All Over Albany

Emergency department wait times, new state health labs site recommendation, tip credit debate, Great Danes headed to final four

Emergency department wait times
Emergency department wait times in the Capital Region are higher than the state average, and Albany Med and St. Peter's have among the longest wait times, according to an analysis by the Daily Gazette of federal data. (There's some interesting discussion in the article about why wait times are what they are and the role of urgent care facilities.) [Daily Gazette]

Wadsworth labs
A consultancy has recommended a site near New Scotland Ave and the Axelrod Institute in Albany for the Department of Health's new $750 million Wadsworth Center labs. The report also highlights the Harriman State Office Campus and UAlbany's campus in East Greenbush as possibilities. [TU] [Biz Review]

Facts don't match the claims
Brendan Lyons followed up on some of the remarkable stories and career claims made by a top official at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse -- including surviving a bombing in Afghanistan -- and found the facts didn't seem to match the claims. The official has now been placed on leave. [TU x2]

Colonie road attack
State Police say a third person has been arrested for alleged incident in which a woman reported that she and her son were cut off Alternate Route 7 and attacked by a group of people with baseball bats who were yelling racial slurs. [NYSP]

Crash involving state trooper and man on lawn mower
State Police say a trooper responding to call in Brunswick crashed into a vehicle that hard turned in front of him, then veered off the road in adjacent yards and hit a man who was mowing his lawn. State Police say the man in the yard suffered multiple non-life-threatening injuries, and the trooper suffered a sprained wrist and abrasions. [NYSP] [Spectrum]

Tip credit
One of the themes from Friday's hearing in Albany about eliminating the "tip credit" for the minimum wage for tipped workers, upstate speakers tended to oppose the change while those from downstate supported. More than 200 people signed up to speak at the hearing. [TU] [Biz Review]

Gubernatorial race
+ Republican Marc Molinaro has chosen former Rye deputy mayor as his lieutenant governor candidate. [Politico NY]
+ The Reform Party has nominated Molinaro for governor, and backed Preet Bharara for attorney general even though the party chair says he hasn't spoken to Bharara. [Politico NY]

NY-19
Profiles of two of the potential Democratic challengers to John Faso: Erin Collier and Pat Ryan. [TU] [WNYT]

111th Assembly District
Republican Schenectady County legislator Brian McGarry is planning to challenge state Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a Democrat, for the 111th state Assembly District. [Daily Gazette]

Albany County DA
David Soares has backed a call to reduce the number of people on parole and probation. [TU]

Mass shootings and the media
Chris Churchill: "We should stop giving the killers what they want. We in the media should refrain from naming them and showing their faces." [TU]

Retaining collapses in Troy
The retaining wall behind the Stewart's at Hoosick and 10th collapsed overnight Saturday to Sunday -- and a mason tells the Times Union the wall hadn't been built correctly. [TU]

Thacher State Park
State parks will be removing loose rock from the cliffs above the Indian Ladder Trail with the aim of opening the trail again this summer. [Daily Gazette]

Bike lanes
Prompted by the popularity of the bike lanes on North Broadway, the Saratoga Springs commissioner of public safety say the city is hoping to plan and implement new bike lanes on Lake Avenue by the end of July. [TU]

Edison Tech Center
+ The Edison Tech Center and the city of Schenectady have reached some sort of settlement in their long fight over the org's building on Broadway downtown and the tech center is moving. [Daily Gazette]
+ As Sara Foss points out, that means the Electric City Bike Rescue needs a new home, too. [Daily Gazette]

Mentors
A profile of a program that connects Union students and Schenectady middle school students for mentoring. [Daily Gazette]

Cider
A Scotia couple is rejuvenating a Rotterdam Junction orchard with the goal of producing hard cider. [Daily Gazette]

Final Four
The UAlbany men's lacrosse team has advanced to the NCAA final four. [TU]

Stuff going on today

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Monday: Just in time for beach season, the Palace's movie series is showing Jaws. Monday 7 pm -- $5

WWE
Monday: WWE Monday Night Raw is at the Times Union Center. "Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, & Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens." Monday 7:30 pm -- $34 and up

Troy 100 Forum
Monday: The Troy 100 Forum returns. "The Troy 100 Forum is where Troy's business, political, community, educational, religious and cultural leaders meet to talk about topics of public concern. We discuss our views, concerns and hopes for Troy." The panel this time around is a conversation with the city council. Monday 5:30 pm -- free (registration required)

Stories
Monday: The Front Parlor storytelling series is back at The Olde English in Albany. This month's theme: "New York City." Monday 7:30 pm