All Over Albany

Arrest after man found buried alive with corpse in Schenectady basement, sketch released in connection with fatal Colonie stabbing, no tax increase in proposed Albany County budget

Disoriented man found with body in Schenectady basement
Police have arrested a Schenectady man for allegedly hitting a man over the head with a shovel then burying him in the basement of a Union Street apartment building under several feet of debris. The victim was found by police after people expressed concerned for the welfare of a resident. He was discovered in the basement along with the badly decomposed remains of a woman. Forty-four-year-old Harold Michael Ortiz of Schenectady is now charged with attempted murder and unlawful imprisonment for allegedly hitting the man and trying to bury him in the basement. An autopsy is being conducted to determine how the woman died. [TU][Gazette][WNYT][TWCN]

Cars crashing into buildings
The 87-year-old- driver of a car that crashed into the Blue Ribbon Diner in Schenectady has been sited for unsafe backing and imprudent speed. The 72 year old woman who was pinned between the car and the building was last reported to be in stable condition. The owners of the Tint King, down the road at 2167 Central Avenue say they will have to relocate after an out of control truck smashed through their building some 14 hours after the diner incident. [Gazette][TWCN][WNYT]

Sketch released in salon stabbing
Colonie police have released a sketch based on a description from someone who saw a man walking south on Russell Road shortly before the fatal stabbing of
a woman at a Sand Creek Road salon. [News 10]

Proposed Albany County budget
Dan McCoy's proposed Albany County budget is up $12 million from last year but does not include a tax increase. [TWCN][Record]

Albany votes to lock-up weapons
Albany's Common Council voted 14-1 this week to require gun owners to lock their weapons in their own homes. [TU]

Who leaked drug investigation?
An assistant attorney general says authorities are looking for the person who allegedly tipped someone off about a recent Troy drug investigation, sending about 20 of the investigations targets into hiding. [TU]

Driver charged for hitting car
A driver who hit an occupied car in Schenectady while fleeing police in June is now charged with 12 counts including first degree assault.[Gazette]

Dangers of walking
As parents prepare to send their kids back to school, Chris Churchill reflects on the case of a little boy who was struck and killed by a garbage truck at Central Ave and Quail Street earlier this year, and on the dangers of being a pedestrian. [TU]

Rash of Rotterdam car burglaries
Police in Rotterdam are looking into 18 reports of theft from unlocked cars on Monday. [Gazette]

Consent law
State police have assigned 12 senior investigators to help campus and local police deal with rape cases on college campuses under the new NYS consent law. [Gazette]

Communicating through photos
A young Mohonasen High School graduate who can't walk or talk, uses photography as a means of communication is and is now selling some of his photos. [Gazette]

A hero's hero
A local 5-year-old's efforts to help a police officer battle cancer. [WNYT]

Happening today

County fairs
County fair season wraps up this week with three fairs around the region:
+ Today-Labor Day: The Fonda Fair at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. (It's the county fair for Fulton and Montgomery counties.)
+ Today-Labor Day: The Columbia County Fair at the fairgrounds in Chatham
+ Today-Labor Day: The Schaghticoke Fair at the fairgrounds in Schaghticoke. (It's county fair for Rensselaer County.)