All Over Albany

State of the State this afternoon, Saratoga family dealing with two tragedies, bars react to early close request, gravity -- and maybe vandals -- got the ball rolling

The State of the State speech is this afternoon at 1:30. Andrew Cuomo will deliver the speech not in the Assembly chamber, but in the ESP's convention center -- which some are reading as a Cuomo message to the legislature that he's now calling the shots. One other apparent addition to this year's speech: "a unique audio/visual presentation utilizing state-of-the-art graphics projected on at least three large screens." [Cuomo admin] [TU] [NY Post]

The Cuomo administration announced that it's picked Joseph Martens to head up DEC. Martens is presdent of the Open Space Institute and chair of the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Environmental groups seem happy with the pick. [Cuomo admin] [TU]

Cuomo has still not named a budget director -- and his administration seems to be slow in making selections for many top posts. [NYT]

State police say the pedestrian killed on the Northway Monday night in Wilton was Oleg Moston -- the grandfather of Nicholas Naumkin, the 12-year-old killed in an accidental shooting just before Christmas. Moston's daughter -- the boy's mother -- says Moston and his wife had visited the boy's grave shortly before the accident on the Northway. She said her parents don't drive, and they had been out running errands on foot. Police say they're not sure why Moston tried to cross the interstate, but it doesn't appear he walked into traffic on purpose -- they say he might have been disoriented. Moston was an accomplished professional pianist who had played at many institutions, most recently Skidmore and the Glens Falls Ballet and Dance Company. Said Moston's daughter after her father's death: "I don't know why this is happening to my family." [Post-Star] [CBS6] [TU] [Saratogian] [WNYT] [Fox23] [GFBD] [Daily Gazette]

Albany bar owners say they're reluctant to go along with Jerry Jenning's request to close at 2 am because the move will cause them to lose a significant amount of business. Meanwhile, it seems the APD is willing to name names about which establishments are regarded as problems. (And the story has prompted a whole lot of puns to be spilled.) [WNYT] [Fox23] [YNN]

East Greenbush police confirmed that the body found hanging in a tree in Nassau was the man who had been missing since he was involved in a hit-and-run last September. Police say the man committed suicide on or about the same day as the accident. [TU] [Troy Record]

The state Division of Parole says the number of crimes committed by parolees is way down over the last 10 years. [TU]

The contractor allegedly responsible for the recent radiation leaks from the Knolls Atomic Power Lab in Niskayuna has been hit with a $1.8 million penalty for poor performance. [TU]

A Troy city councilman says the city's landlord registration program has tagged 140 homeowners with $900 fines they don't deserve. The fines apparently are the result of confusion over whether the owner-occupied rentals had to submit a form. [Troy Record] [TU]

The Dauchy Building is being considered as a possible permanent location for Troy city hall (map). [Troy Record]

Sandy Horowitz once again has control of the building that houses Daisy Baker's in Troy (map). [Troy Record]

The large house that caught fire in Menands Monday night belongs to Graney's owner Michael Graney. Graney's dog died in the fire and the house is being considered a likely total loss. [TU] [Troy Record]

BBL is hoping to get moving on the Vista Technology Campus mixed-used development in Slingerlands this spring (map). [TU]

A large granite sphere from a monument in Albany's Eagle Hill Cemetery apparently rolled down the hill and across Western Ave before coming to rest near the front door of Eagle Point Elementary (map). [TU]