All Over Albany

Winter's back, budget drama in Troy and Albany, monitoring domestic terror in New York, about giving the gondola a chance

Snow
Area at higher elevations got significant snowfall -- with reports of more than a foot in parts of Rensselaer County. [NWS Albany]

Troy budget
On Friday Troy mayor Patrick Madden pushed for the city council to approve a tax cap override for the city budget -- and criticized many of the budget cuts proposed by the four-coalition that's pledged to stop an override if its demands are not met: "The public should not be misled into thinking there are viable options to bring the tax increase down." Council president Carmella Mantello said Madden was wrong in how he described some of the cuts: "It comes down to different philosophies, different views of priorities." [TWCN] [Troy Record]

Albany budget
A group of Albany Common Council members -- Ron Bailey, Frank Commisso Jr., Judd Krasher, and Mark Robinson -- released a letter criticizing the composition and presentation of mayor Kathy Sheehan's proposed budget and accused her administration of having "gross inexperience with municipal finance." Sheehan called statements in the letter "reckless" and "irresponsible." [Scribd] [TU]

Trump University settlement
Donald Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits involving fraud allegations related to his for-profit Trump University. One of those lawsuits was filed by New York State attorney general Eric Schneiderman in 2013, who in a statement Friday called Trump's venture "a phony university" and said Trump will pay a $1 million fine for violation state education laws. [NYT] [TU] [NYS OAG]

Trump, the Supreme Court, and Chuck Schumer
A look at the role Chuck Schumer will play in the upcoming fight over Donald Trump's choice(s) for the Supreme Court of the United States. And how New York State's liberal-leaning highest court now might become more of a focus. [TU x2]

"Soul-sick for the America that I know and I love"
Andrew Cuomo again pushed back on recent episodes of hate speech and intolerance in a speech Sunday, announcing a group of actions, including a proposed legal defense fund for immigrants. [TU]

Terror from within
A look at law enforcement efforts in New York State to monitor and respond to domestic terrorism -- both potential acts and acts followed through on -- from hate groups. [TU+]

Schenectady shooting death
Schenectady police are investigating the death of a man found with a gunshot wound outside his home on Campbell Ave early Saturday morning. [Daily Gazette]

UAlbany bus incident
Supporters of Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell packed an Albany County courtroom Friday -- and shielded the two women from the media -- for a pre-trial hearing connected to the charges the two women face in the UAlbany bus incident. [WNYT] [TWCN] [TU]

Albany police video
An incident involving Albany police and a woman's head hitting a curb while police removed her from a police car during an arrest at One Commerce Plaza Friday was captured on video. [TU]

Momentive strike
Union reps for the striking workers at the Momentive plan in Waterford say workers got notices their health insurance was being canceled because of "termination of employment" on November 30. [TU]

Schenectady hotels
Schenectady's getting a lot of new hotel rooms -- and officials say the demand is there. [Daily Gazette]

Troy tax breaks
Sonny Bonacio's plan to convert two floors of the Hendrick Hudson building on Monument Square into apartments got almost $500k in tax breaks. [Biz Review]

Gondola
Chris Churchill on the proposed aerial gondola between the train station and downtown Albany: "[D]are to think big. Make Albany great again. And give the gondola plan a fighting chance." [TU+]

Bala brothers
Guha and Karthik Bala -- the founders of Vicarious Visions -- are setting up a new video game studio in Troy. [TU]