All Over Albany

Lawsuit over Albany wrongful imprisonment, questions about inspector's whereabouts in Jay Street fire case, proposal to redevelop Playdium site

Lawsuit over Albany wrongful imprisonment
Two men wrongfully convicted of an Albany murder -- and who spent almost two decades in prison as a result -- are suing the city of Albany a group of former Albany police detectives alleging police used fabricated evidence and coercion to get incriminating statements. [TU]

Jay Street fire
Investigators have street surveillance video that allegedly shows Schenectady city code inspector Kenneth Tyree at a different location for some of the time that he's said he was at the inspection for 104 Jay Street -- and at a pre-trial hearing Thursday an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives testified that Tyree told him didn't have an explanation. Tyree faces multiple charges related to the inspection of the Jay Street building and the fatal fire there. [Daily Gazette]

Watervliet firefighter and police officer facing possible discipline
A Watervliet firefighter and police officer are both facing possible disciplinary action -- and the firefighter a harassment charge -- after an incident involving a third man outside a Stewart's that allegedly involved a thrown cup of hot coffee. The third man tells News10 the dispute is a tangent (via Facebook) of the situation surrounding former Watervliet police officer Joshua Spratt. [Troy Record] [TU] [News10]

SUNY tuition
The SUNY board of trustees approved tuition increases for community colleges and four-year schools. [TU]

Thruway tolls
It sounds like "cashless," automatic toll plazas -- like the ones in spots downstate -- are still a ways off for upstate because of cost. [TU]

Charter
The state Public Service Commission hit Charter with a $13 million penalty for not expanding its broadband network to "un-served and under-served customers at the pace it committed" as part of the merger with Time Warner Cable. [TU]

Shared services
The Cuomo admin has been prompting local governments to created shared services plans, and Albany County's is projected to save $9.7 million over several years. (The county's total annual budget for 2017 was $654 million.) [TU]

Guilty plea in marketing company fraud case
The bookkeeper accused of stealing more than $800k from the downtown Albany marketing firm Zone 5 pleaded guilty to charges that include grand larceny, tax fraud, and forgery. [TU] [Albany County DA]

Relocation
A large Seattle-based company is setting up a second headquarters in Menands that could include 1,000 more jobs. (No, not that company.) [TU]

Albany school board
A profile of Tabetha Wilson, who was appointed to the Albany school board this week. [TU]

Schenectady Today
The cable access program Schenectady Today is approaching 1,000 episodes. [TU]

Playdium
There's a proposed plan to turn the Playdium site in Albany into apartments. (It's on the planning board agenda for next Tuesday.) [WNYT]