All Over Albany

Two more sets of remains found at Jay Street fire site, a decade after Aref-Hossain FBI sting, proposal deadline for convention center land extended

Officials say the remains of two more bodies have been recovered from the Jay Street fire site. The official number of deaths is now at 4 -- on Friday officials identified the first two sets of remains recovered. The investigation is entering its second week and officials say it's possible more remains could be found. [Daily Gazette] [TU] [Daily Gazette] [TU]

One bit of good news from the Jay Street fire: A dog was rescued from a charred fourth floor apartment Saturday -- eight days after the fire. After noticing the dog poking his head out of a window, firefighters were able to lure him out with pizza. [Daily Gazette] [WNYT]

More than a hundred Skidmore students gathered Friday to protest the possible readmission of a student accused of drugging and raping another student last spring -- the student was suspended for one year after the school found him to be in violation of its campus sexual and gender based misconduct policy. Reina Keifer says she reported the incident to Saratoga Springs police this past fall -- she tells WNYT that she recently learned the SSPD won't be pursuing criminal charges. SSPD told media outlets it's investigating a reported sexual assault on campus from 2014 April. [News10] [TWCN] [TU] [WNYT] [News10]

NYT's Jesse McKinley on the Cuomo admin's approach to this year's budget negotiations: "Call it quid pro quo or tit for tat, but the prevailing mode of governance this year for Mr. Cuomo is tying appropriations to new policy -- or else." [NYT]

The Watervliet woman who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $200k from an elderly neighbor was sentenced to 2-6 years in prison. Said the elderly neighbor of Christina Yerry: "What I thought was an angel sent from heaven in my time of need turned out to be a thieving, lying sociopath." [TU] [News10]

"Sources" tell the New York Daily News that the state attorney general's office has opened a criminal investigation into the state Thruway Authority. [NYDN]

Infrastructure projects are apparently not eligible for the $500 million competitive grants the Cuomo admin is trying to set up for upstate regions. [Daily Gazette]

Empire State Development has extended the deadline for proposals to June for the former convention center land in downtown Albany. A spokeswoman told the TU the extension would give developers the opportunity to examine the site without it being covered snow and ice. [Biz Review] [TU]

The city of Troy is getting about $400k more than expected in sales tax revenue, a help for its stretched budget. [TU]

A look at the state law that keeps secret police misconduct records. [TU]

More than 10 years after the FBI sting that put Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain in prison, their mosque on Central Ave has expanded and the area's Muslim population has more than doubled. [TU]

An occupied building next to the redevelopment project in Sheridan Hollow in Albany was set for demolition after its foundation bowed and shifted Friday and city officials declared it unsafe. [TU]

An SUV got stuck in a slushy top layer of ice on Saratoga Lake, requiring help from the fire department. [TU]

An RPI fraternity is offering micro-grants to projects in its neighborhood. [TU]