All Over Albany

Irene flooding pushed timeline for struggling towns, Schenectady bans smoking in parks, another state legislator in trouble, El Loco sold

State Assemblyman Peter Lopez on what Irene flooding did to many struggling towns: "It's like you were watching a DVD and hit the fast-forward button. Maybe it's like looking seven or 10 years into the future -- like this is what it would have looked like if the floods hadn't happened and these problems were not addressed. Now all these issues are in front of us." [TU]

Troy police have identified the man found shot to death in an apartment stairwell Sunday afternoon as Scott Danker. TPD says Danker was shot in the head. Police have announced a motive -- "a former neighbor and friend" says Danker "had some demons." [Troy REcord] [TU] [WNYT]

The Saratoga Springs employee who alleges that that accounts department was giving out preferential treatment in property tax assessment cases has been suspended, "pending a hearing to terminate." Mary Zlotnick alleges that condo owners represented by a consultant got a smoother path to having assessments changed. But accounts commissioner John Franck says the city had been assessing condos incorrectly, and many condos were changed outside the grievance process because the city knew they were wrong. [TU] [Saratogian] [Saratogian]

Schenectady's city council passed a ban on smoking in the city's parks and playgrounds. Schenectady police say enforcement will not be a priority. [YNN] [News10]

The city of Albany says it won't be enforcing its cabaret law for the moment in order to allow businesses to apply -- and appeal. [Fox23]

John Batease, who pleaded guilty to causing the death of 20-month-old Asiah Maxam in Schenectady last year, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. [Daily Gazette] [News10]

Troy police say a two-year-old fell out of second story window and suffered serious injuries Monday night. TPD is investigating. [YNN] [News10]

State Senator Shirley Huntley, from Queens, was indicted Monday in a case involving what the state attorney general's office and the state comptroller's office allege was "a scheme to steal taxpayer dollars using a sham not-for-profit that did not provide services to the public." Huntley allegedly was involved a cover up that tried to make it look like an org that received $30,000 in member item money provided services it didn't actually provide. She pleaded not guilty. [NYS OAG] [TU] [NYT]

State Assemblyman Vito Lopez, censured yesterday for alleged sexual harassment of Assembly staffers, said in a statement that the charges are "unfair and untrue." It appears that the Assembly paid more than $100,000 to one of the staffers in a settlement. [State of Politics] [State of Politics]

Andrew Cuomo said Monday he thinks the recent ethics problems make convincing the public to support a pay raise for the legislature even harder. [State of Politics]

Shawn Morse has raised the issue that Neil Breslin, ranking Democrat on the state Senate's insurance committee, has gotten 25 percent of his campaign money this year from the insurance industry. [TU]

S&P thinks the state's finances are headed in the right direction. [TU]

A truck fire at the Thruway exit 24 toll plaza shut down part of the interstate Monday evening. [@shakenbysound] [TU]

That big conveyor at the LaFarge cement plant in Ravena that crosses Route 9W caught fire Monday afternoon. [Fox23]

Among the proposed capital projects for Saratoga Springs: $414,000 for renovations of the police station, and $600,000 for a parking lot. [TU]

After getting its experts in for a look the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation contends the historic Winans-Crippen House "is not deteriorating and is not a public safety threat." (The owner's been trying to get permission to knock the house down, arguing it would cost too much to restore.) [Saratogian]

El Loco has been sold to members of the family that owns The Orchard. The plan it to keep the management, staff, and menu. [Troy Record] [TU]

HVCC is aiming to raise $3 million for a new synthetic turf field and athletic complex. [Troy Record]

Skidmore's new dorms look rather nice. [Saratogian]

Not for the acrophobic: re-gilding the ceiling at Proctors. [Daily Gazette]