They Said It … March 23, 2014

Speaking about the Affordable Care Act, Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, had this to say: “Unlike the old system, once you enroll, nobody can take your coverage away from you just because you get sick. And your insurance company can’t charge you more just because you are a woman; being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition!”

Albany State University Dean of College of Arts and Humanities Leroy Bynum recently announced he will be leaving ASU in July to assume a similar position with The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. “It’s time to make a change,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my time here at Albany State but I’ve been here almost 22 years which is 20 years more than I ever thought I’d be at one place. My season here has come to an end and I am looking forward to a new, exciting beginning.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty making Crimea a part of Russia again, saying that he had no intentions of seizing other regions of Ukraine. In a meeting with The Albany Herald Editorial Board just before that action, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Moultrie, gave his assessment of the situation. “Anybody that thinks Putin’s a nice guy who’s going to be our friend is living in a dream world,” he said. “That’s why I and others have cautioned this administration against doing business with the Russians. … This guy is KGB. He’s from the old school. … Now we’re seeing what kind of individual he is.”

At Tuesday’s Albany City Commission work session, Comissioner Tommie Postell, Ward VI, took a bit of the thunder out of Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful Director Judy Bowles’ annual report, which included notification of a national Keep America Beautiful first-place award given to the organization recently, when he noted that cleanup efforts had not reached portions of the city. “While we appreciate the work that your group is doing,” the commissioner said, “it’s still atrocious the way the city of Albany looks. Some parts of the city are not being kept up, and all of Albany needs a thorough cleaning. We’ve made some strides, yes, but the city overall is still filthy.”

During the 5-12 start to the season that included an eight-game losing streak, Albany State’s baseball coach Kenyan Conner never lost focus and never gave up hope. The perseverance has paid off for the Rams, who have won 10 of their last 12 games and are a perfect 9-0 in the SIAC. “We play a tough schedule at the beginning just so they understand that if you give a team more than 27 outs then you put yourself at risk,” he said.” So now that it’s conference time, we know how to play the game the right way, and we are showing it. Now we are playing a clean game, and the (conference opponents) aren’t playing clean games, and the script is flipped.”

They Said It … is a weekly compilation of quotes of the week by Albany Herald staffer Mary Braswell.