All Over Albany

Watchdogs dismayed by Silver conviction being overturned, Colonie murder-suicide investigation closed, new housing construction in Schenectady

Reaction to Sheldon Silver conviction overturned
+ Good government groups and public ethics advocates were dismayed by Sheldon Silver's conviction being overturned by a federal appeals court, and fear his case is now evidence there's a legal open window for public officials to enrich themselves via corruption. [Politico NY] [NYT]
+ Local state Assembly member Carrie Woerner, a Democrat, on corruption and the earlier Supreme Court decision that paved the way for Silver's conviction to be overturned: "If it looks like a carrot and smells like a carrot and tastes like a carrot, it's probably a carrot." [TU]
+ Susan Lerner of Common Cause New York: "Sheldon Silver is absolutely guilty of corrupting his office and violating the public trust." [Daily Gazette]
+ Joe Bruno says he's "very happy" for Sheldon Silver. [Spectrum]

Colonie murder-suicide case closed
State Police have closed the investigation into the incident in which Colonie police officer Israel Roman killed his wife, one of their sons, set their home on fire, and then killed himself -- NYSP says it wasn't able to determine a motive. [TU]

1 Monument Square
The developers planning to build a movie theater complex at 1 Monument Square will be seeking tax breaks for the project. [Biz Review]

Animals seized
The Albany County Sheriff's Office says an anonymous tip led to the discovery of more than a hundred animals living in deplorable conditions on a farm in Westerlo. The owner has been charged with failure to provide sustenance. [WNYT] [TU]

Doctor pleads guilty
A podiatrist with offices in Albany and Hudson has pleaded guilty to having Medicare and private insurance plans foot the bill for services he didn't provide. He also paid $410k to the federal government. He still faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing. [News10] [US DOJ]

Albany schools
The Albany school board formally approved the hiring of Kaweeda Adams as the district's new superintendent. But the public comment portion of the meeting included continued questions about why the board didn't select interim superintendent Kimberly Wilkins. [WNYT] [TU]

Discrimination alleged in hiring of city of Albany job
Albany County legislator Merton Simpson has filed complaints alleging he was passed over for a fair housing job with the city of Albany because of racial discrimination -- a city official says the job was offered to a different African-American man who declined it, and the city is now looking at combining the job with a county position. [TU]

New housing construction in Schenectady
The project building 15 new row houses on Barrett Street near Union College in Schenectady has officially broken ground. It's backed by an unusual mix of investors and banks, including the Daily Gazette. [Daily Gazette] [Biz Review]

"What a story his life has been."
Robert Grodt, who had been a Capital Region resident, was killed recently in Syria where he was working as a medic for a Kurdish militia fighting against ISIS. [TU]

"She impressed me as being wise beyond her years"
Remembering Kelsey Kittleson, a 16 year old from Averill Park who recently died from brain cancer and who had been recognized for her volunteer work. [TU]