All Over Albany

DA's office: gym death not result of tasering, Cuomo told legislators to vote for tax bill or else, crime down in Troy, talk of commuter line from Saratoga to Albany

The Albany County DA's office and Colone Police say toxicology reports indicate that Chad Brothers -- the man who died after being tasered following a rampage at a Colonie gym -- had steroids and PCP in his system. The DA's office says Brothers died from "agitated delirium," a condition associated with drug use, and not from being tased multiple times. The DA's office says Colonie Police "acted appropriately and professionally under the circumstances and therefore no criminal liability exists." Earlier: Firsthand accounts of the Latham Gold's Gym struggle and death [WTEN] [Fox23] [TU] [Troy Record]

Says one of the leaders of the Capital Region Economic Development Council say on the Capital Region's non-win in the grant competition: "We absolutely wish that we came in on top, but we cannot complain about $62 million." One of the local projects that did get funded is a new maintenance hangar at ALB, which an official says will allow a company there to hire 30 new people. Among the projects that didn't make cut for the Capital Region's grants package: a $25 million supercomputer for RPI. (Post-Star headline for this story: "North Country beats Capital Region in competition for state economic funds.") [AOA] [Fox23] [TU] [TU] [Post-Star]

Andrew Cuomo reportedly called Assembly Republicans 30 minutes after the tax code restructuring bill was printed to tell them to unanimously vote for the legislation -- or else he would campaign against members who voted no. Eight Assemblyman voted against the bill. Among them was minority leader Brian Kolb, who said of the process: "I think it was rushed and I don't think it was open and transparent at all." Cuomo says the tax restructuring legislation essentially finished 50 percent of the next budget. [TU] [State of Politics] [YNN] [NYT]

The director of the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority says officials didn't a call a pest control company to handle for reports of bed bugs at the Stonequist Apartment high rise "because we didn't feel a need to address the issue." Officials say there's not a widespread infestation at the 176-unit building. But a pest control company says the whole building must be treated -- not just the handful of apartments where the bugs have been found. [TU] [Saratogian] [WNYT]

Crime in Troy is down 5.8 percent overall this year compared to last. The TPD credits increased interaction with the community for the decline in crimes. One category where the rate increased: burglaries. [Troy Record] [WNYT] [TU]

The suspended SUNY police officer accused of having more than a hundred pot plants growing at her home Duanesburg has pleaded guilty. [TU]

A Rensselaer County court judge sentenced a 50-year-old multiple offender to 60 years to life for a conviction on three armed robberies. [TU]

A prominent local attorney was disbarred for professional misconduct for, among others things, putting $60k from a client's settlement into an account for his own use. [TU]

A panel urged Schenectady students to drop the "no snitching" culture. [Daily Gazette]

The losers in the elections for Troy and Schenectady mayor both outspent the winners by considerable amounts. [TU]

The EPA and GE says the operators of the Hudson River PCB dredging project have gotten much better at keeping PCBs from being re-suspended in the river during the dredging. [TU]

The Saratoga and North Creek railway has turned out to be very popular so far. And the railway's parent company is talking about a commuter service from Saratoga to Albany. [Post-Star] [Saratogian]

Among the concerns of farmers in Saratoga and Washington counties: the lack of rural high-speed internet access and mobile phone coverage. [Daily Gazette]

The Crown Plaza in downtown Albany is switching to become a Hilton. [TU]

RPI students have designed a shoe for people in developing countries that can be manufactured cheaply from tires. [Troy Record]