All Over Albany

Protest planned in Ivy case, leaders join forces for Hackett Middle School, jury selection begins in Silver trial, small quake in Fulton County

Dontay Ivy
Chris Churchill on the grand jury's decision not to prosecute the officers in the Dontay Ivy case. [TU]

The decision not to hand up indictments in the case was announced yesterday by DA David Soares. Some members of the community and the Common Council are calling for change including taking a look at how body cameras and recording equipment are used(police had them but were not required to use them when they stopped Ivy). The officers involved in the case are expected to return to work on the force. Ivy's family was in disbelief over the verdict. A protest rally at the APD headquarters on Henry Johnson Blvd is planned for Friday Night. [AOA][TWCN][News 10][TU]

Hackett Middle School
"OK, they're failing. But why? Some of these kids are lucky if they come to school with shoes on or jackets during the winter. Some of them come to school hungry. Or they don't show up at all. We can come together and help change that." Albany County Executive Dan McCoy on a new plan for parents, teachers and community members to come together to improve the situation at Hackett Middle School before an outside takeover of the school is forced.[TU][TWCN]

Monument Square
Opponents of a proposed $24.3 million mixed-use development project planned for 1 Monument Square in Troy have hired a law firm to battle the plan. [TU]

Silver trial
The jury selection process began on Wednesday in the corruption trial of Assemblyman Sheldon Silver.[NYT]

Report shows agency not prosecuting caretakers
An Associated Press examination of misconduct complaints against caretakers in New York State found that a very small number of cases brought before the NYS Justice center, the state agency that holds caretakers accountable, have been prosecuted. [Gazette/AP]

Jail for attack on parents
A Rensselaer County man who pleaded guilty to attacking his parents , stabbing his father in the head with a kitchen knife and biting off one of his mother's fingers, will spend 15 years in prison for his crimes. [WNYT]

Report on cat found nailed to tree
Police say the autopsy report on a cat found nailed to a tree in Steinmetz Park in Schenectady shows the animal had been dead for several weeks before it was found, and there was no cause of death. [News 10]

Domestic violence vigil
In an effort to draw attention to the problem of domestic violence, UAlbany students are planning a vigil tonight for a 2011 graduate who was killed by her boyfriend in South Korea.[TU]

DWI
Three car wrecks led to a DWI charge in Guilderland. [TU]

Earthquake
An earthquake that registered 2.5 was experienced in Fulton County overnight.[TWCN]

It's a new state law, not the title of a Bruce Willis Movie
The Postmark Death Gamble law has been passed. [TU]

Paranormal activity in Troy
A paranormal encounter response team will investigate activity at Troy's Mount Ida Cemetery. [Record]

Happening today

"Do Black Lives Matter?"
Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree will be at Skidmore for a talk titled "Do Black Lives Matter? Race and Justice in America Now!" Blurbage: "[Ogletree] is a prominent legal theorist who has made an international reputation by taking a hard look at complex issues of law and by working to secure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution for everyone equally under the law." Thursday 8 pm, Palamountain Hall - free

Mary Gaitskill
Novelist Mary Gaitskill will be at UAlbany as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. Gaitskill will be talking about her new novel, The Mare. Blurbage: "[The novel is] about the relationships among a middle-age Upstate artist, a Fresh Air Fund kid, and an abused and spirited horse." Thursday 8 pm, uptown campus, Campus Center room 375 - free

The Screwtape Letters
A touring production of The Screwtape Letters, adapted from the C.S. Lewis book, will be on the Proctors main stage. Thursday 8 pm - $20 and up

Dead and Company at TU Center
Featuring John Mayer. 7 pm - $50 and up

Grace Potter at The Palace
Solo. With: Rayland Baxter. 8 pm - $35 and up

The Felice Brothers at Helsinki Hudson
Folk rock. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of