All Over Albany

Options considered for Albany High, Fort Orange Club gets demolition permit, liquor stores upset about supermarket wine, Colonie "actively pursuing" redevelopment of First Prize Center

After Albany High School was as identified as one of the state's "persistently lowest achieving" schools, interim schools superintendent Raymond Colucciello says the "transformation" option is being strongly considered (the state has laid out four options for reorganizing schools on this list). [AOA] [TU] [NYSED]

The Albany city planning board has granted the Fort Orange Club a permit to demolish two buildings on its property. Preservationists had argued the buildings were historically significant. [TU]

Timothy Rankins, the owner of downtown Albany bar Envy Lounge, was arrested yesterday on charges that he didn't pay almost $200k in sales taxes. The allegedly unpaid taxes are from the operation of the Pearl Restaurant and Lounge, which Rankins once owned (the Pearl was shut down after an underage drinking raid there -- it's since reopened under new management). The TU has recently chronicled Rankins allegedly close ties with police and city officials. [Troy Record] [CBS6] [WNYT] [TU]

The Capital Region's unemployment rate was 7 percent in December, according to the state labor department. The state's overall rate was 8.8 percent -- the highest in 26 years. [AOA] [Troy Record]

The state Department of Agriculture and Markets says the Paterson administration's plan to allow wine sales in supermarkets has provisions to also help liquor stores. Liquor store owners don't seem to buy it, though. [TU] [Fox23]

HVCC announced that it's building a $35 million science center. The new building will include space for 33 labs, as well as classrooms and offices. The college says it will also be spending another $19 million on renovating other buildings. [TU] [HVCC] [Troy Record]

LaFarge has agreed to cut emissions at its cement plant in Ravena under a settlement with the federal Department of Justice. [CapNews9] [TU]

Reports from the EPA and GE are at odds over whether the Hudson River dredging project can be completed as scheduled. The EPA report indicated that levels of re-suspended PCBs were higher than expected. [Saratogian] [Post-Star]

Colonie supervisor Paula Mahan says the town is "actively pursuing re-development" of the Adirondack Steel and First Price Center sites. (Earlier on AOA: backstory on the First Prize Center) [TU]

The Saratoga Springs Police Department said yesterday that it's eliminating its DARE program, car seat installations and K9 patrols because of budget cuts. The city's public safety commissioner says DARE was cut, in part, because of a national study that indicated it wasn't working. [Saratogian] [Fox23] [TU] [Post-Star]

There people were arrested in Loudonville last week after Colonie police say they found more than 66 pounds of pot in a car and house. [TU]

Albany County has bought 9.3 miles of the old Delaware & Hudson Railway line for a bike trail. [TU]

A flag that traveled on the space shuttle is now at Saratoga High School. [Post-Star]