All Over Albany

Underwood named Attorney General, Cohen associate pleads guilty in Albany, April unemployment up slightly from 2017, Albany Council bans conversion therapy

Attorney General Underwood
State lawmakers appointed Barbara Underwood as interim Attorney General on Tuesday. She is the first woman to hold the job. Underwood had been the state's solicitor general and became acting AG in the weeks after Eric Schneiderman's resignation following reports of domestic violence. Underwood will serve out the remainder of the year, and has decided not to run for the post in November. [Spectrum] [Politico] [NYT]

Cohen associate pleads guilty in Albany
An associate of Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to tax fraud on Tuesday in Albany County Court. Evgeny "Gene" Friedman allegedly stole more than $5 million from New York State and evaded taxes. [NYT][TU]

Democratic convention
The NYS Democratic convention gets underway today, and Andrew Cuomo is expected to make a strong showing with support from Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.
[NYT]

Oil company abandons plans for Albany's South End
Massachusetts-based Global Companies will drop a controversial plan to install natural-gas fired boilers at the Port of Albany that could have handled Canadian tar sands oil. [TU]

Unemployment
The Capital Region's unemployment rose to 4.2 percent in April from 4.0 percent in April of 2017, but it's down from March. [TU]

Water summit
Hoosick Falls mayor Rob Allen was among hundreds of leaders participating in the PFAS National leadership summit over clean water being held in Washington D.C. but he EPA. Reports from the summit, meant to address clean water concert were undercut when EPA officials blocked reporters from the Associated Press, CNN and an environmental website from entering. [Spectrum][TU]

Senate Republican war chest
State Senate Republicans have more than $1.55million in campaign funding -- more than twice the $691,000 amassed by Senate Democrats. [TU]

Conversion therapy ban
Albany's Common Council voted this week to ban the practice of conversion therapy -- a non-scientific method that practitioners claim can turn gay people straight. [TU]

Trial begins in death of infant
Opening arguments were heard on Tuesday in the death of one year old Luka Patrick, who prosectors say died from abuse by his motherer and her boyfriend.[TU]

Bullying lawsuit
The parents of a 13-year-old boy who took his own life over bullying in a South Glens Falls middle school are suing the school district and school officials for failing to take action to prevent the bullying. [TU]

Arrests in Poor People's Campaign rally
Twenty-seven people are facing charges following the Poor People's Campaign rally in downtown Albany this week. [WNYT]

Weapon in school is nerf gun
Police responded to rumors of a gun in Schenectady's Steinmetz Career and Leadership Academy, but it turned out to be a Nerf gun. [Gazette]

Business owner allegedly tortured farm animals
A Kingsbury business owner is facing charges after police found 37 dead cows, chickens, alpacas, goats and other animals in a barn beside his stoneworks business. The animals are believed to have starved to death. [News 10]

East Greenbush assessments challenged
At least 200 homeowners in East Greenbush are challenging their property assessments. [TU]

Boyhaven
The future of Camp Boyhaven is still undecided as the Boy Sounds of America contemplate the town of Milton's latest offer of $20thousand to hold the camp until $1 million in funds can be raised to purchase the land. [Gazette]

Ticks
It's tick season. [TU]

High peaks winter
Adirondack hikers are being warned about ice and snow in the high peaks this weekend.

Stuff going on today
Race, Place, Power & Privilege
Wednesday: The Albany Roundtable's annual meeting at the Albany Institute will feature a talk by urban planner Daniel D'Oca titled "Race, Place, Power & Privilege" -- about "tactics to make cities more equitable and inclusive." D'Oca is a principal and co-founder of the Brooklyn-based architecture, planning, and research firm Interboro Partners. The firm published the book The Arsenal of Exclusion & Inclusion last year. Wednesday 6 pm -- $40

Troy - live, work, and play
Wednesday: Troy's bid for this next round of the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative has a series of focus groups talking about how to "make Troy the best possible place to Live, Work, and Play." Wednesday 3 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm

Wednesday: Def Leppard + Journey at TU Center
Pour some sugar on me, and don't stop believing. 7 pm -- $49.50 and up