All Over Albany

Alleged Albany drug operations busted, more calls to bridge racial divide, proposed ALB upgrades, last stop for the Peanut Land Express

Bust of alleged drug operations in Albany
The state Attorney General's office, State Police, and Albany police announced the indictments of 27 people alleged to have been involved with two drug distribution rings operating in Albany, one that transported heroin and other drugs, and the other that sold cocaine in the city. Albany police chief Brendan Cox on whether the busts represented a victory: "Closing the jail cell and hearing a click, that's not a win. That's a complete failure. A societal failure. ... We take one supplier off the market and someone else steps in because it's money." [NYS OAG] [WNYT]

Police/community relationships
More vigils and reflection on the recent deaths of African Americans during encounters with police around the country and the shooting of police in Dallas:
+ In Albany, pastor Charles Daniel: "I can't take another person of color becoming a hashtag on social media and then forgotten." [WNYT]
+ In Schenectady, Toshena Haynes, an African-American woman, on why she moved to sit near a white man when a speaker at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church noted the crowd was grouped by race: "No one wants to have conversations that are about real stuff when we don't really know them ... So we have to at least get past that part first." [Daily Gazette]

Search for two people missing at Lawson Lake
The Albany County Sheriff's Operation now considers the search at Lawson Lake for two missing people after a small boat capsized to be a recovery rather than a rescue. [News10]

FBI revisiting Halfmoon
"Two people briefed on the investigation" tell the Times Union that investigators from the FBI and state Attorney Genera's office have back in Halfmoon questioning officials about the town's sale of properties at below-appraised values. [TU+]

Cohoes City Hall accessibility
The question of whether Cohoes City Hall and its council chambers are adequately accessible to people with disabilities has become a point of conflict between the mayor and a city councilman -- the councilman says the mayor threatened to have him thrown out of city hall during recent argument over the issue. [Troy Record]

Rail trail land conflict
The latest turn in the ongoing land dispute over a point on the Albany County Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail in Slingerlands: The county took down a fence erected by land owner and laid gravel on the path. [TU+]

ALB proposed upgrades
The Albany International Airport is seeking $40 million from a state airport economic development funds for a series of upgrades, including a new parking garage. [Daily Gazette]

Albany projects seeking state money
Among the projects in the city of Albany seeking money from the state: the Palace Theater expansion, the the Van Ostrande-Radliff House (AKA, the city's oldest building), and I-787 ramp linear park idea. [TU]

Colonie community center being sold
The town of Colonie is set to sell its community center on Central Ave for almost $1.8 million to a car dealership. [TU+]

Smart Saratoga Springs
Among the handful of proposed ideas for making Saratoga Springs a "smart" city: free wi-fi on Broadway and mobile apps for finding parking spots. [TU] [Saratogian]

Albany Law in 2/3 the time
Albany Law is staring a new two-year law degree program. [Biz Review]

Peanut Land Express
Friday is the last day for the Peanut Land Express, which has been open on the ESP concourse for 38 years. [TU]