All Over Albany

Reaction to Paterson's proposed budget cuts, investigators say RPI student's death was homicide, state says it didn't know hotel owner was behind on taxes, Saratoga sued over Taser info

David Paterson has proposed $3 billion in cuts to this year's state budget. He said yesterday that "all of us will have to sacrifice to save the state." Sheldon Silver said Paterson "took the bull by the horns" -- but the governor's proposals were met with skepticism by state senators, and outrage from interest groups. [AOA] [Daily Politics] [NYT] [Daily Politics] [Daily Politics]

The man who was stabbed in Albany's Grand Street neighborhood last week has died -- the city's 8th homicide of the year. [CapNews9]

Private investigators hired by the family of the RPI student found dead of a gun shot in a Troy apartment last year say they have concluded the student was murdered. Troy detectives have said the case was a suicide -- but the private investigators accused the TPD of coming to that conclusion in "a rather imaginative way." [TU] [Troy Record] [Troy Record]

The state's Division of Human Rights has ruled that Saratoga Springs must pay 8 city employees damages of $10k each because the city had not provided sufficient facilities for female employees of the city's police department. The decision prompted squabbling between mayor Scott Johnson and public safety commissioner Ron Kim (who are both running for mayor this year) over who's to blame for the situation. [Daily Gazette $] [TU] [Saratogian]

State senator Hiram Monserrate was found guilty of misdemeanor assault for the incident that involved the apparent slashing of his ladyfriend's face -- but he was found not guilty on the felony charges he faced. A felony conviction would have automatically bounced him from office -- and now the guilty/not-guilty verdict has senate Democrats hedging about what they're going to about him. One anonymous Democratic senator reportedly told the NYDN: "I was praying that [expletive deleted] would get convicted and he would be gone." [NYT] [PolitickerNY] [NYDN]

The state's development agency says it didn't know that the owner of Dewitt Clinton Hotel was behind on his taxes -- and the project won't be getting the $4 million in funding announced this week until he pays up. [TU]

Albany County sales tax revenue was way down in the third quarter. [TU]

The NYCLU announced yesterday that it has sued Saratoga Springs over the city's refusal to release records related to how the SSPD has used its tasers. The org says it started looking into taser use by the department after it got a call from someone who reported being inappropriately Tasered. Public safety commissioner Ron Kim told the TU he was not aware of any inappropriate Tasering. [NYCLU] [Saratogian] [TU]

A TU review of conviction statistics concludes that conviction rates are down in the Capital Region -- though there's disagreement about whether that means anything. [TU]

The man convicted of stabbing a 17-year-old to death last year at Washington and Ontario in Albany has been sentenced 15 years in prison. [TU]

The TU has sued the City of Albany for denying its FOIL request for "fixed" parking tickets. [TU]

The father of Matthew Whalen, the Lansingburgh High School honors student suspended for having a pocket knife in his car, says his family will be pursuing legal action against the school district. [Troy Record]

Schenectady police say they made a heroin bust worth than $85k last week. Police say the product had been on the market with the brand "Kiss of Death." The SPD says heroin use has been rising in the city. [Fox23] [WTEN] [CBS6]

The shots that killed a Troy man this week were apparently fired outside the zone covered by the city's "Shot Spotter" system. [CBS6]

RPI has opened up extra health center space to deal with an overflow of flu cases. [WNYT]