Items tagged with 'David Soares'

The Albany County DA's office is going to stop prosecuting people for having small amounts of marijuana

David Soares marijuana public meeting

David Soares at a community meeting about marijuana policy at APL Arbor Hill branch this past summer.

Albany County DA David Soares announced Thursday that his office will no longer be prosecuting people for "simple possession" of marijuana -- cases in which people are found to have less two ounces. The new policy starts December 1, and the DA's office says it will be seeking dismissals "where appropriate for cases currently pending where these are the sole charges."

The new policy does not cover cases in which people are openly using pot in public or in a car, or near children.

Soares held a series of community meetings about changing views toward marijuana earlier this year. And the announcement today's change referenced those meetings. Press release blurbage:

This policy has been developed after conducting a number of public meetings across the county in order to hear from the people we represent. In conjunction with the public meetings, we sought the opinion of residents via our website. The vast majority of our constituents indicated that they wanted to see a shift in the legal status of recreational adult use marijuana and in the enforcement of existing laws. Given the near certain impending changes in the law, and given the sea change in society's views of the issue, it is no longer the best use of our resources to prosecute these low-level marijuana offenses.

Recreational marijuana use is now legal in Vermont. And Massachusetts is in the process of starting recreational marijuana sales.

Here in New York, a Siena poll reported earlier this year that a majority of people favored allowing recreational marijuana. Cynthia Nixon made it a plank in her gubernatorial campaign. And a state Department of Health report released this past summer argued for legalizing recreational pot.

It would not be surprising to see a move toward legalization of recreational marijuana in New York State now that Democrats will control both chambers of the state legislature.

Past convictions
One of the important angles in the shift towards legalizing pot is the thousands of people who have been prosecuted in the past for something that is now being decriminalized or may even soon be legal.

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Grand jury declines to indict officers involved in Dontay Ivy case

Albany County DA David Soares announced Wednesday afternoon that a grand jury has declined to hand up indictments on criminal charges for three officers involved with the incident in which Donald "Dontay" Ivy, an African-American man, died after being tasered this past April in Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood.

Ivy, who suffered from schizophrenia and a heart condition, had gone to an ATM at an convenience store near his home that night when he was stopped by police. Officers said they had stopped Ivy because they believed he was acting suspiciously.

Details of the encounter are in a letter summarizing the DA office's investigation of the case that Soares says was sent to mayor Kathy Sheehan, and was also released to the public. It includes a narrative of the encounter -- of the stop, a search, a chase, the use of the taser, Ivy being subdued, Ivy's stopped breathing, and the EMS response -- built from comments by officers and what evidence the DA's office was able to gather.

It also reports that a forensic pathologist who examined Ivy's body -- Dr. Michael Sikirica -- concluded that Ivy had underlying heart conditions that "made him particularly susceptible to a heart attack brought on by the stress of the incident with the police." And in Sikirica's opinion, the taser did not cause Ivy's death, though it did contribute to the stress of the encounter.

The entire letter is embedded here...

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Investigation finds fraud at state forensics lab, Paterson talking about layoffs again, homeless shelters jammed, another bank robbery attempt

A investigation by the state inspector general concludes that Gary Veeder, a former state police forensic scientist, "routinely" failed to conduct a required test on fiber evidence and then lied about performing the test in case records. Twenty-six of the cases were from the Capital Region. State police say it does not appear the fraudulent testing affected any convictions. The IG's report also concludes that Veeder was able to get away with the fraudulent work for years because "laboratory staff's technical, or peer, reviews of Veeder's fiber examinations were substandard, overlooking obvious indications that Veeder had omitted the required fiber test." State police say they're bringing in an outside consultant to address the problem. Veeder is now dead -- he committed suicide at his home in Vorheesville last year. [NYS IG] [Fox23] [WNYT] [NYT] [TU]

The Saratoga County sheriff's deputy accused of forcing an acquaintance to perform a sex act on him while he was on duty has been indicted on 11 new charges. Saratoga County DA James Murphy says three more women have stepped forward to accuse the deputy of similar crimes. [TU] [Saratogian]

Federal prosecutors are predicting jail time for Joe Bruno. [NYDN]

David Paterson says state worker layoffs will be back on the table if state revenues continue to drop. [NYP]

