Late Night Vignettes

    The weather just doesn't want to ease up...it was creepy tonight when I walked the dog out back....the streetlights, the ice,  the crack, snapple, pop from the woods behind me....The sense that the electricity I got back earlier in the evening wouldn't last.
     Without cable I had time to think about it and thankfully the internet is working.....DSL seems a better bargain today.
       Just got a text from a family anxious for power and concerned over pipes bursting tomorrow...They got the juice back after midnight so someone is out working on it. Earlier there were reports of a transformer explosion west of town and just now I could hear sirens around town.
      Make it to Wednesday.....Christmas forecast is partly cloudy and a high of 20.
    

Countdown to Christmas....Some Will Get Lights Just in Time

      While the number of meters in Watertown spinning increased all day repair crews still have a significant number of customers in the dark tonight. In the range of 3,000, according to the National Grid website which suggests the last of them will be on Tuesday night, Christmas Eve.
        The outages are scattered throughout town as well as across Jefferson County. Considerable progress was made today and I am sure many more accounts will be back on tonight and tomorrow.
        The Red Cross shelter in Watertown High School is available now for those needing such a heated and safe facility. The ice storm advisory expires tonight at 11PM, but there is a continued chance of rain or snow into tomorrow.
         Many are off work Monday due to the storm and Christmas preparations, so look for a busy Monday in retail.
         While roads are in decent shape, many parking lots and walkways are icy and will remain so through the bitter cold on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
          Other utilities like cable also are having outages in areas of town.       
    

Red Cross Opens Shelter at WHS

   Just in case there are those who need it a shelter opened tonight at Watertown High School for ice storm refugees.  Red Cross volunteers were on hand and we moved the cots into the smaller cafeteria on the first floor. One person had arrived to spend the night. It was not known how many would need the shelter.

     Red Cross officials say the need for shelter in ice storms is hard to predict, as once power is back on the crisis for most is over.
Red Cross to Open Watertown Shelter at 8 PM

Spitzer Dates Leggy Broad - NY Daily News

       Eliot Spitzer's new alleged girlfriend is Liz Smith, a PR flack for Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio. In his Daily News story veteran reporter and WDT alumni Ken Lovett describes  Ms. Smith as "leggy and sharply dressed".   That's kind of like objectifying women, isn't it Ken ?

 

 

     Question is, will the hooker-happy former governor settle for leggy and sharply dressed. Silda is well dressed too.

      The Daily News went on to report Mr  Spitzer was spotted without his wedding ring on Election Day. Who is out looking to spot such things ?

EXCLUSIVE: Eliot Spitzer dating Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio spokeswoman Lis Smith - NY Daily News

Wife rats out hubby’s illegal $600K Super Bowl pools | New York Post

         The old, familiar football squares are pretty much gone from the bar scene thanks to crackdowns like this one. They were once common but are now too risky for most places to run. Back in the day
hundred dollar a square pools were common...Some went for more, some as little as a dollar a square. They were a fun diversion...Mostly gone now.

Wife rats out hubby’s illegal $600K Super Bowl pools | New York Post

Storm Aftermath

   For me its a case of half on, half off....The power is on at the Pearl Street Pub but off at my house out back because it is fed off East Main Street, which is out. But cable is out so looks like a paucity of football today...Good day to have satellite.
   My tenant left to open her store at the Mall, so that's open...of course...and my plow guy is scraping outside...

The Pretty Side of an Ice Storm

 

   In touring the city this morning, it appeared the bad was scattered and no entire areas of damage as in previous storms.  Hopefully the five thousand or so customers will be back up soon.
    Observers say the situation was not as bad in Watertown as other areas, so we wish them a speedy recovery too, especially with cold weather and Christmas around the corner.

Thousands Without Power as Christmas Nears

   I was talking to Mom in NC this morning where its downright hot in the mid 70s...a far cry from here in NNY where temperatures are below freezing and a sheet of ice encases many communities, denying power and mobility a scant three days before Christmas.
   While the rain has stopped the dangers remain with falling limbs, downed lines and tens of thousands of county residents in darkness without heat.
   

Morning Briefing at the County Building

 

     By mid morning in the City about four in ten Grid customers were without power with a utility spokesman saying he cannot commit to a timetable for return of power, but hopes to have many back on today.

     This is a Sunday, but not a normal one as pre holiday activities and shopping mean roads will be busy, so its important to avoid side roads that may be blocked and use good judgment.

      There are no reported fatalities or serious injuries linked to the storm and the county emergency czar Joe Plummer says preparation ahead of time and new technologies like social media have helped with a better response than previous storms.

Scenes Like This on Cross Street Were Common Sites in City

 

      Mr. Plummer also said the situation was not as dire as 1998 when the electric grid was decimated. Today's damage is significant , but more localized.

      County Legislature Chair Carolyn Fitzpatrick said the county's motto has been "lean forward" in dealing with the storm's approach and impact.

      The Salvation Army on State Street called me to say they are open with power for those needing a place to go.  City fire and public works crews are busy blocking off problem streets, while in the towns, local fire halls are being manned for those in need.

      The weather forcast is mixed with more precipitation possible and colder temperatures on the way, meaning those in the dark will have an old fashioned Christmas for sure.. However, for most, the worst should be over by Monday morning, officials say.