Ramblin' with Roger

NYS Health Department records take forever

cf, New York Genealogical & Biographical Society

There was a story on the front page of the Albany Times Union for May 9, 2026. “Health department backlog leaves families in limbo. Frankly, it surprised me because anyone who has attempted to work on genealogy would likely already know that Health Department records take forever.

“The department’s vital records office, where requests for birth certificates, death records, and marriage documents have languished for years. Last year, the state stopped accepting new requests for some of these public records altogether…

Moreover, “genealogists said they are further troubled by a proposed increase in the embargo on certain records. Currently, birth certificates at least 75 years old are eligible for review; the new proposal would increase that requirement to 125 years. Death certificates would similarly have to be 75 years old instead of 50, while marriage records could only be accessed if they were 100 years old instead of 50.”

“The proposed changes have roiled both professional and amateur genealogists. And they come as some genealogists have pointed to ongoing court battles over the full disclosure of all death records the state has access to as one reason behind the attempted reshaping of the Bureau of Vital Statistics’ work. “

NYG&B

Alternatively, I’m quite fond of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society. The NYG&B’s online records and collections contain thousands of pages ranging from county histories, immigration records, vital record substitutes, and much more from all over New York State and New York City.

“We’re continuously adding records to both new and existing collections, many of which aren’t available online anywhere else. So even if you’ve searched our databases in the past, there’s always something new to discover.”

“Anyone can go to our website and search our collections, free of charge. But you do need to be a member to open and access most of the records. To help you better understand the kind of information we have available, we have unlocked the following collections for you to explore:

26 May 2026 sunset

upper Madison Ave in ALB

sunset

This is the 26 May 2026 sunset at 8:31 PM. I had just left the Madison Open Mic Night in Albany, NY, which remains a lovely monthly event. I headed west on Madison Avenue and immediately saw the image above. Though I’m a lousy photographer using my cellphone, I didn’t have to do much. The streetlights added to the allure.

Sunset that evening, BTW, was 8:21 PM, so the picture was captured ten minutes after that. Had I left the building five minutes later, I likely would have missed the image.

I like the shot in part because it was in my Upper Madison neighborhood. My supermarket, local theater, and local police station. Those benches are recent additions.

In the next block, there are several restaurants I frequent. Across the street from them is my library branch. From the street pattern, that has to be the CDTA #114 bus, which I take home from the Amtrak station.

Spontaneity

What’s more interesting is that I saw a LOT of photos from around the region online that evening. It was a spontaneous communal activity. Speaking of community, the next Open Mic event on June 23 will be posted on the Upper Madison Facebook and Instagram accounts. No, I’m not expecting another extraordinary sunset, but a guy can dream.

Groundhog says: ICE OUT

one does not need to be “illegal” to protest injustice

Here are two probably unrelated events, which I have decided to link together. On Sunday morning, around 8 a.m., there was a very large groundhog deep in our backyard, near our shed, gnawing on the grass.

About an hour later, the Capital Region Sanctuary Coalition noted online that there were “confirmed ICE vehicles in the neighborhood of Pine Hills. Jay Street & North Allen; also seen at Myrtle & South Allen, and circling the area.

There was a gray Subaru Ascent, a black Ford Expedition (maybe two of them), a gray Ford Explorer, and a black Dodge Durango.

How did I know this? Because there was a chorus of very loud whistles out on the street, with people scurrying to one of those intersections. At least some of the whistles looked like the one pictured above. (That’s actually TWO whistles, shown at different angles.) Did I mention that they are piercingly loud? I don’t know who made them.

Unfortunately, my wife and I were heading to church. But we were heartened to see about two dozen folks converge at the intersection nearest my house.

I later read, “All hands call ended at 10:50 am.”

This follows federal agents detaining a man and a young child near Western Avenue and North Lake Avenue in Albany on Friday morning.

The too-usual response

More than one person on the Facebook chain wrote, “ICE OUT OF ALBANY, NOW!” One person replied, “Why…… are you ILLEGAL?”

That latter person obviously had not listened to the sermon I heard that day. It specifically mentioned white people needing to call out racism against black people and other targets of racial bigotry. Likewise, when LGBTQ+ folks are vilified, it is incumbent on the broader community to push back.

Note how the Department of Justice has muddled the notion of legal. So, to the inquirer, one does not need to be “illegal” to protest injustice. In fact, it is necessary for people who are not targeted by various dubious policies to rise up against them.

So my groundhog – it was a BIG one – showed up to say, ICE OUT.

New York State primary in 2026

Tuesday, June 23, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m, but there’s early voting.

