three counts of misconduct.

Two members of the commission dissented, suggesting censure was more appropriate.

Among other arguments, Dreyer argued that in Surrogate's Court the handling of conflicts varies from case to case.

The commission said Kelly was Doyle's de facto campaign manager in 2010 and also held the role when she ran for state Supreme Court.

Dreyer paints that as a stretch and contends Kelly was simply a campaign volunteer.

The commission censured Doyle in 2007, ruling she gave evasive and deceptive testimony during its inquiry into a trust fund intended to help Spargo.

Just months later, Doyle announced a campaign for state Supreme Court.

Among those in attendance was Kelly, who introduced Doyle at the news conference citing her "unblemished public record."

rgavin@timesunion.com • 518-434-2403 • @RobertGavinTU

Glenville

On Saturday it's back to the basics when the New York National Guard's 1108th Ordnance Company heads to Goose Bay, Ontario, for training in removing explosives other than so-called improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

"For us, it's back to the ordnance aspect of our job, which we haven't done a lot with," said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Walters, who has been an explosive ordinance disposal technician for 22 years. "Some of the younger kids haven't really dealt at all with ordnance. They came in through the IED war, so that's been their focus."

The 1108th's Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit will help Canadian military forces remove more than 5,000 pounds of ordnance from a bomb range in Goose Bay used by Canadian and NATO troops. Six million pounds of explosives have been dropped on the range since 1985, but not all of it detonated.

Soldiers will grid the terrain and make sure all unexploded ordnance has been accounted for, 1st Sgt. Kevin Conklin said.

Staff Sgt. Stephen Emlaw said the size of the explosives will vary, with some between 15 and 20 pounds and others up to 2,000 pounds.

Removing the explosives will allow construction of additional military training facilities. Engineers and surveyors, who will be part of that project, will accompany the soldiers throughout their two-week mission.

The last decade saw a decreased emphasis on ordnance disposal because improvised explosive devices were a more pervasive threat in war zones. With 1108th personnel now stationed at home after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Conklin said, the unit is shifting its focus back to basic training in disarming ordnance. The unit will use disposal robots and bomb suits. However, Sgt. 1st Class Richard Walters, an EOD technician for 22 years, said this equipment was designed more for IED disarmament.

Walters said there was a shift in bomb disposal training after 9/11. Before then, ordnance disposal was once a significant part of EOD training, but an increased military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan led to larger, more complex IEDs, requiring safer methods of disposal. IEDs subsequently became the training focus of EOD units.

Conklin said continued training was even after combat as soldiers constantly encounter new disposal situations.

"It's unsafe to think that you've seen it all," Conklin said. "Our career field is one of those that we can never really sit back on what we've done. We've always got to train for real-world threats."

bmolongoskli@timesunion.com • 518-454-5097

Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs' first couple released plans Tuesday to build a life-size statue of the champion thoroughbred Native Dancer near Saratoga Race Course that would be part of a Centennial Park to be donated to the city next summer.

The pocket park, proposed for the end of Union Avenue along Circular Street, would commemorate the 100th anniversary of the city's incorporation in 1915.

Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, two of the city's biggest boosters, want to remake the area with the bronze statue, its marble base, a backdrop of water fountains, new sidewalk, steps and benches, and donate them to the city.

Hendrickson said the park would be lit at night and serve as a beacon for motorists entering the city from Union Avenue and pedestrians strolling the eastern tip of Congress Park.

"We wanted to have a welcoming entrance to Saratoga Springs from the track," Hendrickson said. "It also reminds people that one of our anchors is racing."

The philanthropic couple chose equine artist Gwen Reardon to create the large bronze bust of a jockey riding Native Dancer. The horse ran unbeaten at the Spa and was chosen for the park over other history-making horses like Secretariat in consultation with horse racing writer Michael Veitch of Saratoga Springs, Hendrickson said.

"Nobody can question Native Dancer," Hendrickson said. Michael Ingersoll of the LA Group is designing the park.

