All Over Albany

Preet Bharara in Albany, new $500 million deal for SUNY Poly, 20 years behind the store counter

There are school district votes today in Albany, Scotia-Glenville, and Troy. Don't know where to vote? Check with your district. Here's the where-to-vote info for Albany.

Preet Bharara in Albany
Preet Bharara appeared at WAMC's performance venue for an interview about his work prosecuting public corruption in the state as a US Attorney. Said Bharara: "People always know. You think no one knew Sheldon Silver was corrupt before he was put in handcuffs? Not a chance." Earlier in the day Bharara spoke before New York Conference of Mayors in downtown Albany: "The point is not just to punish politicians who have broken the law, but to help improve a political system that is broken down." [WAMC] [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Meanwhile, it was seemingly business as usual around the Capitol. [Politico NY]

New deal for SUNY Poly
GlobalFoundries will reportedly set up a $500 million chip research center at the SUNY Poly campus in Albany. Officials say the center will add 100 jobs there. [TU+] [Daily Gazette]

UAlbany bus incident
Alice Green tells the Times Union that the group of local leaders shown video from the UAlbany bus incident by the district attorney also were shown statements from witnesses on the bus -- and those statements in part contradicted the allegations about what happened. On Monday at joint legislative hearing on the budget, UAlbany president Robert Jones declined comment, later citing the ongoing investigation. [TU+] [TWCN]

Chris Churchill on the situation: "What a mess. What a horrible, horrible mess." [TU+]

New chief judge
Janet DiFiore was sworn in as the state's new chief judge Monday and said "everything we do and every way we do it is on the table for consideration." [TU]

Also: The state Senate confirmed Michael Garcia to fill the spot on the Court of Appeals opened by Susan Read's departure. [TU]

SUNY tuition
SUNY chancellor Nancy Zimpher to a joint legislative hearing: "Put simply, if the state invests more [in SUNY], then we can charge less in tuition." [TU]

Indictment in alleged New Scotland Ave attacks
Jose Marlett, accused of kidnapping a woman at knifepoint on New Scotland Ave Albany and then raping her, is facing a large range of charges that, if he's convicted, could lead to life in prison. [TU]

Denise Hart case
Citing "some DNA evidence that's become of interest to us," Schenectady police are asking the public for any information it might have about the death of Denise Hart in 2007 -- she was last seen in Schenectady, and her body was later found in Menands. [Daily Gazette]

Party fouls
The organizer of large off-campus party for UAlbany students at a warehouse in Colonie has been found guilty of 28 code violations, including a lack of fire safety measures. [TU]

Schenectady planning board shakeup
The chair of the Schenectady planning board, a longtime member of the board, has been replaced by mayor Gary McCarthy -- apparently to the surprise of the chair. [Daily Gazette]

Bethlehem police
The town of Bethlehem and its police force have reached an agreement on a new contract, ending a long fight that included the police unions openly weighing in against the re-election of the town supervisor. [TU]

Weird winter
The lack of snow is prompting all sorts of unusual things around upstate New York. [NYT]

Mr. Lee (not his actual name)
After 20 years in business, the owner of the Night Owl News in downtown Troy has built a following of loyal, appreciative customers -- even if they don't get his name correct. [Troy Record]

Stuff going on today

Historic Rapp Road Community
Albany City Hall hosts an event about the history of the city's historic Rapp Road Community, a place where African-American families from Mississippi settled after moving north. Beverly Bardequez, a third-generation resident of the neighborhood, and F. Maxine Fantroy-Ford, who grew up there, will be talking about the neighborhood's history. Tuesday 5 pm - free

Science Cafe: Birds and Beer
The first Science Café event at the City Beer Hall will feature State Museum curator of birds Jeremy Kirchman in a conversation with Craig Gravina. (As mentioned earlier.) Tuesday 6 pm - free (food and drink not included)

Stories
The Front Parlor storytelling series celebrates its 5-year anniversary at The Ale House. This month's theme is "Extra Mile." Tuesday 7:30 pm

Music: Dylan Perrillo Orchestra's Mardi Gras Soiree at Parish Public House
Because it's Fat Tuesday. 8 pm