All Over Albany

Rensselaerville supervisor resigns, community response to Albany shootings, Tedisco calls for governor to pardon Luna, remembering the South End Santa

Rensselaerville supervisor resigns
Thursday night Rensseelaerville's town board announced that supervisor Steven Pfleging had stepped down after being confronted with evidence from an audit that he had written multiple checks to himself without town authorization. Another supervisor resigned after a 2012 audit, and board members say they're going to change procedures, including bringing in an outside payroll service. [TU] [WNYT]

Community response to Albany shooting
Community members gathered on Judson Street in Albany rally against gun violence following the city's latest fatal shooting there earlier this week. [TU]

Arrest in attempted abduction in Albany
+ Albany police say a Guilderland man has been arrested for attempting to abduct a 16-year-old girl near Robin and Sheridan earlier this month. APD says the man is a registered sex offender on parole -- he's been previously convicted of two crimes involving teens. [APD] [TU]
+ The teen in this most recent case says the man threatened to shoot her, and she was able to fight him off while he tried to drag her to a car. [CBS6]

Lockdown at Albany High School
Albany High School was locked down Thursday afternoon for about an hour. Albany police say they found a student with a BB gun and took the student into custody. School officials say they're investigating how the BB gun got into the building. [Albany school district] [TU] [Spectrum]

Chase and crash in downtown Albany
Police say a driver fled a DWI checkpoint on the Dunn Memorial Bridge Thursday night, which prompted a chase into Albany and a crash in downtown Albany. [WNYT]

Pedestrians hit in Troy
Troy police say two pedestrians were hit by an SUV Thursday on 8th Street near EMPAC. [WNYT]

Pardon Luna?
Jim Tedisco is calling for Andrew Cuomo to "pardon" Luna, the dog facing euthanization under Troy's dangerous dog law. Cuomo's office says it's reviewing the situation. Is it even possible? Maine's governor did something similar last year. [WNYT] [Spectrum] [TU]

Police oversight
A decision by New York State's highest court has affirmed an interpretation of the state's civil rights law that shield the disciplinary records of police officers from public release. [TU]

Schenectady County manager stepping down
Schenectady County manager Kathleen Rooney will be stepping down in April after 15 years in the job. The county manager coordinates a $300 million budget and county operations. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Schenectady transit center
CDTA is moving forward with planning for a new transit center on lower State Street in Schenectady. [Daily Gazette]

Medical tattoo business on New Scotland Ave
The Albany Board of Zoning Appeals this week voted 4-1 to affirm the city planning commissioner's decision to allow a business that offers paramedical micropigmentation services (tattooing to repair scars and restore appearance) to survivors of breast cancer and other medical conditions to occupy a former chiropractor's office on New Scotland Ave. A Common Council member has been fighting the commissioner's decision. [TU]

Crossgates apartments
Among the concerns raised by people at the Guilderland planning board meeting regarding the proposed apartments near Crossgates: How the new development would affect the Rapp Road Community Historic District. [TU]

Colonie comprehensive plan
Among the big topics discussed for an update to Colonie's comprehensive plan: traffic, sewers, and open space. [TU]

Cherry Ave Ext
Bethlehem wants to lower the speed limit on the Cherry Ave Extension and look at ways of making it more pedestrian and bike friendly. [TU]

Whistling Kettle
The Whistling Kettle is planning to open a location on the Jay Street pedestrian mall in Schenectady, its third location. [Daily Gazette]

Aquatic center
The backers of a plan to build a $22 million aquatic center are now looking at the possibility of using a site at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, in addition a site in Malta. [Daily Gazette]

Remembering the South End Santa
Ed Hilton -- Albany's "South End Santa," who distributed toys to kids in the neighborhood -- died earlier this week at age 74. [TU]

Stuff to do this weekend

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