All Over Albany

Decision on how to proceed on Schenectady mayor incident in judge's hands, "one of the worst public health epidemics we have ever seen," how the head of SUNY Poly gets paid

Schenectady mayor incident
Schenectady County DA Robert Carney says he passing the decision how about how to investigate the May 19 incident involving mayor Gary McCarthy to a state administrative judge, who will decide whether a special prosecutor should take up the case. McCarthy worked as an investigator in the DA's office for many years before becoming mayor, and Carney said putting the decision in a judge's hands would remove him from the decision making process. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Heroin and painkillers
Michael Botticelli -- director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, AKA, the nation's "drug czar" -- was at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Thursday for a forum about the rising tide of opioid abuse: "I would say this is one of the worst public health epidemics we have ever seen." [TU] [WNYT]

Also: A state bill sponsored by John McDonald that would limit physicians from prescribing more than five days of opioid painkillers for patients with acute pain is moving through the chamber after passing the state Senate. [TU]

PFOA in drinking water
Republican state Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, who represents Hoosick Falls, on his frustration that the Assembly hasn't had hearings on the PFOA contamination of drinking water supplies in Rensselaer County, on Capitol Tonight: "I will state that I believe that if this took place in Brooklyn, or the Bronx, or down in Queens or somewhere else in New York City that (the Rev.) Al Sharpton and company would be marching in the streets ... But this is a bunch of upstate people in a rural, remote area, and apparently they don't count." [TWCN]

Schenectady standoff
Schenectady police say the man was the subject of a five-hour standoff on Wednesday is accused of shooting a man April 24 in the Central State neighborhood (map). [Daily Gazette]

Loudonville fire
It took fire crews three hours to put out a large Loudonville house fire Thursday night. An official says it appears the fire had been burning for a while before it was noticed and reported. The house was destroyed. [News10] [TWCN] [TU]

Who's considered a parent?
The state's highest court heard arguments Thursday in two cases about parental rights involving same-sex couples who split up. [TU]

unLobbying
The case of Todd Howe, a figure in the ongoing federal investigation of the Buffalo Billion and the Cuomo admin, highlights that lobbying firms can apparently retroactively remove the names of lobbyists from state disclosure records -- somehow. [TU+]

Alain Kaloyeros
A look at how SUNY Poly president Alain Kaloyeros gets paid -- he's said to the be state's highest-paid employee when all his compensation is taken into account. [Politico NY]

Challengers for David Soares?
It's starting to look like Albany County DA David Soares won't have challenger -- either primary or general -- in the upcoming election. [TU+]

Terry Kindlon back
Prominent local attorney Terry Kindlon is back from retirement after two months in a part-time role training attorneys in the Albany County public defender's office. [TU]

Albany garbage fee for rental units
A housing counselor for United Tenants of Albany tells WNYT she's gotten several calls that landlords are raising rents to cover the new garbage fee for buildings with 2-4 units. [WNYT]

Krumkill Road
Construction is set to start soon on the culvert replacement on Krumkill Road at the Albany/Bethlehem border -- three months after the road was closed because of the problem. [TU]

Herring run
The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the city of Troy removed a dam on the Wynants Kill last month, opening the creek to spawning herring (and other aquatic species from the Hudson River) for the first time in 85 years. [Troy Record]