All Over Albany

Schenectady woman fatally shot with infant nearby, questions about enforcement of toxic toys law, bill would ban pet tattoos

Schenectady police say a 30-year-old woman, Markia Booth (also known as Markia Harris), was fatally shot on State Street in the Central State neighborhood Saturday afternoon with her infant child nearby. SPD says 46-year-old Jamell Modest has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. SPD says Booth and Modest had at one point been in a relationship, but it was unclear if that was still the case. Booth had been working as a counselor at a homeless shelter for teens, and the executive director there described her as "a lovely woman and will be greatly missed." The shooting, along with other recent fatal shootings in the city, prompted neighborhood residents to call for a greater police presence. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [WNYT] [TWCN] [Daily Gazette]

Albany police say they're investigating two separate shootings -- one Friday night, the other early Sunday morning -- in the Mansion/South End area. [APD FB]

There's evidence pointing to the conclusion that the GlobalFoundries chip fab in Malta will be making chips for the iPhone and iPad. [TU]

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has hit Buckeye Partners with a $181k fine for not properly dealing with ethanol vapors at the Port of Albany. The company says the problem has been corrected. [NYS DEC] [TU]

A Times Union investigation concludes that the town of Colonie IDA may have been violating states rules by not reporting information related to tax breaks it's given out in recent years. [TU]

The former president of the Saratoga Springs school board says he was effectively forced out of the board after disagreements with the school district superintendent and other board members. [Saratogian]

Does Albany County have the resources to enforce the recently passed toxic toys law? [TU]

Surfaced during a Schenectady murder case trial: There's apparently an investigation into whether at least two state police forensic analysts shared answers on competency tests for a new DNA analysis technique. [Daily Gazette]

A rally involving adults and students marched from Schenectady High School to Schenectady City Hall Friday to protest the grand jury decisions in Ferguson and Staten Island. There's an event planned for next month to talk about relationships between Schenectady police and people of color. [Daily Gazette x2]

Glenville police are looking for tips related to the vehicle that hit a 15-year-old pedestrian Sunday evening and then took off. [Daily Gazette]

There have been two arrests in the Canajoharie goat rustling case. [Daily Gazette]

CDTA says it's still aiming for a transit hub in downtown Albany. [TU]

Andrew Cuomo is set to sign a bill that would make it illegal to tattoo and pierce pets. [NYDN]

The software company CommerceHub will be leasing the top floor of the in-construction ZEN building (the big, new building you can see from Washington Ave and I-90) at the NanoCollege campus. [TU]