Whitney and Hendrickson would donate the components of Centennial Park to the city to mark its 100th anniversary.

Saratoga Springs was incorporated as a village in 1826, and as a city in 1915.

Volunteers, including Whitney and Hendrickson, organized a series of events last summer to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first thoroughbred racing meet held in the city in 1863 on Union Avenue. Mayor Joanne Yepsen formed a centennial committee to recognize next year's milestone.

Whitney and Hendrickson serve as honorary chairpersons.

The pocket park was designed to depict a winning circle. The Public Works Department would maintain and beautify the park if the city accepts it.

Members of the City Council were expected to discuss accepting the donation Tuesday night.

Hendrickson said he'd like to have the property completed by early next summer.

He called it a "gift to commemorate our love and respect" for Saratoga Springs.

dyusko@timesunion.com • 518-454-5353 • @DAYusko

Colonie

Mariano Rivera played soccer in the backyard with Peter Rokeach's two sons, David, 6, and Jason, 8, goofing around like an overgrown kid without a care in the world after a long-ago Sunday afternoon baseball game in June.

They were truly boys of summer.

Andy Pettitte's pregnant wife, Laura, talked in the kitchen with Rokeach's wife, Anne, and the girlfriends of other Albany-Colonie Yankees' baseball players during a cookout at Rokeach's home.

A tall, skinny shortstop prospect with a flat-top haircut, blazing speed, tremendous range and uncommon poise had arrived at Heritage Park the previous week.

He knew his place in the hierarchy of a minor-league ball club and he sat quietly at the end of a picnic table in the screened-in back porch off Watervliet Shaker Road. He ate a second helping of Anne Rokeach's spicy chicken wings, the players' favorite, and said little.

His name was Derek Jeter and it was June 26, 1994, which happened to be his 20th birthday.

Dubbed "The Kid," Jeter was just 19 and a former first-round pick when he arrived at the Double A ball club in its fading, final season in Colonie. Its idiosyncratic ballpark, Heritage Park, was wedged between a Shaker cemetery where Mother Ann Lee and hundreds of Shakers were buried and the flight path of what was then the Albany County Airport.

The Rokeach family threw Jeter — who turns 40 in three weeks, a future Hall of Famer playing his 20th and final season as one of the most celebrated Yankees in history — a low-key, backyard barbecue.

Team veteran and designated raconteur Lyle Mouton, who went on to a major league career as a journeyman outfielder with the White Sox, Orioles and other teams, dominated the conversation at the gathering.

Jeter and the other young players let Mouton finish his stories before they chimed in.

Rokeach, an organizer of the minor-league team's booster club and an ardent Yankees fan, wished Jeter a happy birthday out of earshot of the others.

The unassuming rookie gave the host a pleading look that made it clear he wanted to keep that information under the radar.

"I don't think the other guys realized it was Derek's birthday because nobody said anything about it," Rokeach recalled. "In public, Derek was very mature for his age and he put this wall up."

According to local lore, Jeter's first words when he walked into the locker room for the A-C Yankees were filled with a bravado the fans never saw, a sassy pronouncement that turned out to be prophetic: "OK, guys, I'm here. Your worries are over."

Rokeach witnessed Jeter once in the locker room at Heritage Park, where he was loose and talkative with his teammates, the flip side of his reserved public persona.

This was long before the Yankees captain and fan favorite was the toast of New York who dated a string of celebrity girlfriends including actresses Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel and Minka Kelly, model Tyra Banks and singer Mariah Carey.

Even in the minors, Jeter seemed to have an eye on legacy and burnishing a gleaming image. When other players went to local bars after games, Jeter stayed away and returned to an uninviting one-bedroom, second-floor apartment in the Pastures neighborhood of the city's South End. He shared it with Matt Luke, an outfielder and first baseman who played with five different teams in his major league career.

The apartment lacked air-conditioning and Jeter and Luke had trouble sleeping in the summer swelter. Rokeach and his wife came to their rescue with a couple of large fans.

