Morning Blend
McDonald officially in, Lyme disease settling in here, financial trouble ahead for SPAC?, here she is -- Mrs. New York America
Republican Roy McDonald, currently an state assemblyman from Wilton, has officially jumped into the pool for Joe Bruno's state Senate seat -- with Bruno's support. And it looks like Tony Jordan, an attorney from Washington County, will be the Republican candidate for the seat McDonald's vacating. That race already has a Democrat -- Wilton councilman Ian McGaughey. [Daily Gazette] [TU]
A federal court rejected an appeal by Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain, the two members of an Albany mosque caught in the federal sting involving a fake plot to buy a shoulder-fired missile. [TU]
A state review of the Albany Police Department has concluded that there is "no evidence of systemic abuse of citizens' rights" by department. The review had come at the request of six Common Council members. [TU]
Lyme disease appears to be establishing itself in the Capital Region and north. [Daily Gazette]
SPAC officials are worried that financial troubles for Live Nation, the company that produces all the pop music concerts there, will end up hurting the venue. SPAC currently gets $1 million a year from Live Nation, but that contract is up next year and officials seem to think renewing the deal for the same amount will be tough. [Saratogian]
The Peerless Pool at Spa State Park still isn't ready to open. Wet weather has kept the pool's new surface from curing properly. Officials hope the pool will be able to open in a week or so. [Daily Gazette]
The new Troy Orchestra debuts tonight with a concert behind city hall. [Troy Record]
The new Mrs. New York America is Kerry Lyn Boettcher, a teacher from Schenectady. She'll go on to compete for Mrs. America in September. [Daily Gazette]
Field for Bruno's seat coming together, Pataki snubbed, local bankruptcies up, dude - where's her car?
Mike Russo, who works for Kirsten Gillibrand, has officially announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination in the race for Joe Bruno's state Senate seat. He joins Brian Premo and Saratoga Springs supervisor Joanne Yepsen. The Republicans still don't have any official candidates, but that should change tomorrow when Wilton assemblyman Roy McDonald is expected to officially announce. Ray Seney, a councilman from the town of Nassau, is also circulating petitions in a bid to run. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
George Pataki will not be a delegate at the Republican National Convention later this year, even though the former governor was on John McCain's list of preferred delegates. The dis is apparently payback from state Republican committee chair Joseph Mondello after Pataki pushed to replace him. [AP] [NYDN]
Bankruptcy filings in the Capital Region are up from the same period last year and local bankruptcy lawyers report they're swamped with cases. [TU]
Three weeks ago, Kerri-Ann Vincent drove a stabbing victim to the hospital in Troy. And she hasn't seen her car since. Troy police are holding the vehicle as evidence. Vincent says she can't get to work without her car. The TPD has basically told her to deal. [CBS6]
Two apparently popular Guilderland High School teachers have been relegated to the middle school after a "culture climate inquiry" inquiry. The two teachers, one of whom is out on maternity leave, are accused of contributing to a "locker room" and "boys' club" atmosphere within the school's social studies department. [TU]
The stock of Feldman Mall Properties, one of the co-owners of Colonie Center, has been delisted from the NYSE. The company lost $17 million last year. [Daily Gazette]
Keehn not running for Bruno's seat, whither all the Bruno pork?, new high school has leaky roof, live grenade found
Val Keehn is now saying that she will not run for the Democratic nomination in the race for Joe Bruno's state Senate seat. The former mayor of Saratoga Springs will instead support Joanne Yepsen, who's currently Saratoga Springs town supervisor. Keehn says she decided not to run after hearing that Mike Russo, who currently works for Kirsten Gillibrand, is considering a run. Russo has not officially declared yet. There's already one Democrat who has -- Brian Premo. [TU] [Saratogian]
Now that Bruno's no longer leader of the state Senate, will the Capital Region go back to getting pretzels (Joe Bruno's word) from the state. Dean Skelos, the new majority leader, says no. Others aren't so sure. What is certain: Joe Bruno brought home a lot of pork -- and his name is on a bunch of stuff. So many things bear his name that his staff has lost track. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Sixteen hours after a community anti-violence meeting in the neighborhood, two men were shot on the north end of Lark Street in Albany. [TU]
The new Rensselaer High School, just six months old, already has a leaking roof. And it smells weird. [Troy Record]
A construction worker found a live grenade while sifting top soil at a construction site in Milton Friday afternoon. The bomb squad destroyed it. Officials aren't sure where the grenade came from. [Daily Gazette]
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (the big church at Madison and Eagle in Albany), will soon be closing for 18 months of renovations. [WNYT]
Get your hands in the air, Duanesburg. Snoop Dog is coming to town. [Daily Gazette]
Keehn says she's in the running, Jimino says she's not, Timmons case criticized, gun buyback expanding, when is a massage more than a massage?
