All Over Albany

Man charged in deaths two women years apart, Gillibrand urges Hoosick Falls to hold off on settlement, how much blame does Albany deserve for its budget problems?

Arrest in connection with deaths of two women
An Albany man has been arrested in connection with the deaths of two women: Shelby Countermine, whose body was found on land owned by the the Albany Water Department in Coeymans in 2015; and Megan Cunningham, who died in a house fire on Arcadia Ave in Albany in 2013. An Albany County grand jury has handed up an indictment against 29-year-old Edward (Ted) Mero, who's been on paid leave from the city water department since May of 2015, and he was arrested Friday. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder Monday morning. [News10] [TU x2]

Man missing in Poestenkill Gorge
Troy officials say a man fell into the Poestenkill Gorge Saturday and has not yet been found. Mayor Patrick Madden said the man had been seen climbing rocks when he lost his grip, fell, and did not surface in the water. The Troy Fire Department said turbulent water has limited the search. [TWCN] [News10] [TU]

Gillibrand urges rejection of Hoosick Falls agreement
Kirsten Gillibrand has issued a letter to Hoosick Falls mayor David Borge urging the village board to hold off the proposed $1 million settlement with Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International to cover costs associated with PFOA contamination of the village water supply. The US Senator expressed concerns about the size of the settlement and the restrictions it would place on the village taking further action in the future. The village board is scheduled to vote on the agreement Monday evening. [TU] [TWCN] [Troy Record]

Petersburgh
The Petersburgh Town Board is reviewing a proposed reimbursement from the plastics company Taconic for costs associated with the PFOA contamination of wells. [TU]

Body found in Schenectady
Schenectady police have identified the body found in a ravine near I-890 as that of a 40-year-old city man and said the death does not appear suspicious. [News10] [Daily Gazette]

Albany infant death
The mother of the man charged second-degree murder in the death of a 1-year-old Albany boy says her son told her he woke up and found the child unresponsive. [News10]

Albany budget crunch
Chris Churchill on the city of Albany's push for $12.5 million in additional state aid and the extent to which it is "to blame for its predicament." [TU+]

Schenectady building inspections
Sara Foss on the state comptroller's audit of Schenectady's multi-family building inspections: "What I do wonder about is whether the city's code enforcement department is adequately staffed -- whether it has the people it needs to keep up with Schenectady's many multiunit rental properties." [Daily Gazette]

Saratoga Springs mayoral race
Republican leaders in Saratoga Springs are lining up behind Mark Baker -- the former longtime president of the Saratoga City Center -- as their choice to challenge incumbent Democrat Joanne Yepsen for mayor. [Saratogian]

John Faso
Hundreds of people rallied outside the Kinderhook office of Congressman John Faso Saturday -- and then marched to his nearby home -- to protest Trump administration policies and the Republican decision to not hold a town hall-style meeting. Faso wasn't there -- he said he had been meeting people around the district that day. [WNYT] [TU]

Rensselaer County thrift store and blurred lines
Looking at a Rensselaer County thrift stores relationship to a country trash management initiative as an example of "the sometimes murky dealings between state-regulated public authorities and the nonprofit organizations that often become extensions of their business operations." [TU+]

Former Schenectady YMCA building
The developer behind the conversion of the former YMCA building in downtown Schenectady into senior housing says the first tenants should be in this summer or fall. [Daily Gazette]

Mount McGregor
A look at the potential -- and challenges -- of redevelopment at the former Mount McGregor medium-security prison site in Wilton. [Saratogian]

Hotel boom
An additional 1,000 hotel rooms are in the development pipeline for the Capital Region. [TU+]

Stuff going on today

Selma
Monday: The Palace's movie series is showing Selma, Ava DuVernay's film about Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montomgery. Monday 7 pm -- free