All Over Albany

Arrests but still few details about Troy quadruple homicide, inaugurations for local leaders, minimum wage increase and start for paid family leave

Troy quadruple homicide
+ Two Schenectady men were arraigned Saturday on charges related to the killings of Shanta Myers, Brandi Mells, Shanise Myers, and Jeremiah Myers in Lansingburgh. The men -- 38-year-old James W. White and 24-year-old Justin C. Mann -- were charged with one count of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder. [WNYT] [Troy Record]
+ Law enforcement officials have continued to keep back many details of the investigation, including what led them to the two men or what the motive might be. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
+ The director of the City Mission in Schenectady told the Times Union that James White had been banned from the shelter several months ago because of his behavior. [TU]
+ A fundraising campaign for the Myers family has now raised more than $40,000. [TU]

Local inaugurations
+ Steve McLaughlin vowed to fight for Rensselaer County at his swearing in as county exec. (The state Assembly staffer who had alleged that McLaughlin had physically harmed her during an argument has also alleged she had been pressured to retract her accusation.) [TU x2]
+ New Saratoga Springs mayor Meg Kelly says one of the first issues she's focused on is parking. Here's a profile of Kelly, whose was once a golf professional. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
+ New Niskayuna supervisor Yasmine Syed said at her swearing in she's focused on bipartisanship and lowering taxes. [Daily Gazette]
+ At the start of her second term, Kathy Sheehan focused on a goal of providing improvements in neighborhoods across the city. [TU]

Governor's race
"A source with direct knowledge of his decision" tells NYDN that Republican Harry Wilson has decided to not run for governor. He was thought to be one of the GOP's strongest challengers to Andrew Cuomo. [NYDN] [TU]

Minimum wage and paid family leave
+ The minimum wage upstate is now $10.40 per hour. [NYS DOL]
+ And the state's new paid family leave law took effect January 1. [TU]

A different path for school discipline
A look at how Schenectady schools are using a process called diversion as alternative to suspension -- it's aimed providing kids counseling and mental health services. [Daily Gazette]

Police data analysis
A profile of some of the data analysis the Schenectady Police Department uses for predictive analytics that's focused on locations and individual people. [TU]

Rally outside Executive Mansion
On Monday activists from the South End and Sheridan Hollow rallied outside the Executive Mansion to call attention to education funding and environmental issues in the neighborhoods. [WNYT]

Capital City Rescue Mission
A look at the new housing for families that Capital City Rescue Mission has been working on in Albany's South End. [TU]

Schenectady community center
Organizers are continuing the push to open the Carver Community Center in Schenectady's Hamilton Hill neighborhood. [Daily Gazette]

Three lives
With the end of 2017, Chris Churchill remembered three people who passed away and who "let their light shine bright so the rest of us can see." [TU]

Where is the water going?
A mystery: Why is Moreau Lake shrinking? [TU]