Valerie Keehn, the former Democratic mayor of Saratoga Springs, has confirmed that she is collecting signatures in order to run for Joe Bruno's seat. Kathy Jimino, the Republican Rensselaer County executive, says she will not be getting into the race. [Saratogian] [Troy Record]
An advocacy group says the case of Jermayne Timmons, the 15-year-old who allegedly fired the shot that killed Kathina Thomas, was mishandled by police and prosecutors. It says Timmons waived his Miranda rights without a lawyer. [Daily Gazette]
The organizer of the Albany gun buyback says the program will be expanding to Schenectady. (Earlier on AOA: The Albany gun buyback: buyer's remorse?) [WTEN]
Believe it or not, people advertise "massages" and other similar services on Craigslist that are actually a bit more than that. And as local law enforcement found out, sometimes you to have experience it firsthand to confirm that. [TU] [Troy Record]
A Dubai firm has bought the Fasig-Tipton riding stable, auction house and other land in Saratoga for $5.7 million. [Business Review]
Legislative session ends with whimper after fireworks, Keehn to run for Bruno's seat?, American to stop flight to ALB, Peerless Pool opening delayed
All the drama aside, this state legislative ended this week with most of the big issues -- including the state's ballooning budget deficit -- unresolved. [NYT]
One bill that did make it through: a measure that would have the state pay the City of Albany $5.5 million dollars this year as a sort of tax payment on the Harriman office campus (the technical term is payment in lieu of taxes). The city could use the money -- it's facing an $8 million budget gap. David Paterson is expected to sign the bill. [TU]
One of the issues lost, or whacked, in the legislative shuffle: Colonie's special mid-year deficit reduction tax. Town officials say they can't figure out why it failed in the Senate. Sen. Neil Breslin, a Democrat, says it died because town Republicans asked party members in the Senate to block it. [TU]
Former Saratoga Springs mayor Valerie Keehn says she's "considering the possibilities" of a run for Joe Bruno's soon-to-be-former state Senate seat. The Saratoga County Democratic Chair says Keehn has already decided to run. [Saratogian] [WNYT]
American Eagle, the regional carrier for American Airlines, will stop service to ALB on November 1. American and its predecessors had been serving the airport since 1929. American Eagle carries only three percent of the passengers in and out of ALB. [Daily Gazette]
The Troy Housing Authority is moving to kick out six tenants who haven't performed the required eight hours of community service. [TU]
The Fort Orange Club plan to demolish two buildings along Washington Ave in downtown Albany continues to draw criticism from neighbors and preservationists. The plan is now in front of the city's Board of Zoning and Appeals. [TU]
The pipe organ at the Round Lake Auditorium could be named a national landmark by the feds. [Daily Gazette]
The Peerless Pool at Spa State Park will not be opening this weekend as planned. Rain has kept a sealant from setting up. Victoira Pool will open, though. [TU]
The Siena men's basketball team will be playing at Kansas this coming season. The Jayhawks are the defending national champion. [Daily Gazette]
Skelos takes over, Bruno endorses McDonald, AMD CEO stops by but still no word, Colonie tax put on hold, Ethan Allen settlement
State Senate Republicans "formally elected Dean Skelos to replace Joe Bruno as majority leader. Skelos, who's from Long Island, says his top three priorities are reducing property taxes. [TU]
Bruno has endorsed Wilton Assemblyman Roy McDonald as his successor in the 43rd Senate district. [Daily Gazette]
The CEO of AMD, the company with tentative plans to build a chip fab plant in Luther Forest, was at the Capitol yesterday to make the rounds. The company says its leader was not here to ask for more money. AMD still has definitively committed to the project. [TU]
At least for the moment, it looks Colonie will not be able to levy its special mid-year deficit reduction tax. The town needs the permission of the state to collect the money, but the measure died in the Senate yesterday (it had already been approved in the Assembly). The tax would have collected about $7 million toward the town's estimated $18 million deficit. [TU]
A confidential settlement has been reached with some of the defendants in the Ethan Allen case (the foliage tour boat the tipped over on Lake George). [Daily Gazette]
The plan to create a downtown Troy business improvement district is encountering friction from people worried about the tax needed to fund the BID. [Business Review]
The owners of the Saratoga Polo grounds are hoping to build an $80 million luxury time-share (er, um, "fractional ownership) resort there. Their waiting on the state AG's office to approve the ownership arrangements. [Daily Gazette]
A teenager recently stole a car in Waterford, but only made it as far as Troy in the ride -- because that's where he ran out of gas. Police nabbed him at a Stewart's. [TU]
Joe Bruno leaving state Senate, adult bookstore owner says roundabout is plot to get him, new food at The Track, Travers chases Big Brown
Joe Bruno has announced he's not running for re-election. His decision is being described as "unexpected and stunning." In a statement, Bruno said it was "time to move on." It looks like Assemblyman Roy McDonald, who represents an area around Wilton, is the leading Republican choice for Bruno's seat (Brian Premo, a Democrat, is already in the race). Capital Region leaders are already mourning the loss of all the pork Bruno sent in this direction. [TU] [NYDN] [Daily Politics] [Daily Politics] [AOA] [TU]
The Albany County Board of Elections is cutting the number of polling places from 72 to 49. An elections commissioner says the consolidation will reduce the cost of new federally-mandated voting machines. Critics say the reduction will make it harder for elderly and people without cars to vote. [TU]
The owner of the Dewitt Clinton (the building just across from the capitol at State and Eagle) is continuing its push to evict tenants so that it can redevelop the building into a hotel. One of the tenants is the State Room, a banquet hall, which has been getting calls from worried couples who have made wedding plans there. [TU]
The owner of an adult bookstore in Schenectady says the plan for roundabout on Erie Boulevard is just an attempt to get rid of his store. His building would have to be demolished in order to contstruct the traffic circle. [Daily Gazette]
Five Saratoga restaurants will be selling food at The Track this summer: Hattie's, Brindisi's, Grey Gelding, Panza's, and 1 Caroline Street/Mouzon House. [Saratogian]
NYRA is trying to convince the owners of Big Brown, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, to run in the Travers. [Daily Gazette]
Wellington work to start, cops can make a lot of cash, Troy looks for RPI to chip in, more hybrid buses, stack of pancake panned at SPAC
Work to demolish, renovate and rebuild at the site of the Wellington Hotel on State Street in Albany is scheduled to start today. The development company behind the $65 million project says it will be taking apart the historic facade "stone by stone," so that it can be preserved and used on the new building. The project is scheduled to be finished by 2011. [Daily Gazette] [Business Review]
Thanks to overtime, you can make a lot of money as cop in the Capital Region. Example: a Schenectady officer made $115,359 last year. [TU]
The City of Troy is looking to get RPI to pay $200 per student per school year to help fund public safety coverage of the campus and surrounding neighborhood. And it almost sounds like the city's making a veiled "pay up or else" threat related to EMPAC. [TU]
There's a plan in the works for a downtown business improvement district in Troy. [Troy Record]
Ninety percent of graduating seniors from Albany and Troy high schools are headed to some kind of college, junior college or university next year. [TU]
CDTA is buying 21 more hybrid buses, which get an extra 1 mpg (total fuel efficiency: 4.8 mpg). [TU]
The new facade proposed for SPAC could be changed after public complaints that it looked like a stack of pancakes. [TU]
One of the Sculpture in the Streets pieces was moved from the HSBC bank building on Pearl after people noticed that the sculpture was both anatomically correct and not shy about it. The offending statue is now in front of Capital Rep. [TU]
Big rigs roll at capitol, gun buyback to expand, stop that bat, Schenectady decides downtown is electrifying
More than 100 big rigs made a loop around the capitol as part of a protest against high taxes, tolls and diesel prices yesterday. And this being Albany, the event featured its fair share of political name calling and finger pointing. And Joe Bruno drove a big rig. [TU] [Saratogian]
The church running the Albany gun buyback says it's collected 17 guns. And now it looks like Albany County DA's office will start a similar program. [CapNews9] (Earlier on AOA: The Albany gun buyback: buyer's remorse?)
