Large warehouse fire in Albany, Soares says he'd to turn resources away from low-level pot arrests, call for Cuomo to raise pay of state employees to $15 per hour
Warehouse fire in Albany
A large fire at vacant warehouse near the Albany Pump Station Saturday drew multiple fire departments in response. The building -- and two adjacent structures -- were demolished Sunday. A mixed-use development has been in the works for the site -- a demolition request for the site was pulled from the Albany Planning Board schedule last November after questions arose about the historic nature of some of the buildings. [News10] [TU] [Biz Review 2014 November]
Decriminalizing pot
Albany County DA David Soares told the Times Union editorial board he'd like to see police agencies in the county move away from putting resources into low-level marijuana arrests. [TU]
Troy police settlement
The Troy City Council's Finance Committee will consider a proposed $23k settlement in a civil rights lawsuit in which it's alleged that a Troy police officer dragged a pregnant woman from a car in 2011. [TU]
Mouzon House/Saratoga Spring parking garage
The owners of the Mouzon House are accusing city officials of "spot-zoning" a local law to open the way for a downtown parking garage project that the restaurant owners have been fighting. [TU+]
A mention or a request
The former Rensselaer County jail officer who's accused of embezzling money from a jail officer's union was rehired in 2004 after a mention from county exec Kathy Jimino, according to statements made by sheriff Jack Mahar in a deposition. [TU]
Albany County Legislature
Voters in the new majority-minority district for the Albany County Legislature -- the creation of which had been the subject of so much legal back and forth -- ended up picking a white man in the Democratic three-candidate primary last week, who, after getting 42 percent of the votes in the primary, will now almost certainly be elected to the office in November. [TU+]
$15-and-hour minimum wage
Former state Assemblyman Richard Brodsky in a Times Union op/ed on Andrew Cuomo's recently-announced push for a $15-an-hour minimum wage: The state currently has thousands of employees who make less than that and Cuomo should lead by example. [TU+]
Moreland Commission
The Sheldon Silver case has surfaced a letter from federal prosecutors indicating that officials with the Moreland Commission told them that Andrew Cuomo and his staff intervened in the operations of the anti-corruption panel "in a manner that, at times, led them to question the independence" of the panel. [NYT]
Check the CarFax
The Times Union analyzed the CarFax report of a vehicle used by state Assemblyman Keith Wright to review state reimbursements made for travel expenses. [TU]
Tim Wu to state AG's office
Tim Wu -- the internet law expert, and Zephyr Teachout's former running mate for lieutenant governor -- is joining the state Attorney General's office as a special advisor to AG Eric Schneiderman. [NYT]
Directions
The Schalmont school district had to recreate its school bus routes in the days leading up to the first day of school because a power surge knocked out the server that held the info, and it wasn't backed up. [Daily Gazette]
High Rock Spring
The High Rock Spring in Saratoga Springs is open to the public again. [Saratogian]
Stuff going on today
Troy Restaurant Week / Craft Beer Week
This is both Troy Restaurant Week and Craft Beer Week. Restaurant week includes a bunch of restaurants offering prix fixe menus at $5 (lunch), $10, $20, and $30.
Troy Craft Beer Week starts with a pub crawl celebrating the release of a beer brewed especially for the week. And it wraps up with an America on Tap beer festival in Riverfront Park on Saturday (tickets are $35).
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?