All Over Albany

State budget voting held up, Murphy's lead down to 25 votes, TPD split over whether RPI student was murdered, bathtub full of drugs allegedly found in doctor's home

Voting on the state budget bills hit a snag yesterday when Democratic Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson had to return to the hospital because of pneumonia (the Dems need her vote for the required 32 "yes" votes). The Assembly finished passing all the budget bills yesterday morning -- though a handful of Democrats, most of them from upstate, voted "no." State comptroller Tom DiNapoli, also a Democrat, publicly criticized the budget for relying too much on federal stimulus and other temporary money. [TU] [AP/Saratogian] [NYT] [Biz Review]

There still seems to be a lot that's unknown about the 8,900 state worker layoffs David Paterson has ordered. [Saratogian]

Scott Murphy now leads Jim Tedisco by just 25 votes in the 20th Congressional District special election after a re-check of some voting machines. Counting of absentee ballots won't be begin until Monday at the earliest -- Republican hold an enrollment edge in the pool of absentee ballots. About 165,000 people voted in Tuesday's election, the largest turnout in a US special election in two decades according to a Skidmore prof. Both campaigns are saying publicly that they'll come out on top. [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian] [Post-Star] [TU]

Albany Common Councilman -- and mayoral candidate -- Corey Ellis has called for the council to issue subpoenas as part of its ghost ticket investigation. [CapNews9]

A source tells the TU that the Troy Police Department is split over whether the death last December of an RPI student was suicide or murder. [TU]

The budget approved by the Troy City School District Board of Education includes some layoffs -- though how many is unclear. The district had earlier asked its unions for concessions to avoid layoffs, but the unions declined. [TU] [Troy Record]

A Delmar doctor who works out of an Albany office is still practicing after police allegedly found bags of marijuana and a bathtub full of prescription drugs at his house. [TU]

FujiFilm is shutting down its film processing plant in East Greenbush -- 145 jobs will be cut. The company blames the closure on the shift from film cameras to digital. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

The City of Saratoga Springs has missed the deadline for using the money from the first bond for the South Side Recreation Center project. City officials say the think they can still use the money -- and hope that a state order holding up the project will soon be lifted. [Saratogian] [Post-Star]

The Schenectady Board of Ed is bringing in an outside HR consultant to investigate what district officials knew about Steven Raucci, the retired district employee accused of arson and acts of workplace misconduct. [Daily Gazette]

Eva Joseph, who just recently announced she was leaving her job as Albany schools superintendent, is taking the top job at the Academy of Holy Names.

Troy police say a man was arrested for hitting another guy in the head with a brick during a street robbery last weekend. [Troy Record]

Columbia High School students were recently warned about the dangers of drinking -- by a guy juggling a machete. [TU]