All Over Albany

Amazon in line for $1.5 billion in New York State incentives, investigation into Albany Med ER death, family fights order to have dog put down

Amazon in New York
+ Amazon is setting up one of its new offices in Long Island City in Queens. (The other will be in Virginia near DC.) [NYT]
+ The company is line to get "performance-based direct incentives" of $1.525 billion from New York State based on the creation of 25,000 jobs. Of that, $325 million will be a cash grant from Empire State Development and the rest would be via refundable tax credit. [Amazon]
+ Update: Jimmy Vielkind posted the memorandum of understanding between Amazon and the state and the total of incentives is more like $1.7 billion. [@JimmyVielkind]
+ Andrew Cuomo last week: "I'll change my name to Amazon Cuomo if that's what it takes." [NYT]

Albany Med emergency department death
+ Albany police have identified the 45-year-old man who died last week after being restrained in Albany Med's emergency department, and say the death remains under investigation. [APD] [TU]
+ In a press release last Friday AMC said the man had been brought in "displaying aggressive and belligerent behavior" and staff had made multiple attempts to deescalate the situation before restraining the man in order prevent injury to staff or the man. The man's girlfriend tells Spectrum that his body appeared beaten when she arrived at the hospital. [AMC press release] [Spectrum]

Man dies after Albany shooting
+ Albany police say the man shot in a vehicle near Park Avenue and Philip Street last week has died. His death is the 14th homicide of the year in the city. [APD] [TU]
+ Albany Common Council member Derek Johnson: "Anytime that something like this happens, I want to feel surprised, I don't want to ever feel like this is how it's supposed to be." [WNYT]

Albany Episcopal diocese same-sex marriage ban
The Albany Episcopal bishop has banned same-sex marriage in the diocese's churches ahead of a resolution that will allow same-sex marriages in Episcopal churches nationwide. [TU]

Schoharie limo crash
Brendan Lyons looks into the state's action -- or lack of action -- in cracking down on limo operators who violate rules, and an alleged admission of that by a state official in a meeting with the operator of Prestige Limousine. [TU]

Kirsten Gillibrand 2020
Chris Churchill on Kirsten Gillibrand's recent talk about considering a presidential run after saying recently she'd serve her six-year term as Senator: "That, in a nutshell, is why voters are so distrustful of politicians and cynical about politics. Promises mean nothing. Lies flow like tap water." [TU]

Steve McLaughlin and Lou Desso
Rensselaer County exec Steven McLaughlin has been criticizing North Greenbush supervisor Lou Desso in a series of tweets, calling him "a hypocrite, a con man, and a liar" and alleged he'd threatened county employees. Desso told the Times Union it didn't matter to him what McLaughlin said, and denied threatening county employees. [@SteveMcNY] [TU]

St. Clare's pension plan failure
Talking with a handful of St. Clare's pension recipients about their anxiety and anger over the former Schenectady hospital's pension fund collapse. [Daily Gazette x2]

Veterans
Sara Foss: "It's great that we have a holiday devoted to the sacrifices of veterans. But we should remember these sacrifices every day, and do everything we can to support the veterans in our midst who need jobs and healthcare and housing." [Daily Gazette]

Upstate secession
The impending switch of control in the state Senate to the Democrats has prompted another round of Upstate secession talk. [TU] Earlier: What if Upstate New York and Downstate New York were separate states? (2014)

Remote wipe
The attorney for the woman who's phone Schenectady police allege was remotely wiped after being taken into evidence says his client didn't do that and doesn't know how to do that, though she did get a new phone. [Daily Gazette]

Troy dangerous dog case
A Troy is trying to block the euthanization of their dog after it was seized for allegedly biting another dog and person. Troy has a city law that allows a dog to be put down after one incident -- a city officials says the city offered a deal in which the dog would have been required to be muzzled, the family paid a $1k fine, and took dangerous dog insurance. [WNYT] [News10]

Common Council member moving to sue over zoning determination
Albany Common Council member Judy Doesschate has filed a notice of claim over a city decision to allow a business that would offer cosmetic tattoo services for survivors of breast cancer and other conditions in a former home along New Scotland Ave that had previously housed a chiropractor's office -- she argues the zoning doesn't allow it and "clearly changes the complete character of the neighborhood." [TU]

Schenectady's Statue of Liberty
It's still not clear where Schenectady's Statue of Liberty replica will end up. [TU]

Albany Can Code
Albany Can Code will be offering courses in Saratoga County. [TU]

Stuff going on today

Stories
Tuesday: The Front Parlor storytelling series is at The Ale House in Troy. This month's theme: "From Where I Stand." Tuesday 7:30 pm

A Documentary History of the United States
Tuesday: Alexander Heffner -- author and host of The Open Mind on PBS -- will be at the State Museum for a talk about the new release of A Documentary History of the United States. Ahead of the talk, community members will reading "memorable lines from America's founding documents." (There's also a craft talk on the UAlbany campus at 4:15 pm.) Tuesday 7 pm, Huxley Theater -- free

Buddhism and the environment
Tuesday: Buddhist writer David R. Loy will be at Saint Rose for a talk about his book A Healing Ecology? A Buddhist Perspective on the Environmental Crisis. The talk is part of annual series about ethics and leadership. Tuesday 7 pm, Lally School of Education (1009 Madison Avenue) -- free

Music: Alan Doyle at The Egg
"Country-tinged, radio-ready tunes." 7:30 pm -- $29.50 and up