"They were just kids then. They made no money and they were treated pretty poorly," recalled Rokeach, a partner with Saratoga Financial Systems. He and his wife, a retired attorney, served as sort of surrogate parents, along with other club members in the group's lone year of operation. They called themselves Baby Bombers Boosters.

Rokeach bought an air mattress for the Pettittes so they could let their parents use the bed when they visited the young couple's modest one-bedroom apartment in Clifton Park.

Rokeach would like to freeze-frame those cookouts in the backyard of his suburban raised ranch, a short drive from the ballpark, a simpler time before fame and fortune caught up with these extraordinarily gifted athletes.

But he stayed true to his ground rule: No photographs and no requests for autographs while the players were at his house. Not even the nagging of his starstruck sons could budge Rokeach, so no photos of the parties exist.

"We wanted them to feel they had a safe haven here, without being hassled," Rokeach said.

Of course, the memories are stronger than any snapshot. "I was such an avid baseball fan that it was a second childhood for me that summer," Rokeach said, now 58 and a self-described baseball junkie.

Later, after they left town, Rivera, Pettitte and Jeter autographed baseballs and Jeter signed two bats for Rokeach, prized additions to his collection.

After one backyard party, the hosts caught Lew Hill, a paunchy outfielder who never made it above Triple A, stuffing Anne Rokeach's blonde brownies into his pockets, trying to avoid detection.

The players wolfed down the tasty treats and they became the team's secret weapon. Before road trips, she baked big batches and dropped them off at the team bus in the Heritage Park parking lot.

On Tuesday, 20 years after that magical summer, she made a fresh batch of blonde brownies.

They were morsels of memory. And they never tasted sweeter.

pgrondahl@timesunion.com • 518-454-5623 • @PaulGrondahl

Rensselaer

The Rensselaer Common Council is expected to vote on a resolution Wednesday night that would support a casino license for De Laet's Landing as a public presentation for an Albany site has been pushed off by the developer.

Rensselaer County political sources familiar with casino developments in East Greenbush and Rensselaer said Tuesday that David Flaum is moving toward making the 24-acre De Laet's Landing on the Hudson River his preferred location for a casino in the Capital Region.

The Rensselaer Common Council is awaiting a final draft of the resolution to consider, City Clerk Nancy Hardt said.

The developments in Rensselaer come as the members of Flaum's team pushing the E23 casino project at Thruway Exit 23 in Albany have been unusually quiet lately.

Flaum did not take calls or respond to an email about his interest in Rensselaer. His aides have been assuring people supportive of the E23 project that the Flaum team is pushing forward with plans to apply for a casino license for the Albany site off Noonan Lane.

Representatives of the Chickasaw Nation, whose Global Gaming Solutions has been planning to partner with Flaum, did not return calls Tuesday, nor did John Signor, chief executive of Capital Off-Track Betting Corp., which has already signed on with Flaum.

"I can't confirm or deny anything," Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer said Tuesday night.

After seeing the partnership of Penn National and Cordish Companies pull out of a deal on the Rensselaer location and abandon the Capital Region market, Dwyer has been seeking other casino operators for his city.

He has promised swift approval of casino plans and touted the site having its environmental and traffic studies completed and approved, which would speed up opening a casino for business.

People close to Dwyer and Peter Marx, owner of De Laet's Landing, say the two men have signaled in recent days that they have another suitor for a casino project for the landing site. Marx said he would not discuss possibilities for the site his company, U.W. Marx, owns.

The Albany Common Council was expecting to hear a presentation either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week regarding details about the casino proposed by Flaum, Capital District Off-Track Betting Corp. and an arm of the Chickasaw Nation.

On Tuesday evening, Mayor Kathy Sheehan said the casino development team had just communicated they were not ready to present their proposal.

"Our attorney is being told that they are working day and night on a proposal to make to the city and Common Council. But we still haven't seen anything and haven't been given any indication as to when they would be prepared," Sheehan said.

