All Over Albany

Local response to Orlando shooting, last week for legislative session, man allegedly tortured by co-workers, Madison Ave segment closed for week

Local vigils for victims of Orlando shooting
There were multiple vigils in Albany for victims of the mass shooting in Orlando over the weekend. Members of the LGBT community gathered outside Rocks. Members of Black Lives Matter gathered in Townsend Park. And members of the local Muslim community gathered outside the Masjid As-Salam mosque on Central Ave. [News10] [Daily Gazette] [TU]

On Sunday Andrew Cuomo said there was no intelligence linking the Orlando attack to threats in New York, but out of caution he said he'd directed additional security for key points around the state. [Politico NY] [Cuomo admin]

Saratoga Springs sidewalk sitting protest
A group of about 70 people gathered in front of Saratoga Springs City Hall Saturday to sit on the sidewalk in protest of a new ordinance that allows people to be fined, and eventually charged with misdemeanor, for sitting on the sidewalk. Protesters criticized city leaders for apparently targeting the problem of homelessness in this way. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]

End of the legislative session
This is the last week of the current state legislative session, and there are many prominent issues that yet to be addressed. And things have been a bit tense in the Assembly. [NYT] [Politico NY]

NYRA's financial status
A state comptroller's office audit concludes that NYRA's horse racing operations have lost money in recent years and the org has been propped up by money from VLTs. Said state comptroller Tom DiNapoli in a press release: "NYRA needs to come up with a plan to make money on racing operations, especially as it seeks to return to private control. Without such a plan, NYRA's long term solvency could be a long shot." NYRA responded that its accounting firm has reported a "clean audit" in recent years. And John Hendrickson, who recently resigned as a Cuomo admin advisor over its handling of horse racing, criticized the way the comptroller's audit framed the situation. [NYS OSC x2] [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]

Troy city official residency requirement
A proposal to remove the exemption allowing Troy city department heads and other senior officials to live outside the city was diverted at the last minute as the city council didn't have the necessary votes in a special Saturday meeting to affirm an early request for the state legislature to remove the exemption. The proposal was supported by city council president Carmella Mantello and opposed by mayor Patrick Madden. [Troy Record] [TWCN]

Peter Young programs
A look at the recent struggles of the once-sprawling set of social service agencies headed up by the Rev. Peter Young, which have run into both financial and legal problems. [TU+]

Motorcyclist deaths
There's been an unusually high number of motorcyclist deaths in the Capital Region so far this year, and advocates point to a rise in distracted driving. [TU+]

Nicholaus Building
The owners of the Nicholaus Building have filed a notice of claim (a step toward a lawsuit) against the city of Schenectady over the nearby demolition they argue caused their building to become unstable. [Daily Gazette]

Death at Schenectady County jail
The Schenectady County Sheriff's Office says an inmate at the county jail killed himself Sunday morning. [TU]

Man allegedly tortured
Colonie police say four men have been arrested for allegedly torturing a co-worker at a motel -- hitting, kicking, and biting the man. [TU]

Hoosick Street crash
A car crash that shut down Hoosick Street in Troy from 6th Ave to River Street also apparently involved some sort of stabbing. [WNYT] [Troy Record]

Madison Ave closure
Madison Ave in Albany from South Lake to Willett will be closed from Monday through Friday 6 pm because of the work on sinkhole at Madison and New Scotland. [APD press release]

Rail bottleneck
A look at the $200 million in local rail upgrades, part of which is aimed at opening a persistent track bottleneck between Albany and Schenectady. [TU]

Emerald ash borer
The state Department of Conservation says there are now confirmed appearances of the emerald ash borer in Saratoga County, in Waterford and Ballston Lake. [NYS DEC]

Buzzfeed brothers
A profile of Matt and Dave Stopera, Niskayuna grads who are now key employees at Buzzfeed. [TU]