All Over Albany

State budget season starts with private presentations, no charges in odd incident involving Schenectady mayor, Toll Gate is closed and future is unclear

State budget
Andrew Cuomo is apparently skipping a public presentation of his proposed state budget in favor of separate private presentations for members of the state Senate and Assembly today. A look at the some of the key issues for this year's budget. [TU] [Politico NY]

No charges in odd incident involving Schenectady mayor
In a report released Friday afternoon, Saratoga County DA Karen Heggen concluded the actions of Schenectady police and mayor Gary McCarthy during a late-night episode this past May in which McCarthy was accused of confronting, and then following, two women he said appeared to be acting suspiciously raised concerns, but didn't rise to the level of a violation. Heggen also recommended Schenectady police should have called in an outside law enforcement agency to handle the situation because of the mayor's involvement. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Daily Gazette editorial: "[McCarthy] should have known better not to pursue the van. He should have called police from his home, given a description of the vehicle, and went to bed. He said he was potentially witnessing garbage-picking, not a murder." [Daily Gazette]

McLaughlin officially declares for Albany mayor
Albany Common Council president Carolyn McLaughlin officially announced on Saturday that she's running for mayor -- the first person to do so for this cycle. [AOA]

Chris Churchill on Albany's usual reluctance to change mayors, and why this time could/might be different. [TU+]

Nomination for state's highest court
Andrew Cuomo has nominated Rowan Wilson, an attorney in private practice, for the state Court of Appeals. If his nomination is confirmed, it would be the first time the state's highest court has had two African-American members at the same time. [Politico NY] [TU]

Fatal crash in Albany
Albany police say the driver in the single-car crash at Western and Lenox Saturday morning in which a passenger was killed has been charged with DWI and more charges are ahead. APD says a patrol officer had stopped the vehicle at Western and Partridge and as officers approved, Terrance Kelly of Albany allegedly left the scene -- and by the time officers caught up, they found the vehicle crashed. The passenger who died was William Yager IV, the son of William Yager III, who owns Patsy's Barbershop downtown and multiple other businesses in the city. [APD x2] [TU]

Alleged confessions in deaths of Troy men
Alleged confessions from defendants in the deaths of two Troy men in October include gruesome details of the alleged events -- but an attorney for one of the men is questioning how police got the statements because neither of them men speak English and he's says it's not clear they understood their rights. [TU+]

2016 homicides
Reviewing the 12 homicides spread across Albany, Schenectady, and Troy in 2016. [TU+]

Troy budget
Mark Robarge on the "cold reality" facing Troy as it tries to stick to its budget in the face of calls to restore items such as city pools. [Troy Record]

GE job cuts
GE is cutting 35 jobs at its energy storage unit in Schenectady. [TU]

Doctor alleging fraud and age discrimination against St. Peter's Health Partners
Dr. Hedy Migden -- who was fired by St. Peter's from her longtime practice in Guilderland, and had treated many people from the Hill Towns -- has filed suit alleging breach of contract, fraud, and age discrimination. A St. Peter's spokesman denied the accusations and alleged Migden engaged in "inappropriate behavior and disruptive actions." [Altamont Enterprise] [TU]

Toll Gate closed
The Toll Gate in Slingerlands is closed because of its owner's health problems -- his sister says he couldn't afford health insurance -- and its future is unclear. [TWCN] [WNYT] [TU]

Selma
Recalling a Saratoga Springs man's time marching in Selma, Alabama with Martin Luther King Jr. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Digital Tribalisms
The new season at EMPAC opens with a talk by UC-Santa Barbara professor Anna Everett about digital media and activism. Blurbage:

What do Pokemon GO and Black Lives Matter have in common? Anna Everett will look at how Millennials simultaneously negate and nurture contemporary moral panics about the dangers of excessive computer use. From fears of violent video game addiction, distracted driving, sexting by minors, online terrorist radicalization, to charges of arrested basic social skills and more, stereotypes of selfie-obsessed youths abound. And yet, there is an important sociocultural recalibration occurring among youth of the 21st century who have harnessed the power of ubiquitous computing to transform interactive media culture and reinvent participatory democracy.

Tuesday 7 pm -- free

Nitty Gritty
The Nitty Gritty Poetry Slam returns to the Low Beat in Albany. Tuesday 7 pm

Siena basketball
The Siena men's basketball team takes on Rider at the TU Center. Tuesday 7 pm -- $10 and up