All Over Albany

GE officially announces new plant in Schenectady, Ellis calls for review of ambulance service, feds say Central American gang members picked up, toward nanobioscience

GE has officially announced that it will be building a new battery plant at the GE Energy campus off Erie Blvd in Schenectady. The plant is expected to cost $100 million and create 350 jobs. GE is getting a package of grants and incentives worth $20 million from New York State and Schenectady Metroplex. The plant will make batteries based on technology developed at the company's research center in Niskayuna. [Daily Gazette $] [CapNews9] [TU] [Fox23]

Albany police detective George McNally pleaded guilty yesterday to drunk driving and reckless driving. McNally careened through Albany and Delmar after leaving a bar on New Scotland Ave this past January. As part of the plea deal, he'll pay a fine, do community service, and his license will be revoked -- though he'll be able to drive for work. [TU] [CapNews9]

Albany mayoral candidate Corey Ellis has called for a review of ambulance service in the city. Ellis says the review is necessary because of Mohawk Ambulance's delay in arriving at the scene of the fatal crash involving a kid on a bike and a car. Jerry Jennings accused Ellis of politicizing the tragedy. [Ellis press release not online] [TU]

The state Senate will be back in session today for what's expected to be a short, "very vanilla" session. [TU]

Federal immigration agents say two men arrested in Saratoga yesterday are members of a notorious Salvadoran gang. Authorities say the man accused of kidnapping a woman in downtown Saratoga Springs recently is also Salvadoran and they're investigating whether he's involved with this group. [CBS6] [TU]

The Schenectady PD says it's investigating whether Dwayne Johnson, the officer who made almost $170k last year with overtime, was working a second job as a security guard while on duty. [TU] [Fox23]

John Sweeney's court appearance on a DWI charge was delayed again after his attorney said the former Congressman was still involved with a rehab program outside the area. Sweeney could be indicted on a felony charge because it's his second DWI arrest. [TU] [Troy Record]

A man pleaded guilty yesterday to robbing a truck stop just off I-787 in south Albany this past June. The man was caught on video attacking the elderly clerk with a stick and then trapping her in a freezer. It turns out he's a former employee of the store. [TU] [CapNews9] [Fox23]

On2, the Clifton Park company being acquired by Google, almost didn't survive the tech bubble burst earlier this decade. [TU]

UAlbany's NanoCollege has added a medical doctor to its faculty as it expands into nanbioscience. [TU]