All Over Albany

Fire destroys Villa Valenti, police search for Delmar bank robber, Owens won't seek re-election, more animal abuse charges on Greenfield horse farm, budget woes may cause Alive at Five cutback

Investigators are looking for the cause of a quick-moving fire that destroyed the Villa Valenti restaurant in Wynantskill Tuesday night.[TU]

Police are investigating an armed robbery Tuesday morning at the Citizens Bank in Delmar. [WNYT]

Bill Owens has announced that he will not seek re-election for the 21st Congressional district seat (which includes parts of Saratoga and Washington counties), leaving Democrats concerned that the party's chances of gaining in the House in November may be hurt. [TWCN] [NYT]

The Rensselaer County legislature overwhelmingly passed a referendum to support a casino being built in the city of Rensselaer. [TWCN]

Employees of the Saratoga Casino & Raceway held a press conference on Tuesday to show their support for a full casino in the city. [WNYT]

Some of provisions of the NY SAFE Act are set to go into effect today, but a regulation requiring background checks before purchasing ammunition, and requiring gun dealers to keep records on those purchases, has been delayed. [TU]

In a speech Tuesday, SUNY chancellor Nancy Zimpher outlined a massive push to expand online learning in the university system. [TU]

Hundreds of students from across New York State showed up at the Capitol on Tuesday to lobby for an additional $1.9 billion in school aid to help reduce a spending gap between wealthy and poor districts.[WNYT]

Prosecutors in the Robert Williams murder trial in Albany said in court on Tuesday that Williams admitted stabbing his wife to friends, allegedly telling them "I stabbed her and she was so evil she did not even blink." Williams' defense team made no opening statement. [TU][News10]

A Niskayuna man is expected to be arraigned on murder and assault today in connection with the Christmas Eve stabbing death of his wife. [TU]

Police in Troy are trying to figure out why a city woman allegedly shot a man after an argument on Fourth Street Monday night. [Record]

Colonie police are looking for the driver who left the scene of an accident after hitting a bicyclist on Cohoes Crescent Road on Monday night. [News 10]

A Troy woman pled guilty on Monday to abusing a resident of Hudson Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. The nurses aide admitted to twisting the woman's arm behind her back and breaking it. [News 10][TU]

A Rensselaer County judge has ordered a Troy man to testify in connection with a triple murder case connected to the Hells Angels. [TU]

A Saratoga Springs man is facing burglary and drug charges after he allegedly broke into a Phila Street home and threatened a man over an alleged debt. [Saratogian]

A 49-year-old Clifton Park man died on Monday in a two-car crash on Route 11 in the Franklin County town of Chateaugay. [TU]

The caretaker of the Greenfield farm where Ann Arnold was found guilty of neglecting horses is now facing similar charges after two horses being kept on the property were found malnourished and a third had a serious eye condition. The farm was deeded by Arnold to her brother, but the man who was responsible for the horses and is now facing charges is a caretaker for the property. [TU][WNYT][Saratogian]

An appellate division of the State Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of a Troy man convicted of murdering his 4-month-old son, in an effort to wrestle with the question of whether police go too far in lying to suspects when they claim a dead victim is still alive. [Record] [WNYT]

Graphic tweets and video were released on Tuesday by the attorney for several of the women alleging sexual harassment by former state Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak. (The post is marked with a warning for graphic content, but here's an additional heads-up: watching it may cause a sudden urge to scrub your soul.) [TU]

The IRS is auditing the city of Schenectady's books, paying particular attention to paychecks where taxes are apparently not being withheld. [Gazette]

Saratoga Springs' new mayor, Joanne Yepsen, has ordered a legal review of 20 political appointments made by her predecessor, Scott Johnson, on his final day in office. [TU]

Saratoga County officials say they'll be able to pay the local share of a $500k traffic study to examine the impact of tech business growth on roads and the need for a possible Exit 11A. [Gazette]

About 40 members of Occupy Albany protested against income inequality on Tuesday at an Albany church when rain washed out their planned protest at the Capitol. [TU]

Andrew Cuomo is keeping mum on the Chris Christie bridge scandal. [NYT]

Former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino alleges state GOP chair Ed Cox is involved in attempting to block Donald Trump from running against Andrew Cuomo. [TU]

Kathy Sheehan says budget realities may force the city to cut back the Alive at 5 concert series to eight weeks.[TU]

Food providers from around the country and representatives from 55 regional school districts attended a vendor expo geared toward healthier school meals on Tuesday at the Polish American Club in Albany. [Record]

The Huffington Post designated Broadway in Saratoga one of the Best Main Streets in America. [TU]

A retiree who splits his time between Florida and the Greenwich plans to buy a Mini Cooper with part of the winnings from a $3 million lottery ticket he purchased in Washington County in the fall. [TU]