Man arraigned in death of Vanessa Milligan, Ebola case in NYC, llamas on the lam
Gabriel Vega -- accused of killing Vanessa Milligan in Lansingburgh this past April -- was arraigned on charges that included murder, abortion, and arson. The unusual abortion charge is for the baby Milligan was carrying -- she was due to give birth the next week. Police and prosecutors have not said how Milligan was killed. At press conference Troy deputy police chief Richard McAvoy called Vega "a classic sociopath." Vega's attorneys said in a statement that their client maintains his innocence. Said Milligan's father: "I wanted to jump over the banister and just go to jail, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get to him and my cousin was holding me tight. And I just, just wanted to die. Just wanted to cry." [Troy Record] [TWCN] [WNYT] [TWCN] [TU] [News10]
The state Department of Transportation has concluded that the derailment of 18 train cars in Selkirk rail yard this week was due to a piece of safety equipment that had been left on a track. Albany County exec Dan McCoy is pointing to the incident as an example of a need for direct communication between rail companies and the county when an accident happens. [TU] [TWCN]
A New York City doctor who recently returned from Guinea where he had been working with Doctors Without Borders treating Ebola patients has tested positive for the disease. Public health officials have been working to trace his potential contacts in the city. The doctor is being treated at Bellevue Hospital in NYC, one of the hospitals designated in the state's Ebola response plan. [NYT x2] [Cuomo admin]
Rob Astorino and Howie Hawkins were at the state Capitol Thursday as part of their campaigns for governor. Hillary Clinton appeared at a rally for Andrew Cuomo in Manhattan. [TU] [NYT]
Colonie police are looking for the driver who hit an elderly woman as she tried to cross Central Ave Tuesday morning. CPD says it's possible the driver didn't realize someone had been struck. [TU] [WNYT]
A Schenectady County corrections officer has filed a lawsuit against the county and the sheriff's department alleging she was passed over for promotion because of her race and gender. [Daily Gazette]
The proposed Albany city budget includes roughly $5 million in expected money from the state's Financial Restructuring Board for Local Governments -- but the board hasn't yet officially told the city what be required to claim that money. [TU]
A coalition of environmental groups is pushing for the state Department of Environmental Conservation to require fixes at the Norlite hazardous waste incinerator in Cohoes in order to get renewal of permits for the facility. [TU]
The most prominent issue in public comments submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers about the Mohawk Harbor development: concerns about flooding. [Daily Gazette]
The ongoing soap opera of Halfmoon government and politics: The Fair Campaign Practices for the Capital Region has concluded the mailers sent out candidates for town board false and misleading in one case, and unfair in another. Also: the town's new ethics panel will take up its first case, which involves a town receptionist and lawn mowing. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [TU]
The general manager of the GlobalFoundries chip fab in Malta said a second fab for the site is still an eventual goal for the company. [Daily Gazette]
The Port of Coeymans is making
A Marine Corps veteran who was injured in Iraq, and now lives in Glenville, will be the subject of documentary on MSNBC this Sunday. [Daily Gazette]
The new manager of Crossgates once sold suits at the Macy's there. [TU]
The Ellis Residential and Rehabilitation Center in Schenectady has been using a dimly-lit multi-sensory space called a "Snoezelen room" to help patients with dementia find calm. [TU]
From News10: "A pack of llamas were spotted walking along an Averill Park roadway Thursday." [News10]
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?