The mayor expressed concerns about the absence of details for the proposed casino as the June 30 submission deadline nears.

"I have not seen any plans, and I have not had any conversations with the proposed casino operators," Sheehan said. "So I do have some concerns that we're running out of time, not just for the Common Council, but the residents of Albany (who) want to have the opportunity to consider a plan and determine whether they will support this going forward, and the less time people have to give consideration, the more of a challenge it is."

Albany Common Council members have long maintained they will not vote on a resolution supporting the casino, a requirement of the casino application, without knowing specifics about the proposal.

At Monday night's council caucus, the mayor's chief of staff, Matt Peter, said consultant Jonathan Silverstein has not received a response from casino developers about a date and time to meet, which is in sharp contrast with previous weeks when Flaum and others aggressively angled for public and government support.

"So far I've gotten nothing," said Peters. "This was the week they were supposed to meet with the council and introduce themselves based upon an internal timeline requested by council leadership."

kcrowe@timesunion.com • 518-454-5084 • @KennethCrowe

ROUND LAKE — Helicopters hovered over the village on Wednesday as the military and State Police practiced water-bucket training to prepare for fighting wildfires.

New York Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crews and the State Police aviation units trained together at the Round Lake Municipal Airport.

Several State Police pilots trained with their Bell Huey II and 750-pound water bucket. State forest rangers also were involved in the effort.

A group of fourth graders from Central Park International Magnet School in Schenectady were on hand to watch the training and to learn about the helicopters. The school received a science and technology grant to pay for the buses to transport the children to Round Lake.

The children in science class are learning about simple machines, complex machines, electrical energy, mechanical energy and the transferring of energy.

Colonie

The Rev. Kevin Mullen, Siena College's president since 2007, will step down in August to lead the largest Franciscan community in the United States.

On Wednesday, Mullen, a 1975 Siena graduate, was elected provincial minister for Holy Name Province, an umbrella Franciscan organization based in New York City. It operates along the East Coast from Maine to Florida.

Holy Name Province has strong ties to Siena, and as provincial minister, Mullen will be given a seat on the college's board of trustees.

"There's no doubt there are mixed emotions in my life right now," said Mullen. "I willingly embrace it, but I'm sad to leave Siena College."

Siena's interim president will be F. Edward Coughlin, a Franciscan and Siena trustee. He is a Buffalo native who is an administrator at St. Bonaventure University. It is another Franciscan school with close ties to Holy Name Province that actually founded Siena in 1937, originally as a satellite campus.

A search is already under way for a permanent successor to Mullen, who leaves effective Aug. 4.

Mullen's election took place at Siena's Loudonville campus as part of a provincial "chapter," or meeting that takes place every three years. He said that no one campaigns for the job, but his name started coming up among the group's 300 members about a year ago. Mullen said he informed the Siena board in March that there was a strong possibility that he could be elected to the post, which he said he was compelled to accept as a fellow Franciscan.

"This is a very humbling experience," Mullen said. "It was their voice that called me to this position. This is my priority certainly in life to be a Franciscan friar. And I certainly said yes."

Mullen said the school academic and financial position is "very, very strong" as he departs and he said he believes the trustees and the staff will have no problem leading the college forward with the next leader.

"I have enjoyed serving as Siena's president and I am proud of the successes that this community has shared, including the development of a new strategic plan, the expansion and improvement of campus facilities and academic offerings and the launch of a comprehensive campaign that will ensure that Siena College, which has 3,000 undergraduates, provides the education of a lifetime for years to come."

Mullen is Siena's 10th president, chosen by the college board of trustees in 2007. He has a bachelor's degree in history from Siena, a master's of divinity from the Washington Theological Union and a doctorate in moral theology from the Catholic University of America.

Howard Foote, chairman of the Siena board of trustees who is managing partner of the Albany accounting firm UHY, said there is no timetable for finding a permanent president, although the board has already been working on the process. He said the plan will be discussed in more detail at its next board meeting later this month. "The board has full confidence in Father Ed," Foote said, referring to Coughlin.

