All Over Albany

Crowds and protests at Saratoga gun show, reports of shots fired in downtown Troy, public health emergency declared because of flu, squirrels are SOBs

This past weekend's Saratoga Arms Fair gun show included a big crowd and protests. Among the protestors: Albany County DA David Soares. [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian] [TU]

Troy police say they arrested man early Sunday morning after a report that man had threatened to shoot people in the area of Broadway Brew downtown. TPD say it recovered a loaded handgun from the roof of a garage on Second Street after the man allegedly tossed it up there during a foot chase. TPD says there was another incident nearby in which shots were apparently fired -- and a gun found -- but but no one has been arrested. TPD says it doesn't believe the two incidents are related. [Troy Record] [Daily Gazette] [TU] [YNN] [News10]

Andrew Cuomo has declared a public health emergency for the state because of the flu. He also issued an executive order that allows pharmacists to administer flu shots to people between the ages of six months and 18 years. [Cuomo admin]

Schenectady police say the results of the autopsy of the woman found dead in an apartment last Thursday are "inconclusive" -- but Schenectady County DA Robert Carney says there are no signs of foul play. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Albany City Hall is closed today (Monday) because of a "plumbing and heating issue" (the city hall Twitter feed calls it a "flooding issue"). That means no parking permits will be issued today. The new permit system takes effect Tuesday -- with a one month grace period in which violators will be issued warnings instead of fines. [Albany city press release]

Says the head of the New York State School Boards Association to the Times Union about education plans floated by Andrew Cuomo in the State of the State address: "He has ideas to reform public education, but we still haven't heard what he's going to do to reform the cost." [TU]

Tony Jordan -- whose Assembly district includes part of Washington and Saratoga counties -- is now the floor leader (second to the minority leader) for Republicans in the state Assembly. [TU]

A Times Union investigation of Section 2 after the suicide of the high school athletic's org's treasurer last year highlighted what apparently had been a long run of less-than-detail-oriented accounting. [TU]

Saratoga County is close to awarding a contract for an electronic payroll system for county employees -- its current system uses punch cards. [Daily Gazette]

While many of Saratoga Springs' top earners in 2012 were police officers -- which is not usual for local municipalities -- its top earner was the city's administrator of planning and economic development. [Daily Gazette]

Yassin Aref is being moved around the federal prison system -- somewhere. [Daily Gazette]

Troy police say the tires on about a dozen cars were slashed in the Washington Park neighborhood this past weekend in a "senseless act of vandalism." [Troy Record]

The group charged with creating a composting plan for Troy is ready to present its proposal. [Troy Record]

As is the case many other parts of the country, it's hard for recent law school graduates to find a law job in this area. [TU]

Statues and other religious pieces were hauled away from St. Patrick's in Watervliet this past weekend. (As you know, the church building is slated to be demolished as part of a controversial plan to build a new Price Chopper.) [TU]

Factors that have made Saratoga and Washington County attractive for vineyards: land from former dairy farms, new varieties of cold-tolerant grapes. [Saratogian]

Manory's is preparing for its 100th anniversary. [Troy Record]

A wildlife ecologist says the Adirondacks could support a population of mountain lions and is advocating for the cats' return. [TU]

A local wildlife rehabilitator's description of squirrels: "uncooperative SOBs." [TU]