All Over Albany

Columbia doctor testifies against Silver, Troy city council proposes budget cuts, Dannemora guard pleads not guilty, Revolutionary quarter

Silver Trial
A Columbia University doctor testified against Sheldon Silver on Wednesday, telling the court that he referred asbestos cancer patients to Silver's law firm so it could seek multimilion-dollar settlements from lawsuits. The prosecution pointed out that the doctor first lied about his involvement with the case and later signed a non-prosecution agreement in exchange for his testimony.[Gazette][NYT][TWCN]

Albany High
Albany school district and board officials discusswhy the Albany High School proposal is still in limbo. [TU]

Troy council suggests budget cuts
Troy's city council suggested $610,000 in spending cuts to the proposed $68.6 million 2016 city budget. The cuts would reduce a planned tax hike from about 9.3 percent to 6.3 percent. [TU][TWCN]

Dannemora guard pleads not guilty
The Clinton Correctional Facility prison guard accused of providing hacksaw blades hidden in hamburger meat to David Sweat and Richard Matt, pleaded not guilty to charges of promoting prison contraband ,evidence tampering and official misconduct and may be working out a plea deal.[TU][TWCN]

Metroland
After being seized for back taxes, Metroland will not publish an issue this weekfor the first time in 38 years. Paul Grondahl talked with publisher Stephen Leon, who says he isn't sure what's next for the alt-weekly. A Times Union check of County Clerk's office records shows Metroland has faced 21 tax liens since 2009. [WNYT][TU][TU]

Mohawk Harbor
There is water in the redeveloped Mohawk Harbor and it's almost ready for boat traffic.
[Gazette]

UAlbany/Albany Law
UAlbany and Albany Law have signed agreements making it easier to transfer credits between the schools. [TU]

Self-exclusion list for problem gamblers
The NYS gaming commission says it plans to expand a self exclusion list for compulsive gamblers to request they not be allowed to gamble at certain facilities. [TU]

Schneiderman joins greenhouse-gas battle
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is heading a coalition of 18 states to defend an Obama administration plan to limit greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants.[TU]

Minimum wage pushback
A coalition of business owners has rallied behind what they are calling a "minimum wage reality check" campaign to oppose the proposed $15 an hour minimum wage. [TU]

Shots in Schenectady
Police in Schenectady are trying to figure out who fired multiple rifle shots into an unoccupied car early Wednesday on Western Parkway.[WNYT]

Deadly Women
The Wynantskill woman convicted of beating and slashing the throat of a 70 year old man in her care will be the subject of a Discovery Channel TV show called Deadly Women, airing later this week. [TU]

Do not pass
A new report claims cars pass school busses over 19,000 times a day in New York State. [WNYT]

Repairing the Labryinth
The popular climbable sculpture at the ESP has been sent to Vermont for repairs. [TU]

Cleaning up the Senate
The painstaking process of cleaning up the Senate lobby. [TU]

Revolutionary quarter
The next collectable quarter will highlight the Battle of Saratoga - The turning point in t he Revolutionary War.[Gazette]

Happening Today

Paul Farmer: The future of global health
Medical anthropologist/physician Paul Farmer will be at Skidmore for a talk titled "The future of global health." Blurbage: "Dr. Farmer and his colleagues in the US and in Haiti, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, and Malawi have pioneered novel community-based treatment strategies that demonstrate the delivery of high-quality health care in resource-poor settings." Thursday 7 pm, Zankel Center - $8

Space telescopes
University of Arizona astronomer Lisa May Walker will be at the Sage Troy campus to talk about the the Hubble Space Telescope and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Thursday 7:30 pm, Troy campus, Bush Memorial - free

Donald Antrim
Fiction writer/memoirist Donald Antrim will be at UAlbany as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. He'll be reading from his story collection The Emerald Light in the Air. Thursday 4:15 pm, uptown campus, Assembly Hall - free

The politics and mechanics of archiving
EMPAC director Johannes Goebel will be giving a talk titled "Eternity and Megalomania: The Politics and Mechanics of Archiving." Thursday 7 pm, EMPAC - free

Impractical Jokers

The Tenderloins Comedy Troupe -- stars of the truTV show Impractical Jokers -- will be at Proctors for a live show. Blurbage: "The night will be filled with laughs and hilarious videos inspired by the long-running "Jokers". Expect there to be never-before-seen footage, and the guys doing what they do best." Thursday 7 pm - $53.50 and up (tickets are of "limited" availability)

Music
The Revivalists at The Hollow
Rock/soul. 9 pm - $15

Jayme Stone's Lomax Project at The Sanctuary for Independent Media
"Two-time Juno-winning banjoist, composer and instigator Jayme Stone appears with his band in an ambitious show paying tribute to the pioneering work of folklorist Alan Lomax." 7 pm - $20