All Over Albany

Legislative pay hike nixed, police search for motive in fatal south mall beating, Spa City plans neighborhood watch, crow banishment begins

Legislative pay hike
The State Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation, on Tuesday, voted down a proposed pay raise for NYS legislators. Legislators have not had a pay raise in two decades, but members of the commission say ethics issues and limits outside income must be addressed before pay raises will be approved. [News 10][NYT]

Troy budget
A public meeting is slated for tonight on Troy's proposed budget which includes a 28 percent tax hike. Four Republican members of the City Council have suggested a plan to drop the tax hike to less than ten percent. [TWCN][Record]

Xray case
New court filings show prosecutors are calling for life in prison for Glendon Scott Crawford, one of two men involved in a failed plot to create and deploy an alleged x-ray device to kill Muslims.[Gazette]

Tonko on Steve Bannon
"Hate has no place in the White House,'' -- Paul Tonko in a letter to Donald Trump, urging him to reconsider his appointment of Steve Bannon as White House senior strategist and counselor. [TU]

Spa City neighborhood watch
Saratoga Springs is making plans for its first downtown neighborhood watch program. [WNYT]

Woman hit by tractor trailer
A 70 year old woman is hospitalized after she was struck by a tractor trailer on the side of a road near exit 17 of the Northway in Moreau. [WNYT]

Fatal South Mall Towers beating
Police are still trying to figure out why an Albany man allegedly fatally beat a stranger outside her South Mall Towers apartment building earlier this month. [TU]

Prison for robber
A 20-year-old Schenectady County man is headed to prison for up to 12 years for knocking over and robbing a 93-year-old woman at Saint Peter's Emergency Room in August. [TU]

Bullying survey
A new study from the Siena College Research Institute shows one in every five teenagers in the Capital Region has be cyber bullied and more than half of local teens say they've witnessed online bullying. [TU]

NY Education
New York's Board of Regents is steeling itself to deal with potential challenges to progressive policies in K-12 and higher education policy that could come from a Trump administration. The state Board of Regents met on Tuesday also called for policies that would better address the opportunity gaps underneath academic disparities. [TU][Gazette]

Hudson River PCB tests
New York's DEC Commissioner says his department will continue to test the Hudson for PCBs even if the EPA elects not to continue the testing -- a message that came in part over concern that a Trump administration would eliminate or reduce the role of the EPA significantly. [Gazette]

Bars claim fraud
Several Capital Region bars say they were defrauded by a large liquor distributor. [TU]

Schenectady City Hall
Schenectady City Hall will reopen today after flooding in the basement closed the building earlier this week. [TU]

Albany Capital Center
The Albany Capital Center is expected to open on March 2, just in time for the MAAC tournament.[TU]

Cuomo 2020
Andrew Cuomo is deflecting questions about running for president in 2020.

Cat rescue
A six year mission to save cats that began with one abandoned building. [TU]

Crow overlords banished
Albany begins its effort to banish our crow overlords today. [AOA]

State Tree
The Colonie blue spruce that will adorn East Capitol Park.

Stuff going on today

Science Cafe
The State Museum's Science Cafe returns, this time at The Hollow. Senior historian and curator of political and military history Aaron Noble will be talking about New York's role in World War I. Wednesday 6 pm -- free (food and drink not included)

Hoops

The UAlbany men's basketball team has its home opener against SUNY Oneonta at SEFCU Arena. 8 pm -- $15 and up

WGNA Secret Star Acoustic Jam at Proctors
Country show with surprise performers. 7 pm -- $19 and up

Big Head Todd and The Monsters at Troy Music Hall
Joined by Mud Morganfield, Billy Branch and Ronnie Baker Brooks in a blues tribute show to Willie Dixon. 7:30 pm -- $36 and up