All Over Albany

New York reaction to Republican tax plan, ICE arrest in Saratoga Springs, Rensselaer County exec debate, which jobs after learning to code?

Republican tax plan
Two provisions of the tax plan unveiled by House Republicans Thursday that will be get a lot of attention in here in New York: the elimination of the deduction for state and local taxes, and the capping of the property tax, and the capping of the mortgage interest deduction for newly purchased homes at $500k and property taxes at $10k. [NYT]

Reaction clips:
+ Elise Stefanik: "I will be working with my colleagues in the New York delegation to improve this plan to provide real tax relief for New Yorkers and to address the issue of state and local tax deductions." [Stefanik office]
+ John Faso: "I remain concerned about the elimination of the deduction for state income taxes and will continue to advocate for such a policy and ensure this plan works for New York middle class families." [Faso office]
+ Paul Tonko: ""While I am just beginning to analyze this 429-page tax bill, it is already clear that this would be a massive giveaway to corporations and the wealthiest families at the expense of America's middle-class and working families who haven't gotten a real raise in decades." [Daily Gazette]
+ Andrew Cuomo: "It affects about 12 states the hardest. All 12 states happen to be states that are so-called blue states. And not that I'm going to succumb to the conspiracy theory, but it's a heck of a coincidence." [Cuomo admin]

Trial in the death of Noel Alkaramla
Thursday included testimony from two prosecution witnesses -- and, a described by Geoff Redick, a "chaotic string of objections, private discussions, and long breaks away from the jury." [Troy Record] [Spectrum]

ICE arrest outside Saratoga Springs court
Immigration and Customs Enforcement made another arrest in Saratoga Springs Thursday, this time outside city court after a 21-year-old man from Mexico had his DWI charge reduced to traffic violation. [TU]

Rensselaer County exec election
During a television debated between Steve McLaughlin and Andrea Smyth Thursday, Smyth went after McLaughlin for his treatment of a staffer in that leaked conversation audio -- and McLaughlin criticized Smyth for bringing it up after she'd previously said she wouldn't focus on the recording. Other topics: drinking water safety, the SAFE Act, and Medicaid costs. [TU] [Spectrum]

Saratoga Springs charter
Three Saratoga Springs commissioners alleged Thursday that the push to switch the city's form of government away from the commissioner system is "being facilitated by deep pockets with special interest money." A member of pro-switch group pushed back, alleging the status quo effort is backed by a "few elite individuals" trying to maintain their influence. [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]

Schenectady City Council
Among the signs of the split between factions of Democrats on the Schenectady City Council: The is-it-or-is-it-not-a-caucus dinner get togethers that four council members have after meetings. [TU]

Troy police raise
The Troy City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve the new contract with police officers that includes a two-percent raise. [WNYT]

Lead in school water
Charting the progress -- and lack of progress -- by local school districts to remediate water faucets found to have levels of lead above limits. [Daily Gazette]

Casinos
Sara Foss in calling for a review why casino revenue has lagged projections, even in the facilities are generating tax revenue: "I would argue that it does matter -- that it's worth understanding why those projections were inflated and what the failure to hit those targets might mean long-term." [Daily Gazette]

Albany Can Code
Checking in on who's been taking the Albany Can Code classes -- and what sorts of jobs they've ended up with after them. [Biz Review]