All Over Albany

Man fatally shot by police in Berne, chef pleads guilty in theft from restaurant, considering sparklers in Albany County

State Police fatally shoot man in Berne
State Police say two troopers responding to a call in Berne fatally shot a man Friday night when he "aggressively approached" the troopers while carrying a knife in each hand and did not comply with orders to put the knives down. State Police Major William Keeler says the man, 51-year-old Carl Baranishyn Jr., had called 911 and expressed "suicidal thoughts, homicidal statements, including two any responding law enforcement" -- and a coroner has ruled the death suicide by police. Keeler said it was his understanding the troopers had tasers, but the dark night conditions made would have made them difficult to use. He said the troopers gave Baranishyn "ample opportunity to surrender and drop his knife." [NYSP] [TWCN] [TU] [Daily Gazette] [News10]

April 17 fatal shooting by Troy police
A Rensselaer County grand jury returned a "no true bill" clearing Troy police sergeant Randall French of criminal charges in the April 17 incident in which he fatally shot Edson Thevenin after Thevenin allegedly pinned French against a car with a vehicle. It's not clear what sort of investigation -- if any -- the state attorney general's office will be pursing in the case under its recently granted power to investigation the deaths of unarmed civilians at the hands of police. [Troy Record] [TU]

February 9 Colonie murder suicide
State Police say they still don't know what prompted Colonie police officer Israel Roman to kill his wife, 10-year-old son, and himself and set their house on fire. [TU+]

Shooting in Schenectady
Schenectady police say a man was shot in the torso Sunday afternoon in the Central State neighborhood (map). SPD says the injury wasn't considered life threatening. SPD is investigating and no arrests have been made. [Daily Gazette] [TWCN] [News10]

Guilty verdict in Albany murder
An Albany teen was found guilty of second-degree murder for the shooting death of Courtney Yates near Lark and Sheridan in the early morning of May 5, 2015 -- prosecutors say the teen fired into a group of people, hitting Yates and two others. He now faces 25 year to life. Prosecutors say the shooting was retaliation for the shooting death a man in Livingston Park the week before. [Albany County DA] [TU]

Guilty verdict in Delaware Ave hit-and-run, pedestrian crash
An Albany woman was found guilty of being the driver in an early-morning hit-and-run sequence on Delaware Ave in Albany on February 27,2015 that included a pedestrian being struck, two hit cars, and a fight. The Albany County DA's office says it had video of the incident and DNA from the woman taken from her car's airbag. [Albany County DA]

Chef pleads guilty to stealing from restaurant
Chef John LaPosta pleaded guilty to grand larceny for stealing more than $50k from the former Maestro's in Saratoga Springs. He and partner Tina Kruger, who pleaded guilty to petit larceny, can avoid jail time if they pay $175,000 in restitution by LaPosta's June sentencing. When the situation first came to public light an attorney for LaPosta and Kruger had described the situation as a business dispute, but Saratoga County DA Karen Heggen said it was "significant and intricate plan" to divert money via gift cards and event deposits. [Saratogian] [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Constitution Pipeline
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has denied necessary permits for the Constitution Pipeline that would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania into New York, including through Schoharie County. Constitution says it's still committed to the project and may appeal in the courts. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Diversity in local government jobs
A Times Union analysis of the workforces of the Capital Region's 15 largest municipalities concludes that minorities are under-represented in public jobs relative their share of the overall population, and the highest-ranking jobs are almost exclusively held by white people. [TU+]

How the city of Albany voted in Clinton versus Sander
Breaking down votes in the Democratic presidential primary by election district in the city of Albany. [TU]

Sparklers
Considering the bill to allow sparklers in Albany County. [TU+]