All Over Albany

More details about death of man in APD custody, mixed-use project said to be planned for First Prize site, Passover starts this evening

A few more details about the situation surrounding the death of a man in Albany police custody this week:

+ The family of Donald "Dontay" Ivy sai he had schizophrenia and a heart condition. Said Ivy's cousin, Celeste Hightower, to the Times Union: "There's a lot of missing information right now ... We just want to wait until everything is presented to us and then maybe there will be satisfaction, maybe not. We don't know until it is all presented. So that's what we're waiting for." [TU x2]

+ Acting Albany police chief Brendan Cox said Ivy was stopped by officers "based on suspicious activity" -- the nature of which has not yet been disclosed -- and officers used a Taser, number of times not yet disclosed, after the situation became combative. Cox says APD is continuing to investigate. [Daily Gazette]

+ Albany police released a brief timeline of the incident, indicating officers performed CPR on Ivy and that an ambulance transporting him arrived at Albany Med roughly 35 minutes after the start of the situation. [News10]

+ The APD also identified the three officers involved: Joshua Sears, Michael Mahany, and Charles Skinkle -- they've been placed on administrative leave. [WNYT]

+ A friend who attended Albany High School with Dontay Ivy remembered him as a good student and good teammate. [TU]

Western Ave pedestrian death
The driver accused of striking and killing a pedestrian crossing Western Ave in Guilderland Wednesday night has pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter and DWI. [TU] [TWCN]

Schenectady murder case retrial
A man convicted of second-degree murder for a 2008 shooting death in Hamilton Hill could be heading for a new trial after a state appellate court ruled the trial judge erred by allowing a juror who knew two of the investigators who served as witnesses. Schenectady County DA Robert Carney says he'll ask the state's highest court to review the case. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Albany charters
A review of the rise and recent decline of Albany's charter schools. [Capital]

Paid family leave
Kirsten Gillibrand was at 1st Playable in Troy Thursday to push for paid family leave legislation. The Senator touted the idea as "an insurance policy to boost productivity." [Troy Record] [TU]

New neighborhood at First Prize site?
"Sources" tell the Times Union that a developer is planning a mixed-use project at the First Prize site in Colonie near I-90 and the Albany border. [TU]

Four decades of waitressing
A server at the the Denny's on Wolf Road has been working there since 1973. [TU]

Fact: That's hot

High temperatures in the Albany area rose about 60 degrees Thursday -- the first time that's happened since November of last year. [NWS]

Passover and Good Friday

Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, begins at sundown tonight and runs through April 11.

Today's is also one of the holiest days of the year for Christians -- it's Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. Easter, the biggest holiday of the Christian religious calendar, is this Sunday.