All Over Albany

Questions about train safety system, reaction to Medal of Honor for Henry Johnson, Start-Up NY's very slow start, buyer for Hoffman's Playland property

Train safety
The safety system that experts say could have possibly prevented the Amtrak crash near Philadelphia this week -- Positive Train Control -- is not yet in use on lines in New York State traveled by Amtrak. There's currently a fight in Congress over whether the deadline for implementing PTC nationwide should be pushed back to 2020. Amtrak officials said this week the railroad is close to testing its implementation of the system. [NPR] [TU x2] [NYT]

Henry Johnson
Albany WWI hero , the White House announced Thursday. Here's reaction from local historians, advocates, and officials. [AOA] [TU]

Teen stabbed
Albany police say a 17 year old was stabbed near First and Quail Thursday afternoon. [News10]

Mother/son arson case
The Schenectady mother and son who pleaded guilty to hiring a teen to burn down vacant house for them were sentenced to 2-6 years and 2.5-7.5 years respectively. [Daily Gazette]

Start-Up NY
Companies approved to operate under the Cuomo admin's much-touted Start-Up NY program in 2014 have created 76 jobs. [NYT]

Cohoes mayoral race
Shawn Morse, currently the chair of the Albany County Legislature, is officially into the pool for mayor of Cohoes. Morse on the city: "It is an old, struggling mill town community and we have a lot of work ahead to bring it back to days of an All America city that it once was. We've seen growth on the outskirts of Cohoes. We need to work on the inner-city." [TU] [Troy Record]

Third parties
The role of the Conservative Party in Albany County highlights how New York's electoral system opens the way for some third parties to exert influence that's probably disproportionate their party's enrollment. [TU]

Prosecutor exodus
Of the nine hires made by new Rensselaer County DA Joel Abelove, five have already left or will be leaving soon. [TU]

Hoffman's Playland
The former Hoffman's Playland property in Latham is under contract to be sold to the owner of Newton Plaza. [Biz Review]

Record, Saratogian owner
Digital First Media, the parent company of the Record and the Saratogian, is apparently no longer for sale, though "we continue to have discussions concerning selected assets, and we are looking at potential acquisition opportunities." Six people were laid off from the joint Record/Saratogian operation this week. [Romenesko] [Daily Gazette]

What do researchers at the GE research center in Niskayuna do?
One example: A researcher worked for decades developing a new ceramic material that will help save billions of gallons in jet fuel. [TU]

Stuff going on

It's Friday. Look for our "Stuff to do this weekend" post later this morning.