Mullen, who grew up in New Jersey, says he's looking forward to being back in the metro New York area. He said he's a Met fan and a Jet's fan as well. In the meantime, he's going to be splitting a lot of his time between Loudonville and Manhattan.

"I may see some of you on the train on my way to the Big Apple," he said.

lrulison@timesunion.com • 518-454-5504 • @larryrulison

Albany

The Albany City Board of Education is looking for candidates to replace board member Felicia Green, who resigned in April.

Green, who is the former co-president of the citywide PTA, was elected to the board in 2010 and had eight months left on her term.

"I've done my time," Green said.

Green said she considered herself a voice for the low- and moderate-income student. One of her goals on the board was to make sure lower-achieving students were not ignored. Green said she resigned after the board approved next year's budget, which included programs that she believes will help those students.

"It's as close as I'm going to get to victory, at least from the inside," Green said.

One initiative in the budget is "studio" classrooms, where one classroom is studied intensively by teachers and administrators to help improve teaching strategies. Green believes it will result in more rigorous instruction for all students. Green was also pleased that the state Legislature restored aid money to the city.

Green was often the lone vote of opposition on the board. For example, she voted against a resolution accusing the state of being over-reliant on standardized tests. In fact, Green said she was frustrated by the lack of student achievement data board members were allowed to view.

"They think that only the superintendent should look at it," she said.

Green said she enjoyed her time on the board and respects her fellow board members, but it was time to go.

"I fought a good fight and took some hard stances," she said.

Board President Rose M. Brandon emailed a statement: "During her term in office, Mrs. Green has given sincere and commendable service to the Board of Education and the children of the City School District of Albany — we wish her the very best in her future endeavors."

The board is seeking candidates interested in filling Green's seat. Candidates should send a one-page letter of interest and resume to the clerk of the board by 5 p.m., June 12. The board may appoint someone to fill the seat until the end of the year, or could wait until November election to fill the seat.

ccrowley@timesunion.com • 518-454-5348 • @cathleencrowley • http://facebook.com/cathleenFcrowley

Schenectady

A Brooklyn parolee faces a second-degree murder charge in the 2012 shooting death of a rival outside a nightclub in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood.

Jamel Johnson, 26, is accused of gunning down George Lloyd, 24, outside the Masons Club at the corner of Strong and Schenectady streets in the early-morning hours of Oct. 27, 2012.

The city man was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at Ellis Hospital. The victim and the alleged shooter were part of groups that were involved in an ongoing feud, police said.

Police arrested Johnson on Wednesday, at the Fulton County Jail, where he was being held. He is now at the Schenectady County Jail and is to be arraigned Thursday in City Court. He is also accused of criminal possession of a weapon.

The Masons Club, also known as Club 548, was forced to shut down after the killing.

pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson

Albany

David Flaum and his team should eliminate the word "commitment" from their vocabulary.

Just weeks ago, the Rochester developer and others in the group proposing a casino and more at Exit 23 promised their "commitment to bringing a world-class resort to Albany." But that promise went out the window Wednesday, when Flaum & Co. announced they'll take their project to a riverfront site in Rensselaer.

Oh, the irony.

It wasn't so long ago when Flaum was using Rensselaer as a bogeyman as he tried to convince Albany officials to accept his project. If a casino was built in Rensselaer instead of Albany, he said again and again during public hearings, "you'll get all the negatives without any of the positives."

Little did anyone know that it could be Flaum himself responsible for those negatives.

Albany officials were aware from the start that Flaum could be slippery. They knew what had happened in the Sullivan County town of Mamakating, where Flaum told the citizenry the casino he's proposing there would be his only gambling project.

"I live by my word," Flaum told the Mamakating Town Board.

That was just before he went on to propose additional casinos in Orange County and Albany.

