All Over Albany

Son of limo owner charged in deadly Schoharie crash, victims remembered/1st responders honored in vigil, Quail Street fire accidental

Schoharie crash
Nauman Hussain, operator of Prestige Limousine and son of owner Shahed Hussain was arrested on Wednesday and charged with one count of criminally negligent homicide in connection with the Schoharie crash that killed 20 people on Sunday. Hussain pleaded not guilty, was released on bond and ordered to turn over his passport. Hussain was arrested at a traffic stop on I-787, his car packed with his belongings. His attorney says he was seeking a safe place to live after receiving death threats. [NYT][Spectrum][Gazette][Post Star]

The driver of the limousine was cited in August for not having the proper license to operate the limousine. [News 10]

More than 1,000 people gathered at the Schoharie Central School guy on Wednesday for a vigil in memory of the 20 people killed in Sunday's crash. The Crowd honored first responders as well, singing Lean on Me, as the group of 1st responders stood and held on to each other in the center of the gym. [Spectrum][Gazette]

Sara Foss on what the Schoharie tragedy says about the need for transportation regulations and whether limos like the one in the crash should be allowed on the road at all. [Gazette]

Chris Churchill on the many failures that led to the crash. [TU]

Racial slurs at Nisky soccer match
Niskayuna School officials are investigating allegations that students yelled racial slurs at members of the Schenectady High School women's soccer team at a match earlier this week. [TU]

Men arrested after hitting State Police car
Two men are facing drug related charges after their car hit a State Police car slammed into a State police car that was sitting at a red light at Western Avenue and Schoolhouse Road on Monday. [WNYT]

Suspicious envelope prompts courthouse evacuation
The Rensselaer County Court House was evacuated for a short time on Tuesday after a suspicious envelop for DA Joel Abelove was found taped to the main door.[TU]

Quail Street fire
The Quail Street fire that displaced 50 people last month has been ruled accidental. Authorities say it was caused by cooking grease. [TU]

Albany County budget
Under Dan McCoy's proposed 2019 budget, Albany County residents could see a slight drop in their county taxes. [TU]

Transfinder expansion
Route mapping software company Transfinder is considering expanding to a second building it purchased in Schenectady, next door to its State Street headquarters. [Gazette]

Bruno endorsement
Joe Bruno has given his endorsement to Republican Daphne Jordan in her race for the State Senate seat being vacated by Kathy Marchione. [TU]

State testing and teacher evaluations
State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia says she is considering requesting an extension for the moratorium on plans to tie student test results to teacher evaluations [TU]

Cohoes judge named to federal bench
A Cohoes judge has been nominated for the federal bench by the Trump administration. [TU]

Man lied about bear attack
The Warren County man who claimed to have been attacked by a bear earlier this week in the woods in Hague, now says he lied about the attack. [TU]

Albany public access TV
The drama behind the scenes of Albany's public access TV station, and its attempt at a reboot. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Spooky

Capitol Hauntings
Today-Saturday: The popular Capitol Hauntings tours have started up for the season at the state Capitol. "The tour lasts about an hour, but the chilling, ghostly tales might haunt you forever." Monday-Friday 1 pm and 5:30 pm / Saturday 1 pm -- free (but you must make a reservation and they fill up)

Historic Haunted Pub Crawl
Thursday: Historic Albany Foundation, Ten Broeck Mansion, and The Original Albany Ghost Tour have joined up for a series of historic haunted pub crawls. It starts with a ghost tour of the Ten Broeck Mansion and then heads to a trio of downtown pubs with stories along the way. Thursday 5:30 pm, 6:15 pm, 7 pm -- $25

Stage

Anastasia
Thursday-Sunday: A touring production of the Broadway show Anastasia will be at Proctors. "From the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family." Tuesday-Sunday various times --

The Royale
Thursday-Sunday: This is the last week for The Rep production of The Royale. Tuesday-Sunday various times -- $20 and up

Arts and sciences

An Evening with Local Writers
Thursday: HVCC will be hosting an evening with local writers reading and talking about their work: "This year's event is occurring on National Coming Out Day and will feature poet Sarah Giragosian (author of "Queer Fish," winner of the 2014 American Poetry Journal Book Prize), fiction writer Rone Shavers (multi-genre writer of Afro-Futurism, with work in the Los Angeles Reader and PANK Magazine), poet Jil Hanifan (author of "whethergirl: wind rose") and fiction writer Richard Hartshorn (Hudson Valley Community College instructor and recipient of the 2011 Bausch Short Story Prize)." Thursday 7 pm, Bulmer Telecommunications Center -- free

Screen

Brought to Light
Thursday: The Albany Institute will be hosting a screening of Brought to Light: Unearthing the History of an African-American Cemetery in Kinderhook, NY. "This one-hour film tells the story of how a cleanup effort of stone markers in an overgrown field lead to the rediscovery of a forgotten, "slaves' cemetery" where hundreds of African Americans were buried during the 1800s." Thursday 6 pm -- free admission

Found Footage Festival
Thursday: The Found Footage Festival returns to Proctors. "Found Footage Festival hosts Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (Late Show with David Letterman) take audiences on a guided tour of their all-time favorite VHS finds. From the curiously-produced industrial training video to the forsaken home movie donated to Goodwill, the Found Footage Festival resurrects these forgotten treasures and serves them up in a lively celebration of all things found." Thursday 8 pm -- $15

EMPAC 10YEARS

Thursday-Saturday: EMPAC will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a multi-day series of events: concerts, dance, film, theater, talks. The celebration opens with a concert that will take place in each of EMPAC's performance spaces, and it ends with a 25-member ensemble performing work through a sonic dome surrounding the audience. Thursday-Saturday various times and prices

Music

Thursday: The Moth & The Flame at Brown's Fall Sessions
Outdoor concert behind the brewery in Troy. With: The Parlor. 6 pm -- free admission