All Over Albany

Bust in alleged Albany County jail contraband scheme, years of losses projected at SUNY Poly-controlled Kiernan Plaza, why has the State Seal Spring stopped?

Arrests in alleged Albany County jail contraband scheme
Albany County sheriff Craig Apple said a longtime county jail employee was arrested Saturday as part of an investigation into an alleged scheme in which contraband was smuggled into the jail. Twelve other people -- including six inmates -- also face charges. Apple says the alleged scheme involved the jail employee taking items such as tobacco, marijuana, and mobile phones into the jail for a fee of $200. Said Apple at a press conference: "Everything that gets smuggled in is dangerous ... He jeopardized the life of every single employee in that facility." [TWCN] [News10] [WNYT] [TU]

Schenectady murder suicide
Schenectady police say they believe the gunshot deaths in a Shannon Street residence in the Bellevue neighborhood last week were a murder suicide -- they say 40-year-old Wayne Goodwin shot 39-year-old Desire Pagan multiple times before shooting himself. Members of Pagan's family tell News10 that Pagan and Goodwin had a child together. [Daily Gazette] [TU] [News10]

Albany truancy program
A look at how Albany's anti-truancy program -- which got national recognition -- has come apart, and in the words of the school district superintendent, needed "a reboot." [TU+]

SUNY Poly / Kiernan Plaza
SUNY Poly projections have its real estate arm losing money on Kiernan Plaza (the old train station in downtown Albany) for the next five years -- and the Biz Review reports there's no apparent effort to market the "Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center" space at the venue. [Biz Review]

Second death in Glenville asphalt explosion
The owner of the Glenville asphalt products company where an explosion killed one person in October says a second man has died from injuries sustained during the blast. The federal the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says it's continuing to investigate the incident. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Death in bridge maintenance accident
Washington County officials say an Albany man died when the crew he was working with on a bridge over the Champlain Canal fell into the water Friday after a cable broke. [WNYT]

Momentive strike
A tentative contract for the striking workers at the Momentive plant in Waterford is up for a vote. [Saratogian]

Lawsuit alleges toxics at GlobalFoundries prompted engineer's disease
An engineer who worked at the GlobalFoundries facility in Malta alleges he developed a rare disease because of exposure to toxic chemicals and materials there. [TU]

Rensselaer County felony cases dismissed
Three Rensselaer County felony cases were recently dismissed after the Rensselaer County DA's office failed to meet speedy trial deadlines for indictments. [TU]

Troy firefighter contract
The Troy City Council approved a new contract with the city's firefighters -- the tied vote was broken a council member who arrived to vote in a wheelchair after spending the week in a hospital. [TU]

Double the Malta supervisor salary?
There's a proposal to double the Malta supervisor salary from $32,500 to $65,000 -- supporters of the increase say growth in the town has made the position a full-time job. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Cohoes Hotel renovation
The old Cohoes Hotel building on Remsen Street is set to converted to apartments. [TU]

Broadway in Albany
Chris Churhill uses a walk down Broadway to highlight some of the recent changes in the city of Albany. [TU+]

State Seal Spring
The State Seal Spring in Saratoga Spa State Park stopped producing water after recent work at the site and officials aren't sure why. [Daily Gazette]

Stuff going on today

The French Connection
The < ahref="http://palacealbany.com/EventsandTickets/EventTickets/event.aspx?eid=d49c5593-4e35-43ef-83e4-51e70e5ef71d">Palace's movie series is showing The French Connection, which was the first R-rated movie to the win the Oscar for best picture. Monday 7 pm -- $5

Music: Jane Bunnett and Maqueque at Sanctuary for Independent Media
"Her exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the universality of music and her ability to embrace and showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been groundbreaking." 7 pm -- $15

Music: Fraternal Twin at The Low Beat
Indie rock. With: Pine Sheets, Another Michael. 7 pm