All Over Albany

Caution urged on Hoosick Falls village settlement, proposal for transferring ownership of The Palace, big deal for big guns from Watervliet Arsenal

Hoosick Falls
The Hoosick Falls village board chose Thursday night to hold off on making a decision about the proposed $850k settlement with Saint Gobain and Honeywell for village costs associated with PFOA contamination of the drinking water. The meeting included many statements from residents skeptical of the settlement and urging caution. [Politico NY] [TU]

Palace expansion
The Palace announced it's reached a project labor agreement for its planned $65 million renovation and expansion. Theater officials say it can't move forward until the org that runs the venue gets ownership from the city -- they say that will also help with fundraising. The current proposed transfer deal: $750,000, paid to the city over 30 years. The Palace says the building also currently requires more than $4 million in maintenance/repairs. [Daily Gazette] [Biz Review] [TWCN] [TU] [WNYT]

Fatal Watervliet Shaker Road pedestrian crash
Colonie police say they've located the vehicle they believe was involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash with a pedestrian on Watervliet Shaker Road early Sunday morning -- in Melrose in Rensselaer County, on the property of a relative of the vehicle owner. They say they also have video of the vehicle. [TU] [TWCN] [News10]

Andrew Cuomo's agenda
A look at the fights Andrew Cuomo has picked -- and avoided -- as part of the agenda laid out in his State of the State tour. [Politico NY]

Mobile devices in cars
Among the items tucked into the Cuomo admin's State of the State briefing book: a proposed ban on using mobile devices in a vehicle while it's stopped in traffic. [TU]

Momentive strike
Talks between Momentive and its striking union workers have broken down. And the company is facing scrutiny from the state Department of Environmental Conservation about chemical spills and the handling of hazardous materials. [Saratogian] [TU+]

Albany mayoral race
A short profile of Common Council president Carolyn McLaughlin ahead of her official announcement Saturday that she's running for mayor. [TU]

Albany Fire Department diversity
At a Common Council committee meeting this week residents and council members questioned the process for scoring applicants for the Albany Fire Department and suggested ways to help diversify the ranks of firefighters. [TU]

Higher cost for Troy court project
The Madden administration says the cost of creating a new state-mandated courtroom will require borrowing $1 million because of cost overruns. [TU]

New Albany NAACP chapter president
David Traynham, a pastor from Albany's South End, is the new board president of the Albany NAACP chapter. [TU]

Big Watervliet Arsenal contract
The Watervliet Arsenal will be making howitzer cannons for India in a $47 million contract, the largest deal for the arsenal in many years. [TU] [Troy Record]

"She tried to help us do the best we could, to get the best out of us"
Talking with a retired Union College professor who was a student of one of the women featured in the film Hidden Figures. [TU+]