All Over Albany

Scrutiny of Albany absentee ballots, settlement in county jail death, potential path for convention center land development, $7 million for ASO

Scrutiny of absentee ballots in Albany
A group of forty current and former local elected officials is asking the state Board of Elections and the state Attorney General, and the Albany County DA to look into alleged "wrongful activity in the absentee ballot process" during this year's primary elections in the city and county of Albany. (See reporting by Amanda Fries last week about the allegations.) [TU x2]

Another gun store burglary
+ Colonie police say a gun store on Central Ave was burglarized early Sunday morning and the suspect took five handguns. It's the second gun store robbery in the region over the past week, following the burglary in Glenville. [TU] [News10] [Daily Gazette]
+ There's now a $15k reward offered for info leading to the arrest of two "persons of interest" in the Glenville case. [TU]

Settlement in Albany County jail death
A private medical contractor and Albany County have settled a lawsuit over the death of Troy man in the county jail in 2014 for almost $1.1 million -- a case in which a state commission that reviewed what happened determined the medical care provided to the man, who had suffered a stroke, was "so grossly inadequate ... it shocks the conscience." [TU]

Trial in the death of Noel Alkaramla
A state Supreme Court Justice has ruled that Rensselaer County prosecutors cannot use Google location services data in their case against Johnny Oquendo, accused of killing Noel Alkaramla in Troy and dumping her body in the Hudson River in a suitcase. [TU]

Chiropractor pleads guilty
The Albany chiropractor accused of sexual abuse of his patients has pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse. He faces six years of probation and the forfeiture of his license. [Albany County DA]

Tip jar theft
Albany police are looking for two women caught on camera stealing from Lark Street businesses. [News10]

Schenectady cold case
Talking with the man who had originally been accused of the death of Suzanne Nauman in Schenectady in 1995 -- a murder officials recently announced had been linked to a different person by DNA evidence. [Daily Gazette]

Medical examiners
There are just a few medical examiners who work in this area and they're overworked and nearing the end of their careers. [TU]

Excelsior College
A class action suit filed against Excelsior College alleges its associates degree nursing program defrauded students by not being upfront about what it would take to graduate from the program, prolonging their enrollment -- the college says the claims are without merit. [TU]

SCCC
Looking at SCCC's graduation rate, whichis among the lowest in the region for colleges of its type. [Daily Gazette]

Albany Common Council race
An overview of the nine general election Common Council elections that are being contest. [TU]

Schenectady City Council races
A look at the intra-party drama among Schenectady Democrats as it plays out in the upcoming city council election. [TU]

Former Albany convention center site
The Albany Convention Center Authority is moving in the direction of transferring the former the convention center land in downtown Albany -- AKA, "the parking lot district" -- to Capitalize Albany so it can be developed. Capitalize Albany president Sarah Reginelli says the org would take an approach similar to the one laid out by the recent consultants' report about developing the land. [TU] [Biz Review]

Starlite site
Debating the merits of $12 million in grants and tax breaks requested for the development of the Starlite site in Colonie. [Daily Gazette]

Farms
A look at a few firms and programs working to help young farmers afford to buy farms around the region. [TU]

$7 million for the symphony
The estate of Heinrich Medicus -- a former RPI professor -- has left $7 million to the Albany Symphony to be used as an endowment. (Medicus also left money to other local groups.) [TU]

Stuff going on today

Doug Wright
Monday: Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright will be at UAlbany as part of the NYS Writer Institute visiting writers series. He'll be reading from, and talking about, his work, which includes Quills and I Am My Own Wife. Monday 8 pm, Performing Arts Center -- free

David Brooks
Monday: New York Times columnist David Brooks will be at a Skidmore's Zankel Center for "an evening with" talk. Monday 7:30 pm -- free (ticket required)

"Confessions of a 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Soldier"
Monday: Journalist and Iraq War veteran Rob Smith will be at Siena to talk about his memoir Confessions of a Don't Ask, Don't Tell Soldier: How a Black, Gay Man Survived the Infantry, Coming Out, and the War in Iraq. A Q&A and meet-and-greet will follow. Monday 7 pm, Sarazen Student Union -- free

Constitutional Convention
Monday: There's a forum at the Albany Public Library Washington Ave branch to sort through the pros and cons of a state constitutional convention -- the question of whether to have one is on the ballot this November. Erika Lorshbough -- legislative counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union, which is very much against a convention -- will present the con side. Laura Bierman -- executive director of the League of Women Voters of New York State, which supports the idea -- will present the pro side. Monday 6 pm -- free