On Wednesday, some Albany officials reacted with anger at what they saw as a betrayal by Flaum's team, which includes the Chickasaw Nation and Capital Off-Track Betting Corp.

Common Council member Judd Krasher, a casino skeptic, was perhaps the most scathing in his criticism.

"In our heart of hearts, we knew we couldn't trust David Flaum — no matter how many promises he was making and how good they may have sounded," Krasher said in a statement. "All those added jobs, gone. All that added revenue to the city of Albany — gone."

Wednesday's decision may result, at least in part, from the recent discovery that there is less developable land at Exit 23 than was originally believed.

Behind the scenes, Flaum's team had also grown frustrated by the deliberate pace Albany officials were taking toward a resolution in support of the casino. Local support is a mandatory part of the application that all wannabe casino operators have to file with the state — and with a June 30 deadline looming, the Common Council hadn't even scheduled a vote.

Meanwhile, as Albany deliberated, other communities were embracing competing casino projects.

"Quite a few of us were frustrated by the slow pace of our fellow council members," said Common Council member Ron Bailey, a casino supporter. "Some of us wanted to move it along a long time ago."

Wednesday's announcement had Bailey thinking about what may have been lost. "When we do our budget, we're going to be looking at jobs laid off, service cuts, taxes going up," he said. "It's a sad day knowing the fiscal bind we're in that we just let that walk away."

Yet Albany officials were waiting for specifics that Flaum & Co. never delivered. The city also wanted the developer to put job and community-benefit promises in writing.

Such specifics apparently aren't needed in Rensselaer, where the City Council voted to support Flaum's proposal just hours after it was announced.

A casino? We'll take it! No questions asked!

Partly, this is all the result of the rushed insanity that's built into the process for awarding four upstate casino licenses. The state's compressed schedule makes local due diligence nearly impossible. And if a community does ask pointed questions, as Albany did, a developer can just jump to a community that won't.

As Common Council member Leah Golby said Wednesday, the process is pitting communities against each other, rather than getting them to work together. It encourages cities and towns to accept a casino out of fear.

"It's going to be all the negatives that you don't want to hear about," Flaum told folks in Mamakating last January. "I don't want to see you get all the negatives and none of the positives."

In fairness, neither the schedule nor the process are Flaum's fault. Nor is it his fault that Rensselaer's casino revenue wouldn't be shared with Albany or other Capital Region communities. The blame for all that rests with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

But yet there's that word Flaum & Co. used — commitment. It leaves no wriggle room. Being committed to something is kind of like being pregnant. You are, or you're not.

We learned on Wednesday that Flaum was not, in fact, committed to Albany. When things got difficult, he went elsewhere.

Alysia Santo contributed to this column.

Niskayuna

If Town Board member Denise Murphy McGraw had her way, the modest white house with its boarded up windows sitting on a knoll at one of Niskayuna's busiest intersection would be converted into a park or green space.

A white and scarlet sign bearing the letter "X" hangs from a corner of a side door of the property at Balltown Road and Union Street that is owned by a Midwest bank that still pays taxes on it.

"Anybody who's sat at this (traffic) light for two minutes has to say, what's wrong," said McGraw Wednesday standing outside the home — one of among 25 abandoned, vacant or so-called "zombie" properties in the town.

McGraw wants a public spotlight put on zombie properties which she said have become eyesores in this solidly middle-class town, home of a global GE research center and defense research facility. The property at Balltown and Union has been vacant for about two years and used to house a real estate agency.

It came as a surprise when the owners just walked away from the property, she said, because they were "people who were really very involved in the community, people who made their living at selling Niskayuna," she said.

Leaving a property behind becomes hurts the community, McGraw said.

Besides dragging down property values, zombie properties throughout the town also are a public health and safety nuisance and can be a drain on municipal coffers

But while zombie properties are more common in urban areas, leaders and planning officials in the suburbs like Niskayuna concede their communities are not immune from blight.

A proposed bill, backed by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, would force banks and other mortgage lenders to maintain vacant properties even before they've finished foreclosing on them.

