All Over Albany

Police: man stabbed himself to cover up stabbing of roommate, yet another state politician arrested, parents: teacher made son lick his desk

Watervliet police say Brandon Burritt has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of his roommate during a fight April 21. When police arrived at the scene Burritt was also injured -- but WPD now says they believe Burritt stabbed himself in an attempt to cover up what allegedly happened. [Troy Record] [TU]

One of the teen girls charged in the death of Takim Smith at Troy's Corliss Park Apartments has taken a plea deal that includes testifying against the other six teens. Originally charged with second-degree murder, 17-year-old Mariyah Zeigler pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and faces six years in prison. [TU] [Troy Record]

State Senator John Sampson -- former head of the Democratic conference in the chamber -- was taken into custody by the FBI Monday morning as part of a public corruption investigation. The news follows word late last week that yet another state legislator -- convicted former state Sen. Shirley Huntley -- had worn a wire as part of an corruption investigation by the feds.

A part of State Street in Albany was closed Monday morning because of yet another underground electrical fire. [YNN]

The Cuomo admin's $140 million "New York Open for Business" ad campaign is being criticized for allegedly drawing money away from other programs -- and propping up Andrew Cuomo's image. [NYT]

The executive director of the New York Petroleum Council, one of the leading advocates for fracking in the state, is a Feura Bush resident, former Joe Bruno staffer, and a fierce advocate of property rights. [TU]

Local advocates for women who are abused say a persistent problem is that the women end up facing criminal charges for protecting themselves against attacks. [TU]

An arrangement in which adversaries of a Saratoga Springs-based thoroughbred horse retirement org are helping to fund a state attorney general's office investigation of the org is catching criticism. [TU]

State reps for the Saratoga area are backing legislation that would support turning existing racinos in the state into full casinos. [Daily Gazette]

Schenectady County is suing the city of Schenectady as part of a disagreement over whether the city should have to make the county whole on unpaid property taxes. [TU]

Watervliet police say a woman has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a man multiple times at a house party early Sunday morning (map). [Troy Record]

Albany police are investigating a case in which a man may have been shot Sunday night -- at the very least, his vehicle was. [WNYT]

Troy police are looking for help in identifying the man who jumped to his death from the Hoosick Street Bridge Thursday morning. [Troy Record]

North Greenbush police say an early Friday house fire -- from which three children were saved by being tossed out a second story window -- was caused by a cigarette or ashes being dumped into mulch near the house. [Troy Record] [TU]

The head of the Center for Economic growth has been charged with DWI in Guilderland. [TU]

Princetown's deputy supervisor is suing the town justice for slander for comments made during a recent public meeting in which the justice alleged the deputy supervisor's actions contributed to the deaths of two people. [Daily Gazette]

The number of people killed in auto accidents in the state has dropped considerably over the last two decades -- even as the number of crashes as remained more or less constant. [Daily Gazette]

Parents of a Troy fifth grader say their son's teacher made him clean pencil doodles of his desk with his tongue. [Troy Record]

Parents of students in the Duanesburg High School o-chem class canceled mid term have taken their complaints to the state Education Department, alleging school district officials scrubbed grades and pressured students. [Daily Gazette March 2013] [TU]

The city of Albany has slated a row of seven vacant buildings for emergency demolition on Lexington Ave. [TU]

Four new hotels are in development for Saratoga Springs. [Saratogian]

Fuller Road in Albany is closed from Tricentennial Circle (the circle near the NanoCollege, south of Washington) to Washington Ave for construction until May 13 (map). [NYSDOT]