All Over Albany

Pickup plows into family of pedestrians, ESP skating rink won't open, Saratoga packs 'em in for Gillibrand, ghost ticket investigation urged

A pickup truck hit a family of seven as they were crossing State Street in Schenectady late yesterday afternoon. A police spokesmen said there were "bodies all over the street" and it was "the worst thing" he'd ever seen. Two of the injured children were airlifted to Albany Med -- they were in critical condition last night. [TU] [WNYT] [Daily Gazette]

Opponents to the expansion of the Albany dump were out in force last night at a public comment meeting. One city resident called said the dump problems wouldn't be fixed until there's a new mayor. And Colonie residents complained about the smell. The dump is projected to be full by the end of next year. [TU] [WNYT]

The family of the man who was mistakenly identified by police as having died in a car wreck says the error was preventable. They say police didn't take notice that the body didn't match their son's license -- it was 200 pounds heavier and had different color eyes. They also say police never asked them to identify the body. [TU]

The skating rink on the ESP will not open this year. The state says it can save $150,000 keeping the rink closed. [TU]

David Paterson yesterday expanded on his criticism of the panel that recently submitted a list of candidates to fill a slot on the state's highest court: "I don't accept that there wasn't a woman in this state that wasn't qualified to serve on the Court of Appeals." Paterson says he will pick someone from the list, but the he's also directing Andrew Cuomo to look into the selection process. How exactly does that process work? Good question. [NYT] [TU] [WXXI]

About 200 people showed up to see Kirsten Gillibrand yesterday at the Borders in downtown Saratoga Springs. Apparently none of the non-media people there asked her about being a potential replacement for Hillary Clinton in the Senate. Gillibrand talked about the financial bailout -- the potential bailout of the auto industry. She said an automaker bailout should include "some kind of pre packaged, reorganization" for the industry. [Saratogian] [TU] [CapNews9]

Albany Common Councilman Corey Ellis is calling for the council to issue subpoenas in the investigation of the "ghost ticket" scandal. [TU]

A Troy City Councilman is calling for the city to stop offering "Cadillac health care" benefits to the members of the council as a way of saving money. [Troy Record]

The Schenectady School District will participating in a test of hybrid buses. A district bus driver says the buses are quieter and the ride is "nice." [Daily Gazette] [Fox23]

The old Excelsior School in Schenectady has been redeveloped into upscale condos. [Daily Gazette]