All Over Albany

Police investigating Albany homicide, water leak alleged in Schenectady landslide, question Cuomo's claims, the queen of cookie sales

Albany homicide
Albany police say a 38-year-old man died after being shot multiple times near Clinton Street and Second Ave in the South End (map) Sunday afternoon. APD says it's investigating and asking anyone with info to call or provide an anonymous tip. It's Albany's second homicide of the year. [APD] [Spectrum] [TU]

NXIVM
Allison Mack -- the actress famous for her role on Smallville -- was indicted Friday along with NXIVM founder Keith Raniere on federal sex trafficking and forced labor charges. Federal prosecutors allege that Mack recruited women for what was described as a mentorship group but instead were sexually exploited. Mack had been previously listed as an unidentified co-conspirator. [US DOJ] [TU]

Schenectady landslide
In a notice of claim filed against the city of Schenectady, owners of a rental property on Nott Terrace allege that the city knew there was a water leak on the hillside above their property that was weakening hillside before the January landslide. The man was trapped in a residence by the landslide says he's been suffering from physical injuries and PTSD. [TU] [News10]

Opioids
+ To what extent do doctors bear blame for the rising tide of opioid addiction? [TU]
+ A profile of Project Safe Point, which distributes safe-injection items to drug users out of van in Albany. [TU]

Possible conversion therapy ban
The Albany County Legislature is considering a ban on "conversion therapy" for minors -- the backer of the legislation says the practice, which is said to turn gay people straight, is child abuse. [TU]

Division of Criminal Justice Services investigation
Brendan Lyons reports that the two women who were punished by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services following their testimony in a sexual harassment investigation have not yet been contact by Joint Commission on Public Ethics, even though Andrew Cuomo asked for a review of the case more than a month ago. [TU]

State Assembly reforms
Many of the reforms promised two years ago in the state Assembly still haven't happened. [TU]

102nd Assembly District
An overview of the candidates running in the special election Tuesday to succeed Pete Lopez in the 102nd state Assembly District. (The district wraps around the southwest corner of the Capital Region.) [Daily Gazette]

Retirement plans for the public, with the state's help
An overview of the retirement plan program for private employees that New York State is creating -- it's kind of like a 529 college savings program. [TU]

Fire at Scotia police chief's home
Police say it appears the fire that destroyed the Alplaus home of Scotia police chief Peter Frisoni was accidental. Frisoni on the community support that's been pouring in after the fire: "In my line of work, you never expect to need that kind of help. We obviously are tremendously grateful." [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Colonie traffic stop arrest
Apparently prompted by recent rash of armed robberies, Colonie police turned out in force with weapons drawn for a traffic stop on Albany Shaker Road Sunday. [TU]

Crash with cyclist in Albany
Albany police say a cyclist was injured in a crash at Beaver Street and South Pearl Street Friday afternoon. [TU]

Schenectady police body cameras
The Schenectady Police Department is moving toward testing officer body cameras this summer. [Daily Gazette]

Residency laws for municipal employees
The ongoing drama in Milton town politics is now taking up the question of whether there should be a residency requirement for a highway department job that's filled by a political ally of the supervisor. [TU]

Attendance
Following Schenectady school district efforts to get more students in school more often. [Daily Gazette]

Cuomo's claims
Casey Seiler on Andrew Cuomo's recent claims about the origin of a slur against Italian Americans and his own immigration status: "This is not exactly a big deal, but elected officials seeking to fight the multifarious fictions employed by racists should remember not to resort to fictions of their own, no matter how well-intentioned -- it undercuts the whole ethos thing." [TU]

Local coffee shops
Chris Churchill on the recent episode in which a Starbucks in Philadelphia called the cops on two African-American men for simply waiting for their friends: "If the boycotts and the May 29 training shutdown result in more customers for Bonobo, 3Fish, Stacks and others like them, all the better. In the long run, it's the little guys we need most." [TU]

Cookie queen
Talking with the 16-year-old queen of regional Girl Scout cookie sales. [Daily Gazette]

Stuff going on today

Three Stooges
Monday: The Three Stooges Film Festival makes its return to The Palace. It'll be showing a series of the slapstick shorts featuring Moe, Larry, Curly (and sometimes Shemp). Monday 7 pm -- $5

Sembène
Monday: The Sanctuary for Independent Media will be showing Sembène, a documentary about Ousmane Sembène -- "the African freedom fighter who used stories as his weapon and blazed the trail for generations of writers, filmmakers and scholars." The filmmakers will be there for a post-screening discussion. Monday 7 pm -- $10

Music: Carbon Leaf at The Hollow
Alt-country/celtic rock. 8 pm -- $16 ahead / $20 day of