All Over Albany

Grandfather gives emotional testimony in Lake George boat crash trial, the push for police to use a "textalyzer," signs of a brewery project in Troy

Lake George boat crash trial
Robert Knarr -- Charlotte McCue's grandfather -- testified Thursday about the night of the crash, sobbing as recounted the events: "We were home, basically, and we were driving comfortably and then I heard a loud 'bang, bang, bang.'" The day also included the playing of video of a police interview with Alexander West in which he asserted he had only had two beers earlier in the day, a contention that's been disputed by testimony from earlier witnesses in the trial. [News10] [Spectrum] [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Textalyzer
Legislators in the state Assembly and Senate are pushing a bill that would allow police to use a device to determine whether a mobile phone was being used during a crash -- without a warrant. Attorneys say use of the device would raise Constitutional and privacy questions. [TU] [News10]

A $2.55 million settlement and a mystery
The family of Slingerlands woman who suffered a serious brain injury at the Loudonville home of a prominent family has settled a lawsuit for $2.55 million -- but they say they still don't know what happened that night in 2011. [TU]

UAlbany bus incident trial
David Soares says his office wouldn't have pursued the prosecution of Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell if the two women had issued a public apology. (Their attorneys have argued the DA's response was out of proportion to the situation and should have never brought the case.) [WNYT]

Lawsuit over Schenectady County jail death
The family of a Schenectady man who died while in custody at the Schenectady County jail in 2016 has filed a lawsuit alleging jail staff contributed to his death by withholding and changing medication. [Daily Gazette]

Shen Clifton Park land
The Shen school district and town of Clifton Park are arranging a discussion about the possible sale of the district's forested Clifton Park land to the town. (This is the parcel that had been the subject of that public vote earlier this year.) [TU]

Schenectady affordable housing
The Joseph L. Allen Apartments -- new $18 million affordable housing development in Schenectady's Hamilton Hill neighborhood -- is set to open this fall, with applications opening in June. [Daily Gazette]

State rent
State government spends about $4.4 million a month renting office and warehouse space around the Capital Region, according to analysis of records by Mike DeMasi. [Biz Review]

Congress Park wi-fi
Saratoga Springs is looking at possibly offering free wi-fi in Congress Park. [Saratogian]

FDR's car
Andrew Cuomo drove FDR's 1932 Packard across a new Brooklyn-Queens Expressway bridge Thursday -- it's the car that had been on display at the State Museum and the governor directed it be restored so it could be driven again. [Politico NY] [NYDN]

Vale Urban Farm
A look at an urban farm project in Schenectady. [Daily Gazette]

Troy brewery
A Troy ZBA agenda item points to a plan to turn a church on Congress Street into a brewery/brewpub. [Biz Review]