All Over Albany

Troy council tables sanctuary city resolution, big pay raise for state legislators, John Faso's regrets, new director for AVillage

Troy sanctuary city resolution
The Troy City Council tabled the proposed sanctuary city resolution Thursday evening. Approximatley 40 members of the public spoke at the meeting both in favor and against the resolution. [Spectrum] [TU] [CBS6]

Pay raise for state legislators
A state panel voted to increase the salaries for state legislators from $79,500 to $130,000 by 2021. It's the first raise in 20 years and would make New York legislators the highest paid in the country. It also looks like the panel would impose some restrictions on outside pay for legislators, and there's some question about whether it can do that. The panel also supported pay raises for the governor and other statewide elected officials, as well as cabinet officials. [TU] [NYT] [Politico] [Spectrum]

Housing for people with mental health issues
An investigation by the New York Times, ProPublica, and Frontline highlights cases in which people with mental illness died or otherwise couldn't care for themselves after New York State shifted people from institutions into private apartments as part of a settlement agreement. [NYT]

Buffalo Billion
A federal judge sentenced an attorney for a Syracuse development company to 2.5 years in prison and a $500k fine for the attorney's role in the Buffalo Billion bid-rigging case. [TU]

Schenectady alleged murder for hire trial
On Thursday the prosecution played video of the police interrogation of Tarchand Lall, and in the video Lall said he didn't know anything about the death of Charles Dembrosky. [Daily Gazette]

Two years in jail for dog's death
A Saratoga Springs man found guilty of killing his dog with a hammer has been sentenced to two years in jail and is prohibited from owning an animal for 50 years. [TU]

Pets in hot or cold cars
A new Albany County law allows first responders and veterinarians to remove an animal from a vehicle when there's a reasonable expectation the pet may suffer from extreme heat or cold -- and the owner can be fined. [TU]

John Faso
Among John Faso's regrets from his term in Congress: not getting legislation passed that would have blocked New York State from sharing medicaid costs with its counties, and not getting legislation through that would pre-empted New York "scaffold law." [TU]

Niskayuna ethics board
Niskayuna town supervisor Yasmine Syed said she's concerned about the makeup of the town's ethics board and potential personal connections between members and the town board. [TU]

St. Clare's pension
State Assemblyman Phil Steck says he's concluded that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany did have a direct connection to the former St. Clare's Hospital and should have a moral responsibility for helping to address the former's hospital's pension fund problems. [Daily Gazette]

"It's like Disneyland for cops"
Following along as SWAT team members from the Colonie and Troy police departments attend immersive simulated situation training at the New York State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. [WNYT] [Spectrum]

Ramsey bioswale
Some residents of Ramsey Place in Albany are continuing to oppose the addition of green infrastructure along the street that would help control stormwater and narrow the unusually wide thoroughfare. [TU]

AVillage
The near executive director of the AVillage is Jahkeen Hoke. [TU]

It was hard to decide to finally leave the newsroom because it felt like what we do there was always so important.
Retiring Business Review editor Mike Hendrick reflects on his 52 years working in the newspaper business. [Biz Review]

Stuff to do this weekend

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