All Over Albany

Marchione's lead on McDonald widens, no word on cause of underground explosion, Cookie Factory looking to expand

After the counting of absentee and provisional ballots in Renssealer and Washington counties yesterday, Roy McDonald now trails Kathy Marchione by 110 votes for the Republican line in the general election for the 43rd state Senate seat. McDonald will now have to win about 59 percent of the remaining uncounted ballots -- from Saratoga and Columbia counties -- to win the primary. McDonald's campaign manager tells the Post-Star that McDonald will run on the Independence line in the general election if he loses the primary. Noted: the Marchione campaign's lawyer for the count/potential re-count: John Sweeney -- the McDonald campaign was questioning his tactics in Rensselaer County yesterday. (Flashback: Sweeney was called "Congressman Kickass" by George W. Bush for his actions during the 2000 presidential re-count in Florida.) [TU] [NYT] [Post-Star] [Troy Record] [Daily Gazette] [Wikipedia]

The centerpiece of UAlbany's NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant proposal is the construction of a $165 million R&D center on the uptown campus it's calling the Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Complex. The Cuomo admin gets to make the decision on whether to grant UAlbany $35 million in seed money for the project. If approved and funded, the complex could be finished by 2017. [UAlbany] [TU] [Daily Gazette]

The commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation says the study of the potential public health effects of hydrofracking will be conducted by the state Department of Health -- not outside experts, for which some groups had been lobbying. Environmental groups aren't happy about the decision. [NYS DEC] [NYT] [TU]

National Grid says it's yet to determine what exactly caused the underground explosion in downtown Albany on Wednesday. [TU]

The state's tax collections for the year to date are running $147 million behind projections. [TU]

The roads closed in Cohoes for the huge fire at Shelter Enterprises are now back open. The factory is being demolished. [YNN] [YNN]

The Albany man convicted of raping a woman in a Hackett Blvd apartment last year -- and whose trial was complicated by the woman's unrelated death before the trial -- was sentenced to 22 years in prison. [TU]

A Schenectady man convicted of helping to slash man's face over $20 worth of pot was sentenced to 17 years in prison. [Daily Gazette]

The man stabbed during the alleged road rage attack in Wilton last year described his side of the story in court yesterday: "I never felt anything like it in my life; it was unlike anything else. I was fighting for my life." [Saratogian]

Fay Willingham, the daughter of former Albany County legislator Wanda Willingham, pleaded guilty to welfare fraud yesterday. (Her father has also pleaded guilty in a related case.) [TU]

Rensselaer County sheriff Jack Mahar has told employees in his office who live out of county that they must move to Rensselaer County -- or they'll be let go. [TU]

With the sale of the Dauchy and River Triangle buildings approved to a company apparently connected to Sonny Bonacio, the Troy City Council proceeded to debate what to do with the $1.2 million from the sale. [Troy Record]

The Malta Med Emergent Care center -- a joint project between Albany Med and Saratoga Hospital -- is expected to be open by late spring 2013. [Saratogian]

The Albany planning board has rejected a request by a church to knock down a house it owns near the College of St. Rose (map). [TU]

The Cookie Factory in Troy is looking to add capacity by expanding into a building on River Street (map). [TU]