All Over Albany

Troy stepping up efforts on suspicious fires, three stabbed in Niskayuna, another county another nursing home problem, rabid beaver attack

Troy mayor Lou Rosamilia says two police detective are working the suspicious fires case full time, additional officers are being added to patrol, and firefighters will patrolling North Central during early morning hours. Councilman Mark McGrath says the rash of fires is the result of "a street fight that escalated." One of the fire victims says the fires are targeting a man involved in an earlier drug-related shootout -- and/or a woman may be the target. There's now a $2,000 reward for info about the case. This buildings hit on Sunday have been demolished. [Troy Record] [TU] [WNYT] [News10] [Troy Record] [YNN]

Niskayuna police say three people were stabbed Sunday night in a park near Mohawk Commons (map). NPD says the stabbing was not random. Teens in the neighborhood say there was a fight involving four people. [Saratogian] [YNN] [WNYT]

Brent Dickenson -- the man arrested for threatening to "torture and murder" school children in Saratoga (and allegedly threatened Barack Obama) -- has pleaded guilty. [Saratogian] [TU]

Schenectady police say a man barricaded himself in his (neighborhood) apartment Monday morning map) after police responded to a call about an argument -- and the man allegedly threatened to shoot police through the door. There was a standoff. Then SPD shot tear gas into the apartment and pulled the man out. [YNN] [Fox23] [TU] [Daily Gazette]

A study of the Saratoga County nursing home concludes the facility is "fiscally unsustainable." The county has been subsidizing the nursing home's budget with more than $40 million over the last eight years. The report says the county should consider selling the facility. [Post-Star] [TU] [Saratogian]

The Albany County legislature formally approved the purchase of a new $684k sprinkler system for the county nursing home -- which may not exist a few years from now. [TU]

David Soares says he's facing a primary challenge from Lee Kindlon because defense attorneys are upset about his office's stricter DWI policies -- Kindlon says that's not true. [TU]

Roy McDonald has a big overall money lead on primary challenger Kathy Marchione, though the challenger has raised more and spent more recently. McDonald's campaign supporters including many well-known people in the Saratoga establishment. Marchione recently detailed her plan for New York -- and criticized McDonald's Marriage Equality Act vote. [TU CapCon] [Post-Star] [State of Politics]

Wendy Long -- the Republican challenger to Kirsten Gillibrand -- was in the Capital Region Monday, expressing support for fracking, and criticizing Gillibrand for being an "enabler" of Barack Obama. [Politics on the Hudson] [TU]

Rensselaer County is looking at "next-gen" 911, which allow people to send 911 texts and images. [TU]

A Schenectady man has been banned for life from operating a pest control business after getting caught in an undercover DEC sting. [TU]

The president of the union represents many CDTA employees has resigned after he allegedly stole from the union. [TU]

Saratoga Polo has lined up a series of non-polo events and is again looking at becoming a year-round development. [Saratogian]

Farther afield: a man from Columbia County was attacked by a rabid beaver in Ulster County. [Poughkeepsie Journal]