All Over Albany

Cuomo prepares for three-dimensional chess and weathervanes, police say man used Facebook to meet and exploit teens, replacements planned for Latham Circle bridges, class is on the ball

Andrew Cuomo tells the Times Union editorial board that he will play the budget process as a "three-dimensional chess game" and legislators will be "weathervanes." [TU]

Has Andrew Cuomo done a good job as state attorney general? Depends on who you ask. [NYT]

With the early gubernatorial exit of Elliot Spitzer in mind, maybe it's a good idea to know a little bit more about the lieutenant governor candidates. [TU]

After the Siena poll reported Chris Gibson was up 9 points, Scott Murphy's campaign says its internal polling has it up by three. [AOA] [Post-Star]

The proposed Saratoga County budget includes no property tax increase. Spending is up five percent. The chairman of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors called the county "an oasis" of fiscal calm. [Saratogian] [Post-Star] [YNN]

About 100 people showed up for the anti-hate rally in Albany's Townsend Park yesterday. There's still a dispute over whether the incident that prompted the rally -- the alleged assault of a gay man in a Central Ave pizza shop -- was actually motivated by an anti-gay sentiment. [Fox23] [WNYT]

Jennifer Whalen, the Republican challenger to Democrat Bob Reilly for the 109th state Assembly district, is criticizing Reilly for imitating a man with cerebal palsy during a debate this week. Reilly argues he was defending the man. [Whalen email press release] [YNN video] [TU]

An Albany County Court jury acquitted the man charged with murdering Henry Ferrell last year in a home on Western Ave in Albany (map). [TU]

A federal parolee has been indicted on charges related to a string of crimes in Schenectady, including the fatal shooting of a woman in an Eastern Ave deli last year. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Colonie police a 24-year-old man used Facebook to meet teen girls -- and allege he raped four of them. They say he was Facebook friends with young women who attended a handful of local high schools. [WNYT] [Troy Record] [TU]

The father of the teen girl who ran away with the alleged help of an Amsterdam man says the news hit him particularly hard because the man is his best friend. [WTEN]

Saratoga Springs police say the woman who died on Route 9 last Thursday night was hit by two cars as she tried to cross the road. They say the first vehicle that hit her rolled over and the driver was seriously injured. They say they don't know why the woman ran into the path of oncoming traffic. [Saratogian] [Post-Star] [TU]

The Cohoes proposed budget includes no property tax increase. Said mayor John McDonald of the plan to use some of the city's fund balance: "The rain days are here." [Troy Record] [TU]

A lawsuit filed by a Rensselaer County businessman alleges the City of Troy serially worked to hinder his business. [Troy Record]

The state is planning to replace the Route 2 bridges at the Latham Circle in 2012. [TU]

Three firefighters were injured and a restored brownstone was gutted during a fire yesterday near Washington Park in Troy (map). Firefighters had to carry a third-floor tenant down a ladder. Troy's fire chief called it a "tough, tough fire to fight." [TU] [Fox23] [Troy Record]

A new two-mile stretch of the Zim Smith Trail opened yesterday in Ballston. The trail now stretches from Halfmoon to Ballston Spa. Residents near the Ballston Spa aren't so happy about it, though. [Saratogian] [Saratoga PLAN] [TU]

An anonymous donor put up $55k to have the tennis courts in Schenectady's Central Park re-surfaced. [Daily Gazette]

An elementary school class in Greenfield has swapped out its regular chairs for inflatable "stability" balls. [Saratogian]