All Over Albany

Paterson looking to DC for budget help, it snowed, Gillibrand and Treadwell debate, "madhouse" on election day, romance lives in Troy

David Paterson is in DC today looking to turn up federal aid for New York State. The Gov says the state needs federal assistance because it's "the epicenter" of the financial meltdown. Paterson announced yesterday that the state is facing a $12.5 billion budget gap next year. [NYDN] [NYT]

How'd the state end up facing such a gaping hole in its budget? A loss of revenue from Wall Street is part of it. But the state has also been increasing spending much faster than inflation. [NYT]

Yep, it snowed yesterday. The Catskills and the Albany County hill towns saw some significant accumulation. The snow didn't stick in most other places. [Fox23] [Daily Gazette]

Albany police chief says the city will provide "the same police service in 2009 that we do in 2008" -- even though the city's budget includes money for 10 fewer officers. [TU]

Kirsten Gillibrand and Sandy Treadwell, the candidates for the 20th Congressional District, met for their final debate last night. They went back and forth of whether Gillibrand has done the bidding of Philip Morris while in Congress (quick paraphrase -- Gillibrand: No, I haven't. Treadwell: Yes, you have.) and whether Treadwell favors the same policies as President Bush (quick paraphrase -- Treadwell: No, I don't. Gillibrand: Yes, you do.). The full video of the debate is here. By the way: Rudy Giuliani will be campaigning for Treadwell tonight in Saratoga County. [TU] [WNYT]

Local poll workers say they're expecting "a madhouse" on Tuesday. [TU]

Saratoga County's proposed 2009 budget does not include a tax increase. The county's finance committee chairman says the tax rate should be able to stay the same until the Luther Forest chip fab plant is built -- and then it might go down. Here's a pie chart of how the county spends its money. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]

A state appeals court has bounced the city charter proposal favored by the Troy City Council. That leaves a proposal by Mayor Harry Tutunjian on the ballot next week. The proposal would, among other things, reduce the number of seats on the city council. [TU] [Troy Record]

A business owner in Hudson wants to bring a riverboat to the city's riverfront to serve as a bar, restaurant and bed and breakfast. [TU]

UAlbany has created a scholarship to honor Richard Bailey, the student murdered last week in Pine Hills. [CBS6]

Is Sage College in Albany haunted? If so, its dean says the spirits are "very benign." [CapNews9]

And romance lives in Troy. A guy there named Chris Tinkle (yes, really) promised his wife a 300 in a bowling game as a gift for their anniversary -- and delivered. [Troy Record]