All Over Albany

Focus on training in Jay Street fire trial, Supreme Court unions case of particular interest in New York, concern about potential Albany middle school plan

Trial related to Jay St fire
During cross examination Monday, the attorney for defendant Kenneth Tyree worked to portray for the former Schenectady inspector as poorly trained and cast doubt on some of the claims made by his supervisor. Tyree's inspector testified that he told Tyree to call him if he ran into any issues or anything he didn't understand while inspecting 104 Jay St. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Percoco trial
The defense in the Joe Percoco trial rested Monday after just a handful witnesses -- and without Percoco testifying. [NYT]

Supreme Court unions case
The Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments Monday in Janus v AFSCME, which could affect public sector unions ability to collect fees from employees who don't belong to the union but are still represented by it. The case is of particular interest in New York State, which has more than 1 million unionized public employees across the various levels of government. How much the case could affect the power of unions in New York is a matter of debate. [NYT] [TU] [Politico NY]

Guns
+ Colonie police are asking for the public's help in identifying two men armed with guns who robbed a pizza shop early Monday morning. [News10]
+ Colonie police say they've made an arrest in the October burglary of a gun shop -- the suspect was already in custody for a unrelated case. [Daily Gazette]
+ The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office says a 14-year-old Corinth student has been charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, for allegedly texting a 13-year-old that he planned to shoot her and others at school. The sheriff's office says the student did not have a gun. [Daily Gazette] [WNYT]
+ Talking with a Shaker High School student organizer and the Albany school district superintendent about student walkouts as part of the national event protesting gun violence.[WNYT]
+ NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre Jr. was born in Schenectady and graduated from Siena. [Daily Gazette]
+ Chris Churchill on the Vermont governor's recent shift on guns. [TU]

Guilderland judge accused of theft
The state courts system has suspended Guilderland town justic Richard J. Sherwood following his arrest last week on charges that he and a financial advisor stole $4 million from family trusts. [TU]

Milton ethics
Milton's supervisor is calling for a third vote in an attempt to appoint a person to the town ethics board who critics say is politically connected. [TU]

Alleged sleeper creeper trial
The trial of the Saratoga County man accused of breaking into homes and watching people sleep may hinge on fingerprint evidence. [WNYT]

Albany school districts
Families in Arbor Hill say they're concerned about a possible plan to turn Arbor Hill Elementary School in a middle school. [TU]

Whispering Pines
A plan to building roughly 500 units of senior housing on the Whispering Pines golf course in Rotterdam has resurfaced. [Daily Gazette]

Kevin Meehan funeral
The funeral for Albany police detective Kevin Meehan, who died of cancer, is Tuesday morning at St. Mary's Church in downtown Albany. [TU]

Stuff going on today

UAlbany basektball
Tuesday: The UAlbany men close out their regular season with a game against Binghamton at SEFCU Arena. (They have an America East conference tournament game against Stony Brook at SEFCU Arena on Saturday.) Tuesday 7 pm -- $12

Dying to Vote
Tuesday: The League of Women Voters of Saratoga County "Making Democracy Work" series is back at Skidmore with talk from the Brennan Center's Chris Deluzio, "Dying to Vote in America: Countering Strategic Efforts to Suppress Voting Rights." Tuesday 6:30 pm, Palamountain Hall -- free

Booker T. Washington and Sojourner Truth
Tuesday: Albany City Hall is hosting a dramatic reading of monologues by Booker T. Washington and Sojourner Truth. "The monologues will showcase these two pioneer African-American leaders whose profound contributions to education, social justice and women's rights still impact American society today. Actors Donald Hyman and Penny Meacham bring these historic leaders to life in this revealing and dynamic dramatic portrait of their lives, revealing their strength and determination in spite of frequent conflicts and confrontations." Tuesday 5:30 pm -- free

Science on Tap: Opioid Crisis
Tuesday: The Science on Tap series will be at The Ruck in Troy for a talk from Dr. Tomoko Udo of the UAlbany School of Public Health about the opioid crisis in America. Tuesday 7 pm -- free admission

Schenectady Restaurant Week
Monday-Sunday: It's restaurant week in Schenectady -- 26 restaurants around the city (and just beyond) will be offering multi-course meals for $25. As with any restaurant week, reservations are a good idea.

Music: McCartney/Clapton: Concert for George (concert film) at Proctors
"On November 29, 2002, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Monty Python and a great many others performed at London's Royal Albert Hall in a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death." 7 pm -- $9 adults / $6 students and seniors