All Over Albany

Guilty verdict in Bailey murder trial, Saratoga County reportedly in talks to buy Luther Forest tech park, NYRA head says horses will run at Saratoga next season

A jury found De Von Callicut guilty in the murder of UAlbany student Richard Bailey. Said Bailey's father after the verdict: "A little closure came today ... I mean, it's never going to bring Rick back, but I guess that justice prevailed and we're ecstatic. We really are." [link digest] [TU]

Albany County exec Mike Breslin is now supporting the construction of a new county nursing home -- he had been pushing to permanently close the facility -- after reaching a deal with the county legislature. Breslin also rescinded an unannounced veto of the county budget. [Troy Record] [TU]

Saratoga County reportedly has "the framework of a deal" to buy the Luther Forest tech park, which would head of a state takeover of the campus. [Daily Gazette]

The state attorney general's office and the feds announced a criminal indictment of state senator Pedro Espada and his son for allegedly "stealing in excess of half a million dollars from Bronx clinics." The pair is accused of embezzling money to pay for a string of personal expenses and extravagances. The Espadas say they're innocent. Said Neil Breslin: "It's a reflection on us all [in the state Senate] and it's a sad day." Said state senator Liz Kruger: "I sometimes wonder how the criminal justice system can take so long when it all seems so obvious." Andrew Cuomo told reporters he "couldn't leave [the AG's] office on a better note." [NYS AG] [NYT] [State of Politcs] [WNYT] [NYDN] [State of Politics]

The mixed martial arts fighter accused of attacking Steve Barnes in 2008 testified yesterday that the hit was his idea -- and not that of bar owner Timothy Rankins. [TU]

A Schenectady family has boarded up its house after it's been serially terrorized by people shooting at their home with paint ball and BB guns. [Daily Gazette]

Despite the recent NYC OTB meltdown, the head of NYRA said yesterday on the Capitol Pressroom that "Saratoga is going to run next year and it's going to run just as well as it did this year." [Saratogian]

The Paterson administration has asked 2,500 political appointees at state agencies to submit undated resignation letters in order to provide the Cuomo administration with "maximum flexibility." [State of Politics] [TU]

New York State mayors say for the expected property tax cap to work, they'll need the state to freeze the pay of local government employees. [YNN] [TU]

The leader of the union that represents the Rensselaer County employees slated to be laid off says the jobs could have been saved if county exec Kathleen Jimino would have worked with the union on cost-saving measures. Jimino says it was the union membership that rejected a plan to save money on a new health plan. [Troy Record] [Fox23]

The low bid for the demolition of Troy's former city hall is $405,800. Harry Tutunjian says he still intends to knock the building down -- despite the objection of the city council majority. [TU] [Troy Record]

Rotterdam voters rejected a plan to create a taxing district to support the town ambulance service. Odd fact about this vote: only property owners were allowed to vote. [CBS6] [TU]

The Town of Niskayuna reportedly has reached a tentative agreement with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to halt new residential construction as the town deals with an overburdened sewer system. [TU]

A Saratoga Springs man was found guilty of shooting a man in the leg -- and then dropping him off at the hospital -- after drug-filled night at the convicted man's house. [Saratogian]

A Colonie police officer is resigning after he pleaded guilty to breaking his wife's nose last year in Albany. [TU]

A Schenectady County corrections officers resigned after being arrested a second time for alleged domestic violence. [TU]

Rotterdam police say they used DNA to nab the guy suspected of a string of burglaries in the town this past summer. [Fox23]

The Albany police officer arrested for suspected DWI this past weekend in Menands was allegedly found "apparently sleeping" in his vehicle in the right lane of I-787 with the door ajar and vomit on the ground. [TU]

Local law enforcement officials are pushing for the adoption of statewide standards for recording video of interrogations. Colonie's police chief say the video "protects the integrity of the entire event." [Troy Record] [YNN]

It looks like NYSTI will close December 31. [Daily Gazette]

A drought in Russia has resulted in a surge of traffic at the Port of Albany. [TU]

A 73-year-old Colonie man is headed back to Haiti -- with no scheduled return -- to help assistance efforts there. [TU]