Steven Raucci will stay in jail after a state appeals court affirmed a lower court's decision to deny him bail. The TU and the Daily Gazette are now suing the Schenectady school district for access to its investigation of Raucci. The district has already released a version of the report -- but it was heavily redacted. [Daily Gazette $] [TU] [Daily Gazette $] [TU]

State DEC scientists report that bat populations are down 90 percent in caves where they're studying "white nose syndrome." "We don't have a lot of years to figure this out," says a DEC scientist. [NYS DEC] [TU]

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State school aid cuts detailed, state police report on I-90 shootout, town's bond rating downgraded to junk, the $40,000 tree

The state Division of Budget released a breakdown of how much funding would be held back from each school district as part of David Paterson's cut-for-solvency. Among the Capital Region districts, Albany took the largest hit (in absolute terms) -- $744,643. Albany's interim superintendent says the district had been anticipating the cuts and had already started trimming its budget. David Paterson said this week that the districts could eventually receive the delayed money if the state's fiscal condition improves. NYSUT is leading a coalition that plans to file suit over the delays/cuts. [Daily Politics] [CapCon] [TU] [NYT] [WTEN]

The state Board of Elections has finally approved new voting machines. [TU]

David Paterson is expected to extend anti-discrimination protections to transgender state employees today. [NYT]

A State Police investigation reports that the man at the center of January's shoot-out on I-90 was probably high on PCP and yelled for police to shoot him (which they eventually did -- he later died). They also released video of the incident from a camera in a state trooper's car. State Police say it appears the man was on the run from crimes in Connecticut. One effect of the shoot-out: the state police troop based in Loudonville is now equipped with 48 patrol semi-automatic rifles. [Daily Gazette $] [Troy Record] [Fox23] [WTEN] [CapNews9] [TU]

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Soares says crime will increase, man accused of killing son, woman says no one would call for help, Center Square parking garage sold, dead fish are stinky

Albany County DA David Soares says the number of crimes will rise as the economic downturn continues. There's been a rash of shootings, assaults and robberies lately in the City of Albany. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

A Coeymans man has been charged with the murder of his teenage son. Police say the man shot his son late Sunday night. The man's attorney says his client came home and found his son already dead. [TU] [Fox23]

Officials from AMD and GlobalFoundries say they're not too worried about Intel's threat to cancel a key technology sharing agreement. A spokesman for GloFo says the news "changes nothing." [TU] [Post-Star]

The design for the expansion of the Saratoga City Center was unveiled yesterday -- it changes the look of the building considerably. The expansion will increase the convention center's square footage by more than 40 percent. The project is expected to start in late Spring and take 14 months to complete. [Post-Star] [Saratogian] [Daily Gazette]

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It's cold, emergency landing at ALB, Soares calls for video of interrogations, Dalai Lama coming, state threatens bingo in Troy, Obama-Osama mistake strikes again

Note: the TU's site, in a stripped-down version, seems to be up again. Sort of.

Newsflash: it's cold. Temps this morning were below freezing zero and today's forecasted high is 16 degrees, with a wind-chill of as low as -9. [NWS]

ALB was closed for about an hour yesterday after a flight from Canada had to make an emergency landing. The Toronto-to-Manchester (NH) flight asked to make the emergency landing at ALB after it reported engine problems. The commuter plane's tires blew out during landing -- no one was injured. [Biz Review] [AP/Troy Record] [TU]

After this week's conviction of Jermayne Timmons, Albany County DA David Soares says he will push for the Albany Police Department to start videotaping interrogations. A key part of the Timmons case was a statement the APD extracted from the teen about the shooting of Kathina Thomas. APD chief James Tuffey says there's isn't money available to record the sessions, but Soares says the department has failed to take advantage of state money for the project. [CapNews9] [WNYT]

The Saratoga County sheriff's office says the driver who's accused of injuring a garbage man in Wilton after rear-ending a garbage truck was driving without a license. The garbage man was still in critical condition yesterday. [Saratogian] [Saratogian]

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Unemployment rate up over a year ago, Soares looks to crack down on DWI, Troy stores will be on Oprah, DiNicola has a brain tumor

The Capital Region's unemployment rate in October was 4.9 percent, up from 3.6 percent a year ago. [TU]

A Siena poll reports that a majority of New Yorkers are planning to spend less this year on holiday presents. [Daily Gazette]

A Thanksgiving food bank in Schenectady says requests are up about 20 percent this year. [Daily Gazette]