The state Department of Health is urging people to capture any bats that may have come in contact with people or pets. There's a nationwide shortage of human rabies vaccines and public health officials want to make sure it's only used for people who have come in contact with a rabid animal. [Daily Gazette]
The CEO of NYRA says the racing association will be profitable by 2010. It lost $34.4 million last year. And its franchise agreement with the state still isn't finalized. [Saratogian]
Troy has approved an installment plan for Rensselaer to pay off the rest of its $2.1 million water debt. [TU]
Schenectady leaders have decided to call the city's downtown entertainment and arts district around State and Jay ElectriCity. [Business Review]
There won't be a bobblehead giveaway this year at The Track. [Saratogian]
Colonie dirt deal wasn't, trucker protest rolling through town, job cuts at Fox23, Japanese steakhouses suddenly everywhere
The state comptroller says a public works project in Colonie that ended up dumping tons of dirt at a private club wasn't the deal it was originally made out to be. In fact, it appears to have cost the town $42,000 more than other ways of getting rid of the dirt. So, why dump it at the club? Would it suprise you to know that a handful of town officials are members of the club? [TU]
The truckers' protest will be rolling through downtown Albany this morning. The organizer says they're not intending to tie up traffic, but he says it will probably happen anyway. The truckers are protesting high diesel prices and increases in Thruway tolls. [CapNews9]
Another upscale apartment complex is in the works for Wilton. [Saratogian]
The parent company of Fox23 has cut a bunch of jobs, including 11 at the local station. [TU]
Japanese food -- that's not sushi -- isn't much of a trend across the country, but it's become big here. Or, at least, the owners of all those new Japanese steak houses hope it is. [TU]
Trey Anastasio -- of Phish fame -- graduated from Washington County drug court. And he invited the cop who arrested him to the ceremony. [WNYT]
Lots of illegal guns, corroded wires caused manhole cover explosions, water stays on for Rennselaer, damaged apples, a really big wind turbine
According to federal stats from last year, the number of seized illegal guns per resident in Albany and Schenectady was higher than that of New York City. There are two ways to look at this. Half-full: police here are getting better at finding illegal guns. Half-empty: there are a lot of illegal guns on the streets. [TU]
Prosecutors say Jermayne Timmons, the 15-year-old accused of firing the shot that killed Kathina Thomas, wrote an apology letter to Thomas' mother. From the letter Timmons allegedly wrote: "I am so sorry that the gun I shot is the gun that could have takeing your baby girl away from you." [Daily Gazette]
An aide at a state facility in Schenectady has been charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly punching a blind autistic woman after the woman spilled the aide's salad. [Daily Gazette]
The Troy city engineer says the manhole-cover-popping explosions earlier this year were caused by arcing underground cables that had been corroded by road salt and water. [TU]
The City of Rennselaer has paid Troy for its water use over the last two years, and Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian is no longer threatening to cut off Rennselaer's water supply. Still at issue: years of unpaid water bills from before 2006. [TU] [Troy Record]
Saratoga Springs is renovating its jails cells and needs someplace to put prisoners while the work is being done. The current solution: handcuffing the arrested to hooks in the booking area. [Daily Gazette]
Thomas D'Ambra, the CEO of Albany Molecular Research Inc, was the Capital Region's highest paid CEO last year. [TU]
The hail storm this week damaged apple crops. One farm in Columbia County says it suffered $1 million in damage. [Fox23]
GE wants to build a 400-foot-tall wind turbine just of I-890 in Rotterdam. [Daily Gazette]
It looks like Saratoga Springs will not be getting its first roundabout just yet. [Saratogian]
Soares wants to hunt for guns, New Yorkers say state is on wrong track, St. Clare's officially gone, last Hall of Fame game.
