All Over Albany

Dontay Ivy's family responds to grand jury decision, lead up to local elections next week, buyer of Washington Tavern/Gingerman says sale is off

Dontay Ivy
The family of Dontay Ivy responded publicly to the decision of an Albany County grand jury to not hand up indictments against the police officers involved in the incident in which Ivy died this past April. Said Ivy's sister, Aneisha Johnson: "I always tried to protect my baby brother and that one night I didn't. I keep replaying it in my mind. Why did he have to die? He was robbed of so much by his mental illness and then his life was taken by the police." Said Ivy's cousin, Tre Staton: "An innocent man walking down the street, who's mentally ill, who answers all your questions - why are you tackling him? Why are you Tasing him?" Said Ivy's aunt, Celinda Okwuosa: "At the end of the day, we gave (District Attorney) David Soares' office the opportunity to let justice have its course and we did ... but what did we get in return? Disappointment." [WNYT] [TU] [News10] [TWCN]

Lawsuits filed after prison suicide
The parents of a Selkirk man have filed wrongful death lawsuits related to the man's suicide in solitary confinement at at the Fishkill Correctional Facility -- the suits allege the man's mental illness was not properly treated in prison and that guards physically and verbally abused him. [TU]

Connection between Albany trial and 1970s NYC case?
The attorney for a 65-year-old former Black Panther alleges his client was the target of a drug sting in Albany County because NYC police are trying to connect him to the killing of two police officers in the city in 1972. [TU]

Street robberies in Albany
Albany police say there's been a string of late night/early morning street robberies this week, and detectives are investigating whether they're connected. [APD FB]

Meningitis vaccine requirement
Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that adds a meningitis vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for 7th and 12th graders. [AP/TU]

Local elections

+ Profiles of the two challengers to incumbent Albany County exec Dan McCoy. [TU]

+ A profile of the matchup for Saratoga Springs mayor, between incumbent Democrat Joanne Yepsen and Republican John Safford. [TU]

+ The supervisors of Knox and Westerlo have held their offices for 42 years and 46 years, respectively -- they both face electoral challenges next week. [TU]

Saratoga Springs city hall bugs
Saratoga Springs city hall is being treated for bed bugs and sewer flies. [TU]

Schenectady train station
Construction on the new Schenectady train station is set to start next spring with a projected completion date in 2018. [Daily Gazette]

Camp Bisco
A state Supreme Court judge ruled this week that Schenectady County did have a basis for rejecting the permit necessary for Camp Bisco -- or another large-scale music festival -- at the Indian Lookout Country Club. [Daily Gazette]

Gingerman, Washington Tavern
The restaurateur who had been set to buy the The Gingerman and Washington Tavern in Albany tells the Times Union the sale is off following a dispute with the current owners over the deal. [TU Table Hopping]

Ticky Burden
Ticky Burder -- regarded as probably the greatest basketball player to come out of Albany, and who later played for the Knicks -- died this week in North Carolina at age 62. [TU]

Stuff going on today

It's weekend. Look for our "stuff to do this weekend" list later this morning.