All Over Albany

Troy murder trial delayed over location tech evidence, Skelos conviction overturned , UAlbany as "an anchor institution for our community"

Trial in the death of Noel Alkaramla
The trial of Johnny Oquendo -- accused of killing Noel Alkaramla in Troy in 2015, putting her body in a suitcase, and dumping it in the Hudson River -- was set to start Tuesday, but it's been delayed until late October in order for the judge to hear arguments over the admissibility of mobile phone location data from a Google service. [Troy Record] [TU]

Crime
The FBI released crime statistics from its Uniform Crime Reporting program for 2016, and they indicate there was an uptick in violent crimes in the city of Albany compared to the previous two years. [FBI] [Daily Gazette]

Skelos conviction overturned
A federal appeals court has overturned the corruption convictions of former state Senate majority leader Dean Skelos and his son, Adam Skelos. [NYT]

Puerto Rico
+ A look at how elected officials in New York State and Florida -- Andrew Cuomo and Marc Rubio, specifically -- have been acting as Puerto Rico's de facto representatives in trying to focus attention on the need for aid on the hurricane-devastated island. [Politico NY]
+ Andrew Cuomo, presidential Twitter critic: "Tweet 'Let's all go volunteer and help Florida. Let's all go volunteer and help Texas.' Tweet 'Let's all make a donation to the people of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands because they are American citizens,' ... That would be a great tweet as President of the United States." [Spectrum]

Schenectady graduation incident
The man who was arrested by Schenectady police outside the Schenectady High School graduation ceremony at Proctors alleges in a lawsuit precursor filing that the officers grabbed him after he questioned their treatment of parent who wasn't being allowed into the ceremony. [Daily Gazette]

Troy police
Troy police sergeant Randall French -- who fatally shot Edson Thevenin during a traffic stop in 2016, an incident which is at the center of a dispute between the Rensselaer County DA and the state Attorney General over how it was reviewed -- has returned to active duty. [TU]

Child falls into septic tank pipe
The parents of a five year old say the boy fell into a septic tank pipe at the Crest Inn Cottages and Suites in Gansevoort last week, and they allege the tank's cover was securely affixed. the town of Wilton's building inspector said the property owners had been ordered to secure the tanks, and told News10, "Things happen slowly over there, it's just our nemesis." [TU] [News10]

Pot
The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office says it pulled 450 pot plants during sweeps of the county this month. [TU]

Albany tax break mistake
Albany's Board of Assessment Review held a hearing Monday to hear the case of property owners facing the possibility of losing the "485-a" property tax exemptions that the city's former tax assessor improperly granted -- an attorney for the developers of 27 Western Ave apartment conversion said the loss of the tax break could endanger the financing for the building. [Biz Review]

Albany mayoral primary
After the counting of affidavit ballots, it turns out the winner of the Green Party primary for Albany mayor is (unofficially) Bryan Jimenez. [TU]

SUNY Impact
There is a thing called SUNY Impact -- which was created to help promote programs that "expand access, drive completion, and prepare students for success" -- but it's ended up being used as part of a hurricane relief effort. [The Alt]

UAlbany
New UAlbany president Havidan Rodriguez at a Times Union event Monday: "We have to become an anchor institution for our community ... We can't be an Eiffel Tower standing out there." [TU]

Whitesboro seal
The village of Whitesboro has changed its seal -- though it still shows the wrestling match. (Maybe you remember the Daily Show segment about it last year.) [Spectrum]

Brain tech
A company opening a center at UAlbany's east campus says it will be using brain-to-computer interfaces to aid recovery of stroke patients. [TU]

Tall tales
Setting the record straight -- or, at least, somewhat straighter -- on a remarkable Times Union obit from two decades ago. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Sex With Strangers
Tuesday-Sunday: Capital Rep opens its new production, Sex With Strangers (it was in previews this past weekend). The production runs through October 15. Tuesday-Sunday various times -- $20 and up

"The Federal Assault on the Environment"
Tuesday: Former EPA regional administrator Judith Enck will be at Skidmore for a talk titled "The Federal Assault on the Environment." Tuesday 6:30 pm, Filene Auditorium -- free

48 Hudson
Tuesday and Thursday: Historic Albany Foundation has two talks at the Fort Orange General Store lined up this week about the archaeology of the site of 48 Hudson -- Albany's oldest building. A tour of the nearby 48 Hudson site will follow the talks. Part of the proceeds will go toward preserving the historic building. Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 pm -- $20

Science on Tap
Tuesday: The Science on Tap series is at Slidin' Dirty in Schenectady. This month's topic: "The Future of Entropy." Tuesday 7 pm -- free admission