All Over Albany

It snowed, big investment at SUNY Poly, record job count, early voting to be considered, push for statewide rent control, Saratoga to Saratoga

It snowed
About five inches in Albany as of Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service. There's another few inches of snow on the way, and the precipitation could turn to rain in the afternoon. [NWS Albany x2]

Albany County DA policy on marijuana possession
Albany County DA David Soares announced Thursday his office won't be prosecuting people for possessing up to two ounces of marijuana, and there will be a path for people with previous convictions to have them expunged. Using pot publicly, in a car, or around children will still be prosecuted. Soares said prosecuting the low-level cases isn't worth the resources, and his office would be focusing its attention instead on drugs such as heroin. And he framed the new policy as easing "the transition into market regulated marijuana." [AOA] [TU] [CBS6]

SUNY Poly
New York State is putting up $250 million as part of an $880 million for a semiconductor research effort by the company Applied Materials at the SUNY Poly Albany campus. The company says it will be doing materials engineering research and development for clients in fields such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and life sciences. [TU] [Biz Review]

Jobs
The number of the jobs in the Capital Region reached the highest number of jobs on record (since 1990) in October, according to the state Department of Labor. The statewide unemployment rate in October was 4 percent, the lowest mark on record. [TU] [NYS DOL]

Albany shooting
Albany say a man reported being shot in the arm near 3rd Street and North Manning Boulevard Thursday afternoon. APD says his injury is non-life threatening and it's investigating. [APD]

Sentencing in Colonie child sex sting
A man convicted on charges that included attempted second-degree rape after getting caught in a sting for showing up at Colonie hotel to have a sex with what he thought would be a 13 year old girl was sentenced to probation and two months served by an Albany County judge -- even though the judge said he found the man's testimony to be "ludicrous." [TU]

Investigation into Colonie police car/pedestrian crash
Colonie police have identified the officer who hit a pedestrian Wednesday night on Loudon Road, though many specifics of the case have yet to be released. [TU]

Recovery for man hit in Clifton Park hit-and-run
The father of the pedestrian struck in a hit-and-run in October is now out of the hospital, but can't walk on his own and requires round-the-clock care. [Daily Gazette]

Cohoes officer suspended
A Cohoes police officer has been suspended without pay after he was charged with DUI -- and pleaded guilty reckless conduct to resolve the case -- in Illinois. [TU]

Voting
It looks like early voting will be one of the key measures in a proposed makeover of the state's election practices when the state legislature returns in January. [TU]

Rent control
A group called Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance is pushing for the extension of rent control statewide in New York. [TU]

Albany water rates
The Albany Water Board is proposing a 2 percent increase in water rates for next year, the first increase in seven years. [TU]

Water infrastructure
+ Troy is getting $10 million from the state to put toward the $40 million project to replace a pipeline form the Tomhannock Reservoir. [TU]
+ The city of Schenectady is getting $3 million from the state for the $12 million pump station project in the Stockade. [Daily Gazette]

Niskayuna budget
The Niskayuna town board approved a revised budget that includes no increase in the tax levy. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

The new Capital Rep theater and taxes
A look at the tax breaks theREP is seeking for its new theater in Arbor Hill and the maneuvering to get the project eligible for state and federal historic tax credits. [Biz Review]

Albany Capital Center
The Albany Convention Center Authority is hiring a PR firm for $64k per year with an eye to getting the word out about the economic impacts of the facility. [Biz Review]

Saratoga to Saratoga Springs
A Saratoga Springs man rode a bike from Saratoga, California back to the Spa City, making stops at a few other places named "Saratoga." [Saratogian]

Stuff to do this weekend

Check out the big list of things to do around the Capital Region this weekend.