All Over Albany

Two people dead following Erie Blvd/I-90 incident, perspectives on state's effort crack down on sexual harassment, shaking rocks loose

Two people dead after incident near Erie Blvd in Albany
Albany police say two people -- a woman and a man -- were dead following an incident in North Albany Sunday afternoon (map). APD says it was called to Erie Boulevard for an altercation where they found the woman, and then State Police were called for a man being hit on I-90 just above that spot. Police say the two deaths appear connected. [TU] [Spectrum] [WNYT]

New York State government and sexual harassment
+ Jimmy Vielkind: "While Cuomo advocated for and signed sexual harassment legislation, his opponents say he hasn't done enough to change Albany's patriarchal culture and hasn't been aggressive enough in cutting ties with known harassers." [Politico NY]
+ Vivian Wang: "[A]s the legislative session winds to a close, some lawmakers, activists and victims say Albany's expiation has been uneven, sparing some bad actors even as it has felled others. Some worry about a focus on appearances over substance. And attempts at reform have been shackled by the political calculations that accompany any effort to enact change in New York's famously byzantine Capitol." [NYT]

Marijuana legalization
Chris Churchill on what could or should happen in communities following marijuana legalization. [TU]

Albany shooting
Albany police say they're investigating an incident in which a man was shot in the foot Sunday night in West Hill. [TU]

Police oversight
An overview of the political angles on the push to repeal "50-a" -- the New York State civil service law that shields many records related to police officers, and which has become a focus for advocates rallying for increased police transparency and accountability. (That law has been interpreted widely over the years, even tagging officer body camera video as a personnel record and largely shielding it from public release.) [NYT]

DNA evidence
The former forensics director for the Division of Criminal Justice Services -- recently fired by the agency following a workplace misconduct investigation -- alleges the agency hasn't disclosed recent cases in which suspects were misidentified by DNA analysis. [TU]

Convicted but still out of prison
A look at how some people who are convicted -- often wealthy people -- are allowed to stay out of prison while their cases are appealed. [TU]

Jurors
Last week's trial of David Bridges -- and the apparent difficulty jurors were having sorting through the exact details of the charges -- highlighted the fact that jurors aren't allowed take notes. [TU]

Drunk driving
Sara Foss: "Lowering the BAC isn't popular -- it faces fierce opposition from the alcohol, bar and restaurant industries, for one thing -- but it's a good idea that would save lives." [Daily Gazette]

State Senate
+ A look at the bills of Capital Region interest that are stuck in the state Senate as the chamber is seized up because it's split 31-31. [TU]
+ A profile of Simcha Felder -- the Brooklyn state Senate who runs as a Democrat but caucuses with the Republicans -- and how that happened. [TU]

SUNY Poly film hub
The $15 million film production facility in Central New York that had been built as part of SUNY Poly's wide-ranging economic development initiatives has been sold to an Onondaga County entity for... $1. [NYT]

Rensselaer fire
The large fire in Rensselaer Friday night was the former city hall building. [TU]

Truck traffic in Albany's South End
A look at some of the recommendations in a draft report about how to lessen the impact of truck traffic in the area around the Ezra Prentice Homes in Albany. [The Alt]

Arizona - Canada - Niskayuna
Niskayuna police helped sort out what happened to an Arizona women found wandering on Rosendale Road. [Daily Gazette]

SI Group
The SI Group -- the former Schenectady International, which does $1 billion in annual sales and employs more than 400 people in Schenectady County -- is being sold to a private equity group. [Daily Gazette]

New Scotland hamlet
The town of New Scotland is moving to create a hamlet around the intersection of routes 85 and 85a in order to focus development and prevent big-box sprawl. [TU]

Indian Ladder Trail
Hanging out with the crew working to dislodge loose rock from the cliffs above the Indian Ladder Trail at Thacher State Park. [TU]

Grandma's
Grandma's Pies and Restaurant -- both the land and business itself -- are now for sale. [Biz Review]

Edison Tech Center
The Edison Tech Center's next home will be in space at the Daily Gazette. [Daily Gazette]

Freihofer's Run for Women
Sarah Pagano won the Freihofer's Run for Women 5k with a time of 15:48. (Full results.) [TU] [FRW]

Stuff going on today

Next Act!
Monday: The NEXT ACT! New Play Summit wraps up with Tira Palmquist's The Way North at The Rep in Albany. Play blurbage:

On a cold winter night in Northern Minnesota, a mysterious traveler - completely unsuited to hiking and the climate - stumbles onto former Sheriff Freddy Hansen's property. Now a wilderness expert and trekking guide, Hansen knows how to keep people alive and quickly goes to work to save the young woman's life, in doing so Hansen discovers not one, but two important facts about her. She's a Sudanese Refugee attempting to cross the border into Canada, and she's seven months pregnant. Hansen is forced to choose between what's lawful and what's right, to find the way north again.

Next Act is focused on the development of new works and the opportunity to share them. Monday 7:30 pm -- $10 / $5 students

Sexual harassment and the state legislature
Monday: The Alt is hosting a panel discussion about sexual harassment and the state legislature at the Renaissance Albany Hotel. "An important conversation with a distinguished panel on the recent history of sexual harassment legislation in New York State, the current state of laws and the opportunities for future change." Susan Arbetter will be moderating. Monday 6 pm -- free (registration required)