All Over Albany

Criminal indictment of Rensselaer County DA dismissed, forum for NY-21 Democratic candidates, new Albany DGS commissioner, kids vs. robot

Criminal indictment against Rensselaer County DA dismissed
An acting state Supreme Court justice has dismissed the state Attorney General office's criminal indictment against Rensselaer district attorney Joel Abelove over the DA's handling of the grand jury review of the fatal shooting of Edson Thevenin by Troy police, concluding the the state AG's office doesn't have jurisdiction to prosecute Abelove for perjury in the case. [TU]
+ On Monday Abelove maintained he's done nothing wrong and said the indictment had been "a political hit job." [Spectrum]
+ The state AG's office, in a statement: "Our indictment detailed a disturbing pattern of misconduct that violated the law and undermined a criminal investigation. We respectfully disagree with the court's decision and are determining how best to move this critical case forward." [WNYT]

Lawsuit against Schenectady police over fatal shooting
The wife of a man fatally shot by Schenectady police in 2016 has filed a lawsuit against the city and police department in federal court alleging her husband was walking away from detectives when he was shot, and was shot in the back of the head. Schenectady police said at the time of the incident that Joshua Scism had drawn a gun from his waistband and pointed it the detectives police -- and an attorney for the city told the Daily Gazette this week police acted appropriately. [Daily Gazette x2]

Former town justice pleads guilty
Former Guilderland town justice Richard Sherwood pleaded guilty to state and federal charges related to stealing $11.8 million from elderly estate-planning clients. [TU]

I-890 chase/crash
Schenectady police say the subject of a chase on I-890 Sunday hit speeds 130 mph before crashing into a guide rail. [Daily Gazette]

SPAC sexual assault reported
State Park Police say they're investigating a report that a woman was groped and punched by a man at SPAC in the lawn section at a concert this past weekend. [TU]

Pedestrian safety
New York State is highlighting an effort to reduce pedestrian deaths that includes funding for pedestrian projects in municipalities here in the Capital Region. [Daily Gazette] [News10]

Trooper death linked to 9/11 aftermath
A retired state trooper, whose wife and son both work for the Saratoga County Sheriff Office, has died of cancer linked to toxics exposure at World Trade Center site following 9/11, the sheriff's office said Monday. [TU]

Albany County pawn shop bill
The Albany County Legislature narrowly rejected a bill that would have prompted the creation of a countywide database of pawn shop sales to assist in burglary investigations. [TU]

NY-21
Among the topics at the NY-21 Congressional District forum for Democratic candidates: Medicare for all, gun regulations, trade war with Canada, and DC-rural disconnect. [Daily Gazette]

New Albany city officials
Kathy Sheehan has picked Sergio Panunzio to be the new head of the city's Department of General Services -- he was formerly the headed up similar departments for municipalities in northern New Jersey. The Sheehan admin also appointments/promotions in the city attorney's office, the department of buildings and regulatory compliance, and the department of planning and development. [TU] [Sheehan admin press release]

Poor People's Campaign
The Times Union editorial board sides with the Poor People's Campaign in its dispute with the city of Albany over being billed for police coverage for a protest that blocked Washington Ave. [TU]

Rotterdam water mains
The town of Rotterdam has been dealing with a string of water main breaks -- and the prospect of maintaining/repairing/replacing its aging water infrastructure. [CBS6] [TU]

Kesselring reactor refueling
Tracking the transportation logistics of refueling the nuclear reactor at the Navy's Kesselring training site in Saratoga County. [News10]

GlobalFoundries job cuts
GlobalFoundries is cutting its workforce by five percent, though it won't specify the impact of cuts at the fab in Malta. [TU]

GE Power
GE has stopped referring to Schenectady as the headquarters of GE Power. [Daily Gazette]

Robots
In the dystopian present, children are pitted against robots -- at mini golf. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Stories
Tuesday: The Front Parlor storytelling series is back at the Ale House in Troy. This month's theme: "Say What?" 7:30 pm