All Over Albany

Cuomo pushes private pot possession de-criminalization, Five Guys says debit card info exposed, odds changing on gambling expansion?, Ecovative expands in Green Island

Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that he's pushing the legislature to decriminalize the public possession of small amounts of marijuana. Holding small amounts of pot (just under an ounce) in private -- say, in your pocket instead of out in the open -- was already just a violation. This proposed legislation eliminates the public/private difference. (Smoking it publicly would still be a crime.) The change is being framed as an issue of fairness. Cuomo and Democratic legislature members point out that the people tagged under the current law are disproportionately young and either African-American or Hispanic. It's also largely a New York City issue -- 94 percent of such arrests in the state occur there, according to the Cuomo admin -- a product of the city's "stop and frisk" policies. There were 47 such arrests in Albany County last year, and just a few in other Capital Region counties. Said Rensselaer County DA Richard McNally of the proposed change: "I don't anticipate this affecting our area to a large degree." The legislation is likely to hit a speed bump in the state Senate. Dean Skelos wasn't at the announcement -- and members of the Republican conference are already saying they're skeptical. [Cuomo admin] [NYT] [TU] [Troy Record] [@thomaskaplan] [Albany Watch]

Troy police sergeant Patrick Rosney allegedly was talking about sex within 15 minutes of starting an online conversation with a person he allegedly thought was a 14-year-old girl -- and later exposed himself on a webcam, according to a deposition released by the Queens district attorney. The DA's office says Rosney was arrested before a meetup was arranged because NYC police were concerned about setting up a meeting with someone who could have been armed. [Troy Record] [TU]

Five Guys says it wasn't just Trustco customers whose debit card data was exposed during a security breach late last year. [TU]

A former Albany man was fatally shot by police in Florida last month in a case that's drawn a lot of attention there. [TU]

Cuomo says he opposes giving current racino sites the lead on any new full casinos that might come about if full casino gambling is approved in the state. Also: "The current racino situation in this state is a scandal, in my opinion." Cuomo revealed on Friday that talks had stalled with gambling giant Genting for a new convention center in Queens. Said Dean Skelos of the stalled talks: "I think [Genting's] mission is to control gambling in New York State." The New York Gaming Association -- a gambling trade group -- is a large contributor to the Committee to Save New York, the lobbying org set up to back Cuomo's initiatives. [State of Politics] [TU] [State of Politics] [State of Politics] [NYT]

Albany County DA David Soares officially announced his he's running for re-election. [TU]

Saratoga Springs' public safety commissioner has floated the idea of charging Caroline Street bars a fee to cover late night policing. The city council is expected to vote tonight on a proposal to roll back the last call time. Bar owners of Caroline Street say they've recently started texting each other descriptions of customers who have caused problems in their establishments. [Saratogian] [Saratogian] [YNN]

The list of properties (pdf) on which the city of Schenectady is looking to foreclose for back taxes includes a former city council member and the leader of a neighborhood association. [city of Schenectady] [TU]

The Schenectady city council has rejected a proposal for a medical hospitality house serving the families of sick children after residents of the GE Realty Plot objected. [Daily Gazette]

A Rensselaer County jury found Joseph Durham not guilty of attempted murder in allegedly shooting at a Troy police officer in April 2011 in North Central. But it convicted him on two other charges, which could send him to prison for 15 years. [Troy Record] [TU]

A Saratoga Springs firefighter has pleaded guilty to possession crack of and resigned from the department. SSPD says Justin Moran had been on "involuntary medical leave" before the arrest in February. [Saratogian] [TU]

Albany police say a man was stabbed at the Greyhound bus station downtown Monday night. APD says he was involved in a fight and got stabbed in the stomach. [Fox23] [New10]

Among the guns allegedly found by Bethlehem police while responding to a domestic violence complaint in Selkirk: a machine gun, an assault weapon, a semi-automatic handgun, and a shotgun and handgun with serial numbers removed. [Troy Record]

Scotia police say employees at Jumpin' Jacks helped bust a man for allegedly passing counterfeit money. Police say they think the man has passed about $400 worth of fake $10 bills. [TU] [YNN]

Ecovative has cut the ribbon on its new plant in Green Island, which it says will allow it to create 10 times the amount of mushroom-based packaging material as before. [TU]

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is building an athletic facility. [TU]

The big Americade motorcycle event is this week in Lake George. [Daily Gazette]