All Over Albany

Sweat sentenced for escape attempt, Albany County joins suit to stop oil trains, Rivers Casino breaks ground, no really-- it's still February

Sweat sentenced
David Sweat, the convicted murderer who, with his partner Richard Matt, escaped from Dannemora prison last summer, was sentenced on Wednesday to pay $79,841 in restitution and serve 31/2 to seven years in prison for the escape and a similar consecutive sentence for prison contraband. At the sentencing Sweat apologized for frightening people, but the New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott said she was convinced Sweat "would try it again if given the opportunity." [TU][TWCN] [TU]

UAlbany bus incident
UAlbany president Robert Jones released a video statement Wednesday asking people for patience on the investigation in the bus incident last weekend: "I ask all of us to not rush to judgment. We need to know all of the facts. We must get this right." Jones said university police had interviewed 29 people, and were reviewing video and audio. The incident is continuing to get attention beyond the Capital Region -- Hillary Clinton's Twitter account mentioned it Thursday. [UAlbany] [@HillaryClinton]

Saint-Gobain
"When all of the cameras are off and all the TV lights are down and all the microphones go away, we will be here." The President and CEO of Saint-Gobain, the company alleged to have released PFOA into the Hoosick Falls water system, on their commitment to the community where they have operated for years. [WNYT]

Rivers Casino
The unusually mild winter has moved construction along quickly on the Rivers Casino project, which is ahead of schedule. Officials broke ground for the project on Wednesday and it is expected to be completed by 2017. [TU][Gazette]

No smoking
There are no-smoking signs in the Empire State Plaza garage, -- but the area doesn't fall under indoor smoking ban because it's technically not outside. [TU+]

Oil train lawsuit
In an effort to halt Bakken crude shipments to the Port of Albany, a coalition of groups, including Albany County , Ezra Prentice Homes Tenants Association and environmental organizations, are suing the owners of an oil terminal at the Port of Albany. The suit claims the company violated federal air pollution laws . [TU][TWCN\

Call for $50 million in addiction recovery funds
"We've picked up more damn dead kids in this county in the last 36 months than in the previous 29 years," - Albany Sheriff Craig Apple At a rally of recovering alcoholics, drug addicts and their supporters Tuesday,advocating for NY to spend $50 million on addiction recovery services.[TU]

Outside money
Mayor Kathy Sheehan's chief of staff and former campaign manager was paid $7,300 by her campaign last year while still on the city payroll. [TU]

$3.5 million gap for Schenectady schools
Schenectady's Board of Education is working to close a $3.5 million budget gap that stems from expiring grants and an increase in personnel costs. [Gazette]

No, really, it's still February
The temperature reached 57 degrees in Albany on Wednesday. [Gazette]

Books
The owner of a Saratoga Springs book warehouse is giving away 20,000 children's books. [TU]

Happening today

Animal courtship and human love
Animal behaviorist Jennifer Verdolin wil be at UAlbany as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series for a talk about animal courtship and human relationships. Blurbage: "Her book on the subject, Wild Connection (2014), grows out of her same-titled blog for Psychology Today. The book is a rich and often hilarious treasury of scientific knowledge about animal sex-- from the brutal courtship of the praying mantis to the tender romance of the royal albatross." Thursday 8 pm, uptown campus, Campus Center Room 375 - free

On Screen/Sound
The On Screen/Sound series at EMPAC picks back up with "a pair of films that consider the way that dialogue is dubbed into a film's soundtrack." One film was directed by Morgan Fisher, the other by Alfred Hitchcock. Thursday 7 pm - $6

Naked Influence
Today-Sunday: Capital Rep continues its production of the new play Naked Influence, "about a charismatic exotic dancer who finds herself engulfed in a doomed relationship with a congressman." Tuesday-Sunday various times - $20 and up

Music
Hey Marseilles at The Linda
Indie folk pop. With: Bad Bad Hats. 8 pm - $18

Harlem Quartet at Troy Music Hall
Grammy-winning classical quartet play jazz compositions by Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, and others. 7:30 pm - $20 and up

Donna The Buffalo at Helsinki Hudson
"[E]asygoing, jam-friendly brand of rock..." 8 pm - $25