All Over Albany

$60 billion requested for Sandy aid, pedestrian critical after being hit in Albany, group says it's not trying to scrub Lark Street, amazing win for Beekman Boys

The Obama administration has requested a $60 billion appropriation from Congress for Sandy aid for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Many of the Sandy-related problems in NYC were predicted by a series of state reports that date back to the 70s -- but largely went unheeded. [TU] [AP/Troy Record]

"Individuals familiar with the decision" says a Schenectady County grand jury has chosen not to indict three Schenectady police officers in the fatal shooting of Luis Rivera in the Vale neighborhood in 2011. "A source close to the investigation" tells WNYT that dashcam video of the incident was part of the evidence presented to the jury. [TU] [WNYT]

The Albany Police Department has conducted 655 strip searches since January 2009 according to records reviewed by the Times Union, a number the police chief calls "surprising" (the APD is the only local police agency that keeps track of such searches). People who have been searched in this way call it "degrading." [TU] [TU]

About 1,200 people attended the funeral for Chris Stewart, one of the teens who died in the Northway crash. [Saratogian]

Says a college classmate of Dennis Drue, the driver who's accused of causing the Northway crash: "He's smart, he's nice, he's caring, he works really hard. People are making him out to be a monster and I think it's sad." [Saratogian]

Albany police say a teen pedestrian was hit by a vehicle at Madison and Ontario (map). As of Sunday night she was still in critical condition. [TU] [Fox23]

Albany police say a detective was injured Friday night when his SUV was t-boned by a vehicle at Madison and Lake (map). [TU]

A Schenectady man was arrested for allegedly driving drunk -- at over 130 mph -- before crashing on the Northway in November. Three passengers in the car were injured. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

A signed absentee ballot in Troy could be had for $10, according to a witness in the Troy ballot fraud trial of Edward McDonough. [TU]

A party line vote in Albany could once be had for as little as $3 (about $70 today) in the early 20th century. [TU]

The Cuomo's administration's selection for chairman of the NYRA board -- Cornell president David Skorton -- tells the TU he's never seen the horses run at the state's three main race tracks: "I really do not know much about horse racing." [TU]

The Times Union says it's "likely" that the company behind Project Azalea -- the massive tech factory project scouting for a location, possibly in the Capital Region -- is "a major component supplier to Apple for its popular iPhone and iPad devices." [TU]

Says a member of Lark Street Area Residents Quality of Life Committee to the TU, after the city's recent decision to shut down a burlesque show at the Lark Tavern: "They think that we're out to turn the neighborhood into something or to try to scrub it so clean that it's not like a city. But the idea is to try to make it more livable for a broader group of people." [TU]

The Schenectady school district will use $2.5 million state grant to offer dental services and parenting classes at one of its elementary schools. It's part of a plan to turn the school into a hub for social services. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Schenectady police cars' condition apparently degrades quickly -- by year four the service and maintenance on them is considered to be burdensome. [Daily Gazette]

The concession stand at the Swinburne ice rink in Albany has been ripped out after the city apparently decided it no longer wanted the longtime operator to have the contract. [TU]

Possible outcomes now that Amtrak controls tracks from Poughkeepsie to Schenectady: faster speeds and better reliability. [TU]

The owner of Trader Ed's in Lansingburgh filed papers indicating he's planning to sue the city of Troy and its fire chief over comments in which the chief said that a fire at the restaurant last year was "suspicious." [TU]

The renovation of the Chasan Building in downtown Troy is complete (map). [Troy Record]

Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell -- "The Beekman Boys," who have a farm near Sharon Springs -- won the latest season of the Amazing Race. They won $1 million. [TU] [Daily Gazette]