All Over Albany

Two charged in illegal bird dumping case, lawyers argue Hoffman was passenger in DWI case that killed friend, Hotel Hell chef allegedly set fire to his Cambridge home

Rensselaer County officials say they charged two members of the Tri County Bow Hunters Club for illegally dumping about 200 dead birds in the town of Nassau. The birds were apparently leftover from a game dinner held for a local fire department. [TWCN][News10]

The defense in Brendan Hoffman's DWI trial will argue that Hoffman was a passenger, not the driver in a one car crash that killed his best friend in June of 2012. [TWCN][WNYT]

Police believe the man accused of making child pornography may still be in Troy.[WNYT]

A fire on Tuesday that damaged an Albany home is believed to have been caused by an unattended grill on the back porch. A passerby who noticed the smoke helped rescue residents from the fire. [TU][WNYT]

The former chef for the Cambridge Hotel who appeared on Hotel Hell, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly trying to burn down his own home. [TU]

The ongoing investigation that led to the arrest of former Halfmoon Supervisor Melinda Wormuth is now focused on a land purchase by State Senator Kathy Marchione.[TU]

The Princetown justice charged with firing his shotgun resigned his post but will fight charges of reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration. [Gazette]

A pair of scammers in Schenectady are repairing driveways without the owners consent and then pressuring them for money. [TU][Gazette]

Police are investigating gunshots fired in Troy on Tuesday night near Middleburgh and 9th Streets.[News 10]

A dairy farm worker from Fonda will spend five years in federal prison for human trafficking.

An autopsy at Albany Med has revealed that the remains discovered in the St. Lawrence County town of Stockholm were of an elderly couple from the town. The discovery is part of a welfare fraud investigation. [TU]

This week sheriff's deputies in Rensselaer County arrested eight more people in connection with a home invasion in Brunswick a week ago -- that's a total of ten arrests in connection with the incident. [TU]

A Guilderland man has confessed to breaking into businesses and starting a fire in a vacant building over the last two years. [TU]

Schenectady voters passed a plan to make $70 million in renovations on five schools.[Gazette]

Saratoga Mayor Joanne Yepsen is working on a plan to swap out a scrapyard on Grand Avenue for a parking lot. [Saratogian]

NYPIRG has released a report on who gives and who gets political funding in NY, that shows 170 contributors give sums of $50,000 or more to state-level candidates and party committees in 2013, and that Andrew Cuomo was the top recipient of the funding from what NYPIRG terms "mega-donors." [TU]

The consultant hired to help with casino licensing in New York says the fact that he has worked with 100 gaming companies shouldn't pose a conflict of interest. [TU]

One of Andrew Cuomo's top aides has been consulting with a Washington-based think tank regarding proposed tax cuts proposed for the state budget. [CapNY]

Property tax relief and pre-k funding are among some of the remaining sticking points in the state budget. [News 10]

The attorney representing Peter Young Housing, Industry and Treatment says an ongoing investigation by Eric Schneiderman's office into the finances of the charity is crippling its ability to operate.[Gazette]

An Air Force insurer is insisting an airman from Albany have chemo treatments on near his Mississippi base rather than at Albany Med.[WNYT]

Lord and Taylor is coming back to Crossgates this fall after a 9 year absence. [TU]

Tuesday's episode of Glee featured a song by Shen grad Danielle Bouchard, 1/2 of the Brooklyn based duo Oh Honey. [TU]