Albany cop testifies he was yelled at over accident involving chief's niece, Kathina Thomas killed a year ago today, Albany Med gets big gift, Saratoga bike-to-school ban protested
Albany police officer Daniel Condon testified under oath before the Common Council last night that he felt "intimidated" after police chief James Tuffey "yelled" at him over the radio at the scene of a 2007 car wreck involving Tuffey's niece -- Condon ended up not issuing a ticket. Condon was testifying as part of the Common Council's investigation into the ghost ticket scandal. Retired commander Leonard Crouch -- a former head of the police union -- also testified, and accused the council of pursuing the investigation "for no good reason other than personal or political gain." [TU] [CapNews9]
Police say an Albany woman was abducted from her apartment on Elk Street, transported to Troy where she was beaten, and then transported to Schenectady in a car trunk. They say the woman escaped in Schenectady after managing to get the trunk opened from the inside -- a passing driver picked her up and took her to the hospital. Three women have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping. A spokesman for the Albany police said the case is like something "right out of a movie or a TV show." [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record] [Fox23]
Kathina Thomas was killed by a stray bullet in West Hill one year ago today. There's a memorial for her this evening. [TU] [WNYT]
Troy police were out in force last night, apparently to hunt down vehicles that were involved in what a witness described as a car-to-car shooting. [Troy Record] [TU]
Police have charged a man with DWI after they say he was responsible for setting off the four-car crash that jammed up the Northway Wednesday evening. [TU]
The Schenectady board of education has voted to put the school district's budget back up for a public vote in June -- this time with an even bigger tax levy. The original budget was voted down last week. [Daily Gazette]
Eric Dinallo, New York State's insurance superintendent, is stepping down -- which is apparently a sign that Andrew Cuomo will be running for governor next year. (Dinallo reportedly wants to replace Cuomo as attorney general.) [NYT] [TU] [WSJ]
Celebrities -- including Maya Angelou, Cynthia Nixon and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue -- have been calling state senators to lobby for the same-sex marriage bill. [NYT]
About 20 people showed up at last night's Saratoga Springs school board meeting to protest the district's no-biking-to-school policy. [Daily Gazette]
Local philanthropist Matthew Bender is donating $1 million to Albany Medical College. This is his second million dollar gift to the school. [TU]
Geocachers (what?) will be plotting the exact locations of graves in Schenectady's Vale Cemetery. They've already plotted to the coordinate for Charles Steinmetz. [Daily Gazette]
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One year later, the death of Kathina Thomas is still as senseless, mind-numbing and indescribable as it was on the day it happened.
... said Chuck Miller on May 29, 2009 at 10:39 AM | link
A guy named Dakota driving a Dodge truck took out three other Chrysler products on the Northway. New Chrysler bankrupcy plan - if you can't close dealerships, wreck the cars.
... said daleyplanit on May 29, 2009 at 11:55 AM | link
Another depressing (if not a little scary) news day. Hmm.
... said Summer on May 29, 2009 at 2:33 PM | link