Live@ 5 Talks About The Sting On Local Bars

Your so called host Glenn Curry who hosts the AM Radio talk show,  takes an interest in A-Bay and the Sting that happened 2 weekends ago.  Glenn and I have an interesting chat....check it out.


Click here for the audio from today's show

The conversation starts at about 4 minutes.

Bars Busted! Finally, A Business Owner Speaks Up!

The following is a comment that can be found in the Topic Bars Busted in Bay.  I have in the past, made a comment into it's own topic. [I know that Scott is not the owner, that he is the manager but he is the agent for the establishment.]   This one warrants the same attention.

scott couch said...

I just wanted to comment on what happened. I am the manager of the Muskie Lounge (scott couch) We were charged with serving the minor as well as some other bars in town. In 20 years working in the bar business I have never had a violation. Even when I ran the club in watertown with 300-400 people coming in the door per night we never had a violation. The village sent a minor in that looked in his late 20's. Beard,mustache and very well built. Not lanky as most teens look. Our bartender did check his id but looked at it upside down and thought it said dec. 1986 instead of dec. 1989. The law states "no one can intentional" serve a minor. There was no actual intent in our serving this minor or in the others in town. The bartender that got charged at the Dancing Dog has been in the business for at least 30 years with no violation. If the village wanted to find out if the bars in town were actually serving minors why didn't they send in a minor that looked like a minor? They did not make this town safer. They caught the bars in a mistake. I don't believe for a minute that our bartender knew she was serving a minor as I don't believe our neighbors at the Dancing Dog knew they were serving a minor. I have never heard of a local village police department doing their own under age sting. This is always left up to the county and state level as it should be. I would like to know who is the master mind behind this sting. I intend (and hope everyone that feels the same way will) file a complaint with the New York State division of investigation which is responsible for investigating village and city police departments. They have a toll free number which you can file a complaint with. This is the same department that cleaned up the City of Watertown Police department when they were allowing their officers to break the law with no charges. I would like to firmly state I DO NOT Advocate underage drinking but this sting did not stop underage drinking....it caught some honest businesses in an honest mistake. GREAT JOB ALEX BAY PD!!!! 

JC's opinion:
If your looking for the mastermind,[oxymoron].  You do not have to look to far. And no,  it is not the Chief of Police....  

Deal With The One Percent

 Or maybe it is more like 10 percent of sandwich board owners that just do not care what they look like or where they place them.

Class Of 2010 Graduation

First off, my apologies to Miss Ward and Mr, Remington for missing the introduction and address respectively.  A.C.S. is a source for lots of talent, personality and character.  For those of you who could not attend today's graduation,  I present to you the audio from the addresses presented by  Tyler Constance and Zachery Rufa

Turn up the volume to your speakers or use headphones....the acoustics were not the best

Congratulations Class of 2010

If You Do Not Like It Do Not Click It

This is my blog, it is my diary, it is a glimpse into my alter ego.  I am JC the blogger, the meanie, the intellectual bully [MXG gave me that title].  I get to rant and rave, publish photos, videos, audio, and documents.  I am not a journalist and I am certainly not the news paper.  I can be serious, juvenile, witty, caring, sarcastic, and a few other things, but we do not need to belabor those qualities.  This blog is the kitchen table, card table, coffee counter, mahogany ridge, and every other place you can think of where people chat, gossip or ball bust.  Blogging is the electronic version of what you, and all your ancestors have done since fire was discovered.

The media I present to you of events and meetings are all factual.  Everything else like these words are my opinions or my slant of the events or meetings that I attend.  All you have to do is either agree, disagree, or have no opinion whatsoever.  After all, don't you have to process all the news that you take in whether its in print, TV, radio, internet, or word of mouth.  This blog is no different, your going to have to weed through it all.  If you do not like what I have to say, then you have several options.  You can email me your thoughts and we can have a private discussion.  Or you can send your thoughts by use of the comments and they will be shared with everyone that reads this blog.  I have been known to change my opinion based on those constructive comments. 

