All Over Albany

Abbruzzese on the stand in Bruno retrial, another pedestrian hit on Thruway, Bonacio buys Daisy Baker's building in Troy

Joe Bruno retrial: Jared Abbruzzese -- the Loudonville businessman whose dealings with Bruno are at the center of the trial -- was on the stand Thursday and denied trying to bribe the former state Senator. When Bruno's attorney asked him if the $20,000/month consulting fees paid to Bruno were intended to buy Bruno's influence in state government, Abbruzzese responded "Not a dime! Zero!" Abbruzzese also had trouble explaining what exactly Bruno did for that money, citing the arrangement of one meeting -- with Donald Trump -- over a two-year period with different companies. [Daily Gazette] [TU] [TWCN] [Troy Record]

An engineer hired to consult on the demolition work at the King Fuels site in South Troy testified at a city council hearing Thursday that it appeared his recommendations for how a building on the site could be safely demolished were not followed. On Thursday Troy mayor Lou Rosamilia criticized the hearings, calling them "political theater" and a "witch hunt." [Troy Record] [TU] [WNYT]

The city of Albany's reps in the state legislature are pushing for the legislature to renew the city's parking permit system. [TU]

State Police say another pedestrian was hit on I-87 near Albany, this time early Friday morning in the southbound lane south of Exit 23. NYSP say the man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. It's the second accident involving a pedestrian on that general section of the Thruway in a week -- in both cases, police are investigating why the pedestrians were on the interstate. [NYSP] [WNYT] [TU]

The Albany County Sheriff's Office says more than 100 identities could have been stolen as part the alleged scheme by an Albany Med nurse and partner to take patient identities and open credit cards in those names. [Daily Gazette]

A state appeals court has dismissed the conviction of a former Schenectady police detective on charges that she diverted another person's drug prescription to herself, and flashed her badge to a pharmacist. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Colonie police say a driver alleged to have been drunk hit a CPD patrol car while it was parked on Central Ave Thursday night as an officer responded to a separate accident. [WNYT]

The backers of the proposed East Greenbush casino are floating programs they say could help the casino help other local businesses. [Daily Gazette]

Mike Yevoli -- the city of Albany's commissioner of development and planning, as well as the head of Capitalize Albany, along with other positions -- is leaving his job(s) this summer to work in the private sector. [TU]

Something not common over the last few years: a school district budget, in this case Shenendehowa, adding jobs. [TU]

A former analyst with the state's enormous pension fund is recommending that the fund dump its stocks in coal companies -- not because of environmental reasons, but rather because of downturn in the coal business. (Low prices for natural gas has significantly cut into coal's market share for generating electricity, though apparently that's shifting back again.) [TU] [Bloomberg]

Developer Sonny Bonacio -- who's done a bunch of projects in Saratoga Springs, and has recently completed a few projects in downtown Troy -- has bought the building that houses Bacchus and the currently-closed Daisy Baker's. [TU]

A farm in Charlton raises Texas Longhorn cattle. [Saratogian]