Schalmont state tests compromised, Senate proposes 25 anti-heroin bills, possible new witness in Thomas re-trial, Bethlehem votes against Capital Region Casinos

The State Education Department has invalidated sixth grade and eighth grade state tests in the Schalmont School district after the tests were somehow compromised by being shown to students in advance. Officials say they believe the problem was caused by "miscommunication" and that there was no deliberate attempt to compromise the exams.
Students will not have to retake the tests but the incident could affect state aid. [WNYT][TU][News10]

Bethlehem's town board voted against the Exit 23 casino project on Wednesday -- and against a casino located anywhere in the Capital Region, claiming they are concerned with the impact such a project would have on the welfare of the community.[TU]

The jury has been seated and opening statements are expected today in the re-trial of Adrian Thomas, charged with killing his infant son in 2008. Before the trial can start today, the judge must decide whether a new witness -- an inmate who claims Thomas told him he killed the child-- can take part in the trial [News 10][WNYT][TU]

At Troy's third hearing on emergency demolition on King Street, the owner of the 4-6-8-10 King Street building claimed miscommunication on the part of the city was a big problem, saying he wanted to get the city to condemn the building but wasn't able to do so, and that the city engineer didn't return multiple phone calls. But former Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian said the owner -- Donald Boyajian-- had been denied an emergency order to tear the King Street building down, an order Boyajian says he never asked for. [TWCN][TU][WNYT]

SaintRose_all-over-albany_generic_525x40.jpg

Twenty-five bills intended to fight heroin abuse through prevention, treatment and enforcement have just been introduced in the state Senate.[TWCN][TU]

Rob Astornio says if elected governor, one of the first bills he'd send to the Legislature would seek eight-year term limits on all state elected officials. [TU]

EYP, an architecture firm already based in Albany, has applied to the START-UP NY program designed to attract new companies to the state and hasn't been forthcoming with details on its START-UP plans. [TU]

Police in Glenville and in parts of Saratoga County are warning of scams -- one that targets the elderly in which
another someone represents themselves as National Grid collections. [TU][WNYT]

The FBI and state attorney general's office are looking into the 2013 sale of seven parcels of land sold by the town of Halfmoon to a developer at a deeply discounted price -- part of the investigation that led to the arrest of former Halfmoon Supervisor Melinda Wormuth. [TU]

A Schenectady County jail inmate who committed suicide in his cell this week is the son of a man who was fatally shot in 1996
while trying rob the home of a man in a wheelchair.
[Gazette][TU]

Schenectady police are conducting an investigation after they found the body of a man in a car on Barney Street this morning. [News 10]

A man was arrested in Queensbury after he allegedly tried to lead a child away from his mother and out of a day care facility, then went into the building and made contact with several other children. [TWCN]

An Albany man has been charged with a 2012 burglary at DC's Pizza and a 2013 burglary at Delaware News.[TU]

Schenectady County opens a new $45 million nursing home facility on Monday.[TU]

A Colonie High School student's design for an anti distracted driving billboard has been chosen to hang on New Karner Road near Central Avenue. [TU]

On its 4th annual Animal Advocacy day, the state Senate passed bills aimed at keeping anyone convicted of animal cruelty under Buster's Law from ever owning a pet again. [News 10]

The DEC euthanized the Albany bear after it fell from a tree on Wednesday. But not before the situation was politicized. [AOA][NYT]

The Times Union Center is now home to a Chair of Honor -- a memorial to POWs and soldiers missing in action. [WNYT]

A Capital Region middle schooler will take part in the semi finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. [TU]

Comments

When I read the TU article on the Bethlehem resolution, I was immediately confused - why would the Town of Bethlehem have any input? Isn't the E23 site entirely within the City of Albany?

I know the commission has expressed a desire to have local support before approving a site, but if in fact the site is only near Bethlehem and not in Bethlehem, I can't see how their opposition should have any effect.

Of course, the TU story completely muddles the issue by describing the site as "near the Thruway's Exit 23 at the town's border with the city of Albany." I don't know if that's just bad copywriting or if they knew it would sound more newsworthy that way than saying "located entirely outside the town".

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