Reward offered for info about deaths of Lansingburgh couple, Rensselaer makes written offer to Albany for casino support, developer accused of using straw donors for campaign cash

Three Troy officials are collectively offering $1,500 for info leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the deaths of Allen and Maria Lockrow in Lansingburgh last week. A brother of Maria Lockrow was critical of Troy police after he says he was questioned by TPD about the case. As of the weekend, Troy police said they had no new developments to report. Prompted by recent events -- and the still unsolved death of Vanessa Milligan -- there was a stop-the-violence rally in Troy on Saturday. [TU] [TU] [Troy Record/Saratogian] [News10]

The city of Rensselaer has delivered a written version of its proposal seeking the city of Albany's exclusive support for the Hard Rock casino project -- but Kathy Sheehan notes there are "so many open questions" about the proposed agreement. [TU]

The state Inspector General has issued a report on the situation in which NYRA overcharged bettors by $7 million in "takeout" fees -- and it concludes there's a lot of blame to go around. [NYS IG] [TU]

The old Wellington Hotel annex was imploded as planned on Saturday -- here's video and a collection of pics. [AOA]

"Politically active" Clifton Park builder Bruce Tanski was arrested Friday on charges alleging he used business associates as straw donors to funnel political contributions to the campaign of former Halfmoon town supervisor Mindy Wormuth. The case is being prosecuted by the state Attorney General's office. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [NYS OAG]

How colleges around the Capital Region are working toward meeting new federal rules about reporting incidents of sexual assault. [TU]

Congressional campaign profiles of Chris Gibson and Sean Eldridge. [TU x2]

New York State is currently in an era of the ultra-specialized third-party ballot line. [TU]

Albany is apparently losing its local bureau of the state Office for New Americans because it didn't meet its annual naturalization goal. (Also: There's a state Office for New Americans.) [TU]

A profile of Robert Freeman, the state's open records expert. [TU]

A look at the status of the Hudson River PCB dredging project, which currently working a section of the river near Mechanicville. [Daily Gazette]

A look at the competition to claim a part of the healthcare market in Saratoga County. [Daily Gazette]

How Schenectady has managed to sell almost every one of the 148 houses it foreclosed on in 2012. [Daily Gazette]

A Schenectady City Councilman has floated a plan for how to help low-income homeowners who face an emergency replacement of the water or sewer lines that connect a house to the main. [Daily Gazette]

Industrial tenants near the proposed Mohawk Harbor mixed-used development in Schenectady (the one that's also up for a possible casino) are considering whether the project might mean it's time to move. [Daily Gazette]

Nice people: Neighbors helped stem the flooding of an elderly woman's home from a broken water main in Guilderland. [TU]

An Albany church offers drive-in services during the summer. [Daily Gazette]

A "wild" cave in Schoharie County is newly open to the experienced public spelunkers. [TU]

And, for sharpening your Dutch (or an excuse to the use the translation button in your browser), coverage in the De Telegraaf (the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper) of a historian's recent announcement that he's pinpointed the former location of Fort Nassau, the first Dutch settlement in what's now Albany. [De Telegraaf] Earlier: Fort Nassau

Comments

Now that news of Albany's long-lost Dutch Fort Nassau, 1614 has gone International... I think it's time for a Weird Al rap video about it, set to Biggie Smalls' "Mo Money, Mo Problems."

I'd like to see some "gangsta" Patroons rapping: "Mo Beaver Pelts, Mo Problems." ("Mo Beaver Huiden, Mo Problems")

Populate the video with Colonial Dutch explorers, Mohicans, British and American characters.

Fort Nassau was the start of international commerce around here (before NYC was "The Big City"). And international, multicultural woes did follow.

The Dutch soon lost their colony to the British, but not before they invited the Mohawks into "the hood," which caused problems for the Mohicans. Then the Americans gave the Brits a hassle (before becoming a problem unto themselves).

It could be a fun, educational project for the younger crowd to learn a little bit about our area's history. And it would be super geeky.

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