All Over Albany

Defense expert witness testifies in Lake George boat crash trial, Crossgates gunfire incident trial starts, Lyft angling to pick up passengers at ALB, ghostly child or child-like ghost?

Lake George boat crash trial
Monday included testimony from Eric McCue, the father of Charlotte McCue, as the last prosecution witness, describing how he remembered the crash, seeing the other boat above him: "I noticed it was white, and then I watched it kind of traverse the rest of our boat and ultimately cross it up by where Charlotte and Courtney were sitting." There was also continued testimony from the prosecution's expert witness, and testimony from the defense expert witness, who said on cross examination that Alexander West's boat hit the boat that was carrying the McCues. [Daily Gazette] [Spectrum] [TU]

Crossgates gunfire trial
The trial of Tasheem Maeweather -- accused of firing a gun during the incident that prompted a lockdown of Crossgates -- started Monday with jury selection and discussions of the number and recollections of eyewitnesses. During opening statements, the prosecutor alleged the incident was the result of tension between two rival groups and accused Maeweather of going to the mall to settle a score. Maeweather's attorney told the jury that his client didn't fire a gun and "this case is about perception versus reality." [TU] [News10][ WNYT] [Spectrum]

Trump tax outline
What local Congressional reps think about the outline of a tax plan released by the Trump admin. [Daily Gazette]

Faso and healthcare
Where John Faso now stands on the next version of the Republican health care plan. [TU]

Early voting
Advocates of New York State adding early voting are trying to push a bill through obstacles in the state Senate. [Politico NY]

State constitutional convention
Sara Foss on the potential for a new state constitutional convention, which will be on the ballot this fall: "If anything, a constitutional convention is a chance for the average New Yorker to assert him or herself by getting involved in a political process that all too often unfolds in backrooms and behind closed doors." [Daily Gazette]

Gasoline tax
Just one out of every five dollars the state collects in gasoline taxes now goes for upkeep of roads and brdiges. [WNYT]

Prisons
The union that represents the state's correctional officers is pushing back on a rule that prison employees carry all their personal items in a clear plastic bag when bringing them into a prison. [TU]

Lyft and ALB
Lyft has been in contact with the Albany County Airport Authority about securing the right for Lyft drivers to pick up passengers at ALB. [TU]

PFOA
Taconic -- the company accused of being responsible for PFOA contamination of the water in Petersburg in Renssealer County -- was approved to dump "Teflon contaminated solids" in the Albany landfill earlier this decade. [WNYT]

Schodack Island State Park party incident
Schodack officials say they want the state to reimburse the town $2,500 for the police expenses related to response to the frat party that was broken up at Schodack Island State Park over the weekend. [TU]

Tax breaks
+ Pyramid -- the owner of the Crossgates, and which is seeking tax breaks to build a new hotel there -- has gotten the fifth-highest amount of state and local tax breaks in New York State since 2002, according to a group that tracks such breaks. [TU+]
+ Espey Manufacturing and Electronics Corp. in Saratoga Springs is seeking tax breaks from the Saratoga County IDA for an expansion of its manufacturing plant. [Daily Gazette]
+ The tech company Kitware is seeking tax breaks from the Clifton Park Industrial Development Agency for a new headquarters. [Biz Review]

Clifton Park supervisor race
Former town official Dale Kelley is challenging incumbent Clifton Park supervisor Phil Barrett in the Republican primary -- it's the first time Barrett's been primaried in 18 years. [TU]

1 Monument Square
Mark Robarge on the proposed movie theater at 1 Monument Square: "Instead of an ode to modern architecture, the cineplex needs to maintain the historic character local officials have tried hard to protect." [Troy Record]

Pine Bush restoration or destruction?
Chris Churchill looks at the large-scale restoration efforts in the Pine Bush that have upset some neighbors. [TU+]

"I think it's a ghost."
The talk of Cambridge: Who -- or what -- was the child caught on a trail camera? [News10]

Stuff going on today

Some People Hear Thunder
Tuesday-Sunday: The musical Some People Hear Thunder opens at Capital Rep (it was in previews this past weekend). Blurbage:

Some People Hear Thunder is a powerful musical love story - an uplifting tale of a young reporter, his true love in America, and Armenians fighting for dignity and survival in the face of brutality. Set between 1914 and 1915, in New York and southern Turkey, in the midst of shocking historical events, Some People Hear Thunder comes to life through song, dance and beautiful storytelling.

It runs through May 21. Tuesday-Sunday various times -- $20 and up

Behind Enemy Lines
Tuesday: Marthe Cohn will be at Union to talk about her WWII memoir Behind Enemy Lines. Cohn, who's Jewish and was born in France, posed as a German nurse while working for the French military, gathering intelligence during the war. Tuesday 6 pm, Nott Memorial -- free

Chasing Trane
Tuesday: Proctors is showing Chasing Trane, a new documentary about John Coltrane. Tuesday various times -- $5

Nitty Gritty
Tuesday: The Nitty Gritty poetry slam series is back at The Low Beat. Tuesday 7 pm

Music: Catfish and The Bottlemen at Upstate Concert Hall
British rock. With: The Worn Flints. 8 pm -- $20 ahead / $23 day of

Music: Knox Hamilton at The Hollow
Pop dance rock. 8 pm -- $15