All Over Albany

Rensselaer Co. homicides may be connected, former MMA fighter convicted in police beating, Albany Med's PILOT payment to city

Rensselaer County homicides
Police say three persons of interest have been arrested in Virginia in connection with a pair of Rensselaer County homicides this week. Investigators believe the two incidents are connected. [WNYT][Record][TU]

Explosion victim dies
One of the victims of an explosion earlier this week at Mohawk Asphalt Emulsions in Glenville has died. [TU]

Albany Med
"What we all must be about is solving the problem in the place in which we reside" -- Albany Med CEO James Barba -- who presented Kathy Sheehan with a $500,000 check on Wednesday as a voluntary Payment-in-lieu-Taxes (PILOT) for the city's 2016 budget --on his efforts to get other not for profit institutions in Albany to step up and make similar payments to the city. [TU]

Kaloyeros
Former SUNY Poly head Alain Kaloyeros has received court approval to travel to Pennsylvania to interview for a consulting job. [TU]

Former MMA fighter convicted in cop beating
After only about two hours of deliberations on Wednesday, a Schenectady jury rejected an insanity plea and convicted a former mixed martial arts fighter in the attack of a city police officer last year. [Gazette][TU][TWCN]

Suit in Schenectady police shooting
The Widow of a man who was fatally shot by plainclothes police officers in Schenectady last year as he allegedly attempted to retreat from them near his Mont Pleasant home, has filed a notice of claim naming two city officers .[TU]

Gunshot
Albany police are trying to determine who fired gunshots at around 9am on Wednesday in the vicinity of Grand and Elm Streets.[TU]

Ropes course
A judge has ruled that a controversial Glenville ropes course and zip line business can continue to operate without a local amusement park permit -- something the town claimed it needed to remain open. [TU]

Cuomo favorability
Wednesday's Siena Poll results show Andrew Cuomo with a 56 % favorability rating -- a slight drop from the September poll.

Guilderland
Guilderland's proposed 2017 includes a spending cut, but would mean more money for police and sidewalks and a pay raise for town employees. [TU]

PEF
A year and a half after its contract expired, PEF has reached a tentative agreement with the Cuomo administration that includes 2 percent wage hikes and no increase in health care costs. [TU]

local debates
A quick overview of Wednesday night's 49th state Senate District debate between longtime Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, and Democrat and Schenectady deputy city clerk, Chad Putman. Meanwhile the candidates vying for Tedisco's Assembly seat met Wednesday to debate topics including Medicaid, property taxes and education reform.[TU][TWCN]

Positive Train Control
Chuck Schumer is pushing for a $33 million grant to build a positive train control system for a 94-mile stretch of track from Amsterdam and Poughkeepsie. [TU]

Hiker
Police are still searching for an 82-year-old hiker who went missing in the Adirondacks a year ago. [News 10]

Property auction
Schenectady county is preparing to auction 59 properties this weekend. [Gazette]

Substance and style
The Saratoga Springs Design Review Commission decision that offended Clifton Park.[TU]

Stuff going on today

Thursday: The Record Company show at The Hollow is sold out.

Thursday: Nothing But Thieves at Lucky Strike
Alt rock. 8 pm -- free (ticket required)

Thursday: Attila at Upstate Concert Hall
Metalcore. With: Chelsea Grin, Emmure, Sylar. 7:30 pm -- $18 ahead / $20 day of