All Over Albany

Albany red light cameras set to start soon, was this Fourth of July different for fireworks, update on one of the "Railroad Puppies"

Albany red light cameras
Albany's acting police chief tells the Times Union the city's new red light camera system will start coming online in the next few weeks -- with a few changes. [TU]

Fireworks
After a Fourth of July in which local counties (except Albany) allowed some types of fireworks, some people say noise and disruptions from pyrotechnics were worse in some neighborhoods, though local police departments say they got about the same number of calls. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Saratoga Springs police
WNYT reports that the officer placed on leave following the middle finger traffic stop has submitted his resignation. [WNYT]

Schenectady shooting
Schenectady police say a man was shot in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood Sunday morning. [Daily Gazette]

House theft
A Watervliet man was found guilty of a scheme to steal an elderly woman's house in Cohoes, the Albany County DA's office says. [Albany County DA]

Congressional reps
Kirsten Gillibrand and Chris Gibson are sponsoring bills in their respective houses of Congress that would extend benefits related to Agent Orange exposure to Vietnam War veterans who served on ships off the coast of the Vietnam (the benefits are currently offered to veterans served directly in the country). [TU]

And Chuck Schumer is pushing legislation that would increase the penalties for "swatting" -- in which someone falsely calls police in an attempt to get SWAT teams to descend on location -- as happened in Colonie a few years back. [TWCN]

Downtown Saratoga Springs solar panels
The president of the City Center is among the people pushing a local law amendment in Saratoga Springs that would drop a provision allowing a project downtown to be stopped if it would block already-existing solar panels (this provision has been a road block for the City Center's proposed parking garage). [Saratogian]

Troy PILOT
Troy city and school district officials are raising a flag about potential changes in the payment in lieu of taxes arrangement for the redevelopment of the Quackenbush Building downtown. [TU]

Troy mayoral race
Troy mayoral candidates are taking to neighborhood forums and Reddit to campaign. [Troy Record]

Cable
Among the pledges made by Charter in its takeover of Time Warner Cable: faster internet speeds and the continued operation of Time Warner Cable News. [TU]

Railroad puppy
Hudson, one of the "Railroad Puppies" found seriously injured in North Albany in 2012, is now a therapy dog. [News10]

Stuff going on today

Ballet at SPAC
The New York City Ballet opens a two-week run at SPAC with performances every day through Saturday this week. The run starts with an all-Balanchine program.