All Over Albany

Traffic mess on Northway, drama at Chaplin sentencing, police say jewel thief working Loudonville

Traffic was a mess on the Northway around the Twin Bridges yesterday because of delays in re-opening the northbound bridge following weekend repair work. Then in the afternoon, a lane on the bridge was closed because of a problem with one of the plates that transitions the new deck panels to the old. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [YNN]

The state's ethics panel -- JCOPE -- publicly indicated that it is investigating... something -- and that something is "widely understood" to be the Vito Lopez sexual harassment allegations and the settlement paid out by the Assembly the to accusers. Sheldon Silver says the panel is conducting a "full" investigation, not just Lopez's alleged actions (Andrew Cuomo had threatened to intervene if there wasn't an investigation of the settlement). And, because this is New York, the whole situation has turned into a discussion about the ethics panel itself and how it works/doesn't work. [State of Politics] [TU] [State of Politics] [NYT] [AP/Troy Record]

Scott Chaplin, convicted of murder in the Rosemary Crosier case in Troy, was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison. The sentencing turned into a drama as Chaplin continued to profess his innocence, setting off of a heated exchange in the courtroom between Crosier's family and his own. And Chaplin was cuffed again after he yelled "false" during a victim impact statement. [Troy Record] [WNYt] [TU] [News10]

It appears Albany County is headed toward another budget that would require overriding the tax cap. [TU]

Also out of last night's Albany County legislature meeting: frustration over the lack of progress on the convention center -- and a call for a casino at the convention center site. [Troy Record]

The state Department of Health will be starting a health study this fall of former workers and neighbors of the now-gone NL Industries plant in Colonie (map), which made tank shells with depleted uranium. [TU]

Schenectady's city council approved a sales tax sharing deal with the county over the objections of a city budget analyst and apparent strong skepticism from some members of the council. [TU] [YNN]

Lee Kindlon and Albany County comptroller Mike Conners say they weren't the ones who leaked personal information -- including Social Security numbers -- of county DA's office employees to Albany Citizen One. Conners says the info had been FOIL'ed and blamed the inclusion of the SSNs on a box not being checked in the computer system that generates the reports -- he called it "an inadvertent error". [TU] [Troy Record] [YNN]

Schenectady County DA Robert Carney says the man who died on State Street in Schenectady last week apparently died of a heart attack -- after an alleged assault and chase. [Daily Gazette]

The two Troy firefighters injured while fighting a house fire Sunday night have been treated and released, TFD says. [TU]

Colonie police say three officers helped save a man who set himself on fire using gasoline in the parking lot of Taft Furniture Sunday night. The man was taken to a burn unit in Westchester County. [Troy Record] [TU]

Niskayuna police and the Schenectady SWAT team were involved in a roughly seven hour standoff that closed down roads and resulted in the arrest of a 16 year old on weapons charges. [Daily Gazette] [TU] [WNYT]

Colonie police say they're looking for a jewel thief who's hit a string of homes in the Loundonville. They say the thief scuffled with a 72-year-old woman early Saturday morning while stealing jewelry from her bedroom. A CPD lieutenant described the thief as "prepared", "very calm," and "very organized." CPD thinks the thief is entering second floor windows using some sort of portable ladder. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [YNN] [Fox23]

Noted: if you don't drop the weapon, one of Troy's police dogs will be ordered to bite you in the leg. [Troy Record]

The Albany Police Department is continuing its crackdown on large student house parties in the Pine Hills neighborhood. [TU]

Former longtime Albany County DA Sol Greenberg on Jim Coyne, in a statement: "He was wrongfully punished and should never have gone to trial. I proudly endorse Jim in his comeback for NYS Assembly." (Coyne was once the Albany County exec and served prison after being convicted of bribery and related charges that stemmed from a situation involving the construction of the arena that's now called the TU Center. He's running for the 109th Assembly seat now.) [TU]

New York is the only state the pays the full cost of taking the GED without a person first taking a prep course. [TU]

Don Rittner on the some of the negative portrayals of Schenectady in The Place Beyond the Pines and its reviews: "The movie itself dropped about $2 million into the local economy. So no matter how you look at it, it's a plus plus and because somebody doesn't like the Schenectady looks, there are plenty of cities I don't like the way they look, but so what?" [YNN]