All Over Albany

Special elections today for local Assembly seats, holes in plastic bag ban, conviction in Troy stabbing death, touring the restaurant barge that's up for auction

Special elections
+ There are special elections today for the 102nd state Assembly District (which wraps around the southwestern part of the Capital Region) and the 107th state Assembly District (which includes most of Rensselaer County). Polls are open until 9 pm. Don't know where to vote? Check with the state Board of Elections or your county board of elections site. [TU]
+ A look at some of the security measures in place for voting machines and other election processes. [TU]

Proposed plastic bag ban
+ Environmental orgs say the Cuomo admin's proposed plastic shopping bag ban doesn't go far enough. And its fate in the state legislature isn't clear, in part because of a key swing vote in the state Senate. [Daily Gazette] [NYT]
+ Cynthia Nixon was in Albany Monday for the climate march -- just about the same time the Cuomo admin announced the plan. Chris Churchill commented that the bag ban is an example of Cuomo's "great Cynthia Nixon freak-out." [Spectrum] [TU x]

Conviction in Troy stabbing death
A Rensselaer County Court jury found the man accused of fatally stabbing 46-year-old Leonard Ellis guilty of manslaughter. He faces at least 20 years to life because of prior felony offenses. [TU] [Troy Record]

Arrests in Colonie armed robberies case
The three people arrested during the large police response at a traffic stop on Albany Shaker Road Sunday are facing charges related to a recent string of armed robberies in Colonie. [TU] [Spectrum]

Saratoga County domestic shooting
At a bail hearing Monday, the prosecution said woman shot in the head in Greenfield Center -- allegedly by her boyfriend -- has lost an eye and suffered multiple facial fractures. [Daily Gazette]

Orange Motors lawsuit
The former owners of Orange Motors are suing their longtime general manager over $700k they allege turned up missing during an a review for the sale of the dealership. [TU]

Recovery Sports Grill harassment lawsuit
A former employee of the Rotterdam Sports Grill has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was sexually harassed and then suffered retaliation after reporting it. [Biz Review]

Bullying
Sara Foss on an anti-bullying policy for city of Schenectady employees: "Frankly, it's hard to see what harm could possibly come from an anti-bullying policy. Unless you're a bully, that is." [Daily Gazette]

Property taxes
Schenectady and Niskayuna top the local property tax charts in the latest list published by the Empire Center. [Daily Gazette] [Empire Center]

Saratoga Springs charter
How the fight over the Saratoga Springs charter has intersected with state freedom of information law. [TU]

Leonard Hospital site
What's up with the progress -- or lack there of -- at the Leonard Hospital site in Troy. [Troy Record]

Albany riverfront restaurant barge auction
Touring the restaurant barge on the Albany riverfront that's up for auction. [Biz Review]

Stuff going on today

YouthFX
Tuesday: There's an encore screening at The Spectrum of the new slate of YouthFX shorts. The young filmmakers will be there to talk about their
films afterward. Tuesday 7 pm -- $10 / $8 students

Women and Power in America
Tuesday: The Hearst Media Center is hosting a discussion -- "Women and Power in America" -- featuring Cokie Roberts, Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein, The Root editor-in-chief Danielle Belton, and Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan. (Roberts will also be at UAlbany at 4:30 pm for NYSWI craft talk -- it's free.) Tuesday 7:30 pm -- free

How to not die in the wild
Tuesday: The Science on Tap series will be at Slidin' Dirty in Schenectady for talk from UAlbany anthropologist Cara Ocobock about "the physiological and behavioral ways humans manage extremes of environment and activity." Tuesday 7 pm -- free admission

Long distance
Tuesday: Hiker/author Jennifer Pharr Davis will be at Skidmore to talk about her new book The Pursuit of Endurance. "Jennifer Pharr Davis is a hiker, author, speaker, and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year who has covered over 14,000 miles of long distance trails on six different continents." Tuesday 7 pm, Palamountain Hall -- free

Blithe Spirit
Tuesday-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

Music: The Dweezil Zappa show at The Egg is sold out