Bruno trial Day 3, shouting over post office closures, seasonal flu still on the way, "water celery" snags development plans, school lunches go local

Joe Bruno trial Day 3: a former official with a Connecticut investment firm testified called Bruno an "introducer" and said the senator brought $140 million worth of investments to the firm. And an attorney for the investment group, testifying with an immunity deal, said Bruno relationship with the firm wasn't vetted by the ethics committee because it was "commonplace." Yesterday also included testimony by NY Daily News columnist Bill Hammond and SPAC president Marcia White, who was once Bruno's spokesperson. [TU] [CapNews9] [Fox23]

Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that his office has filed an anti-trust suit against Intel for allegedly abusing its monopoly power to keep AMD down. Any penalties assessed against Intel could help AMD, which is the biggest customer of GlobalFoundries -- Cuomo says the GloFo chip fab project in Malta had nothing to do with the suit, though. [NYO][NYT][TU]

The man accused of being the shooter in Troy's Second Street homicide was released on his own recognizance yesterday after the Rensselaer County DA's office wasn't ready for a preliminary hearing. [TU]

More than a hundred people showed up for the public info session about the potential closures of the Pine Hills and Delaware Ave post offices. The crowd included Jerry Jennings, and Common Council members Shawn Morris and Cathy Fahey. The exchanges between the crowd and USPS officials apparently got a bit heated at times. [TU] [CapNews9] [Fox23]

After getting the cold shoulder from voters on election day, Republicans in Colonie and Democrats in Saratoga are asking: what now? [TU] [Saratogian]

Democrats in Troy were upset that the Rensselaer County sheriff's department posted deputies at two polling stations that serve large numbers of minority voters. [TU]

Corey Ellis says he's going to stay involved in Albany politics and is already contemplating another run for mayor in 2013. [TU]

Will there be a special session of the state legislature next week to address the budget gap? The capitol Magic Eight ball says: it's unclear.

Health officials say the flu that's been making its way around the Capital Region is mostly H1N1 -- and they expect a more typical wave of season flu is still on the way. [Troy Record]

Plans for that big waterfront development in Rensselaer have gotten snagged on DEC concerns about an underwater plant called "water celery." [TU]

A dump truck got caught on power lines along Western Ave in Guilderland yesterday morning, snapping a handful of utility poles, knocking out service and disrupting traffic. [TU] [WTEN]

The Schenectady school board and superintendent Eric Ely are at odds over whether amusement parks should be allowed field trip destinations. [TU]

Skidmore, Union and RPI have made it onto another list of the nation's most expensive colleges. [TU]

The Saratoga Springs school district is partnering with local farms to offer healthier school lunches. [Post-Star]

Say you wanted to find out which New York apple was best for your crisp -- there's an app for that. [AP/CBS6]

Gift shop Pearl Grant Richmans has been a tenant at Stuyvesant Plaza since the shopping center opened 50 years ago. [TU]

Comments

Is it me, or is there more than a bit of irony in the TU story where the Post Office is taking written comments on their closure proposals via snail mail, after their spokesperson tells everyone that people are "clicking" and sending more and more e-mail rather than putting a "stamp on it"?

Keep our Albany City (and here's a vote for the village in Scotia) walkable and keep these Post Offices open!

I agree. though, I think it would only be 'ironic' if the post office blamed the closure on the internet and then asked people to submit comments online. snail mail helps the cause.

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