Not to often though.  Post your comments using a google account and the blog floor is pretty much yours.  Sign your comments using your real name and you will get almost the same treatment as with the google account.  Post anonymously, then there are no guarantees.  Of course you also have the option  to do nothing at all.  There is a final option.....if you really can not stand the content of this blog or the fact that I give people a place to voice their opinions because some of you think that those opinions do not count.  Or if you feel the need to whine about this and that.......then over there is the door.  Get Out....Don't Come Round Here NO MORE

Joy Ride

The DPW just had to have a new riding lawn mower.  The older one was 28 years old and described as scrap.  28 years sounds old, but as far as lawn mowers go they are only used 3 maybe 4 months out of the year.  That would be about 7 years to you and me.  So the old mower was put up for bid.  Who do you think wanted to bid on this  piece of crap.......several DPW workers....thats who!

The Trek Of The Mower

I have noticed over the years that the parcel of land located on this side of the car wash is mowed by a worker on a riding lawn mower.  It never clicked till today.  They drive that mower all the way from the Village Sheds to that parcel and back again.  Check out the map to see how far they have to travel.  Put it on a flat bed trailer and transport it or use push power mowers to do the job.  The oil change on a rider is measured in hours not MILES!

Listen to the audio, with slide show below as the bids are opened up by the mayor.  The picture in the slide show was taken today.  Since when does the mower have to be driven on village streets at that distance?  How long does it take for the worker to drive at 5 mph to and from?

Sandwich Board Emergency Meeting

Today at 11:30am the Village Board held a special emergency meeting. 5 Business owners were represented at the meeting along with all the VB members.

I found this article in the New York Times to be very interesting.  Evidently we are not the only community to have this sign dilemma.

Operation Teen Proof

Found this  media release on NewzJunky.  The media release comes at a time when recently the Village PD launched their own sting against local taverns.  The sting does not have an official name but it is being referred  to as Operation Beringer

A Song About Signs

Sandwich Board Signs

Fellow blogger, Jeff Graham takes some time to discuss some of our issues including parking meters and signs.

A-Bay Demonstrates A Need To Meddle

Bars Busted in Bay!

 In this mornings Watertown Daily Times
ALEXANDRIA BAY — Village police checked some taverns early Saturday to observe compliance with the state's alcoholic beverage control laws and alleged finding violations at four establishments.

Let's get something straight.  I am not an advocate for underage drinking. But!

Raise Your Hands If You:

1. Ever went into a bar and drank when you were under the age?  
2. Have recently been to a H.S. graduation party where alcohol is being served to minors?
3. Ever got caught by the bartender or bouncer and thrown out?
4. Have been arrested for underage drinking with a fake I.D.?
5. Were ever forced by a law enforcement agency to purchase alcohol as part of a sting operation?

Lots of hands were raised on questions 1,2 and 3. #2 is a biggy because those parties are going on right now. Very few hands were up for #4. Unless you have been in trouble with law and were an informant [snitch] and were paying your debt to society [community service] because you had broken the law, I bet nobody raised their hand for question 5!  These informants will do or say anything to complete their community service, especially if they are not well supervised during the sting operation on the establishments.

Were all the establishments in the village that serve alcohol included in this sting?  Or were just a few targeted?  Is underage drinking a large enough problem in A-Bay that our local PD devoted manpower to this situation?  Will it be worth it to the taxpayers in the cost to the village in overtime for our PD to show up in the courts? Who orchestrated this sting operation and did any of our VB members know about it?  For very obvious reasons,  this type of sting is handled by either the County Sheriffs Dept. or NYS Troopers.  Could this have been handled another way?  I have been told that each of those establishments could face fines of up to $5000 each and/or 30 days revocation of their liquor license.

Now that this sting is over.....Do any of you feel any safer {Go to Lock Your Doors}?  Do motorists still speed in our village?  Are there groups of teens wandering the streets looking for trouble?  Do vehicles get keyed while the owners are staying for the weekend?  Are there skateboarders downtown darting in and out of traffic?  Are there a whole host of other issues that our PD could be addressing?

