State halts King St. demolition work, SPD officer accused of improperly sharing license plate info, renovation of vacant Harriman campus building, "total engine failure" brought down Uccellini plane
Following a complaint filed by Troy city councilman Mark McGrath, New York State has posted a stop work order at 4-10 King Street in Troy, the site of an emergency demolition last week that's drawn criticism. An asbestos assessment of the property must be completed, but the matter of who's the responsible party is still being debated. [WNYT][Record][TU]
Problems with a contractor resulted in $1,359,250 in overtime at the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance in the month of July, as staffers rushed to process a back-up of paper tax returns.[TU]
The man convicted of stabbing a state trooper at the Empire State Plaza back in March was sentenced to 30 years in prison. [TU]
"People familiar with the case" tell the Times Union it was a Schenectady detective with 20 years on the force who was suspended from his job last year after he allegedly looked up license plate info for a friend who's accused of using the information as part of a plot to firebomb the home and car of his girlfriend's new boyfriend. Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett says it doesn't appear the the officer knew how the information would be used. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The body of a 31-year old Woodstock man was pulled from Lake George on Wednesday afternoon. The man was reported missing and was found a short time later in 15-feet of water north of Clay Island in Lake George. [TU][YNN]
On TALK 1300 Albany mayoral candidate Corey Ellis said he's concerned about police patrols being too few and far between and also indicated that the jobs of all city department heads will be evaluated by a transition team should he win the mayoral race this fall. [TU]
At a gaming conference in Saratoga this week, experts contended that top tier casinos will not be interested in operating in upstate New York because of high tax rates and a lack of population centers. [Gazette]
Building 5 on the Harriman Office Campus -- now vacant-- will undergo a $47 million re-fit to allow centralized administrative services for a number of state agencies.[TU][Business Review]
A "total loss of engine power" was to blame for the August 2012 plane crash in Clifton park that killed local businessmen Walter Uccellini and James Quinn, according to the NTSB. [TU]
State Police say the chain reaction crash that injured a volunteer firefighter on the Northway in Clifton Park on Tuesday was caused by an allegedly drunk driver. The firefighter remains in critical condition. [WNYT][News 10]
A vigil and rally against child abuse was held in Fort Edward on Wednesday in memory of the three-month-old boy allegedly killed by his father [YNN]
A 16-year-old Cohoes boy was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly stabbed his 20-year-old brother in a fight.[Record]
Three Albany teens were charged with first and second-degree robbery for allegedly holding up a pizza delivery man on Benjamin Street last Sunday. [TU]
Schenectady police are looking for three men in a car they believe may have been involved in a Hamilton Hill shooting early Wednesday morning.[TU]
A Troy man was convicted on all counts in connection with the 2010 rape and sexual abuse of a then 10-year-old girl.[Record]
A former Watervliet man admitted to trying to rob a Trustco Bank in Niskayuna in March in an attempt to feed his drug addiction. [Gazette]
A freelance photographer from Troy is suing the city and a police officer for $3 million stemming from a fight that began on Facebook, and allegedly include false arrest and an unlawful search. [Record]
Less than 24-hours after a video surveillance system was installed in a Schenectady home, cameras spotted a burglar who made off with cell phones, computers and a wallet at the Brandywine Avenue home. The burglar is still at large. [WNYT]
A car went through a plate glass window at a Cohoes Hess Express gas station on Wednesday morning.[TU]
New York State is rolling out its new "tamper proof" driver's licenses today.[YNN]
An anti-drunk driving group was in Albany on Wednesday, lobbying to lower blood alcohol content level for drunk driving charges. [YNN]
The Wynantskill schools superintendent announced her resignation on Wednesday -- after both parents and teachers called for her termination.[News 10]
The Saratoga Spring schools superintendent says exit interviews conducted with some of the teachers who have left the Division Street Elementary School indicate the school needs to work on better staff-management relations, communication between the school and the district, training to administer annual performance reviews, and a better-regulated atmosphere.[Saratogian]
A controversial gun show will return to the Saratoga City Center on Travers weekend. [News10]
The release of foul smelling but non-toxic vapors, believed to be Methyl Methacrylate, from Norlite in Cohoes on July 31 has spurred a dialogue between the company and the city of Cohoes that could serve to improve public safety.[Record]
Schenectady will soon break ground on a new 4,000 square foot family literacy center and close down two nearby libraries.[Gazette]
The former Townsend Park Bakery on Washington Avenue in Albany (near Lark) may soon be home to a vegetarian kosher restaurant.[TU]
A Shen graduate was featured in an instant rapper segment on the Jimmy Fallon show this week. [Saratogian]
Andrew Cuomo likes NY wine. [NYT]
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?