All Over Albany

Capital Region school budgets pass, search for Schneiderman's replacement continues, RPI sues Amazon over Alexa technology, Erie Canal opens

Storms
Tuesday's storms downed trees in the Capital Region and left about 8,500 residents without power for a while. South of the Capital Region, in Newburgh, an 11-year old girl was killed by a falling tree. [Spectrum][TU][Spectrum]

School budgets
With the exception of Johnstown, all Capital Region school budgets passed on Tuesday. The Albany library budget was also approved by voters. [TU]

Replacing Schneiderman
Legislators began interviewing 12 candidates to replace Eric Schneiderman on Tuesday, including Acting state Attorney General Barbara Underwood Four Republican state senators have been added to the committee vetting the candidates. [TU][TU]

SUNY Poly temporary president to step down
SUNY Poly interim president Bahgat Sammakia is stepping down to return to Binghamton University next month, as the school begins an international search for a permanent president to replace Alain Kaloyeros, who goes on trial next month on federal bid-rigging charges. [TU]

Alexa
RPI, which successfully sued Apple over Siri's voice recognition app, has filed suit against Amazon over the same technology -- being used in Alexa -- part of which was developed at the institute. [TU]

Cuomo postpones Israel trip
This week's protests and violence along the Gaza Strip have prompted Andrew Cuomo to postpone an trip to the region. [TU]

Saratoga zombie homes
A recent study has identified 80 zombie properties scattered throughout Saratoga Springs. [Spectrum]

Nixon on Moreland commission
Cynthia Nixon is promising to impanel a new Moreland Commission on her first day in office to investigate government corruption. [TU]

Cop faces drunk driving charge
A 23-year-old Schenectady police officer is facing DWI charges after an off-duty incident that resulted in a motor vehicle wreck a few blocks from the station. [WNYT]

Murder conviction
An Albany man is facing as much as 25 years to life in prison after being convicted of manslaughter in a 2017 West Hill killing. [TU]

Shotgun in pants
Two men are facing charges after Albany police say one of them was hiding a sawed-off shotgun in his pants during a Lark Street traffic stop.[TU]

Niskayuna Holocaust Memorial
Niskayuna's town board will decide in June whether to grant a special use permit for a proposed Holocaust memorial. [TU]

Mohawk River PCB project complete
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has declared a Mohawk River PCB project complete. [TU]

Henry Johnson
At a ceremony on Tuesday, the NY National guard marked the 100th anniversary of Henry Johnson's successful battle against two dozen German soldiers, which won him the Medal of Honor. [TU]

From Senate to Assembly
Washington County Democrat Don Boyajian is ending a bid to take on Elise Stefanik for her Senate seat, to instead launch a campaign for state Assembly. [TU]

Dairy farms
Kristen Gillibrand is asking the federal government to authorize $300 million in emergency relief for dairy farmers, as they deal with the toll of low prices, rising costs, public tastes and an oversupply of milk. [TU]

Gambling problems
With casino gambling now readily available in New York, there are some efforts underway to help problem gamblers in the state. [Gazette]

Frozen
A stage production of Disney's Frozen will launch its 2019-20 North American tour at Proctors. [TU]

Canal open
The Erie Canal system opened for the season on Tuesday. Geraldo Rivera and his brother passed through on the canal. [Gazette][TU]

Starks
After 60 years, a Saratoga Springs business will close its doors. [TU]