Mott found not guilty in Crosier death, criticism continues over redistricting, CDTA head for near-record ridership year, Gordon Ramsay sighting
A jury has found George Mott III not guilty in the 1994 death of Rosemary Crosier in Troy. The jury reached the verdict around 9:40 pm, after three days of deliberations. Said Mott's attorney after the verdict: "It's not something to be happy about. Someone has died here. It's something to be relieved." Scott Chaplin, the co-defendant in the case, still faces trial, which is expected to start in April. [TU] [CBS6] [Troy Record] [YNN] [WTEN]
The new state Assembly and Senate district lines are expected to be released to the public sometime today (probably). The early word is that they include some significant shuffling of the districts in the Capital Region, including a new Republican-leaning district supposedly created for George Amedore. That district is expected to take a chunk of Neil Breslin's current district and he's already calling the new district's creation "illegal and unconstitutional." Breslin says his current district -- which is Albany County -- is "as close to a Senate district as you could draw, if you were drawing it properly." [State of Politics] [TU CapCon] [State of Politics] [CBS6] [AP/Saratogian]
Members of the state legislature seem less than enthused about the proposed new "Tier VI" for the state employee pension system. [TU]
A grand jury has started hearing evidence for the potential re-trial of Joe Bruno. [Troy Record]
Said Thomas Marcelle, whose nomination for the job as Albany County's top attorney has drawn criticism because of his connections to a conservative group: "I don't care how people conduct their personal lives ... It's none of my business, and it's none of the government's business." [TU]
It looks like the Saratoga County board of supervisors is moving toward selling or leasing the county's never-used landfill. [TU]
Saratoga County's Industrial Development Agency has approved $4 million in tax breaks for the urgent care center planned near Exit 12 on the Northway. [Post-Star]
One of the options the Schenectady school district is considering in order to save money is the closure of one of its middle schools. Grade levels would be added to two of the district's elementary schools as part of a consolidation under that scenario. Interim superintendent John Yagielski in stressing the closure is just one possible option: "Of course, we're looking at things like this and they are dramatic things that have an impact on parents and students." [Daily Gazette] [TU] [WTEN]
Coeyman police say a 16-year-old student at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly holding another student in an elevator and attempting to force her to perform oral sex on him. Other students alleged the accused student had attempted similar acts before. [TU] [WNYT] [Fox23]
One of the men accused of kidnapping a boy in Albany County in order to rape him, has now been accused of a range of sexual crimes against three children in Saratoga County. [WNYT]
Albany police say a pedestrian was hit by a car at Washington Ave and Lark Street around 8:40 am Wednesday (the incident backed up traffic for a bit) (map). APD says the driver had the green and was not ticketed. [WNYT] [WTEN]
Campbell Ave in Troy, closed for two weeks because of a sewer main break, is expected to re-open Thursday evening. [Troy Record] [Fox23]
Ambulance service in Rensselaer is currently involved in a "very confusing, complicated mess." [TU]
CDTA says it's on track for a near-record year of ridership. [Daily Gazette]
The Small Enterprise Economic Development (SEED) program at UAlbany -- modeled on the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh -- has made its first set of loans to local entrepreneurs. [TU] [Fox23]
The Department of Environmental Conservation is considering the expansion of bobcat hunting in the state. [Daily Gazette]
The official planting zones have been shifting northward in this area, apparently because of global warming. [TU]
Gordon Ramsay sighting in Cambridge. OMG. [Fox23]
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Comments
Let it be known that in Albany you can run over a human being with your car/suv without punishment if you have a green light.
... said ethan on Jan 26, 2012 at 11:01 AM | link
Not quite sure what you're getting at Ethan. If you're going 30 or even 25 and someone decides to cross the street in front of you, you're going to hit that person. Brakes slow you down but not quick enough.
Drive down Central Ave or Washington Ave any time of day and maybe you'll see what the problem is. Some people like to walk across the street wherever they choose at any time they choose. Not the drivers fault.
... said Save Pine Hills on Jan 26, 2012 at 11:23 AM | link
It sounds like from the second source that the car making the left hand turn had a green arrow, which would mean the pedestrian wouldn't of had a walk light. So it seems the car had the right of way and the pedestrian should have hung back until they had a signal to cross. That being said the driver still should be alert and looking where they are driving. I walk to and from work every day and every day I almost get hit by a car whose driver is not paying attention (I cross in the crosswalk and with the walking signal).
... said elise on Jan 26, 2012 at 11:31 AM | link
Re: Joe Bruno.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of the guy. But why are we spending time and money re-prosecuting an 82 year old man of a non-violent crime? Seems like this wouldn't normally happen. Are we just trying to make an example of him?
... said Betty Jones on Jan 26, 2012 at 12:17 PM | link
Having spent a number of years living in Albany and walking to work, I recognized that a pedestrian was no match against a car or truck. So I did what my mother taught me: looked both ways before crossing the street. Sure, pedestrians can always blame the driver, but who ends up in the hospital?
... said Bob on Jan 26, 2012 at 12:27 PM | link
True ethan, you're not supposed to ram your car into human beings. But Save Pine Hills is right- that whole Washington/Central area is overly congested with both pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and people are bound to get hit if they don't observe their sets of rules. Perhaps she made a risky move to catch a bus that was pulling up. We don't know. But I also know it can be very tough on drivers. I know my hubby and I have had to slam on our brakes more than once because someone decided to cross in front of us. My dad always used to joke that they must be doing it to collect insurance money; there's simply no other explanation for people walking out in front of cars like that.
... said Summer on Jan 26, 2012 at 12:46 PM | link
Hmm! I went through the intersection of Washington Ave and Lark Street about 10 minutes before the accident yesterday.
Both articles say that the pedestrian was crossing Washington Ave, and that the driver was turning left. That means the driver was coming down Lark and turning onto Washington - there is no green left arrow in either direction. There is a lot more through traffic on Lark and traffic turning right than there is turning left, and so drivers (myself included, every morning) make use of every opportunity to actually make the turn without A) sitting at the light forever, B) blocking the box after the light has changed, C) getting t-boned while turning. Obviously, drivers need to check if people are crossing the street (I haven't hit anyone yet...) but a left green arrow there would be INCREDIBLY helpful (and safer) to both drivers and pedestrians. There is already a turning lane on Lark, on both sides of Washington Ave - but no light - so it would be pretty simple to add.
... said Paul on Jan 26, 2012 at 4:11 PM | link