It would also require banks to notify borrowers that they are able to stay in their properties until foreclosure is complete, and empower the state to create a registry of these zombie properties.

Supporters of the bill, like sponsor Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein of Brooklyn, argue the banks' own aggressive tactics have fueled the problem, chasing people prematurely from homes that are then left to rot as the foreclosure process drags on.

Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein, a Bronx Democrat who leads the chamber's Independent Democratic Conference, is the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. Klein spokesman Jason Elan said it remains one of Klein's priorities as the legislative session draws to a close.

The decaying properties in turn force municipal officials to intervene at taxpayer expense to protect the public, and drag down the values of surrounding homes, officials say.

Murphy McGraw is hopeful the measure would provide some relief to cash-strapped towns.

"I'm hoping that the legislation in Albany will get passed because we need help at the town level," she said, noting the Town Board has unanimously passed a resolution supporting the bill, also endorsed by the state Conference of Mayors.

Glenville Supervisor Chris Koetzle said a homeowner walked away from a residence in one of the more desirable neighborhoods in town, where home prices range from $350,000 to $550,000.

"It's a huge problem that affects neighborhoods, people and neighborhoods," he added, noting Glenville officials addressed the issue about four years ago when they created a vacant property registry. It is an effort to hold property owners accountable and make it easier for the town to track them down. There are currently 27 properties in Glenville on the town list, Koetzle said.

Colonie Director of Planning and Economic Development Joseph LaCivita said Tuesday his town has a number of residential and commercial properties that were either vacant or abandoned though he could not provide an exact number.

"This is a topic that no municipality is immune to," said LaCivita. In 2011, Colonie revised its land use law to include development regulations that essentially fast-tracked the approval process on properties less than an acre where demolition or rehabilitation work is needed, he said.

"We've shortened the approval process to make sure it's friendly to do business in the town," LaCivita said.

Added Murphy McGraw: "I don't think it's something you have to keep quiet, I think we have to shout it, and try to call as much attention to it as possible"

pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson

ALBANY — Albany Medical Center debuted its "Tree of Life" display on Thursday featuring glass ornaments etched with the names of those who became organ donors in 2013.

The organ donations from 24 people saved the lives of more than 64 others, and benefited countless others through gifts of tissue donation, according to Albany Med.

Next year, the glass ornaments will be given to family members and the organ donors' names will be etched onto the bottom panel. New glass ornaments bearing the names of the current year's donors will go up on the tree.

The display is in the entry level of Albany Med's Patient Pavilion.

Albany

The state's top court heard arguments Thursday on the constitutionality of Albany County's cyber-bullying law, leading its top judge to question why county lawmakers do not just pass a new law.

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman suggested the cyber-bullying law was flawed and asked county attorney Thomas Marcelle if a more narrow version of the law might be the ultimate solution.

"Why are we going through this exercise?" Lippman asked during arguments on the law at the Court of Appeals. "I think you would agree — it's not the best statute in the world in anyone's imagination. Why are we doing this? What's the purpose?"

The genesis of the legal battle before the high court is the June 14, 2011 arrest of Marquan Mackey-Meggs who, at the time, was a student at Cohoes High School. The prior December, Mackey-Meggs launched an anonymous Facebook page called the "Cohoes Flame" full of expletive-laced posts about fellow students ages 13 to 16. He mentioned them by name, claiming they had several sexual partners or that, in other cases, were gay.

Mackey-Meggs later pleaded guilty but appealed on constitutional grounds.

Marcelle conceded to Lippman the cyber-bullying law was partly problematic in extending its range to all people, not just children where the issue of bullying — and cyber-bullying in particular — is now a major public concern. But Marcelle argued the law is a necessary statute to protect children from emotional harm in schools. He said Mackey-Meggs inflicted such emotional harm on his fellow students.

He told Lippman the Court of Appeals could retool the law. The top judge said that was no way to legislate, and he asked Marcelle why the law, in its present form, should be saved.

