All Over Albany

Overflow crowd at local Congressional town hall meeting, opposition to Colonie landfill expansion, SUNY Poly said to be "rudderless," the sordid casino story that maybe wasn't so sordid

Tonko town hall meeting
An overflow crowd of more than 500 people turned out for a town hall-style meeting with Paul Tonko Monday evening in Schenectady. Among the topics: the Affordable Care Act, refugees, manufacturing jobs, and the environment. Said Tonko during the meeting: "When I have a chance to meet with the president, I will share some very strong feelings about climate change, about the environment, about public lands." The crowd appeared generally supportive of the Democrat. [Daily Gazette] [News10] [TWCN] [WNYT]

Stefanik and Faso: Neither Elise Stefanik or John Faso have town hall-style meetings scheduled, a recent point of criticism for both Republican Congress members. [Saratogian] [TU]

Gillibrand on Russia and Trump foreign policy
Kirsten Gillibrand during a visit to 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base Sunday: "I am very concerned about another country trying to undermine our elections. Our democracy depends on free and fair elections and so I am concerned by these acts by Russia. I am concerned how the president is reacting to other foreign countries and positioning us in a more volatile way. I'm concerned about the country and our well-being and it's one of the roles I take very seriously on the Armed Services Committee." [TU] [TWCN]

Colonie landfill expansion
A look at the opposition organizing among nearby towns and residents against the proposed expansion of the Colonie landfill near the Mohawk River. [TU+]

SUNY Poly
A Silicon Valley semiconductor analyst to the Times Union about the state of of SUNY Poly and it's industry-related projects right: "It's rudderless right now." [TU+]

Voter fraud
Experts and observers say voter fraud in New York State is rare, and when it does happen it's usually in local elections. [TU]

Caregivers
An advocacy org and families say it's already hard to find people for in-home caregiving jobs because of the low pay, and they say state's higher minimum wage for fast food workers will make it harder. [TU+]

Albany school for immigrants
The Albany school district, which has experienced a large increase in the number of immigrant and refugee students, is looking at the possibility of starting a "newcomer" school. [TU]

Albany mayoral race
Dan Plaat formally announced his intent to run for mayor of Albany on the Green Party line. [TU]

Alleged robbery gone weird
Watervliet police say they found a man lying atop an 8-foot-tall cooler in a Dollar Tree, bleeding and semiconscious, after what looks like an attempt to steal a safe from the store -- though they're not sure exactly what went down. Police chief Mark Spain: "This one is kind of outside the realm of what we're used to dealing with." [Troy Record] [WNYT] [News10]

APD: Officer bitten
Albany police say a man being arrested during a DWI stop early Sunday morning bit the arresting officer. APD said the officer's injury was minor. [WNYT] [TU]

Playing the numbers
Noted: The couple arrested last week at the Rivers Casino after what Schenectady police described as a fight over how many people would be involved in some sort of sexual encounter -- the story that got so much media attention -- say there had never been any discussion of sex, a claim backed up by the third person charged in the incident. Schenectady police say one of the three told them that during interviews, and they're standing by the original story. [Daily Gazette] [TU+]

Stuff going on today

Community policing
Tuesday: The Albany Community Policing Advisory Committee is hosting a forum -- "The Future of Community Policing" -- at the Albany JCC. Topics on the slate include community policing, traffic safety, and senior communities. Acting APD chief Robert Sears will give a presentation and take questions. Tuesday 6 pm

Hip hop as protest
Tuesday: Jermaine Wells and Ill Funk Ensemble will be at Union College for Hip Hop as Protest, "a lecture/presentation/performance exploring and illustrating the ways in which hip hop has been used as protest over the years." Tuesday 5 pm, Reamer Campus Center Auditorium

Voices of History
Tuesday: Rachel Fidler from the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust will be at Skidmore to talk about a program focused on preserving the stories of Holocaust survivors. Tuesday 6 pm, Zankel Center -- free

The Future of Digital News
Tuesday: Outspoken Media is hosting a panel discussion -- "The Future of Digital News" -- at its offices in Troy with UAlbany journalism professor Rosemary Armao, Politico's Jimmy Vielkind, Ian Pickus from WAMC, and Greg Dahlmann from AOA. (Proceeds will go to support Pro Publica.) Tuesday 6:30 pm -- $10 / $5 students

Schuyler Flatts
Tuesday: The Brain Food for the Curious series of lunchtime talks at the State Museum continues with a look at the research into the enslaved people who lived at local sites such as Schuyler Flatts, the Nicoll House, and the Van Schaick Mansion. Tuesday 12:10-12:30 pm, State Museum, Huxley Theater -- free

Chefs for Success
Tuesday: SCCC's School of Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism is hosting "Chefs for Success," an evening of gourmet food tastings made local chefs (many of them SCCC grads). It's a benefit for the culinary arts program at SCCC. Tuesday 6 pm -- $75

Poetry
Tuesday: The Nitty Gritty Poetry Slam returns to The Low Beat. Tuesday 7 pm