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Please,
Hammer, Don’t Hurt ’Em
Though
the hammer is known more for its ability to pound than to
seize, a clawed carpenter’s hammer has the City of Troy gripped
in fear.
An indecisive man struck a fearful nerve with the people at
the Mr. Subb on the corner of Burden Avenue and Main Street
in Troy when he paused in front of the store Monday afternoon
with a hammer in hand, Troy Police Detective Sgt. John Riegert
said. The police received a distressed call from the eatery
around 4 PM fearing that the Hammer Bandit was about to strike
again.
Police believe that the man known as the Hammer Bandit is
responsible for four robberies throughout Rensselaer County
in the past month. The bandit’s technique is simple: He enters
an establishment (two liquor stores, a Cumberland Farms and
a Dunkin’ Donuts so far) and, wielding a clawed carpenter’s
hammer, demands money from the clerk.
But when police arrived at the scene Monday they did not find
a hammer bandit, just a man who had been trying to fix his
car with a hammer and was looking for a place to make a phone
call.
Riegert said the actual suspect, a white male typically wearing
a dark-colored ski mask and winter coat, is still at large;
Riegert recommends that anyone confronted by him comply with
his wishes before calling the police at 270-4426.
—Travis
Durfee
Vets
Keep Their Home
It’s
a win on a technicality, but David Stacey of the Albany Housing
Coalition is just grateful to be back on solid ground. On
Dec. 1, the New York Supreme Court ruled in a lawsuit brought
by the coalition [“Down But Not Out,” Oct. 16] that although
the city was justified in seeking to revoke the zoning permit
for the Tyler Arms Veterans Home [“No Veterans in My Backyard,”
Sept. 18], they made several procedural missteps that invalidated
the decision.
The city had until the end of this week to appeal, so Stacey
was trying to keep quiet about the decision and not ruffle
any feathers. “We’re in business, we’re going to try to be
good neighbors, stay in line with what we’re supposed to do,”
he said. “We don’t want to upset anybody any more. . . . A
lot of people moved out during this procedure, they were afraid
we would have to close.” The coalition has decided not to
seek a change to the building’s zoning that would allow them
house other low-income people along with veterans, something
they were applying for at the time the existing permit was
revoked.
—Miriam
Axel-Lute
Crows
Away!
For
more than a month, residents or people passing through the
southern end of Albany’s Delaware Area Neighborhood in the
evening have heard creepy birdlike noises echoing off the
buildings and houses for blocks, coming from the University
Heights area to the west. Albany hasn’t entered an Alfred
Hitchcock movie, however. The noises are recordings of birds
of prey killing crows, broadcast from four speakers atop the
Office of Mental Health building at 44 Holland Ave.
The recordings are intended to drive off crows, which have
been roosting in the area in flocks of more than 20,000, said
an employee of Picotte Companies, which handles the building’s
maintenance. They are played from fall to early spring and
from dusk to dawn. They were installed after “a lot of complaints
about the bird droppings. It’s unsanitary, it’s smelly, and
it’s messy,” said the employee, adding that they have used
the recordings successfully for the past three years without
complaints.
A broader anti-crow campaign in the same vicinity began on
Monday and will run until Jan. 15. The United States Department
of Agriculture will use “non-lethal harassment methods” including
pyrotechnics, lasers, and more recorded distress calls.
—Miriam
Axel-Lute
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