All Over Albany

Opioid epidemic prompts counties to target drug companies, focus on combined sewer overflows, Central Warehouse contract off

Opioids
The Albany County Legislature has put its support behind a push for the county to recover damages from pharmaceutical companies related to the opioid addiction epidemic. Albany County is joining other counties a lawsuit. [TU] [WNYT] [Spectrum]

Sewage in the Hudson
Troy mayor Patrick Madden pushed back on the characterization of the large combined sewer overflow that sent sewage in to the Hudson River in recent weeks as a "spill," instead calling it a "discharge" and focusing attention on the infrastructure problem that caused it. Albany had a similar event last week -- and both cities failed to report to the DEC in the required timeframe. The DEC says it's investigating the situation. [Madden admin] [TU] [Spectrum] [New York Law Journal]

(Combined sewer overflows -- in which the old sewer systems that handle both storm water and sewage together become overwhelmed -- are a longrunning problem, and there's a 15-year plan in place among the communities of the "Albany Pool" to address the issue.)

Shooting in Troy
Troy police say one person was taken to the hospital following gunfire around 11 pm in North Central. [News10]

Albany arson arrest
Albany police say they arrested a man for allegedly setting fire to a home on Providence Street Saturday morning. They also allege the man doused a rabbit in gasoline (the rabbit was otherwise unharmed). The arrest report alleges that it was a "reasonable possibility" the man knew his ex-girlfriend would be in the home at the time. [APD] [TU] [News10]

Alleged Schenectady contract killing
Schenectady police have made a third arrest in the case of the alleged contract killing in November. [Daily Gazette]

Death in Washington Park
Albany police say they found a woman unresponsive in Washington Park early last Friday morning -- later pronounced dead -- and it's found no signs of foul play. [TU]

Schenectady police settlement
The Schenectady City Council has approved a settlement that will pay two people bitten by a police dog in 2015 $8,000 each. [Daily Gazette]

Troy schools
The Troy school district superintendent is getting a raise to almost $198k, making him the third highest-paid superintendent in the Capital Region. [TU]

Albany schools
Andrew Cuomo has signed the bill that moves the election day for Albany school board positions to May. [TU]

1 Monument Square
The plan for the marquee for the proposed movie theater at 1 Monument Square in Troy is going before the city's zoning board of appeals. [TU]

Lark Tattoo
Chris Churchill on the Lark Tattoo uproar: "The truth is that nobody can defend themselves against anonymous online claims and conspiracies, right or wrong. Anybody could be next." [TU+]

Andrew Cuomo for president?
Sara Foss: "Nobody I know is excited about Cuomo 2020, but it takes more than a lack of enthusiasm to kill off bad ideas." [Daily Gazette]

Central Warehouse
The credit union that owns Central Warehouse says the contract to buy the hulking building in downtown Albany has fallen through. [Biz Review]