All Over Albany

Sorting the 1 Monument Square situation, DA calling 1995 Schenectady murder solved, local company says Uber/Lyft have taken almost half of its taxi business

1 Monument Square
+ Talking with a bunch of interests in downtown Troy about how to move forward at the 1 Monument Square site. [The Alt]
+ Sam Judge, the Troy developer and property owner whose lawsuit apparently tripped up the movie theater project, to the Business Review: "The suggestion that the site is doomed or no other reputable developer will develop the site is preposterous." Judge also alleges that Steve Strichman, Troy's commissioner of planning and economic development, threatened the developer's ability to do business in the city if he didn't drop the legal action -- Strichman denies the allegation. [Biz Review x2]
+ Judge to Chris Churchill: "I couldn't in good conscience sit back and watch while parking problems went from bad to worse." [TU]
+ The Madden administration says it's considering options for Riverfront Park access at the 1 Monument Square site, along with staged development. [Troy Record]
+ Cohoes is now trying to make a play for the project -- its director of community and economic development says the city has three sites downtown in mind. [WNYT]

Schenectady murder cold case closed
Schenectady County DA Robert Carney announced Monday that his office has closed the case on the 1995 murder of Suzanne Nauman. The DA says an examination of DNA evidence suggests that the perpetrator was Stanislaw Maciag, who killed himself in prison in 1997. State and city investigators were prompted to look at Maciag's potential involvement by a Daily Gazette editorial that noted the parallels of Nauman's murder to another case. [TU] [Spectrum] [Daily Gazette]

Schenectady police oversight
The state's highest court ruled Tuesday that Schenectady's public safety commissioner does have the authority discipline police officers. [Daily Gazette]

UAlbany hazing death trial
One of the men charged with misdemeanor hazing in the 2014 death of a UAlbany student was found not guilty by an Albany city court jury last week. [TU]

Albany budget
A bunch of non-union Albany city employees would receive raises beyond 2 percent in the proposed city budget. The first public hearing on the budget Monday night was lightly attended. [TU] [@mandy_fries]

Saratoga Springs parking garage fight
The owners of the Mouzon House have won the latest round in the fight over a downtown Saratoga Springs parking garage -- though there are more rounds to come. [TU]

Niskayuna political campaign spat
Republican candidates for Niskayuna town offices are upset about a flyer that links them -- and the Republican Party generally -- to Alex Jones, Steve Bannon, and Rush Limbaugh. The Niskayuna Democratic Committee argues that town Republicans have been sharing articles from Breitbart, Limbaugh, and Jones on its Facebook page, so the association is fair game. [News10] [Daily Gazette]

Taxis
Advantage Transit Group says Uber and Lyft have taken 40-50 percent of the company's taxi business here. [Biz Review]

Starlite project
It turns out the numbers cited in the Capital Region REDC progress report for the proposed redevelopment of the Starlite site in Colonie overstated things a bit. [TU]

Cohoes traffic
Shawn Morse says there will be a "saturation period" of police patrols on Van Schaick Island to respond to resident complaints about speeding and other traffic safety issues. [Troy Record]

Vroman's Nose
The volunteer group that owns and manages Vroman's Nose is donating the land to the state. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Troy Small Business Summit
Tuesday: The Troy Small Business Summit returns to the Tech Valley Center of Gravity. The event includes talks and breakout sessions about various aspects of running a business, with speakers from many local businesses and orgs. Tuesday 10 am-4:30 pm -- free (registration required)

Ten Thousand Women Descend on Albany
Tuesday: The Brainfood for the Curious series of short lunchtime talks starts up again at the State Museum with "Ten Thousand Women Descend on Albany: The 40th Anniversary of the NYS Women's Meeting." Tuesday 12:10-12:30 pm, Huxley Theater -- free

Claire Messud
Tuesday: Author Claire Messud will be at UAlbany as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. She'll be talking about her new novel. "The Burning Girl (2017) [is] the story of two girlhood best friends as they navigate adolescence, divergent lives, and painful adult realities." Tuesday 8 pm, Campus Center -- free

Luba Lukova
Tuesday: Designer Luba Lukova will be at the Opalka Gallery on the Sage Albany campus for a talk organized by AIGA Upstate New York. "Internationally recognized, New York-based Luba Lukova is regarded as one of the most original image-makers working today. She creates arguably some of the most iconic and indelible imagery in the realm of contemporary poster design." Tuesday 6:30 pm -- $20 / free for students with ID

150 years of the Albany Fire Department
Tuesday: Albany city historian Tony Opalka will be at the Albany Public Library's Washington Ave branch for a talk about the 150th anniversary of the Albany Fire Department. "Hear about some of Albany's fascinating historic fires and the havoc they wreaked on Albany's buildings, citizens, and firemen." Tuesday 5:30 pm -- free

Nitty Gritty
Tuesday: The Nitty Gritty poetry slam is back at The Low Beat. 7 pm

Music: The Wailers at Cohoes Music Hall
Remaining members of Bob Marley's band. With: Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets. 8 pm -- $27 and up