All Over Albany

Rush to finish state budget, allegations of bullying around Albany Med nurse unionization, sheriff proposes that deputies train pistol permit applicants, Church of Holy Innocents status

State budget
As of Friday morning there was still no overall deal on a state budget as leaders try to get things nailed down before the start of the religious holidays and the start of the new fiscal year. Though the state legislature continued the tradition of passing bills in the middle of the night. A look at a few of the sticking points, which sometimes come down to individual members. [Democrat & Chronicle] [State of Politics] [Politico NY]

Nurse unionization at Albany Med
The Cuomo admin announced Thursday that the state Department of Labor will be investigating alleged "threatening and coercive behavior" at Albany Med being used against the campaign to unionized nurses there. Albany Med, in a statement to the Times Union, countered that it has "received numerous reports of our nurses who intend to vote no being subjected to intimidation and bullying by union supporters." [Cuomo admin] [TU]

Race for governor
+ Major unions around New York issued statements criticizing Cynthia Nixon after she made comments about the cost of tax breaks for film and TV production and subway construction. [Politico NY]
+ Looking at the role of female voters in the Democratic primary, and whether Nixon can gain an advantage with them. [Politico NY]

Guns
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple is proposing that people applying for pistol permits be required to take a class with sheriff's deputies that would cover use, handling, and storage of the gun. [WNYT]

Hudson River PCB dredging
The EPA's regional administrator says its review of the Hudson River PCB dredging project is paused while it reviews data gathered by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. (EPA and DEC have been at odds on assessments of the success of the dredging project.) [Daily Gazette]

Schenectady city deficit
The city of Schenectady ended 2017 with a $1.68 million shortfall, in part, officials say, because of lower than expected revenue from the casino. [TU]

Gun allegedly fired in Albany domestic case
Albany police say a man has been arrested after he allegedly fired a gun at a woman and grabbed her by the throat during an early morning domestic incident in a home on Hamilton Street in the Hudson/Park neighborhood. [APD]

Not guilty plea for Schenectady councilman
Schenectady city councilman John Mootooveren pleaded not guilty to the harassment charge connected to an incident in Mont Pleasant bar in January. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Former Albany Common Council candidate charged
Former Albany Common Council candidate Joanne Genovese has been charged with stalking for allegedly opening her former husband's car and taking pictures of its contents. [TU]

Schenectady school district
The Schenectady school board voted to remove the city residency requirement for superintendent. [Daily Gazette]

Hungry Hollow
The owners of the Hungry Hollow -- the cafe in the Sheridan Hollow redevelopment that's closing this week after roughly a year -- tell Steve Barnes they blame a lack of daytime parking for the business failure. [TU]

Church of Holy Innocents
Checking in on what's up with the plan for some sort of redevelopment of the former Church of Holy Innocents in Albany. [TU]

Zombie homes
A collaboration between the Capital Region Land Bank and Habitat for Humanity of Schenectady County has sold its first home, a former zombie property. [Daily Gazette]

Solar
A look at the growing number of community solar farms around the region. [TU]

UAlbany smoking
UAlbany is considering a complete ban on smoking on its campus. [ASP]

Hoops
+ The two best players on UAlbany's men's basketball team are transferring. [WNYT]
+ Darius Bazley, the highest-rated Syracuse men's basketball recruit in a decade, announced Thursday he's skipping college to play in the NBA's minor league. [Syracuse.com]

Stuff going on

Be sure to check the stuff-to-do list for the weekend.