Our Village Board has seen to it that our PD has all the latest and coolest gadgets....tazers, tactical shot gun, mountain bikes with lights and sirens.  All the bells and whistles to make our community safer.  The Gadgets are not making me feel any safer.  Neither does the latest Sting.......

Poker Run

Trying something different.  A slide show of photos set to one sound.  The sound is the rumble...bumble dumble of the engines.  Make sure your sound is on....pipe it through your stereo speakers or put the head phones on......

Don't Stop Believing 2014

Back by popular demand.......Because of the number of comments, emails and people stopping me on the street.....I present to you another impromptu tune performed by the 8th grade class at last weeks celebration/graduation.........

Some were born to sing the blues.........

Bumper Cars At Bay Rink

Below is the audio from that section of tonight's Town Board Meeting.



Here is a video of the bumper cars on ice in action.....Looks like fun to me....





A link to their website: Bumper Cars On Ice

Lean On Me

My son and his friends had their 8th grade celebration today.  Recently you have heard me mention a happening.  A happening, in its essence is an an event or performance that is not expected.  Today it was the usual routine of recognitions and awards for the class of 2014.  And then it happened.....something unexpected....unusual....  Several months ago this group of young adults  lost their friend and classmate Steven Alden.  So.... when the class got together at the end of today's celebration [at the urging of Ms Hunter] to sing,   it became very clear to me that this was a happening.  Today the class of 2014 showed how close they have become....they have a strength and a bond that may have gone unnoticed by some of the family and friends that attended today's 8th grade celebration.  The group sang several songs but the first one they sang had the most meaning....Lean On Me.....

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on.....

Let's Make Fun Of The Blogger

Got a text message tonight that Dan Hammond and the ACS band was going to be playing downtown tonight.  A happening so to speak was going to take place at Poor John's Ice cream Stand.  I was right in the middle of boiling salt potato's, sauteing shrimp scampi and cooking sirloin steak on the grill.  So what do I do?  Stop everything and grab the video camera and drive down town.  While I am waiting for the band to show up, I am thinking to myself......."yo JC wtf are you doing?  You have put your dinner on hold on this beautiful night.  Now I am thinking hard and long about this...just wtf am I doing?  I got such a warm reply from my blog readers the first time I uploaded a video of the ACS marching.....Ya know comments like:

I really hope you are not making fun of some hard working dedicated students. That would be really low! 

Jim, everyone thinks you were mocking and making fun of our band even though u tried to change and say u weren't.   Just grow up and leave us alone please!! 

Why does this site attract and breed such crude and unjust negatism?
You call that comment approval !!! 

So I am having this internal dialogue with myself and not really paying attention to what is going on.  Like what song the band is playing.  All I am thinking about is the meal I have just left on hold at home.  And all the other bullshit comments I am going to get about this new video....because everyone thinks I am secretly making fun of them.  I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT I DO NOT SECRETLY MAKE FUN OF ANYONE.  DO YA GET IT??????  If I make fun of someone it is NO SECRET.  I like Dan Hammond and I like what he has done with the band.  He has revived it, molded it into something that will someday soon just take your breath away.  I also envy the kids that are basically the pioneers that will always be remembered as moving this band out of the 60's and 70's and placing it into the 201?'s


But, we have a problem.....all of this stuff was going through my mind as I was recording the band.....and guess what?  I recorded the same tune they played at the Memorial Day Parade....Go Figure.  Sorry folks, If I had not been in such a hurry I would have hung around to record more video.....My Bad......so here it is ......same tune different day. 


OH BTW.....go ahead and accuse me of some sinister plot about making fun of this band.....I dare ya....I triple dog dare ya.....you will not like the outcome....

Village Speed Limit Public Hearing

Proposal to change the village speed limit from 30mph to 25mph...

