All Over Albany

No tax increase for Schenectady?, cop gets backup from passerby, Saratoga mini-Chopper food won't be pricy, a bounty from tainted Booty

The Schenectady City Council passed a 2009 budget that does not include a tax increase. The budget proposed by Mayor Brian Stratton had called for a 2.9 percent hike. Stratton has said he would veto the budget if the council made significant cuts. [Daily Gazette]

At a John McCain rally in downtown Albany on Saturday, Jim Buhrmaster -- the Republican running for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat) -- said "the silent majority" will push McCain over the top in the presidential race. At a nearby Barack Obama rally, Paul Tonko -- the Democrat running for the seat -- said the opportunity to elect Obama is "a great fortune." [Troy Record]

After an Albany police officer got tangled up in a fight Friday night with a teenager, whom police say was carrying a shotgun, a passerby went into the cop's patrol car and called for backup. (Apparently the battery in the officer's mobile radio had died.) The APD says it hasn't been able to find the anonymous person who helped the officer. [Fox23] [Daily Gazette]

A car running a red light at Quail and Madison in Albany early Sunday morning hit an ambulance, causing it to roll over. The ambulance, which had its lights and siren on, then hit another car waiting at the light. No one was seriously injured. [WNYT] [TU]

Albany Common Councilman Glen Casey says his car should't have been booted for unpaid parking tickets. "Somebody needs to do a better job," he told the TU. The city treasurer says Casey still has outstanding tickets. [TU]

David Paterson says the state will put up $10 million for the Albany Convention Center , but the rest of the pledged money -- $65 million -- will probably be on hold. [TU]

Richard Mills, the state's education commissioner, says he's leaving the post in June. [TU]

The Town of Colonie wants to sell a plot of land to itself for $1.9 million. [TU]

Skidmore got a $12 million gift, one of its biggest-ever contributions, from a hedge fund manager to help build new student housing. The donor's daughter graduated from the college in 2004. [TU]

RPI got an undisclosed amount of money from an alumnus to open a research center that will study how plants make use of solar energy. The hope is the research could lead to new technology for capturing solar energy. [TU]

Data have crashed head-on into intention for the proposed roundabout on Schenectady's Erie Boulevard. The mayor says the roundabout is needed for the safety, but the stretch of road in question is actually one of the safer parts of the boulevard. [Daily Gazette]

The sale price for the downtown Saratoga Price Chopper was $4.25 million (no word on whether that was with or without Advantedge card). Neil Golub says the new, smaller store planned for the site will not specialize in high-end food. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

A Vorheesville family was awarded $42,000 as part of a settlement with the makers of the snack food Veggie Booty. Two of the family's toddlers got sick last year after eating the snack, which had been contaminated with salmonella. [TU]

A Russian delegation will be in Saratoga Springs to observe election day proceedings. The group is from Chekhov, Saratoga's Russian sister city. [Saratogian]