All Over Albany

Evacuations and state of emergency declared after Columbia County recylcing plant fire, Richard Bailey's murderer suing Albany police, Clifton Park olympian loses in first round, Super Bowl trophy at Albany City Hall

A State of Emergency has been declared for the area surrounding around TCI of New Yorkin the Columbia County town of Ghent. A fire that began shortly after 10 pm on Wednesday at the hazardous waste disposal business, continues to burn into this morning and residents within a half-mile of the site are being evacuated. [YNN] [WNYT] [TU

Police say believe Tracey Zetzche, the Long Island woman who allegedly murdered her son to murder her 22 year old son in their Westerlo apartment earlier this week, had been suffering from financial problems.Zetzche apparently lived in the apartment with her son's body for several days before she was discovered on Tuesday. [TU] [Saratogian]

The man convicted of murdering Ualbany student Richard Bailey is suing six Albany police officers for $160,000 alleging they beat, pistol-whipped and Tasered him into unconsciousness. [TU]

A report by comptroller Tom DiNapoli shows local governments across New york State are burning through cash reserves and running up deficits in an effort to make ends meet. [NYT]

The NYS Division of Human Rights has cleared CDTA of a racial bias claim filed by
self-described community activist Marlon Anderson - who once attempted a write in campaign fin the race for Albany Mayor. Investigators found that race did not figure into the decision to fire Anderson, or the decision to ask him to stay away from a female co-worker.[TU]

The Medicaid Inspector General has reduced penalties for Mara's Pharmacy, run by Cohoes Mayor John T. McDonald, from 1.46 Million to $268,000. The penalties stemmed from discrepancies stemming from missing Medicaid prescription records in 2009. McDonald says his mother, who has forfeited her pharmacists license , disposed of the medicaid records in question accidentally - thinking they needed to be kept for five years, not six. [WNYT] [Record] [TU]

A Skidmore College student was arrested on Tuesday and charged with sexually unlawfully imprisoning and sexually abusing a college employee. [Saratogian]

The Waterford man who allegedly robbed Pioneer Savings Bank is a convicted felon and he's the same guy that was charged with forgery recently for allegedly selling a car that an Egyptian man entrusted to him to ship overseas. [Saratogian]

Police are investigating a bomb threat that was called in from the Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday evening. [Saratogian]

An Albany man was acquitted on attempted murder and robbery charges after the prosecutor in the case opted not to deliver a closing argument when he learned that the defendant in the case may have been lying. [TU]

The son of a SNUG anti-gun volunteer was shot on First Street earlier this week. [WNYT]

A driver is facing DWI charges after their car apparently hit a building at the Loudon Plaza on Wednesday. [News 10]

After being sworn in as the new preseident of PEF, yesterday, Susan Kent said she's planning to continue to travel to job sites around the state to talk with workers and emphasized that she's "not looking to go to war with the governor."[TU]

Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill this week that would require public school officials to look at the home life and family background" of students before placing them in schools. [NYT]

Saratoga County supervisors are closer to creating a local agency that will help make it easier for local non-profits to get funding. [Saratogian]

Drought is being blamed for a .20 hike in egg prices at Stewarts. [WNYT]

The city of Troy is seeking proposals for uses for about 200 properties it plans to foreclose on . [Record]

New York legislators are considering the need to raise the debt ceiling in the state. [YNN]

The New NYS DNA databank rules requiring anyone convicted of a felony or misdemeanor to provide a DNA sample, goes into effect today. [WNYT]

Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office has stopped about $90,000 in unemployment checks that were headed overseas to scammers and New Yorkers who were apparently vacationing abroad. [WNYT]

A new Law signed this week by Governor Cuomo will put a state seal of biliteracy on the diplomas and transcripts of graduates who demonstrate academic Excellence and proficiency in one or more foreign languages. [WNYT]

Parents of students in the Cohoes School District are claiming that they've been pressured by the school board and superintendent to donate $10,000 or risk the loss of some after-school activities for their kids.[WNYT]

Storms knocked out power to 500 National Grid Customers in Schenectady Wednesday. [News 10]

Schools in the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school districk have received a half-million dollar federal grant to improve student fitness.[Gazette]

The Village of Schoharie has received $50,000 in state grants to help with economic development and the rebuilding of Main Street. [Gazette]

A Troy man was arrested this week for stealing 1,00 feet of signal wire from the Waterford-Cohoes railroad bridge last month. [Fox 23]

Rensselaer County lawmakers Harry Tutunjian and Henry Bauer have introduced a local law to ban bath salts. [Fox 23]

Historic Cohoes Music Hall may end up vacant again if C-R productions, which has been mounting musicals in the space since 2002, can't increase supscriptions and ticket sales. [Fox 23]

Manchester Vermont's Northshire Bookstore is interested in setting up a shop in Saratoga.[Saratogian]

A fund to aid permanently disabled jockeys is selling racing autograph books in Saratoga shops to help raise money for their cause. [WNYT]

Here is the church, here is the steeple.[WNYT]

Clifton Park Olympian Kyle Vashkulat lost his first judo match in London this morning. [TU]

A Burnt Hills woman will be competing in judo in the London Olympics. [WNYT]

The Super-Bowl trophy is on display in Albany City Hall today from 8:30 to 11:30am. [TU]