Albany County DA David Soares wants the landlords of vacant buildings to give law enforcement the OK to search their properties for stashed guns. Soares' plan was prompted by the claim that the stray bullet that killed Kathina Thomas came from a "community gun." The alleged shooter, a 15-year-old, was indicted Friday. He could get 15 years to life. [TU] [TU]
A New York Times poll reports that 60 percent of respondents think New York State is on the wrong track. Even so, people seemed to have a generally favorably view of David Paterson (if they have an opinion on him... a third didn't). And Barack Obama is heavily favored against John McCain. [NYT]
National Grid says it's finished its investigation into what caused the explosions that sent manhole covers shooting into the air in Troy. But the final report won't be ready until July. [TU]
St. Clare's Hospital has been officially merged into Ellis Hospital. Its new name: Ellis Hospital McClellan Campus. [Daily Gazette]
Based on the quadrupling of calls to the state smokers' quit line, it seems that New York's now highest-in-the-nation cigarette taxes are prompting people to think about quitting. [AP]
It appears that more people are looking to carpool in the Capital Region. CDTA says it's working on a new web site that will make it easier to find people headed your way. [Saratogian]
Today is the last Hall of Fame game involving major leaguers in Cooperstown. MLB says the travel involved in getting two teams to the middle of upstate New York during the season is too much trouble. [TU]
Rowdiness and vandalism close schools, Colonie hopes to one-time its deficit, Niskayuna bans smoking in parks, whistle blown on scuffling football coach
Classes were South Colonie schools are also out today after vandals sprayed fire extinguishers all over the inside of the district's buses. [TU] [TU]
A 17-year-old was shot in the leg last night at the corner of Central and Lake in Albany. The police are looking for two men, who reportedly took off on bikes after firing the shot. [WNYT] [CBS6]
The Colonie Town Board has approved a one-time tax aimed at helping the town dig out of its $18 million deficit. Most homeowners there would end up paying less $250. Now the state Legislature has to approve the tax. [TU]
The Niskayuna Town Board voted to ban smoking at pretty much all of its outdoor facilities. The ban takes effect July 1. [TU]
The Schenectady High head football coach pleaded guilty yesterday to beating a man in an Italian restaurant. It appears that name calling started the scuffle between the two men, who are both in their 50s. [Daily Gazette]
The Daily Gazette is laying off six people, three of them in the newsroom. [Business Review]
Note: the web sites for the Troy Record and Saratogian were off-line this morning.
Teen says he used community gun, big drug bust, Sweeney under investigation, Albany addicted to garbage money, black bear sighting
In a statement to police, the teenager accused of firing the shot that killed Kathina Thomas said he did use a gun that "everyone in the neigbhorood uses" the night Thomas died. Police haven't found the weapon. Why Jermayne Timmons fired the shot isn't clear, though there are suspicions it might have had something to do with some kind of gang issue. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Law enforcement officials announced that they've busted another big drug operation that had been moving cocaine and pot from downstate. The total haul in seized drugs is worth an estimated $1.7 million. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Federal investigators are looking into whether John Sweeney was funneling campaign cash into his personal accounts by paying it to his then wife for her work as a "fundraising consultant." There's also some question about whether Gayle Sweeney's job at a lobbying firm was connected to the former Congressman steering money toward the firm's clients, a list that included Siena College and the Shaker Museum. [TU]
The City of Albany's dump has filled up faster than expected because the city was taking in as much garbage as it could in order to generate cash, according to a former commissioner. The dump in its current configuation will fill up by the end of next year. [TU]
A four-story building with 17 residential units is planned for the spot across from the Olde Bryan Inn in Saratoga. [Saratogian]
A black bear was sighted on the campus of Holy Names yesterday in Albany. [TU]
Teen charged in Kathina Thomas shooting, school tax cap going nowhere, Schenectady cops to get a coach, a good year for syrup
Police have arrested a 15-year-old for firing the shot that killed Kathina Thomas. Jermayne Timmons, an Albany High student, was charged Tuesday night. No one from his family accompanied him to the arraignment. As person said to the Gazette of Timmons, "He's only a kid himself." And what about the more than $20,000 in reward money? APD chief James Tuffey says it didn't play much of a role. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
Oscar Mora, ane of the organizers of that big drug operation in Schenectady (the one with wich the former police chief Greg Kaczmarek's wife was allegedly involved), accepted a plea deal yesterday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Schenectady County Judge Karen Drago scolded Mora for "polluting" the community. [Daily Gazette] [TU]
It looks like a state cap on school property taxes isn't going to happen during this legislative session. [Daily Gazette]
Schenectady is going to spend $40,000 over the next year-and-a-half to hire a wellness coach in an attempt to help its cops lose weight. [TU]
The Town of Malta is trying to sort out whether it's OK to keep a pet horse in your backyard. [Daily Gazette]
This year apparently had a great maple syrup season. The weather was "just right" according to one producer. [Daily Gazette]
Hundreds mourn Kathina Thomas, skydive suicide pilot didn't have correct license, families could get boot for not doing community service, step right up to tour cramped police station
Hundreds of people showed up for the funeral of Kathina Thomas. The APD says it's making progress on finding who fired the stray bullet that killed her, though it hasn't released any additional new details. [TU]
The FAA says the pilot who flew the plane from which Sloan Carafello jumped didn't have the right kind of license to be taking skydivers up in the air, though an agency spokeman says that probably had nothing to do with Carafello being able to make it out of the aircraft without a parachute. Carafello's twin brother says the family doesn't blame the pilot. [TU]
