All Over Albany

Troy police accused of using excessive force during arrest, women allegedly pointed gun at drive-thru workers, Clinton and Cuomo, the pull of history

Troy police accused of brutality
The attorney for a man arrested by Troy police in March alleges that officers inflicted a "savage beating" on his client during the arrest on Congress Street downtown, an allegation surfaced publicly by Luke Stoddard Nathan at The Alt. There is video of the incident, and the attorney played it for the Times Union -- Kenneth Crowe reports it "shows the officers kicking, kneeing and punching" the man after he was already on the ground. [The Alt] [TU]

Schenectady police handling of officer's DWI case
Sara Foss on the Schenectady Police Department's handling of a recent DWI case involving an officer: "We've been told time and again that the Schenectady Police Department's problems are in the past, that the department has turned over a new leaf, that recruits are held to a high standard and that officers who step out of line are held accountable. The Coppola case raises troubling questions that throw this narrative into question." [Daily Gazette]

Guns
Students and adults gathered in Albany's Washington Park Monday for a vigil for the people killed and injured at the school shooting in the Houston area last week. Said an 8th grader to the Times Union: "[Classmates are] afraid to go to school every day because we live with that fear of being shot in school." [WNYT] [TU]

Schenectady shootout trial
The man facing a second-degree murder charge for the death of a 20-year-old man during a shootout in Mont Pleasant last July started Monday, and his attorney has argued that potentially incriminating remarks he made in the hospital should be at issue because of the pain medication he was on at the time. [Daily Gazette]

Drive-thru gun
Albany police say they're looking for a woman who, as reported by employees of the McDonald's on Central Ave, pointed a handgun at employees at the drive-thru Saturday evening because she was upset about not getting her food fast enough. [APD] [News10]

Colonie road attack
The attorney for one of the people facing charges for the 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 said to WNYT: "I think once all the truth comes out, the entire story comes out, it's going to be very different than what's been depicted so far." [WNYT]

Affordable Care Act coverage in New York
There are now 4.3 million people covered via New York State's health plan marketplace, up almost 700,00 during the past year. [TU]

Gubernatorial election
+ Hillary Clinton is set to endorse Andrew Cuomo for re-election. [NYT]
+ Chris Churchill: "Gender aside, Clinton and Cuomo have much in common. They are both center-left Democrats with famous last names who live in Westchester County and are especially good at raising money in ethically dubious ways from wealthy donors. They are both, in other words, figures of the establishment who represent why voters distrust the establishment." [TU]

Poor People's Campaign
The Poor People's Campaign staged another march in Albany, and participants were arrested at the Capitol during non-violent protest. [TU]

Saratoga Springs Code Blue shelter
The group of residents opposed to opening of a Code Blue shelter on Walworth Street in Saratoga Springs has filed another legal challenge in an attempt to stop the project. [Daily Gazette]

Troy retaining wall collapse
Mayor Patrick Manning says Troy code inspectors had questions about the retaining wall that collapsed this past weekend at a Stewart's on Hoosick Street and were scheduled to meet with the company's engineers this week. A tangent to the situation: Should Troy have a city engineer on staff? [Troy Record] [TU]

SUNY Upstate official resigns
The SUNY Upstate official whose apparent career fabrications were exposed by the Times Union has resigned. [TU]

Bill Cosby honorary RPI degree
RPI's board of trustees voted to rescind Bill Cosby's honorary degree. [TU]

Alain Kalayeros
Alain Kalayerous has put his Guilderland home as collateral for a $1 million loan from a former colleague. [Biz Review]

The seats in the Proctors main stage theater are being replaced this summer. [TU]

Tug-of-war
That time Glenville and Rotterdam attempted to settle a historical claim via tug-of-war. [Daily Gazette]

Stuff going on today

Albany Skyway
Tuesday: There's a public meeting at the Palace to talk about design ideas for the Albany Skyway. "Initial Skyway design concepts will be previewed at this meeting. ... Learn more about the future potential of the Skyway and share your priorities and design ideas." The Albany Skyway is a project to convert a relatively lightly-used off-ramp from I-787 to Clinton Ave in Albany into a pedestrian-bike connector/linear park between Broadway and the riverfront. The project got a big boost earlier this year when the Cuomo admin committed $3.1 million to it. Tuesday 5-7 pm -- free (pre-registration appreciated)

Mental health first aid
Tuesday: The Albany Community Policing Advisory Committee has a discussion at the Albany Public Library about community policing and mental health first aid. Joelle Monaco of the Mental Health Association in NYS is the featured guest. Tuesday 6 pm -- free

The Buzz About Honey Bees
Tuesday: Paul MacPhain of Bee Hollow Farm will be at the Troy Public Library to talk about honey bees and offer a honey tasting. Tuesday 3 pm -- free (pre-register)

Music: The Front Bottoms at Upstate Concert Hall
Indie rock. With: An Horse. 8 pm -- $22 ahead / $26 day of