All Over Albany

Albany rally responds to events in Charlottesville, Sheehan leads in Democratic primary poll, from prison to small business owner

Rally against racism
Hundreds of people gathered in Albany's Townsend Park Sunday to rally against racism and white supremacy following the recent events in Charlottesville. The event was backed by multiple political, labor, and faith organizations. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Milton town supervisor complaint
Brendan Lyons: "The town of Milton took extraordinary steps to conceal the details of a 2016 harassment complaint filed against the town's supervisor, Daniel P. Lewza, who has publicly denied that
he was the target of the incendiary allegations made by his former secretary." [TU]

Albany mayoral election
+ In a new Siena poll, 50 percent of respondents said they would vote for Kathy Sheehan if the Democratic primary was held today (the poll was conducted August 2-7) -- 20 percent said they'd vote for Frank Commisso Jr and 13 percent for Carolyn McLaughlin. [Siena SRI]
+ Sheehan skipped a candidates forum with the union that represents the city's blue collar workers on Saturday -- her campaign manager said the union had already aligned itself with Commisso. [TU]
+ Sheehan loaned her campaign $162k in July, according to the latest filings with the state Board of Elections. [The Alt]
+ Chris Churchill offered some advice for Commisso about how to respond to stories like the recent TU story about public officials and unpaid parking tickets. (Commisso called it a "blatant hit job" on Twitter.) [TU x2] [@FrankCommisso15]

April 2016 fatal shooting by Troy police
A state Supreme Court justice has dismissed the petition by Rensselaer County DA Joel Abelove that challenged the right of the state Attorney General to review cases in which police kill unarmed civilians. The office of AG Eric Schneiderman has been looking into the details surrounding Abelove's handling of the the April 2106 in which Troy police fatally shot Edson Thevenin. [TU]

Climate change
A new report issued by the operator of the New York's power grid moves one step toward the state pricing carbon emissions. [Politico NY]

Albany County nepotism rules
Republicans in the Albany County Legislature are pushing to put a charter change up for a public vote that would bar the hiring of elected officials' relatives for non-civil service county positions. [TU]

Free SUNY tuition
The number of transfer applications at UAlbany made an unusually large jump this year, which an officials say is probably related to the new free SUNY tuition program. [TU]

State regulations
A look at the state regulations and fees faced by a small bartending school in Troy -- the owner says the licensing fees are "insane." [Troy Record]

Troy politics
The latest Troy political spat: Mayor Patrick Madden and council president Carmella Mantello are fighting over the condition of greens at the city golf course. [Troy Record]

Erie Boulevard reconstruction
The owner of Morette's on the big reconstruction project that's torn up Erie Boulevard in Schenectady, to the Daily Gazette: "It's crushing us, it's absolutely crushing us." [Daily Gazette]

Albany demolitions
The city of Albany moved to knock down three buildings in the South End said to be in imminent danger of collapse after inspections. [TU]

Saratoga Race Course season
At the halfway point of the season, the amount bet on races at the Saratoga Race Course is up 11 percent compared to last year and attendance at the track is essentially flat. [Daily Gazette]

Warehouse District
That old warehouse building that's now offices on Broadway in the same strip as Wolff's sold for $2.4 million. [Biz Review]

"I believe that when I went to prison, I allowed someone else to dictate my growth."
A profile how the owner of Tech Valley Hospitality worked his way from serving time in prison to becoming a small business owner. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Bites Camera Action
Monday: The film/food truck series Bites Camera Action will be showing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Albany's Tricentennial Park, along with music by Victory Soul Orchestra. Monday music 5-8 pm, movie at 8:30 pm -- free admission

Angels in America
Monday: The Spectrum is showing the National Theatre production of Angels in America: Part 1, starring Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane. Monday 7 pm

The Track
It's the fourth full week of the new season at the Saratoga Race Course. (And, of course, there is no racing on Tuesday.)