This issue was brought up late last fall.  I have given this proposal some thought, the speed limit right now is 30mph.  Some drivers figure that they can go roughly 7 maybe 10 miles over the speed limit.  So if the speed limit is reduced to 25mph then those same drivers will go 7 maybe 10 [or more] miles over the speed limit.  These are probably the same drivers that will travel down Bolten Ave at a rate of 25mph or greater which is a 15mph zone .  It stands to reason that no matter what the speed limit is, there are going to be drivers that will travel faster than the speed limit.  So what is the solution?  The numbers do not mean anything without Enforcement.....

Dock Fees Public Hearing 6.08.10

The audio below is the latest from the Dock Fees public hearing held last night.  There were hardly the number of concerned citizens at last nights hearing as there were at the previous one!



Believe it or not, I wish to be fair to the people that read this blog and to those that post comments.  Some post with their signature but most of you prefer to remain anonymous.  Most of the time people that comment stay on topic with the exception of  the topic Good O'l Boyz  I tend to let the comments go and sometimes they take on a life of their own.  However, their comes a point in time that these comments venture to far from the original topic.Try to stay on topic....if your anonymous comments become to edgy and you do not sign your name then they may be rejected.....or maybe not.  It all depends on my mood....

Lock Your Doors

All the following incidents have taken place over the last several weeks.  By themselves they may not seem to be anything to worry about.  But when you look at them as a group, you should start to wonder what is going on.

Several weeks ago around 6 in the morning a couple noticed something odd going on in their truck parked in the driveway. 2 men were rummaging around inside the vehicle.  The men were questioned by the owner of the truck and it was determined that the 2 men had used the truck  as a free flop house.  Who knows, the 2 men could have gotten away with a little more than the tongue lashing they received by the owner.

Just the other week a family was awakened by an intruder that had made his way into their apartment.  That situation could have escalated into something more than a man wandering and disorientated.......

Last week the A-Bay International was broken into.  The thieves pummeled the front door getting away with an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise.

Yesterday a vehicle was stolen from a mans driveway, but later discovered abandoned at another part of the village.

So what is going on?  I see Police in cars, on bikes and on foot.  I sometimes wonder if our local PD is fixated with  the loop.  The loop is James St., Church St., Walton St., and Market.  All the above incidents occurred outside of this loop.  Before the tourist season started I used to see the PD patrol car perched at the car wash...religiously....every night.  I have not seen them at all lately. Also, one evening I saw 2 police officers on bike patrol riding up and down James St side by side.  And of course,  Bolton Ave is always very well patrolled.

Not trying to make you paranoid.....just bringing some of the local blotter stuff to your attention.  The stuff that never gets printed in the Local Happy Tabloid.  Lock your vehicles and your home doors and windows.

The Good O'l Boyz

.....are trying to censor this community.  Plain and simple!  This is the message them O'l Boyz are sending....JC you were not born and raised here,  your not a local, shut up, keep your opinions to yourself and don't let those idiots post stuff on your blog.  The other message being sent by the indigenous bullies is:  Line up, conform, follow our lead, vote us in, ignore what goes on at the meetings.....everything will be ok!

The Good O'l Boyz have been living inside of a box for so long they have no friggin clue what is real, what is right.  Somebody that moves into the community just might have a fresh perspective on village and tourism issues.  But the Boyz want to suppress opinions that might be found in this blog or others.  The bullies do not want the sun to shine on their little empire.  They oppose Freedom Of Speech.  To that, I simply say to the bullies, Fuck You!

Take away the right to say "fuck" and you take away the right to say "fuck the government."  ~Lenny Bruce

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.  ~Voltaire

The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.  ~David Ben-Gurion


I am thankful for all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.  ~Nancie J. Carmody


This is in response to an email I received today.  The author felt the need to tell me why he dislikes the blog and my negative attitude.  He further stated  it is {his} opinion that {I} allow people with an agenda or an axe to grind a venue that they do not deserve.  Lastly, he also requested that I not reply to his email.......Yah Right!

Landscaping On The Village Streets

These planters made of pavers were just recently added to the downtown area.  The small one serves as a visual buffer in a no parking zone.  The longer one is to divert pedestrians to one side or the other as they leave the  Upper James St docks.