All Over Albany

Voters testify about alleged ballot fraud, man arrested for shooting dogs, Troy police set trap for suspected muggers, live poultry market opens

A string of Troy residents testified in court yesterday that that their absentee ballot applications contained fraudulent information. And the voters mentioned that a handful of Troy city and Democratic officials had approached them with absentee ballots. A state Supreme Court judge will decide whether the ballots should be tossed from the recent Working Families primary election. [CapNews9] [Troy Record] [WNYT] [TU]

The allegations of ballot fraud spilled over into last night's Troy city council meeting. Democrats and Republicans squabbled over a proposed resolution that would suspend two city marshals who have been accused of being involved with the alleged scheme. [CBS6] [Troy Record]

And handful of local municipalities released proposed budgets: Jerry Jennings' Albany budget keeps the tax levy the same, but shifts more of it onto residential tax payers; Harry Tutunjian's proposed Troy budget includes a 4.25 percent property tax increase; the proposed Colonie budget keeps the tax levy the same, but shifts a little more on commercial property owners; Clifton Park's proposed budget uses $900k from its reserve fund to balance the budget. [TU][Troy Record] [TU] [TU]

The Albany County sheriff's department announced yesterday that it had arrested a man for shooting those two dogs in Berne. Police say the man told them he killed the dogs because they were killing his chickens. The man's attorney says the dogs also killed two calves and threatened the man's family. The sheriff's department says the man isn't being charged under Buster's Law because he didn't kill the dogs in a "depraved or sadistic manner." [TU] [WNYT] [CapNews9] [Fox23]

A document filed by Schenectady DA Robert Carney alleges that Steven Raucci, the former Schenectady school district worker accused of arson and terrorism, had a close relationship with top district officials. [TU]

A report from a state commission concludes that the state liquor authority just isn't getting the job done. The SLA reportedly has a backlog of more than 3000 applications, which the state review commission says "epitomizes the many failures and structural defects plaguing the agency." [TU] [NY Post]

Richard Ravitch has apparently taken the lead on shaping the Paterson administration's proposed budget. [PolitickerNY]

Troy police say they busted a group of young muggers by having an undercover cop pose as a potential target. Two of the suspects are 13 years old. [Fox23] [Troy Record]

Troy police say a pregnant woman was stabbed multiple times yesterday by the man with whom she lives. The man has been arrested. The woman, who's in her third trimester, is said to be in guarded condition. [Troy Record] [CapNews9] [WNYT]

The Saratoga DA reports that the body found floating in a creek near Saratoga Lake belonged to a downstate woman with terminal cancer who had committed suicide. [CBS6][Saratogian]

A group of investors, including E. Stewart Jones, has stepped in to help chef Larry Shepici re-open Tosca. [TU]

A live poultry market has opened in Schenectady. The shop keeps live animals on site and butchers them after customers make their selection. [Daily Gazette $] [TU]