All Over Albany

Sentencing in Mechanicville driveway murder, Car crashes into Schenectady porch, Cuomo signs order to grant voting rights to parolees, more student gun protests planned

Teens sentenced in Mechanicville murder
The 17 year old and 20 year old who admitted to robbing and fatally shooting a Mechanicville man last summer, were sentenced to 18 years to life and 20 years to life respectively. At the sentencing, Judge James Murphy called Nikolai Mavashev diabolical for plotting the murder of 19-year-old David Feliciano. [Spectrum][Saratogian][TU]

Sentencing in death of teen
Nineteen-year-old Christopher Miranda was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for the death of 16-year-old Zachery Brown, struck and killed on a Saratoga County roadside last year, driving at speeds of up to 104 miles per hour. [News 10]

Car crashes into yards, home and hydrant
A car crashed into the porch of a Schenectady home on Albany Street early Thursday morning, hitting three yards, a fire hydrant and flipping an SUV in its path. The driver and two passengers were taken to the hospital for treatment. [Spectrum][TU][Gazette]

Cuomo wants voting rights for parolees
Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order on Wednesday that could grant voting rights to 35,000 parolees. The move would not change the current law, but sidestep it, allowing him to consider pardons for all 35,000 current parolees and new felons who enter the parole system.
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan slammed the plan, saying it would "allow rapists and murderers to be given voting privileges that they don't deserve and they shouldn't have."[TU][NYT][Politico]

Albany shooting
A 22-year-old-man is recovering after being shot in the leg at Myrtle and Phillips streets in the city at around 10 am on Wednesday. [WNYT]

Colonie business where man died faced violations
The Times Union reports that the owner of a Colonie business where a man died earlier this month had wracked up numerous citations and been brought to court for junk vehicles and improperly stored debris. [TU]

Killer's father sentenced in drug case
The father of a Schenectady man serving time for murder has been sentenced to 15 months in prison in a federal drug case. [Gazette]

Holocaust memorial
Making the case for the proposed Niskayuna Holocaust memorial in a time when the Holocaust is fading from memory. [TU]

Ballston votes down controversial sewer line
Ballston residents voted down a controversial $15.8 million sewer line that would have required every resident to hook into it, at a cost of more than $10,000 per household. [TU]

The price of lobbying governments
A JCOPE report shows more than $240 million was spent on lobbying state and local governments last year. [TU]

Special election candidates
A look at where the candidates in Tuesday's special election for the state Assembly stand on the issues.
[TU]

Holocaust memorial
Making the case for the proposed Niskayuna Holocaust memorial in a time when the Holocaust is fading from memory. [TU]

Kaloyeros and plagiarism
Old allegations of plagiarism are once again being raised against Alain Kaloyeros as he prepares to battle bid rigging charges. [TU]

Schneiderman wants to overrule Trump pardons
Eric Schneiderman is seeking power for state and local prosecutors to bring criminal charges against aides to Donald Trump who have been pardoned.
[NYT]

Rick Pitino and Siena
Rick Pitino on whether Siena should reach out to him about a coaching job : " It's in Siena's best interest to find someone else."[TU]

Bon-Ton stores closing
Bon-Ton has announced it is going out of business after 160 years.[TU]

Student gun protests
Schenectady High School students will bus to Niskayuna High School on Friday to take part in a walkout and gun control rally. [Gazette]

Drivers Licenses for immigrants
State lawmakers and advocates for immigrant communities rallied at the Capitol on Wednesday to push to allow drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants in New York State. [Spectrum]

Missing cat reunited with owner
The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society reunited a cat who had been missing for 6 years, with its owner. [TU]

200 years of Wilton
The town of Wilton is celebrating its bicentennial. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Wordfest

Today-Sunday: Albany Word Fest returns at locations around the area. It is an annual celebration of poetry and spoken word. This year's festival includes readings, performances, and a regional poetry slam. And there will also be a 24-hour Readings Against the End of the World event. Monday-Sunday various places and times

Stage

Blithe Spirit
Today-Sunday: Capital Repertory Theatre continues its production of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit. "One highly spirited wife is fun - but two is fertile ground for this smash comedy hit of the London and Broadway stages from the witty pen of Noël Coward. Meet cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, re-married to Ruth but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who has been conjured up by a visiting 'happy medium,' one Madame Arcati." The production runs through May 6. Tuesday-Sunday various times -- $20 and up

Film

YouthFX
Thursday: The award-winning YouthFX program will be screening its 2018 lineup of films from young filmmakers at the Spectrum. The filmmakers will be there for a Q&A after the screening. Thursday 7 pm -- $10 / $8 students

The Last Pig
Thursday: HVCC is hosting a screening of The Last Pig. "Immersive, experiential, with sparse inner reflections, the film follows a pig farmer through his final season of slaughtering pigs." A panel discussion will follow. Thursday 7 pm, Bulmer Telecommunications Center Auditorium -- free

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
Thursday: The It Came From Schenectady series at Proctors is screening the Japanese film Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41. Thursday 7 pm -- $9 / $6 students and seniors

Salman Rushdie
Thursday: Salman Rushdie makes his long-awaited* NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series appearance at UAlbany. "Rushdie's new novel is The New York Times bestseller, The Golden House (2017), a parable of contemporary America set against the backdrop of current American culture and politics." *Rushdie was scheduled for a NYSWI appearance in 1989, but it was cancelled after he went into hiding following the fatwa issued against him by the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini over his novel The Satanic Verses. Thursday 7:30 pm, Page Hall on the downtown campus -- free

Chris Gibson
Thursday: Former Congressman Chris Gibson will be at Northshire Saratoga to talk about this book Rally Point: Five Tasks to Unite the Country and Revitalize the American Dream. Thursday 6 pm -- free, but reservation required

Gabriel Iglesias

Thursday: Comedian Gabriel Iglesias will be at The Palace for a stand-up show. "Gabriel's stand-up comedy is a mixture of storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects that bring his personal experiences to life. His unique and animated comedy style has made him popular among fans of all ages." Thursday 8 pm -- $58 and up

Music

Thursday: Steven Wilson at The Egg
From Porcupine Tree. 8 pm -- $35 and up

Thursday: Kim Richey at The Linda
Singer/songwriter. With: Jackie Bristow. 8 pm -- $20

Thursday: Darden Smith
Singer/songwriter. 7 pm -- $22

Thursday: The Cadillac Three at Upstate Concert Hall
Southern rock. With: Sam Grow. 8 pm -- $18 ahead / $20 day of