All Over Albany

Officials preparing for government shutdown, kid found wandering along Route 7, cemetery ownership mystery, king and king of the prom

State officials are reportedly preparing for a possible shutdown of the government next Monday in case the next budget extender doesn't pass. It's unclear whether the situation is actually headed that way. Yesterday's public leaders' meeting at the Capitol on the budget was filled with bickering. But Dean Skelos says some Senate Republicans could vote for the extender if there are "real cuts" in it. And Democrats Pedro Espada and Ruben Diaz backed off their threats (sort of) to vote against the extender. (So far, the extenders have passed on party line votes of 32-30, so if any Dems jump ship and no Republicans switch, the up-or-down bill would fail). The state budget director said yesterday that a shutdown of the state government would have "disastrous consequences." [NYT] [TU] [TU CapCon] [NY Post] [AP/Saratogian] [Buffalo News]

The state Senate passed a measure that requires health plans to cover treatment for autism. Neil Breslin and Roy McDonald have both been pushing for the bill. [NY Senate] [WNYT] [TU]

The head of state Senate's Racing and Wagering Committee has proposed legislation that would allow full casinos to operate at some of the state's horse tracks -- maybe the ones in Saratoga. [TU]

Schenectady police say a seven-year-old was found walking along Route 7 yesterday after wandered off from school. They say there were notified by concerned passers-by. They say the school did not contact them, but was following its protocol. [Fox23] [WTEN] [CBS6]

State police are investigating the prank that spread oil around the Berne-Knox-Westerlo secondary school yesterday, canceling classes. The district's interim superintendent called the prank "devastating." [TU] [YNN]

The Warren County sheriff's office says a Troy man drowned in Lake George yesterday after his kayak capsized. Officials say the man's boat appeared to have been tipped by a motor boat that passed close by. [TU] [Post-Star]

Colonie police say they don't think a man who says he was shot in the hand Wednesday morning is telling the whole truth. [TU]

A Schenectady man who took a plea bargain after being charged with weapons possession last year tells the TU he was actually taking the gun, which police say is linked to a shooting death, to the Albany gun buyback. [TU]

A federal judge has ruled that Raymond Hosier, the Schenectady middle school suspended for openly wearing a rosary, can wear the beads through the rest of the school year. There's a court date for the case scheduled for September. [ACLJ] [TU]

The website for the House of Representatives will list cost estimates of proposed legislation after a resolution backed by Scott Murphy passed. The info is already available on a different site. [Post-Star] [TU]

The parents of Hannah Sames, a Clifton Park girl with a rare genetic disorder, are hoping to get her enrolled in a gene therapy clinical trial. [TU]

Stillwater's trying to find the heirs of the person who bought a cemetery near what is now the Luther Forest tech campus in 1794. [Daily Gazette $]

The last remaining branch of a fraternal organization honoring Principessa Elena of Italy is in Saratoga.

The king and queen at the Hudson High School prom this year were two gay friends, who won in a landslide. [CBS6] [Register-Star]