Sheriff says man accused of killing his mother confessed, questions raised about Albany CIO hire, Troy discontinuing gunfire detection system
Saratoga County sheriff James Bowen says Joshua McWain, the Greenfield man accused of killing his mother, "admitted to everything" in a confession to authorities. Bowen says McWain told them he and his mother had an argument and then he "lost it." McWain has been charged with second-degree murder. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]
Martin Kimber -- the man federal prosecutors say spread mercury around Albany Medical Center -- is planning to plead guilty next, according to the Times Union. [TU]
The city of Albany was set to announce the hiring of George Ellis as its first chief information officer until it heard the news that an audit of Ellis' former org accuses him of questionable actions. [TU] [Washington Post] [Washington Post]
Frustration is growing in the New York City area as it slowly pulls itself out of the wreckage left by Sandy. Power is still out in large parts of Manhattan (Andrew Cuomo is leaning on utilities to move quickly) and gasoline has been hard to find. The death toll from the storm is now 95; 48 in New York State -- 40 of those in NYC, and 19 of those in Staten Island. The economic damage from Sandy is projected to reach $50 billion. (Ongoing updates from NYT.) [AP/TU] [State of Politics] [NYT] [NYT] [NYT] [NYT]
A 56-year-old Albany man convicted of raping a teen twice has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. [TU]
Albany police say a man chased down and caught the person who's accused of stealing his girlfriend's purse early Thursday morning in the Hudson/Park neighborhood. [APD]
Albany police say a team of three people posing as contractors scammed their way into an elderly couple's house and robbed them. [APD]
A National Grid plan submitted to the Public Service Commission includes lower rates for gas and electricity through 2016. [TU]
Troy's police chief says the department will discontinue use of the ShotSpotter system at the end of the year because it doesn't work well enough. [Troy Record]
The owner of a local chain of hardware stores is encouraging customers who bought generators ahead of Sandy -- and aren't using them -- to post the generators for sale on Craigslist so people who need them downstate can buy them. [Daily Gazette]
Hannaford says its stores in the Capital Region are working toward becoming zero waste. [TU]
Question in Washington County: Would Susan B. Anthony be supporting Barack Obama today? [TU]
The Saratoga Springs Waldorf School puts the field in field trip. [Saratogian]
Ben Coccio -- The Place Beyond the Pines screenwriter and Niskayuna native -- says he dropped a bunch of local names and references into the script. [TU]
Albany police arrested a 41 year old parolee this morning for stealing a woman's purse on Madison Avenue.
At approximately 2:30 a.m., officers responded to the 300 block of Madison Avenue for a report of a robbery. When officers arrived the victim stated that she and her boyfriend were on their apartment steps when a man approached and attempted to engage them in conversation. The man then forcibly stole her purse and fled down Madison Avenue.
The victim's boyfriend chased the suspect and caught him at Madison Avenue and South Swan Street. He and other good Samaritans held the suspect until police arrived.
Tony Williams, of 50 Broad Street, was arrested at the scene. He was charged with Robbery 3rd and Criminal Possession of a Controlled substance 7th.
He was arraigned this morning in the Albany City Criminal Court.
On July 24, 2003 at approximately 2:30 a.m., Williams robbed a woman on Madison Avenue and stole her purse. He was convicted of Robbery 2nd and sentenced to 9 years in state prison. He was released under the supervision of New York State Parole on March 12, 2012.
Albany police are investigating a burglary on Woodlawn Avenue in which the suspects targeted an elderly couple and posed as contractors.
Officers responded to a home on Woodlawn Avenue this afternoon for a report of a burglary. When officers arrived, a couple in their 80's stated that on Wednesday October 31, 2012, at approximately 2:00 p.m., a man came to their front door and told them that he was there to check the water. They told police that they let the man inside and that he went to the basement.
While he was in the basement with the female resident, a second suspect approached her husband while he continued to rake leaves in the yard. The second suspect began to engage the husband in conversation in order to distract him. While distracted, a third suspect entered the home through the front door and stole several jewelry items from a bedroom.
All three suspects then fled on Woodlawn Avenue.
The Albany Police would like to remind residents of the following safety tips in regard to deception burglaries.
+ Do not allow uninvited repair workers into your home, especially if they want to fix something that you have not noticed is a problem.
+ If someone claims to be at your home for an inspection, ask for identification and contact their company prior to allowing them into your home.
+ Keep doors locked when possible to prevent anyone from entering your home while you are outside the house.
+ Call 911 immediately if someone attempts to enter your home or you suspect someone is attempting a burglary scam.
+ Watch for people offering services in your community and make sure to write down a description of the individuals and their vehicle, including a license plate number, if possible.
+ Always research companies before hiring to ensure that they are legitimate firms with a good reputations.
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Comments
"300 block of Madison Avenue" Who refers to addresses in Albany this way? The numeric street addresses downtown aren't arranged in ranges of 100 per block.
... said Tim on Nov 2, 2012 at 10:57 AM | link