All Over Albany

VanAlstyne sentenced for death of Kenneth White, packed meeting about Hoosick Falls water contamination, pedestrian killed in Route 9 crash, together to the end

Tiffany VanAlstyne sentenced
Tiffany VanAlstyne -- who pleaded guilty to killing her five-year-old cousin, Kenneth White, in Knox in December 2014 -- was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison. Judge Stephen Herrick noted that Van Alstyne had been diagnosed with mental illness, but had stopped taking her medication: "There were tell-tale signs that you were at risk. From what I've read, this was a time bomb waiting to go off." Said VanAlstyne at the sentencing: "I am so, so sorry for what I did and what happened to Kenneth. I wish I could take it back but I can't." Said Christine White, Kenneth's mother and VanAlstyne's aunt, outside court: "I love my son more than anything in this world ... But I also love my niece, and I know what kind of girl she was." [Daily Gazette] [TU] [WNYT] [TWCN]

Hudson Hoosick Falls water
Hoosick Falls residents packed a meeting Thursday night with EPA regional administrator Judith Enck about contamination of the village's water supply with a chemical called PFOA. Enck said agencies to need study the source of contamination (a nearby factory is suspected) and the extent of its spread in the ground water. [TWCN] [TU]

State school aid
Though Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget includes an almost-$1 billion increase in school aid for the next year, school funding advocates say the increased still lags behind the level the state should be at -- and a handful of Capital Region districts are even scheduled to receive less aid. [Troy Record] [TU+]

Pedestrian killed in Malta
State Police say they're investigating a crash that killed a pedestrian on Route 9 in Malta Thursday night, and no charges or tickets have been filed. [NYSP]

Liberty Ridge appeal
A state appeals court has rejected Liberty Ridge's appeal of a $13k fine from the state for refusing to host a same-sex wedding. [TU]

Schenectady police pay
Eight of the city of Schenectady's top 10 earners in 2015 were police officers -- some making more in overtime than in salary. [Daily Gazette]

Rotterdam police pay
The hiring of five new Rotterdam police officers turned into a point of conflict at a town board meeting after a few members questioned whether the town could afford all of them. [Daily Gazette]

East Greenbush sewer plant cost
East Greenbush's supervisor is warning that the cost overrun for the construction of the town's new sewer treatment plant will result in a "painful" increase in sewer rates. [TU]

City of Albany gunlock law
Albany police are giving out free gun locks in attempt to raise awareness about a city law that recently took effect that requires gun owners to keep their firearms locked away or disabled when the guns aren't in the owner's "immediate possession or control." [TU] [WNYT]

"From a results standpoint I would call it more affirmative inaction"
Among the issues raised at a panel discussion in Schenectady about the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr: the lack of diversity among the employees of local governments and school districts. [Daily Gazette]

State Ed building lockdown
The State Education Building was temporarily locked down Thursday because of what was apparently a physical fight between an employee and a supervisor. [News10]

Cutting down on food waste
Price Chopper has joined a federal program aimed at cutting down on food waste, both by donating leftover food to food banks and composting food that can't be donated. [Troy Record]

68 years together
A Troy couple, married 68 years, died within 30 hours of each other. [TU+]