Four aides at a state care facility in Niskayuna for people with development disabilities have been put on leave after accusations that one of their clients was assaulted in the parking lot of a McDonald's. Spilled food seems to have set off the alleged assault. [Daily Gazette]
The Troy Housing Authority says it has plans to evict families from it public housing if the residents don't complete eight hours of community service by next month, as required by federal law. Almost 100 families are on the list. [Troy Record]
The New York Civil Liberties Union has formally filed a notice of claim against the City of Troy over the code enforcement at the Sanctuary for Independent Media. The notice is the first step toward suing the city over claims it closed the arts space because it displayed Wafaa Bilal's "Virtual Jihadi" exhibit. The space has since re-opened. [Troy Record]
The parent company of WTEN/Channel 10 is on the verge of being delisted by Nasdaq. [Business Review]
If you'd like to see for yourself why Saratoga Springs needs a new police station, the cops will be happy to show you. [Saratogian]
A Colonie five-year-old's lemonade stand helped raise $10,000 for a neighbor's cancer treatment. [TU]
Man jumps out of plane without parachute, state says Albany landfill plan stinks, new mosque in Latham
A Schenectady man killed himself Saturday by jumping out of a skydiving plane -- without a parachute. The pilot says Sloan Carafello had said he just wanted to go up to take aerial pictures. Co-workers at Price Chopper described him as very quiet and said he sometimes asked people whether they'd prefer to die by jumping off a building or from a plane with no parachute. Carafello's body hit a house in Duanesburg, punching a hole in the roof. No one was home at the time. [Troy Record] [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The funeral for Kathina Thomas, the West Hill girl killed by a stray bullet, is today. A handful of her relatives from Guyana won't be there becuase their visa requests were denied. [TU] [TU]
The state DEC has called the expansion plans for the City of Albany's landfill "deficient" and says the city must now work up a contingency plan in case the expansion doesn't get approved. The landfill is expected to be full by the end of next year. [TU]
After freedom of information requests from a handful of news orgs, Albany County DA David Soares says he will be releasing documents related to his initial investigation of Eliot Spitzer's involvement in the effort discredit Joe Bruno by leaking the state senator's travel records. That original investigation had concluded the former governor wasn't involved -- but a second look at the matter determined just the opposite. One issue with the planned relased: Soares says many documents may not come to light because of deals he cut with members of the administration in return for testimony. [NYT] [NYDN]
Redevelopment plans at the Harriman State Office Campus have slowed and some people -- including Jerry Jennings -- say the project is headed in the wrong direction. [TU]
Construction is scheduled to start next month on a new mosque in Latham. [TU]
"The Gut" in Saratoga Springs is getting a historic marker. [Saratogian]
State workers nabbed for snooping, trucker protest rolling, how much college basketball is too much?, burglar might consider going barefoot next time
Three state workers -- all of them from around here -- have been accused of accessing confidential child abuse files and then using that information for personal purposes. [TU]
It looks like that big rig protest planned for later this month at the Capitol will go ahead now after the truckers worked out a deal with the Albany PD to provide them with an escort. The organizer of the protest say the APD are "good people." [TU]
As you might expect, the HR discussions in drug operations tend to get a little extreme. [Daily Gazette]
The MAAC -- that's Siena's conference -- is moving its 2009 basketball tournament to the TU Center after the conference couldn't work out details with the previously scheduled site. That means both the MAAC and America East (UAlbany's conference) will be holding their basketball tournaments in Albany on the same weekend. [Daily Gazette]
The Fourth of July fireworks in Watervliet have been canceled. City officials say the display cost too much -- and most of the people who watched them weren't city residents. [Troy Record]
A Dunkin Donuts, Subway or Bruegger's could be landing at ALB. [Business Review]
After muddy footprints led to his conviction for an earlier burglary, it looks like a guy in New Scotland tried to avoid the same fate on a second job by leaving his shoes outside the house. One problem: he forgot to take the shoes with him and police used DNA evidence from the footwear to nab him. [TU]
Secret gambling clubs that may not be so secret, no challenge from Clyne, guy robbed for bag of clothes, Woodlawn Preserve not actually off-limits, extreme road rage
We're shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in this town! Gambling? No, no, no, it's just a Roman Empire history club. [TU] [TU]
Former Albany County DA Paul Clyne says he won't be challenging current DA David Soares this time around. The race between between the two got pretty nasty four years ago when Soares beat Clyne -- his former boss -- in the Democratic primary, and there had been speculation Clyne was looking to make a comeback. [TU]
Jimmy Tedisco is one of five state lawmakers who have sued David Paterson over his directive to state agencies that they recognize same sex-marriages from other states. The suit is being back by an organization from Arizona that works to oppose same sex-marriages around the country. [NYT]
A guy got robbed -- and shot in the chest -- this week near Lincoln Park in Albany for the bag of clothes he was carrying and $200. [Daily Gazette]
St. Clare's Hospital will stop taking on many types of cases next week as it prepares to merge with Ellis and Bellevue. [Daily Gazette]
Schenectady's Woodlawn Preserve nature area has been closed to the public for the last six years. Or, at least, that's what everyone thought. It turns out that those "No Trespassing" signs probably should have said something else. [Daily Gazette]
After being cut off in traffic, who hasn't yelled a pointed phrase or gestured emphatically at the offending driver. Nothing wrong with that. But pointing an assault rifle at your fellow commuters on I-90 is probably over the line. [CBS6]
Kathina Thomas reward increases, Schenectady cops have a lot of arresting to do, Paterson supports tax cap, Bruno gets a challenger, testy judge rebuked
The reward for information on the shooter in the Kathina Thomas case is now $17,000. The APD says it's made the case a top priority, but there's nothing to report so far. [TU]