Albany County DA David Soares says his office will be cracking down on drunk drivers and will push to seize the cars of DWI suspects. [TU]

The mayor of Rensselaer says the city will not be prepared to handle snow removal this winter after the city council voted down a plan to use state money to replace equipment damaged during summer flooding. The council president says the city hasn't adequately documented what was lost. [TU] [Troy Record]

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Reaction to Paterson's proposed budget cuts, DA candidates broke rules, beer can DNA leads to plea, paying for horse retirement

A very quick overview of David Paterson's plan to cut $2 billion from this year's state budget. [AOA]

David Paterson's proposed budget cuts went over pretty much as you would expect with the state's various interest groups: not well at all. [TU] [Biz Review] [Troy Record] [Daily Gazette]

Dean Skelos, the lame-duck state Senate majority leader, basically said the Senate wouldn't act on Paterson's proposals during next week's special session. Skelos also said he didn't "see anything creative" in Paterson's plan. [Daily Politics]

A big portion of the proposed budget cuts come from school aid. Among the proposed cuts for local districts: Albany $2.6 million (3.4 percent), Schenectady $2.7 million (3 percent), Guilderland $2 million (10 percent), Troy $1.4 million (3 percent). [TU]

Also among the proposed cuts: VLT money that goes to cities and counties. Saratoga Springs could lose $1.8 million next year under the Paterson plan. The city's finance commissioner says the city's going to plan on still getting the full amount. VLT money makes up about 10 percent of the city's budget. [Saratogian]

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Paterson expects cuts to Medicaid and schools, food pantries running low, copper pipe ripped off from church, high-end development planned for Cohoes

David Paterson says cuts to Medicaid and school aid will probably be necessary to cover the state's budget gap. He said he also expected to be renegotiating contracts with the state worker unions. By the way: as of the Friday deadline set by Paterson, state legislative leaders offered the following proposals to help the state cover its budget gap: nada. [NYT] [AP/TU]

It looks like state Senator Malcolm Smith (a Democrat from Queens) has locked up the role of state Senate majority leader come January. Smith, accompanied by David Paterson, sealed the deal this past weekend in... Puerto Rico. [TU]

Albany County DA David Soares says the leaders of the union that represent Albany police are trying to smear him. He also says the leaders organized a protest outside his house. One the leaders is the guy who was accused this past summer of spitting on an officer because of a misappropriated shot of Jagermeister. [TU]

Local food pantries say demand is up and supplies are starting to run short. Local homeless shelters say they're also seeing increased demand. [Daily Gazette] [CapNews9]

Kenneth Lally has died. Along with his wife Thelma, he donated a bunch of money around the Capital Region -- most prominently to RPI (The Lally School of Management) and St. Rose (Lally School of Education). The Lallys also supported local hospitals and museums. [TU] [Troy Record]

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Top Paterson aide didn't pay taxes, Barnes believes he was targeted, chip fab company to get new name, Little League bleachers stolen

David Paterson's top advisor, chief of staff Charle O'Byrne, admitted this weekend to not paying his federal or state taxes from 2001-2005 after the TU reported there were warrants out for his back taxes. O'Byrne says he neglected to pay because he was clinically depressed. O'Byrne was $200,000 behind his taxes. The Gov has said O'Byrne did disclose the problem, though it's unclear to what to extent. The conventional wisdom seems to be that O'Byrne won't lose his job over this. [AP] [TU] [TU] [NYT] [Newsday]

Albany County DA David Soares says he'll meet with Steve Barnes to talk about the attack on the food writer and his friend Friday night. According to the TU, Barnes believes he was specifically targeted. [TU]

Rensselaer County's proposed 2009 budget does not include a tax increase. County executive Kathleen Jimino says the county's expanding tax base made an increase unnecessary. [TU]

As many as 7,500 absentee ballots in Albany County did not correctly list David Soares as a candidate on the Independence Line in the district attorney race. The board of elections says it was a simple oversight and new ballots will be ready this week. [TU]

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Lots of chip fab details, Paterson looks for "hand back," Saratoga Springs looks at cutting city jobs, Albany High scheduling mishap blamed on training

Even with the state facing a seemingly ever widening budget gap, David Paterson says the state will follow through on its pledge of $1.2 billion in incentives for the Luther Forest chip fab project. [TU]

