OH, ALBANY: Former WNBA star and ESPN TV analyst Rebecca Lobo’s aggression against New York’s capital city won’t stand. Lobo trashed the town, which was hosting parts of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, for not having a lot to do. Lobo would later back track in a post on Instagram. For Albanians, historically a sensitive group whenever out-of-towners mock Smallbany, the damage was already done. War Room Tavern owner and PR man Todd Shapiro was so incensed he called for the city’s bars and restaurants to cancel their ESPN subscriptions. But what about the people who have to travel to Albany six months out of the year? Playbook did a (very) informal poll of state lawmakers who agreed Lobo committed a foul. “There are so many great things to do in Albany,” Rochester Democratic state Sen. Jeremy Cooney said. “In fact, Albany is the center of the universe. You can get anywhere you want from Albany in like three hours. You can go to the Adirondacks.” State Sen. John Mannion, a Democrat from the basketball-crazy Syracuse area who was elected four years ago, said he’s never been bored, noting Albany has a proliferation of Irish bars. “I’ve found there’s a lot to do when my family comes down,” he said. “We make sure we partake in different arts activities or enjoy the restaurants.” Bronx Sen. Gustavo Rivera, an established connoisseur of Albany’s karaoke offerings, acknowledged Lobo’s comment made on a Monday night may have been a bit understandable. “She might be right about Mondays,” Rivera, a Democrat, said. “There are a lot of places closed on Monday.” But he defended the food options, many of which are within walking distance of the Capitol. “There’s actually really good food choices here in Albany,” he said. “Savoy Taproom. The Delaware. Copper Crow. Rain is a good one on a Friday night, too. Most of the places I walk to are the ones that I love.” — Nick Reisman ISRAELI HOSTAGES: The Republican conference held a bipartisan rally to show support for all hostages in Hamas captivity to be released and to raise awareness of a rise in antisemitism. “We are the indigenous people,” GOP Assemblymember Ari Brown, a Jewish lawmaker from Long Island, said. “And these are our children that are held hostage today. They must be set free.” The legislators and activists who attended were led in a prayer for peace by a local Jewish community leader. “They should be returned to their families. If they are dead, their bodies should be returned to their families, so that we can pay their respects so that we can say goodbye,” Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt said at the event. State Sen. Jack Martins, a Republican from Long Island, said he wants to hold those that do not show support to Israel accountable. Several Democrats from across the state also attended the event. “Those who will not support the efforts of bringing these hostages home, let's hold them accountable. As New Yorkers, as warriors, as the people who are called on to do more than just talk, let's come together,” Martins said. — Shawn Ness HEASTIE ON HOUSING: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said certain tweaks to the 2019 rent-regulation reforms are on the table in budget talks, but said the changes being considered will not go as far as “rolling back” the laws. Specifically, lawmakers are looking at changes to how much landlords can raise rents after making apartment improvements — allowances that were significantly curtailed in the 2019 reforms. “Individual apartment improvements has been raised at the table,” Heastie told reporters Tuesday. “The question of trying to get the apartments that have not been put back online because, I’d say, the landlords don’t want to spend the money to put the apartments back online. Those are the type of questions we’re having, but rolling back 2019 — no.” Real estate groups have been pushing more significant changes to the rent reforms, but that effort has faced staunch pushback from tenant groups and left-leaning legislators. But lawmakers appear open to considering more modest tweaks — if they come as part of a larger package that also bolsters tenant protections. The Senate’s one-house resolution, for example, said the body’s Democratic majority is “open to further discussing raising the current cap on individual apartment improvements (IAIs) as part of a comprehensive housing package that includes the core principles of Good Cause Eviction.” — Janaki Chadha
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