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, whom should the Schenectady police arrest today? It turns out they have a lot of options -- about 1000, in fact. That's how many unexecuted arrest warrants -- 200 of them for felonies -- have piled up with the SPD. Part of the problem: your email program has better sorting functions than the department's warrants database. [Daily Gazette]
David Paterson says he'll push for the four percent school property tax cap proposed this week by a state commission. [Daily Gazette]
Brian Premo has officially announced that he will challenge Joe Bruno for his state Senate seat. Premo, running as a Democrat, says the state has to stop being run by "three men in a room." The Bruno people had talking points at the ready, calling Premo "inexperienced" and a "flip-flopper." [Troy Record] [TU]
Joseph Sullivan has announced he's running for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat). Sullivan will be running as a Democrat -- he ran for Albany mayor as a Republican two years ago. (AOA's Local Congressional Race Scorecard) [Daily Gazette]
The new public safety building proposed for Saratoga Springs could cost as much as $11.7 million. [Saratogian]
You know how judges on TV shows are always scolding people and holding them in contempt of court? Apparently that doesn't go over so well in real life. [TU]
School tax cap recommended, cigarette taxes jump today, truckers want to roll through Albany, pothole for paychecks
A state commission has recommended capping school tax increases at four percent a year. It also suggested that the STAR exemption be linked to income so that high earners wouldn't necessarily get a break on their property taxes. NYSUT, the politically powerful teachers union, opposes the tax cap (that's what those NYSUT billboards with kids in graduation caps are referring to). New York property taxes are 79 percent above the national average. [TU]
New York's cigarette tax jumps $1.25 today to $2.75, the highest in the nation. [AP]
A group of truckers wants to ring the capitol with big rigs to protest rising Thruway tolls and high diesel prices. The City of Albany hasn't decided yet whether to issue the protest a permit -- though one organizer says the truckers will roll into town regardless. [TU]
A plan is coming together to reshape the intersections around Northway Exit 9 in Clifton Park. Among the goals: to put some "there" there. [Daily Gazette]
The Van Dyck will be going up for auction July 2. It's estimated to be worth about $1 million. A bank foreclosed on the building last year. [Daily Gazette]
KEM Cleaners has bought a new, somewhat more environmentally friendly cleaning machine -- and is changing its name to Greener Cleaners. It seems that "environmentally friendly dry cleaning" is a relative term, though. For example: there's nothing really organic about "organic" dry cleaning. [TU]
The pay check process at the Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works has hit a pothole. The DPW's office manager retired last week -- and with no replacement, there's now no one who can legally process the payroll. [Saratogian]
Reward for identity of West Hill shooter, teen saves baby, a challenger for Amedore, homecoming queen election intrigue
An Albany church is offering $1000 to anyone who can identifiy the person who shot and killed 10-year-old Kathina Thomas in West Hill Thursday night. Police think Thomas was hit by a stray bullet. [Daily Gazette]
An 18-year-old was shot twice in the head near Schenectady's Central Park Saturday. The teenager, who was visiting from Maryland, is Schenectady's third homicide this year and the seventh for the Capital Region. [Daily Gazette]
An Albany teenager saved a baby from being run over by a bus Friday afternoon. Tyler Purvis-Mitchell, who's 14, spotted the five-day-old baby after it had fallen out of its carriage while being loaded onto the bus. [TU]
Police say a guy robbed a bank at Stuyvesant Plaza the Town Center Plaza in Guilderland (the plaza at Johnston Rd across from the mall), was then chased through Colonie and Menands, and then nabbed in the parking lot of the VA hospital on Holland Ave. in Albany. [Daily Gazette]
Schenectady city councilman and Democrat Mark Blanchfield announced he'll challenge Republican George Amedore for the 105th Assembly District seat (that's Paul Tonko's old seat). Amedore was elected in a special election last year after Tonko left to head up NYSERDA. [Daily Gazette]
RPI will knock down 13 buildings in the neighborhood surrounding EMPAC. [TU]
Benita Johnson won her third consecutive Freihofer's Run for Women Saturday -- and then found out her dad had just died. [TU]
Was an openly gay student elected homecoming queen at Hudson High? Students say yes, the administration says no. [TU]
A fifth-grader in Saratoga has raised $650 to buy mosquito nets for people in Africa. She decided to raise the money -- she's aiming for $1000 -- after seeing a segment about malaria on an "Idol Gives Back" episode of "American Idol." [Saratogian]
10-year-old shot and killed, Skidmore students busted for drugs, Bruno is running again, money for hybrid buses
A 10-year-old girl was killed last night in Albany by what looks like a stray bullet. A ward leader from the neighbhorhood (the area around Bleecker Stadium) says she hears about shots being fired "every night." [TU]
Police busted a Saratoga Springs drug operation that they say included eight current or former Skidmore students. The college has a bit of a rep as stoner school -- it was 14th in the Princeton Review's "Reefer Madness" rankings and the Saratoga DA says his office had been receiving phone calls from parents concerned about drugs on campus. [Daily Gazette]
It sounds like state Republicans are preparing for a fight with David Paterson over his directive that state agencies recognize same-sex marriages from other states. [NYT]
All but official: Joe Bruno is running for re-election. When asked about it directly, though, Bruno responded with his usual charm. Brian Premo, a Democrat who's been saying he would run against Bruno, is apparently now ready to officially announce next week. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
If you had been waiting for the coveted Ron Paul endorsement before picking your guy in the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's current seat) Republican nomination, wait no longer. The Ron Paul Revolution has gotten behind Steven Vazquez. [TU]
Bethlehem police arrested a man yesterday on charges that he attempted to pay two teenage girls for the chance to smell their feet. [CBS6]
CDTA scored $2 million from the feds to put toward buying diesel-electric hybrid buses. [Business Review]
