All Over Albany

Vega convicted of manslaughter, Schenectady City Council to request independent investigation of McCarthy incident, no more Uncle Sam parade

Vega convicted of manslaughter
A Rensselaer County jury did not convict Gabriel Vega of murder, but did convict him on charges him of first-degree manslaughter, second-degree arson, third-degree arson and first-degree abortion in the death of Vanessa Milligan and their unborn child. Vega is facing a minimum or 25 years in prison and could spend as much as 50 years for the crimes. Milligan's family held a vigil and released balloons to celebrate the verdict but her father told TWCN, " when the party's over and everyone goes home, I still gotta deal with the hurt. I still gotta deal with the pain."[Record][TU][TWCN]

Schenectady Council calls for McCarthy investigation
In a closed door meeting on Wednesday, Schenectady's City Council decided that the city should bring in an unbiased investigator to look into the confrontation between Mayor Gary McCarthy and a woman he followed in his car when he suspected her of trying to break into cars last week. The woman, Sarah Dingley of Rotterdam, told the Daily Gazette the mayor followed her, flashing his high beams, and that she pulled over because she thought he was a police officer. [Gazette][TU][Gazette]

Schenectady standoff
A nearly five hour standoff outside a James Street home in Schenectady ended with tear gas, but no shots were fired. Three people were arrested, including a man who was wanted on a parole violation stemming from a 2009 Schenectady drug bust. [WNYT][Gazette]

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At The Plaza 2016

Black Joe Lewis is playing there in July. / photo: Keith Davis Young

The schedule for this summer's lineup of events at/near the Empire State Plaza. It includes the usual mix of concerts, festivals, and outdoor movie screenings. There series of free events starts June 15.

Along with the schedule comes the announcement that the reconstruction of the staircase/amphitheater outside the State Museum is officially complete. So the stage will be back at that end of the plaza this summer and people will be able to sit on the steps/benches there.

On with the schedule...

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Can you answer another round of these 8th grade math questions correctly?

This week the state Education Department released 75 percent of the questions from this year's ELA and mathematics Common Core state tests for grades 3-8. That's about two months earlier than in past years.

In years past we've posted a handful of the 8th grade math questions as a sort of short quiz. And people always seem curious about the question -- and, you know, interested to see if they can answer them.

So we pulled seven questions from this year's 8th grade mathematics test -- they're after the jump with the (hidden) answers.

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Read and Feed at Basilica Hudson

Basilica Hudson has a new festival July 30 -- Read and Feed -- that looks to pair food and literature. Blurbage for discussions at the fest:

// Legendary authors Lydia Davis (Can't and Won't: Stories) and Lynne Tillman (What Would Lynne Tillman Do?) will engage with each other and the audience in a wine tasting led by oenophile and power reader Michael Albin of Hudson Wine Merchants.

// "Food, Farming, and Spirituality," will feature celebrity chef and cookbook author Zak Pelaccio (Fish & Game, Eat With Your Hands), author Marie Mutsuki Mockett (Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye), and organic farmer Sarah Chase (Chaseholm Farm), in conversation with renowned chef, cookbook author, and end-of-life doula Rozanne Gold (Radically Simple, Cooking 1-2-3, and many others).

// "Reading, Drinking, Eating, Writing" will explore food as a language, and will be moderated by author, mixologist, fortune-teller, teacher extraordinaire Rosie Schapp (Drinking with Men, New York Times "Drinking" columnist) and feature award-winning poet and President of the Poetry Society of America, Kimiko Hahn (Brain Fever: Poems), author and "urban forager" Ava Chin (Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love and the Perfect Meal), and true crime writer and serial killer specialist Harold Schecter (Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American Cannibal).

The Basilica is partnering with the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses on the event. There will also be a marketplace with food products and titles from small presses (including cookbooks).

Read and Feed is Saturday, July 30 from 5-11 pm. Tickets are $20 ahead / $25 at the door.

Parts of the event will also be broadcast (over the air and online) by WGXC 90.7-FM.

Earlier on AOA: Basilica Hudson 2016 season

A place to get a tulip in a bottle -- and an Empire State Plaza bowling set

We're always on the lookout for locally-themed cards/souvenirs/gifts, so this caught our eye this week: Cider Belly in downtown Albany has a new display of Albany-themed items, many of them created by designer Mitchell Biernacki under his Daydream Hunter Creations brand.

The display includes postcards, posters, t-shirts, and a few whimsical items -- such as a tulip in a bottle, and an Empire State Plaza bowling set.

Yep, an ESP bowling set.

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