All Over Albany

Cuomo orders extension of discrimination protections to transgender people, fatal crash involving pedestrian on Route 7, frequent Sheehan critic to leave Albany council

Protections for transgender people
Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that he's directing the State Division of Human Rights to extend protections against discrimination and harassment based on gender identity, transgender status or gender dysphoria. Cuomo's action bypasses the state legislature, where the Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act (GENDA) has been stalled in the state Senate for years. The bill's sponsor in the state Senate, Daniel Squadron, says he'll continue to push for its passage. [Cuomo admin] [NYT] [TU]

Pedestrian killed on Route 7
Colonie police say a pedestrian died Thursday evening after being hit while crossing Route 7 near the intersection with Wade Road. The road was closed for about four hours during the response. CPD says speed and alcohol were not a factor and it's investigating. [News10] [TU] [WNYT]

New trial
A state appeals court has ordered a new trial for an African-American defendant in a Schenectady shooting case after ruling that the trial judge erred during the process in which the prosecution moved to have an African-American woman removed as a potential juror -- the jury in the trial ended up being all white. [TU]

Troy mother accused of assault her child
A Troy woman faces assaults charges after she allegedly caused injuries to her 15-month-old son by throwing him into a crib. In a statement to police filed in court, the woman said she had been upset after a disagreement with her boyfriend. [TU] [TWCN]

More charges in death of UAlbany student
Two more people have charged with first-degree hazing connected to the alcohol-related death of UAlbany student last November. [TU]

Colonie supervisor race
Among the topics discussed during an appearance by incumbent supervisor Paula Mahan and challenger Christine Benedict before the Times Union editorial board: the privatization of the town landfill, and development projects in the town. [TU+]

Saratoga Springs City Council races
Some of the candidates endorsed by the new Saratoga PAC -- which is backed a collection of prominent business leaders -- are backing away from the endorsements. [Saratogian]

Krasher to leave Albany Common Council
Albany Common Council member Judd Krasher -- a frequent critic of the Sheehan administration -- says he'll be leaving the council by the end of the this year to take a job in New York City. [TU+]

Albany fire boat
The Albany Fire Department's fire boat is now equipped to deploy foam to fight oil fires. [WNYT]

"Smart" streetlights in Schenectady
Schenectady is piloting "smart" streelights that include LED lights, wifi, and live streaming video. One of the companies involved is Wink, the Quirky spin-off that's current being sold -- an official with the company says they hope to keep Wink in Schenectady.

The $2 million
Here's the list of people and orgs that contributed the $2 million used to hire McKinsey to consult on the Capital Region's application for $500 million in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative. [Biz Revew]

The library itself wasn't for the taking
The Little Free Library box on Mercer Street in Albany was taken -- and the books left behind. [WNYT]

Stuff going on today

It's weekend, hooray. Look for the usual "Stuff to do this weekend" list later this morning.