All Over Albany

NWS: two tornadoes touched down, state Senator: level of oversight of daycares "simply unacceptable," running to make a statement, a-p-o-r-i-a

The National Weather Service has concluded that two tornados touched down in the region Wednesday: one that traveled from the town of Florida in Montgomery to Rotterdam in Schenectady County (17 miles, top wind speed 125 mph), and another in Schoharie County (2 miles, top wind speed 100 mph). One man was injured when the first tornado ripped through his family's property in Mariaville -- the wind picked him up, six feet off the ground according to a witness, and blew him out of a barn. Said another Mariaville resident of the tornado: "it sounded exactly like a locomotive." Straight-line winds caused significant damage in Schenectady's Bellevue, Central State and Woodlawn neighborhoods. And in Troy, two large housing complexes were still without power Thursday afternoon after it was knocked out during the storm. [NWS] [NWS] [TU] [Daily Gazette] [WNYT] [Daily Gazette] [News10]

Albany police say the death of a woman in a West Hill apartment Thursday is suspicious, though they have released few details. [YNN] [TU]

State Senate Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeff Kelin in a statement about an IDC report about daycare in the state: "The current state of oversight and enforcement at New York State day care centers is simply unacceptable." The Cuomo admin says the IDC report took information out of context and called it "alarmingly misleading." [State of Politics] [AP/TU]

Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana in New York say they've compiled signatures from more than 600 doctors indicating "they want the option of recommending medical marijuana." [TU]

Reduced capacity because of damage from Sandy -- and the possible shutdown of Indian Point in the future -- has the org in charge of managing the state's power grid concerned about the possibility of power supply problems. [TU]

State comptroller Tom DiNapoli, in his role as the trustee of the state pension fund, has been using shareholder resolutions and other actions to push for change at corporations such as ExxonMobil and Urban Outfitters. [TU]

Short story from a pro-fracking presentation by officials from Pennsylvania, an energy company exec, and a hydrologist to the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York State: fracking means jobs and the risks have been overstated. [TU]

The city of Albany's code inspection staffing situation has been complicated by a state arbitrator's ruling that Albany firefighters should be assigned back to do apartment inspections, a job that had been transferred to the city's Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance. (There's money that goes along with doing the inspections.) [TU]

An Albany man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for firing a gun in a West Hill store in January. [TU]

The head of the Center for Economic Growth, Michael Tucker, pleaded guilty to aggravated DWI after he was picked up by police at Stuyvesant Plaza earlier this month. [TU]

There were closing arguments Thursday in the trial of Antonio Lopez-Bautista, accused of attempting to kidnap and rape a woman in Saratoga Springs. [Saratogian]

Another allegation regarding medical records at the Rensselaer County jail, this time from an inmate. [TU]

A state judge has issued an order that indefinitely postpones the case against four Occupy Albany protestors from moving ahead. (The Albany County DA's office is in a dispute with a city court judge after the DA's office said it wouldn't participate in the case.) [TU]

Sandy Horowitz continues to sell off his properties in Troy as part of a bankruptcy. [Troy Record]

More than 30 women running in the Freihofer's Run for Women on Saturday will be wearing a hijab as part of an effort to dispel misconceptions about Muslim women. [TU]

A Clifton Park woman who lost both her daughter and husband to cancer has written a book based on her daughter's experiences. [TU]

The marketing company that moved into the former Borders building in downtown Saratoga showed off its renovations Thursday. [Saratogian]

Ryan Devanandan, an 8th grader from Colonie, finished in the top 20 at the National Spelling Bee. [YNN]