Mechanicville police accuse mayor of boorish behavior, wilderness designations recommended for Boreas Ponds, counting Capital Center events
Complaints about Mechanicville mayor
Mechanicville police have filed a personnel complaint against against mayor Dennis Baker, accusing him of all sorts of intimidating, threatening, boorish, and generally cranky behavior. Among the specific allegations: Baker contaminated a potential crime scene, called police multiple times a day to report minor traffic violations (while sometimes following vehicles) as part of a campaign to get more tickets issued, and called an officer's transgender parent "disgusting, weird." [WNYT] [TU]
Guilty verdict in fatal stabbing
A jury found the man accused of fatally stabbing Marc Douglas on Grand Street in Albany last June guilty of second-degree murder. Richard Quinn -- who's 64 years old -- faces 25 years to life in prison at sentencing. Quinn had been picked up on probation violations in the months before the stabbing, but was allowed to remain free without bail. The Albany County DA's office is arguing that the case points to shortcomings in Andrew Cuomo's proposed bail reforms. [Spectrum] [TU] [Albany County DA]
Flu
Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order allowing pharmacists to issue flu shots to kids ages 2-18. The move was prompted by the strength of this year's flu season -- the number of lab-confirmed flu cases around the state continued to climb last week. [Cuomo admin] [NYS DOH]
Shooting in Albany
Albany police are investigating a case in which a call of shots fired on Livingston Ave came in around 6:30 pm Thursday and a man later walked into the hospital with a gunshot in his leg. [WNYT]
Percoco trial
Thursday at the Joe Percoco trial included more testimony from Andrew Cuomo's chief of staff and testimony from a state economic development official about the handling of matters with COR Development, a top Cuomo campaign donor. [TU]
North Greenbush supervisor ordered to pay restaurant tab
A Rensselaer City Court judge has ordered North Greenbush town supervisor Lou Desso to pay more than $6k to the owner of Moscatiello's after a dispute over whether Desso would pay for a political fundraiser there. [TU]
Parental rights of same-sex couples
A state appeals court issued a ruling that backs up the parental rights of a lesbian couple in a case involving a sperm donor who sought a genetic test in a bid to assert his claim as the father. [TU]
Boreas Ponds
The Adirondack Park Agency has recommended land classifications for the Boreas Ponds area that would add 20,000 acres to the High Peaks Wilderness -- and allow vehicle access within a quarter mile of the Boreas Ponds. [Daily Gazette]
Transit funding
Upstate transit leaders say that even as Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget represents a boost to the downstate MTA, it leaves upstate agencies behind. [Buffalo News]
Mead
The proposed Cuomo budget includes a provision for a "farm" meadery license similar the other farm craft beverage licenses. [TU]
State of Albany County
In his State of the County address Thursday, Dan McCoy pointed to an increase in the number of children needing foster care and proposed a task force to help them. [TU]
Rensselaer County exec SUV
Rensselaer County has bought a new $40k SUV for county exec Steve McLaughlin to use. [Troy Record]
Albany scholarship
The city of Albany is launching a workforce development scholarship that would offer up to $2,500 to city residents pursing a licensing or technical certification that leads to full-time employment. [TU]
Albany Capital Center
The Albany Capital Center hosted 139 events during its first -- just 27 of which were new to Albany County. [Biz Review]
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
from the Gazette article on Boreas:
"The proposed designations would essentially add another 20,000 acres of land to the High Peaks Wilderness, which is the state's largest wilderness area, comprising more than 200,000 acres."
-this is inaccurate; the proposal adds a wilderness designation to 11,000 acres, which will likely be added to the High Peaks Wilderness Area. The remainder cannot be added to HPWA because it is not being designated wilderness. May seem pedantic but it is a significant characterization of the proposal.
... said Ed on Jan 26, 2018 at 3:57 PM | link