All Over Albany

Cuomo's approval drops 15 points after gun control passage, Jennings renews push for downsized convention center plan in State of City, Schenectady bank on "Pines" poster

According to a new Quinnipiac poll, Andrew Cuomo's job approval rating has dropped 15 points, from 74 percent to 59 percent, since the new gun control law was passed. [TU]

Gun rights activists are working many angles to get New York's new gun control legislation repealed. Locally the Saratoga County Sheriff's Deputies Union has come out in opposition to New York's new gun law, saying the speed with which it was passed is responsible for making some law officers and some citizens into criminals.The NY State Rifle and Pistol Association has filed the first court challenge to New York's new gun control legislation, claiming the law violates the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause, as well as violates due process and is unlawful seizure of property. Some mental health advocates are questioning whether the portion of New York's new assault weapons ban requiring mental health professionals to report patients they believe may be planning to "engage in harmful behavior" may violate current privacy laws.[NYT] [Saratogian] [YNN] [TU]

State Police and other officials will be in Schenectady tonight to hold a public meeting where they will explain the new gun control law. [YNN]

Jerry Jennings used his State of the City address on Tuesday night to renew his call for action on the Albany Convention Center project. The address was held at the Kiernan Plaza, which is slated to become a high-tech incubator for UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering -- Jennings said it would become an epicenter for smart cities technology that will benefit not just the Capital Region, but also "all of humanity." Jennings also said he wants to continue aggressive code enforcement to cut down on blight in the city and support community policing in the city. The mayor did not say whether he would seek another term. [TU] [YNN][News10]

The woman who died in Saturday's house fire just off Delaware Avenue has been identified as 23-year-old Megan Cunningham. Officials are still trying to determine if she was killed by the fire or died before it started. [TU]

State comptroller Tom DiNapoli has become the second high-ranking Democrat to criticize Andrew Cuomo's plan to allow municipalities to defer pension costs. Dinapoli expressed "serious concerns" about the potential impact of Cuomo's plan on the pension system and on local governments. [NYT] [Capitol Confidential]

In a letter to leaders of local government groups, Andrew Cuomo's top aide, Larry Schwartz, said the proposal to limit plea bargaining on speeding tickets won't reduce local revenue from speeding tickets, but will "increase public safety, help save lives and generate increased revenue from local governments from texting and cellphone violations." The proposal includes an $80 surcharge be added to the most common speeding violation pleas, on top of any local fines. [TU]

Andrew Cuomo's proposed women's equality act is getting pushback in the state Senate, where many Republican's say they are unhappy with the reproductive health act that is included in the proposed legislation. [YNN]

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside of the legislature on Tuesday demanding a minimum wage hike. [YNN]

Police in Schenectady are looking for the person who stabbed a city man in the back Tuesday near Crane and Bridge Streets. [TU]

Three men led police on a five-mile chase after allegedly stealing a television from the Route 4 Walmart Super Center in East Greenbush. [EGPD Press Release]

A 19-year-old Troy man was robbed on Saturday night near the intersection of 104th Steet and second Ave in Troy -- while waiting to meet a women he'd met through Facebook.[TU]

Prosecutors say DNA evidence connects an Albany man to the August burglary of a 95-year-old woman's home. [TU]

A Queensbury couple is facing charges for allegedly stealing a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel worth nearly $2,500 from a Warren County pet shop. The shop's owner is crediting the Warren County Sheriff's Department and Facebook with the dog's safe return. [YNN] [WNYT]

A Troy police sting operation helped nab a suspect who allegedly attempted to sell stolen merchandise back to the person from whom he stole it. [Record]

Police have charged four people from around the Capital Region in connection with a 9th Street burglary in Troy. [TU]

State Supreme Court Justice Carl Landicino pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of drunk driving on Tuesday. Landicino was arrested on the Northway in October and refused to take a breath test.[TU]

The State Office of Fire Prevention and Control has ruled that the fire at the TCI electrical equipment recycling company in Columbia County last August was caused when a contractor turned on a rebuilt heater used to process PCBs and left for the night. [TU]

The Saratoga Springs Police Department's newly named officer of the year is a police woman who is a member of the internet crimes against children task force and will soon begin working with the FBI.[Saratogian]

Saratoga Harness Racing, Inc., owner of the "racino" in Saratoga Springs has announced plans to buy a casino in Colorado, which it will rename Saratoga Casino -Black Hawk. [WNYT]

A Wilton family lost their dog to an apparent coyote attack over the weekend, prompting concern about safety in their neighborhood. [Saratogian]

New York is poised to become the first state in the nation to establish a standard protocol for quickly and accurately diagnosing cases of sepsis. [TU]

A Schenectady Trustco bank branch is featured in the promotional posters for The Place Beyond the Pines. [TU]

Troy's Oakwood Avenue Presbyterian Church has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. [Record]

GlobalFoundries confirmed on Tuesday that it will apply to the towns of Malta and Stillwater for the amendements it would need should the company build a proposed computer chip plant. [Gazette]

A federal appeals court has overturned a jury's decision that the former owners of the Bayou Cafe pay $110,000 in damages for allegedly damaging a surveillance tape in an alleged police brutality case. [TU]

After eliminating 18 jobs and reducing hours for some employees, HVCC is now seeking an 88% increase in contributions from Rensselaer County. [TU]

A pair of janitors at a Latham school were honored for using CPR and a defibrilator to save the life of a man who collapsed while playing basketball in the school gym.[Fox 23]

The return of the cold weather is coming just in time for the Lake George Winter Carnival. [YNN]

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East Greenbush PD: Chase/ TV theft
Three men were arrested early this morning after stealing a television set from the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Rte. 4 then leading police on a five mile chase into Troy.
Two of the suspects entered the 24/7 store at shortly before 3:00 A.M. and went directly to the TV department where they picked up a 47 inch Hisence LED TV worth $500.00. They then proceeded immediately to the main entrance and left the store where the third suspect had driven up outside with a white Ford pickup. They placed the TV in the open bed of the truck, got in and drove away, despite store employees who had followed the men outside, and had demanded that they stop. Store employees called 911 and alerted police that the truck was getting away North on Rte. 4.
An all-points-bulletin was broadcast to area law enforcement based on the 911 call. Within minutes, a neighboring North Greenbush Police officer spotted the truck and attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver of the truck did not comply, and continued driving North, eventually into the City of Troy. However, Troy Police were on alert and effected a traffic stop on Campbells Avenue. The three men bolted and ran from the truck into nearby woods and a park, with Troy police officers in foot pursuit. Within fifteen minutes all three had been taken into custody and the stolen TV was recovered from the pickup.
Charged is Jeffry A. Morgan, 38, of James St. Troy; Michael J. Lezette, 43 who said he was homeless and Scott E. Morgan, 42 of Project Road Troy. The Morgan's are brothers. All face counts of Petit Larceny. Scott Morgan who was driving, is also charged with Vehicle & Traffic charges.
All were arraigned by East Greenbush Town Justice Kevin Engle with bail set at
$3500. Both Morgans were sent to County Jail. Lezette was turned over to Troy
Police on an outstanding warrant. Their court case was adjourned to February 14th.