All Over Albany

Class action suit over Hoosick Falls water, appeal to toss Albany High referendum, random acts of kindness expected in Saratoga on Monday

UAlbany bus accusers said to face charges
News10 and the Times Union, citing anonymous sources, report the three UAlbany students who said they were victims of an alleged racially charged attack on a CDTA bus will appear in Albany City Court to face minor charges in connection with the case. [News10] [TU]

Chris Churchill's call for patience in the search for truth in the case. [TU+]

Albany High School referendum
More than two dozen Albany residents have filed an appeal with the state Education Department in an effort to get the results of the Albany High School referendum thrown out. The vote is expected to be at the center of tonight's Albany School Board meeting. [TU][WNYT]

Hoosick Falls Water
Weitz & Luxenberg, the firm that employees Erin Brockovich, has filed a class action lawsuit against Saint-Gobain and Honeywell International over the Hoosick Falls water contamination. The suit was filed on behalf of four residents of the town and contends they were exposed to PFOAs and that their property values were diminished. Meanwhile, tests of private wells in Hoosick falls have been showing extremely high levels of PFOAs [Record][TU][WNYT]

Niskayuna water
Nine water main breaks in Niskayuna have resulted in a boil water alert for the town today. [Gazette][TU]

Bethlehem water
Bethlehem has begun designing changes to its water treatment plant, after potential cancer causing chemicals were discovered in the water. The full project will cost 10 million and be completed in 2019, meanwhile, town officials say the water is safe to drink. [News 10][TU]

Sinkhole
The sinkhole on Campbell Avenue in Troy is expected to be repaired by Friday.[TU]

Hospice nurse stole painkillers from patients
A former hospice nurse at the Stratton VA Medical Center could face up to 10 years in jail after admitting he stole painkillers from syringes and replaced hem with anti psychotic medications. [WNYT]

Ethics bills
The legislature is considering a large pile of proposed bills dealing with its own ethics. [TU]

Armed robbery at UAlbany
Police investigating an armed robbery that took place inside a UAlbany dorm say the incident was likely not a random act and is not believed to be a threat to the campus community. [TU]

Combating drugs
In Clifton Park, a packed community room heard stories of addiction from some of their neighbors in a program aimed at combating the growing heroin problem in the region. [Gazette][TU]

Flooding
Wednesday's heavy rains caused widespread flooding throughout the Capital Region. Drivers are being warned to exercise caution in areas that are still flooded. [News 10][TWCN]

More suits in Jay Street fire
Two more business owners have filed lawsuits agains the owner of the Jay street apartment that was destroyed by fire last year. [Gazette]

Laundromat for the homeless
A church in Schenectady has opened a laundromat for the homeless and is accepting donations of detergent. [News 10]

Quiet!
An effort to eliminate train horns in Cohoes.[Record]

Black Sabbath bassist supports legislation
A bill to outlaw the declawing of cats has won the support of Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. [TU]

Leap of kindness
Monday - leap day - is random act of kindness day in Saratoga County.[Gazette]

No frozen pond
Saratoga's annual Frozen Pond Classic ice hockey tournament is cancelled due to lack of ice. [TWCN]

Happening today

Disney Fantasia Live in Concert
Proctors is hosting "Disney FANTASIA-Live in Concert," a screening of scenes from Fantasia (and Fantasia 2000) with a live score from the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Thursday 7:30 pm - $20 and up

Sherry Turkle
MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle will be at Union for a talk about her research into how digital technologies affect people and their relationships with each other. Blurbage:

Often referred to as the "Margaret Mead of digital culture," Turkle has investigated the intersection of digital technology and human relationships from the early days of personal computers to the current world of robotics, artificial intelligence, social networking and mobile connectivity.

Thursday 1 pm, Memorial Chapel - free

Duane Michals
Photographer Duane Michals will be at Skidmore for a talk about this career as an art photographer. Blurbage:

In an era heavily influenced by photojournalism, Michals manipulated the medium to communicate narratives. The sequences, for which he is widely known, appropriate cinema's frame-by-frame format. Michals has also incorporated text as a key component in his works. Rather than serving a didactic or explanatory function, his handwritten text adds another dimension to the images' meaning and gives voice to Michals's singular musings, which are poetic, tragic, and humorous, often all at once.

Thursday 6 pm, Palamountain Hall - free

On Screen/Sound
The On Screen/Sound series at EMPAC continues with "a selection of films and videos that play with the relationship between textual and spoken language." Thursday 7 pm - $6

Hoops

UAlbany women
The UAlbany women's basketball team faces UMass Lowell at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes share the top spot in the America East right now with Maine, at 13-1 in conference. Thursday 7 pm - $5 and up

Music
Excision at Upstate Concert Hall
Dubstep. With: Figure, Bear Grillz. 8 pm - $25 and up

Tom Hamilton's American Babies at The Hollow
Americana. With: Bump. 9:30 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of