All Over Albany

Police looking for motive in Colonie murder/suicide, $12.5 million for Albany budget gap, to re-vote or not to re-vote, UAlbany president updates bus investigation

Colonie murder/suicide investigation
State Police said Thursday that an investigation has concluded that Colonie Police Officer Israel Roman shot his wife, his 10-year-old son, then started the fire at their Latham home, and then shot himself. Police say a motive in the case is still unclear -- and there was "no indication of anything strange going on" as of this past Monday. An unnamed friend of Deborah Roman tells the Times Union Deborah had told her as far back as 2009 that she felt oppressed and trapped in her marriage to Israel Roman. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [TWCN] [TU+]

Hoosick Falls water
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is pushing for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International to pay for a Superfund cleanup of the groundwater contamination in Hoosick Falls. The DEC says the two companies -- along with possibly others -- are responsible for the PFOA in the drinking water supply. (A predecessor of Honeywell operated in Hoosick Falls during the 1980s and 90s.) Both companies said in statements they were looking to cooperate with DEC. [AP/Troy Record] [TU] [News10] [TWCN]

$12.5 million for Albany
The Cuomo administration's budget amendments include the $12.5 million Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan had been seeking from the state to cover a gap in the city budget. [TU]

Albany High School vote
All sorts of local officials are weighing in on whether there should be re-vote on the Albany High School renovation plan because of problems at many polling sites -- and the opinions range from yes to no to maybe. Said school board president Kenneth Bruce in a statement Thursday: "We are embarrassed and frustrated by the problems some voters experienced Tuesday, and we understand and share their anger. At this time, we have no evidence that anyone was denied an opportunity to vote. Our initial review was launched immediately. It is critical that we have time to conduct a thorough investigation of the problems voters encountered." [TU+] [ACSD]

UAlbany bus incident
UAlbany president Robert Jones released another video statement updating the situation regarding the alleged racially-motivated fight on CDTA bus on campus. Jones said the campus police have turned the investigation over to the Albany County DA's office. And, independent of any possible criminal charges, he said the university would be reviewing whether any students broke the school's code of conduct. [UAlbany]

25 years to life for Schenectady killing
A Schenectady/Brooklyn man was sentenced to 25 years to life in Schenectady County Court for killing George Lloyd III outside a Hamilton Hill club in 2012. [Daily Gazette]

Guilty plea in Schenectady killing
A Schenectady man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of Kusaan Tolliver last summer in Hamilton Hill. [Daily Gazette]

Scam targeting elderly people prosecuted as a hate crime
The Albany County DA's office says two people have pleaded guilty to charges related to a home repair scam aimed at elderly people Albany, Bethlehem, and Colonie. The case was prosecuted as a hate crime because of the victims' ages. [Albany County DA] [Daily Gazette]

Safety Village
One of the ways Safyre Terry wants to pay forward the generosity shown to her: getting together support for a "safety village" that would teach kids about fire, bike, and pedestrian safety. [Daily Gazette]