CSEA approves contract, witnesses say cops shot man in the back, The Track is filled with animals that aren't horses

The five-year state employee contract approved by members of Civil Service Employees Association yesterday calls for a three-year wage freeze, furloughs and increased health care costs, but will also save hundreds of jobs from potential layoffs. The vote was about 60 percent in favor of the new contract and 40 percent opposed. [YNN] [Fox23] [TU]

Some eyewitnesses claim that Luis Rivera, who was fatally shot Friday by three Schenectady police officers, was shot in the back. Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney says prosecutors are looking at video that captured much of the incident. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

The woman who crashed into a Voorheesville church last week, killing three people, has hired a legal team that includes retired Albany County Judge Larry Rosen. Meanwhile, Carol Lansing, one of the people killed in the crash, was remembered at her funeral Monday as a generous woman who volunteered her time to a number of organizations. [TU] [YNN]

Police say a man took a 19-year-old woman to an Albany hotel room and held her captive in an attempt to force her into prostitution. The woman said she thought she was being taken to a party in New Paltz. Henry Douglas allegedly put photos of the woman online to advertise her services. [YNN] [Fox23]

Rain may have caused a roof collapse that led to the evacuation of 15 people from a building in Troy on Monday. [TU]

Saratoga Springs Mayor Scott Johnson may convene a panel to discuss where to locate a 9/11 sculpture that is expected to be revealed on the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. The massive, 25-foot sculpture, is said to "dwarf" the locations for which it's been considered. [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]

A new state program that will train high school teachers in suicide prevention will help them to look for signs of bullying and other mental stress. [Fox23]

State officials are urging people to keep their arms and legs covered and use bug repellant after mosquitoes in some parts of the state were found to be carrying the West Nile virus. [TU]

Time Warner Cable considered all those same-sex marriage ads to be public service announcements and ran them for free, saving pro-equality activists more than $70,000. [TU]

A doctoral student has been using the Schenectady Municipal Golf Course this summer to test an academic theory that golf scores can be improved through strength and flexibility training, positive mental imagery and relaxation techniques. [TU]

Independent bookstores throughout the area are starting to offer e-books in an attempt to stay afloat in a grim market. Yesterday, Red Fox Books in Glens Falls announced that it will close, making it the latest victim of both the dire economy and a disappearing market for sellers of media. [TU] [Post-Star]

Dogs, cats, a pygmy goat and a miniature horse are among the animals that keep horses company on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course. [TU]

Comments

That poor little girl. Encephalitis? Wow. Damned mosquitos.

Back up. A woman is held captive in a hotel room for 2 days and forced into prostitution, and then the cops CHARGE her with prostitution? WHAT?

Oh, never mind.. Miller was her friend, not the victim. I was gonna say.. damn.

I didn't even know that Red Fox bookstore was there -- can we put together a list of independently owned/operated bookstores in the area? (Including used bookstores? -- if I didn't live in the neighborhood, for example, I probably wouldn't know about Dove & Hudson). A list like that would be a great reference. :)

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