State agencies told to recognize same-sex marriages, college campus goes completely smoke-free, more development in Troy, trolley tours for Schenectady
David Paterson has directed state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. The directive is said to be an indication that the governor will at some point push for legalization of the marriages here in New York. [NYT]
Five years ago a safe with thousands in cash, rare gold coins and $2 million in bearer bonds was stolen from an office building near the Port of Albany. An arrest in the case was finally made last week just before the statute of limitations kicked in. Police picked up one person, though they believe three more are at large. A guy who reportedly helped open the safe says it -- and the millions in bonds -- ended up at the bottom of the Hudson. [TU]
Maria College is going to a totally smoke-free campus. It will be the first college or university in the region to do so. [Daily Gazette]
That huge building across the street (444 River St) from the outdoor farmers' market site in Troy is being developed into apartments, live/work spaces and retail spots. [TU]
SCCC wants to take over the castle-like Schenectady Armory after it's vacated by the New York National Guard. The school would use the space for athletic facilities. [Daily Gazette]
The Capital Region's carbon footprint per person ranks right in the middle among the nation's 100 biggest metros, according to the Brookings Institution. [TU]
The company that runs the Albany Aqua Ducks will start trolley tours of Schenectady this summer. [TU]
Gambling joint knocked over, texting while driving ban proposed, MoveOn in town, nanoeconomics
A couple of things about the local gambling scene have to come to light over the past month. The first: people have been playing poker at illegal clubs around Albany, including a "members only" club on N. Allen. The second: it looks like a group is knocking over these clubs, in robberies like something out of a movie. [TU]
The state Senate has passed a bill that would make it illegal to text while driving. The bill now heads to the Assembly. [Daily Politics]
MoveOn will be in Albany and Saratoga Springs today campaigning in a somewhat unusual way against John McCain. [Saratogian]
A road reconstruction project has downtown Chatham closed to traffic, maybe for months. [TU]
RPI is moving toward letting students use their school IDs to spend their "Rensselaer Advantage Dollars" at off-campus businesses. UAlbany, Siena and St. Rose already such arrangements. [Troy Record]
UAlbany recently awarded the world's first PhD in "nanoeconomics." [Daily Gazette]
Clifton Park is looking at opening a second the dog park -- and hiking fines for not leashing dogs in its other parks. [Daily Gazette]
Truckers protest, cotton candy guy situation gets stickier, Schenectady hires former cops for Big Brother duty, stickball in Troy
Truckers protested high diesel prices yesterday by... burning diesel on a big rig drive from Northway Exit 17 to Exit 16. [Saratogian]
Remember that guy in Colonie who had been accused of handing out cotton candy that, probably unknown to him, was tainted with ant poison? Well, the cotton candy situation led police to search his home and they say they found pot and an illegal knife. The cotton candy guy says he's being smeared for his criticism of town government. [TU]
Schenectady has hired a trio of retired cops to monitor surveillance camera feeds from around the city. [Daily Gazette]
Trey Anastastio, of Phish fame, apparently was a star student in Washington County drug court and will graduate next month. That means he'll avoid jail time. [TU]
Break out those pinkies and cut down that broomstick, stickball is back in Troy. [Troy Record]
Congressional race drama for Albany Dems, Troy mayor says Rensselaer's all wet, something's rotten in Clifton Park, the neighborhood where you gotta pick up your own pizza
The race for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat) has Albany County Democrats divided. The party committee endorsed Phil Steck last night, but only after about half of the members walked out of the meeting. The walk-outs, most of them from the City of Albany, didn't want to endorse anyone ahead of the primary. There are eight Democrats running for the nomination. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The mayor of Rensselaer is offering to settle the city's water deb with Troy by sending a check $1.59 million and $150,000 each year for the next seven years. Troy mayor Harry Tutunjian says Rensselaer owes a lot more than that and called the neighboring city "deadbeats." [TU]
It seems that a composting facility in Clifton Park really stinks -- in more ways than the obvious (though the obvious seems pretty bad). [TU]
Sections of Spa State Park will be allowed to grow wild in an effort to reduce costs and "improve sustainability." A member of a park advocacy group called the plan "ridiculous," though a park naturalist contends the wild areas will be pretty. [Saratogian] [TU]
The Mont Pleasant neighborhood in Schenectady is apparently the Bermuda Triangle of pizza deliveries. Many pizzerias have stopped delivering there after multiple robberies and weirdness. Just this week a delivery guy was robbed at taser-point (taser-prong?). [Fox23]
Thumbelina, the world's smallest horse, and her Thumbymobile visited the Children's Hospital at AMC yesterday. [Daily Gazette]
Paterson has surgery, school budgets pass, NanoCollege joins up with Army, talented dog adoption gets more expensive
The "migraine" that sent David Paterson to the hospital yesterday was actually a buildup of pressure in his left eye. The governor had laser surgery yesterday to relieve the pressure, which is a form of glaucoma. Doctors will repeat the procedure on his right eye -- the one in which he still has some vision -- as a preventive measure. [NYT]
School budgets passed in almost everywhere yesterday, including Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Bethlehem, Guilderland, Shen and E. Greenbush. The Albany library budget also passed with an increase that will allow for a new branch in Arbor Hill and expansion of the Pine Hills branch. [TU]
UAlbany's NanoCollege announced it will be working with the US Army to develop technologies like tiny sensors, "smart" bandages and (gulp) nanobots. [Daily Gazette]
New York State has recommended that Saratoga Springs pay female employees $2000 in compensation for, among other things, not having a women's bathroom at the city's police station. [Saratogian]
How does the Larfarge cement plant in Ravena, the state's largest mercury polluter, win an environmental award? Having a company VP sit on the environmental group's board probably doesn't hurt. [TU]
