All Over Albany

Three friends killed by SUV, gas rupture in Guilderland, 9/11 artifacts on exhibit

A woman lost control of her SUV Wednesday morning, careening into a Voorheesville church, killing three friends who were standing out front. The three women, Fran Pallozzi, 81, of Waterford, Carol Lansing, 66, of Green Island, and Rosemarie Hume, 79, of Waterford, were members of a walking group that had stopped at St. Matthew's Catholic Church so that a friend could use the restroom. Another woman was also injured. The driver, Luann Burgess, had just dropped her foster child off down the road when she says her flip-flop got caught in the gas pedal, causing her to lose control of the vehicle. Police have not ruled out that she may have been using her cellphone or may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Albany County Acting Sheriff Craig Apple called the scene one of the worst he's witnessed in his career. [TU] [WNYT] [Daily Gazette] [YNN]

Police went door-to-door evacuating people from Guilderland neighborhoods after a work crew burst a natural gas line along the Thruway Wednesday morning. Residents said they feared for their lives as they heard and smelled gas "spewing" throughout the area. [TU] [WNYT]

A man was killed in Troy Wednesday afternoon when his motorcycle hit the side of a minivan. Police have not ruled out speed in the accident that took the life of William Brennan Jr., 39. [YNN] [WNYT]

Jessica Thompson of Rensselaer was arrested this morning in connection with a bank robbery yesterday. Police say she robbed the School Systems Federal Credit Union in North Greenbush Wednesday afternoon and then sped off on a bicycle. [TU] [YNN] [WNYT]

A woman who won a $1 million lottery prize in 2006 was broke by the time she was arrested on drug charges last year. Allissia Rivenburgh was jailed Wednesday for violating probation in that case. [TU]

An Albany man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting four men working at the GlobalFoundries construction site yesterday. The Saratoga County Sheriff's Department says the man hit one of the victims several times in the head with a fire extinguisher. [Saratogian] [Post-Star]

A man allegedly attacked a cabbie with a sharpened broom handle in Schenectady Wednesday morning and demanded money. Ruben Febres was arrested after another cabbie flagged down a sheriff's deputy to report the incident. [WNYT] [TU]

A new state law halves the time a new state worker retiree has to wait for their first pension check from 30 to 15 days. [TU]

New Scotia police chief Pete Frisoni, who had been a Schenectady police captain for many years, won out over 15 other applicants for the post. [Daily Gazette]

While other sectors were shedding jobs, more than 11,000 health care professionals were added upstate between 2008 and 2009, according to a new study. [TU]

A 9/11 memorial exhibit that will take place simultaneously at a handful of local spots until late September will include items such as damaged emergency vehicles and landing gear. The artifacts are from the State Museum, which houses the largest catalog of 9/11 memorabilia. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

The Verizon strike is causing some issues with customer service on land-line telephones in the area. The company is suing strikers throughout the eastern United States, saying they have taken protests too far. [Post-Star] [YNN]

A new poll shows that media images of happy couples getting married helped to soften opposition across the state to same-sex marriage. Those who make more money and are younger are more likely to support the new law. [CBS6] [YNN]

Low-income pet owners can get discounted vaccinations for their animals next week in Troy. [Troy Record]