Kathy courts a king and queen while Cuomo heads to court

And a lawsuit against Hochul's congestion pricing decision is being teed up by legal experts.

Good afternoon — it’s Wednesday, and Peanut Butter Cookie Day.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON:

• Hochul welcomed royalty to Albany Wednesday but she was the one holding court.

• Cuomo is suing state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

• Congestion pricing supporters are teeing up a lawsuit against Hochul.

• On The Bill features legislation to shake up industrial development agencies.

⛈️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Partly cloudy, mid-50s. New York City: Partly cloudy, mid-60s. (National Weather Service)

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(Jim Franco/Times Union)

👑 Kathy holds court for king and queen of the Netherlands

🫅 The royals saw some sights and touched on part of their country’s connection to Albany they said they’re not proud of.

If you don’t live in Albany you might not know the city’s rich historical connections to the Dutch.

But if you’ve traveled to Albany you’ve already experienced some of them without knowing.

The Dutch sponsored Henry Hudson in 1609 to find a new route to China. He ended up in Albany, which became part of New Netherland.

• You probably guessed but the Hudson River is named after him.

Fort Orange, the first permanent Dutch settlement, was established in 1624 and grew from there.

• That was named after the Orange-Nassau House, which is the current royal family of the country.

• Fort Orange is now a social club well-attended by Albany’s political circle.

There’s a lot more to that history but that’s for another day. Instead, let’s turn to 2024.

(Jim Franco/Times Union)

Gov. Kathy HOCHUL welcomed King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima Wednesday to Albany, where they visited the Executive Mansion, the former home of the Schuyler family and N.Y. CREATES.

“New York and the Netherlands are linked forever. Our shared history finds us together as partners for today and the future,” Hochul said during remarks at the mansion.

King Willem-Alexander shared the same sentiment but also spoke about a darker side of Dutch history in the region: their relationship with indigenous people.