Saratoga County is studying the possibility of a horse park. [Daily Gazette]
The Albany Common Council raised many administrative fees, including the one paid for adopting a "talented" dog. The fee for taking in such a dog is increasing from $50 to $65. Adoptions of "other dogs" will be $15. [TU]
Paterson in hospital, Albany to expand dump, Tonko officially in, knockoff handbags busted, TU cuts staff
David Paterson was taken to the hospital this morning with a severe migraine and is reportedly now doing fine. It's also his birthday -- he's 54. [Capitol Confidential] [Newsday]
The Albany Common Council has approved a plan to borrow almost $7 million to expand the city's Rapp Rd. landfill. The facility as currently configured will be full by next year. The city makes $13 million a year -- 10 percent of its budget -- taking trash from other municipalities. [TU]
Paul Tonko says he's now officially in the race for the 21st Congressional District. He will formally announce today. Tonko becomes the 10th person to jump in the pool, which includes eight Democrats and two Republicans.[CapNews9]
Stop the count, we may a winner for Creep of the Year and it's only May. Police have accused a Latham man of drugging an eleven-year-old girl, taking explicit picutres of her and then sending the pictures to other people. And get this: this same guy has been fighting lymphoma -- and people in the community have been raising money to help pay for his treatment. [TU]
Wait, keep the contest open: in something like an outtake from the Jerry Springer show, two adult women -- a mother and an aunt -- in Mechanicville have been accused of egging on their teenage daughter/niece in a fight against another teenager. The whole scene was apparently caught on video and posted on the web. [Daily Gazette]
State police have nabbed a Troy couple for trying to sell $50,000-worth of counterfeit handbags and jewelry, including knockoffs of Louis Vitton, Kate Spade, Burberry and Prada. The bust also snagged a trio of "Pocketbook Party" planners. [Daily Gazette]
The TU is looking to cut 30 people from its staff. It will try a round off buyouts first, but enough people don't bite it might have to resort to layoffs. [TU] [Business Review]
Graduations, school budget increases, discounts on heroin, bickering in Troy, dress codes at The Track
UAlbany, RPI, Skidmore and Siena all held gradations this past weekend. [TU] [TU] [Saratogian] [Troy Record]
Stillwater police have accused a Watervliet man of holding a woman captive for three weeks. [WNYT]
On average, proposed school budgets in the Capital Region are up more than 6 percent from last year. Proposed property tax increases aren't quite as high, though, because some of the new spending is being offset by money from the state. The vote on school district budgets is tomorrow. [TU]
The Schenectady drug operation that allegedly involved the former police chief's wife continues to provide story fodder. The latest details: dealers worked on schedules and argued whether it was fair that one dealer got one of the ring's phones every weekend, sales locations changed frequently, and you had to buy five bags of heroin to get a discount. [Daily Gazette]
A developer says the seemingly constant fighting between Troy mayor Harry Tutunjian and the city council is hurting economic development in the city. The developer says government officials need to start acting like "gentlemen." (No, there aren't any women on the Troy City Council.) [Troy Record]
Apparently any reference to 9/11 is off-limits when making a custom New York license plate. References to Osama Bin Laden are also a no-no. [TU]
Dress codes at The Track might be easing. A little. The new rules will be announced in June. [Daily Gazette]
The shelf-stocking kingpin, "rapidly" improving schools, Saratoga surplus, old-school pumps can't count high enough
Wiretap transcripts are painting a more detailed picture of the guy police say was behind the drug operation that allegedly involved the former Schenectady police chief's wife and step-son. Kerry "Slim" Kirkem is described as a part-time supermarket stocker, concerned parent, and philosopher. Among his pearls of wisdom on why you should fear no one: "Because you do (expletive) on earth, then you die." [TU]
The state Department of Education released report cards for schools across the state. Many of the districts in area suburbs were on the "high performing district" list. The Brighter Choice charter school in Albany also made that list. Eight schools in Schenectady and Albany were described as "rapidly improving," which apparently means "better, but not there yet." Or as the superintendent of Albany schools put it to the TU, "We're not just improving, we're rapidly improving." [Daily Gazette] [TU]
In what's being described as a bit of a surprise, Saratoga Springs had an almost $4 million surplus last year. [Daily Gazette]
The woman who fell through a man hole on the Union College campus five years ago had her pain and suffering award cut down two-thirds by a state appellate court. Unless she appeals, the woman will now receive $450,000 on top of the $3.36 million previously awarded to her for future medical expenses. [Daily Gazette]
An old-school gas station in Troy has pumps that can't sell gas for more than $3.99 a gallon, which has become a bit of a problem lately as premium prices have shot above $4. [Troy Record]
The Gazette has a picture of Kirsten Gillibrand's new son. [Daily Gazette]
Local congressional candidates talk and point, suggestions for downtown Saratoga, big expectations for AMD plant, who needs trays?
The eight Democratic candidates running for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat) showed they could wait their turn Wednesday night. It seems they can also point fingers. [TU] [CBS6]
A group that represents businesses along Broadway has suggested a bunch of improvements for downtown Saratoga. Among them: more trees, more parking, public bathrooms, heated sidewalk, and pocket parks. [TU]
Expectations for the proposed AMD chip fab plant in Malta are becoming, let's say, exuberant. The latest claim: the project could spur the area's population to grow by 400,000 over the next 10-15 years. [Saratogian]
The Troy fire deparment has called off its overtime boycott of RPI's commencement after the school agreed to talk about the department's concerns. [TU]
Two brothers are opening a Vespa dealership in Schenectady. (Yes, someone did that in Saratoga awhile back. No, it didn't make it.) [Daily Gazette]
Among the local measures taken in the struggle against rising food costs: "Trayless Tuesday" at the RPI dining halls. That doesn't seem to have worked out very well.