I practically forgot that there was a New York State primary in 2026. More correctly, it had slipped my mind that I had candidates to consider. I knew there was a Republican primary for the House seat that Elise Stefanik is leaving.

It is almost impossible in my area to miss the Republican race in the 21st Congressional District between the FOTUS supporter Robert Smullen and the super MAGA self-funded Anthony Constantino. It’s in the district adjacent to my 20th CD, but in the same media market.

There is no crossover voting allowed in New York State.

On the Democratic side, there is only one statewide race, for comptroller. There are three candidates: in ballot order, the incumbent Thomas P. DiNapoli, Drew Warshaw, and attorney Raj Doyle.

In Albany County, John M. Czajka, Joseph J. Meany, and Tina K. Sodhi are the Democratic candidates for one County Court Judge seat.

I’d love some opinions from y’all on these races. All I really know is how many mailers I have or have not received from each candidate. As I say often, too few people vote in these races, which, of course, makes MY vote more powerful. I’d be glad to cede the power for more participation.

Primary voting day is Tuesday, June 23, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. However, Early Voting runs Saturday, June 13 – Sunday, June 21, 2026. In Albany County

Saturday & Sunday: 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Monday & Wednesday: Noon – 8:00PM
Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 9:00AM – 5:00PM

Early Voting Locations for the 2026 Primary Election

Albany County Board of Elections [map]
260 South Pearl St., Albany, NY 12202
Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Parish Hall) [map]
85 Elm Ave., Delmar, NY 12054
Boght Community Fire Department [map]
8 Preston Dr., Cohoes, NY 12047
East Berne Volunteer Fire Company [map]
792 Helderberg Trail, East Berne, NY 12059
Guilderland Public Library [map]
2228 Western Ave. Guilderland, NY 12084
Pine Grove United Methodist Church [map]
1580 Central Ave., Albany, NY 12205
St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church [map]
440 Whitehall Rd., Albany, NY 12208

New Yorkers, contact your county boards of elections.

Sunday Stealing Knows It’s Not Friday

not a conspiracy?

God — **The star in the center, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope, is known as V1331 Cyg and is located in the dark cloud LDN 981.**

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Once upon a time, there was a blogger named Janet who posted a fill-in-the-blank meme every Friday. Let’s give it a try.

Stealing The Friday Fill-in, though Sunday Stealing Knows It’s Not Friday

1. Being wrong is not the end of the world. One of the things I’m pretty sure I mentioned on this blog once upon a time was that my goal was to know everything I wanted to know. Some things I’m pretty good at include the order of American Presidents and their years. But misremembering stuff is a function, not just of aging, but, increasingly, of something else more important to me has taken its place.

2. Pie tastes so good! It should be a fruit pie, such as an apple, cherry, or blueberry pie, either room temperature or slightly warm, but definitely not right out of the refrigerator. It should be accompanied by a good vanilla ice cream. Alternatively, pizza, but no ice cream.

3. Sometimes, putting others first is misguided. I am reminded of what flight attendants tell us: take care of our own air masks before tending to the children in our care. In general, saying NO is both difficult for me and utterly necessary.

The usual

4. A whole lot of music is breathtaking, really. Some of it is structural, but a lot of it is memory, the way that a song can recreate a sensation.

When the family buried my father, Taps shook me, much to my surprise. And it was a live rendition, not a mechanical one. CBS News Radio News has gone off the air, and hearing the theme, especially the one from the 1980s and 1990s, made me a bit melancholy. Julie Andrews singing octaves at the very end of “Do-Re-Me” is glorious. The inverse pedal point is possibly my favorite thing in all of music.

5. Well, maybe there are coincidences. From THR: “Have you ever seen a final trailer for a major studio’s event movie that’s narrated by its director? That’s the case for the new trailer for Disclosure Day [Stephen Spielberg], which has enjoyed one of the weirdest and most freakishly fortuitous marketing campaigns in Hollywood history, as the real-life disclosure movement involving government officials claiming a UFO cover-up coincides with Universal’s promotional push for their movie about the same thing. Universal has used a muddy blend of traditional marketing, clips highlighting the director’s own belief that aliens have likely visited our planet, and footage in the latest trailer that looks nearly identical to videos the Pentagon just declassified just last week.” So, maybe, not everything is a conspiracy.

6. This week, my plans include at least one trip to a large metropolitan city. As is usually the case, I won’t say when, where, or why until after the fact. It’s like I didn’t announce that my daughter and I went to Charlotte, NC, to see my baby sister and her daughter until we came back.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.