"Why doesn't the legislature go and pass another statute that's tightly drawn that actually one would look at in a focused way and make it reasonably ascertainable for ruling as to whether it passes constitutional muster?" he asked.

Corey Stoughton, an attorney for the New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation representing Mackey-Meggs, contends the law violates the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.

The law defines cyber-bullying to include "sending hate mail, with no legitimate private, personal, or public purpose, with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten, abuse, taunt, intimidate, torment, humiliate, or otherwise inflict significant emotional harm on another person."

Stoughton told the seven-judge panel the law should address "true threats" to children, as opposed to the type of protected speech that is prevalent throughout the Internet. Associate Judge Eugene Pigott suggested to Stoughton that she was opposed to any bullying law, not just one targeting cyber-bullies. Stoughton initially answered that she believes a narrower statute might be appropriate. She noted the state has stalking laws.

Pigott pressed for an answer.

"It would be discreetly certain things — assault, harassment, things like that — but bullying itself would too vague to be a crime?" Pigott asked.

"I think that's right," Stoughton responded.

Mackey-Meggs was charged with eight counts of violating the county's cyber-bullying law and then failed to get his case dismissed on grounds that his speech was protected by the First Amendment, which prohibits any law curtailing freedom of speech. Cohoes City Court Judge Richard Maguire upheld the law. Mackey-Meggs pleaded guilty to a single count of cyber-bullying, admitting he electronically disseminated false sexual information to inflict emotional harm on a minor. However, he did so on the grounds that the plea deal would not prevent him from appealing the conviction on its constitutionality. Albany County Judge Stephen Herrick upheld the conviction but determined the law should only apply to victims who are minors.

During Thursday's arguments, Associate Judge Robert Smith asked Stoughton if she could truly argue that the law interferes with basic constitutional right of Mackey-Meggs.

"Yes, your honor." Stoughton replied. "The First Amendment obviously is designed to protect public discourse but it's also meant to protect a realm of speech that shouldn't be criminalized or penalized."

Marcelle argued that in 2003 the U.S. Supreme Court, citing the First Amendment, struck down a Virginia state law that prohibited cross burning, but allowed the law to apply if the crosses were burned with the intent to intimidate.

The case is expected to be decided by early July.

rgavin@timesunion.com • 518-434-2403 • @RobertGavinTU

Troy

A 53-year-old bicyclist was alive Thursday, two days after he was reported to have died from his injuries, city police said.

Stephen Nolan of Troy was hit by a vehicle on Monday and police reported on Tuesday that he had died.

Nolan suffered severe head injuries and was listed Thursday in critical condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital, said Capt. Daniel DeWolf, a police department spokesman.

The erroneous information came about when the police officer assigned to the case apparently did not make a final check to confirm whether Nolan was still alive, DeWolf said.

The officer has been spoken to regarding the incident, but is not expected to be disciplined, DeWolf said.

The accident occurred at 9:30 p.m. Monday at King and Federal streets just east of the Green Island Bridge, police said.

The driver stayed at the scene and was not charged.

Nolan was transported to Samaritan Hospital and then transferred to Albany Medical Center Hospital, DeWolf said.

Milton

A mechanic for North American Flight Services was hospitalized Thursday after an ultralight plane he was working on crashed during an engine test at Saratoga County Airport.

Kevin Purstell, 56, was in the pilot's seat of a REVO experimental aircraft at 8:57 a.m., when it accelerated on the tarmac and hit a hangar, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Purstell, of Lake Ridge Road in Malta, lost control of the lightweight plane and it collided with two planes parked in the hangar, police said. He was ejected from the plane and injured, Sgt. Rick Washburn of the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office said. Purstell was taken to Saratoga Hospital and then Albany Medical Center Hospital.

The crash caused "massive damage" to a Cessna 337 Skymaster, wing damage to a Cessna 182 and minor damage to the hangar, the sheriff's office said. The FAA is investigating the accident.