The chip fab project isn't officially a done deal, yet. One of the remaining hurdles: the federal Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has to sign off on the deal because the AMD spin-off building the plant is being funded by the government of Abu Dhabi. [TU]

The fab is expected to directly generate about 1,500 jobs. The Malta town supervisor says he's heard that 60 percent of the jobs will pay between $40k-$70k -- and the rest will probably be worth more than $100k a year. [Daily Gazette]

David Paterson says he'll be meeting with state worker unions to discuss how "we can work together" to address the state's budget gap for next year, which now projected at $8 billion. The Gov wouldn't say whether layoffs were on the table. [AP/TU]

More budget gap talk: Paterson says the federal government should send some of the taxes New Yorkers pay back to the state to help cover the deficit. Paterson says the state should get the "hand back" after years of sending more to Washington than it's gotten back. [Newsday]

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Luther Forest chip fab a go, Conners and Soares squabble over audit, parking prices going up at airport, Sam the Bugler returned home

AMD says it is going ahead with the chip fab plant at Luther Forest. The chip company is spinning off a new company focused on manufacturing (with $6 billion from Abu Dhabi), and that company (called Foundry) will actually be building and operating the plant. The Luther Forest chip fab is not a completely done deal, though. AMD says a few things still need to happen for it to be official, including having New York State transfer its $1.2 billion in incentives to the new company. It looks like that will happen -- there's a press conference with David Paterson and the AMD people this afternoon. [NYT] [WSJ] [TU]

An audit released yesterday by Albany County comptroller Mike Conners concludes that about $6,000 is missing from a safe in DA David Soares' office and criticized the DA's office for spending seized money on things like parking and community anti-crime initiatives. (Though there appears to be a shifting standard for what's considered an allowed use of seized money.) Soares says the audit is politically motivated (he's up for re-election next month). Conners says he hoped to conclude the audit earlier this year, but received "little help" from Soares. [TU] [TU] [Troy Record]

The state legislators who represent Schenectady told the city council last night that it shouldn't look for more state aid this year because there just isn't any money. But getting rid of unfunded mandates might be an option. One idea: get the state to allow Schenectady to open a night court so it doesn't have to build more court space. [Daily Gazette]

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Local House members split on bailout, kid curfew in Albany?, state workers could get four day work week, Gov involved in local septic tank dispute

The Capital Region's two members of the House voted differently yesterday on the Wall Street bailout bill. Kirsten Gillibrand voted against, saying in a release that the bill was "fundamentally flawed." (Sandy Treadwell, her Republican opponent in the November election says he also opposed the bill.) Mike McNulty voted for the bill. (His probable replacement, Democrat Paul Tonko, said he hasn't read the bill.) Incidentally, yesterday was supposed to be McNulty's last day in DC as a Congressman -- though now it looks like he'll be going back for another vote. [TU] [Saratogian] [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record]

New York State's comptroller says it now looks like the Wall Street meltdown will cost the state $3.5 billion in lost tax revenue over the next year-and-a-half. He's projecting the state will lose $1.75 billion just from decreases in year-end bonues given out by financial firms. [Biz Review]

Schenectady mayor Brian Stratton has proposed a budget for next year that would raise taxes 3 percent and increase water and garbage fees. It would be the first tax increase in three years for Schenectady. It was also the first time in three years no one clapped at the budget unveiling. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Albany County comptroller Mike Conners says his most recent audit of the DA David Soares' office will include allegations "more serious" than money missing from a safe -- though Conners won't say what until October 6. Also present at this announcement: Soares' opponent in the November election, Roger Cusick. [TU]

Albany Common Councilman Glen Casey is proposing a curfew for kids under 17 as a way to reduce crime. Troy and Schenectady already have curfews. [TU]

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Money reportedly missing from DA's safe, Malta roundabout accidents up, mystery illness killing off local bats, libraries are hot

An audit by the Albany County comptroller has reportedly concluded that as much as $7,000 is missing from a safe in the Albany County DA's office. A 2005 audit of this same safe reported $25k missing -- but it later turned up in a safe deposit box. [TU]

A survey of residents in Albany's West Hill neighborhood, where Kathina Thomas was shot earlier this year, reports that more than half of the people there believe the area is unsafe and growing more violent. Seventy-five percent of the people surveyed had lived in the neighborhood less than three years. [TU]

The number of accidents along the stretch of five roundabouts in Malta is up, according to the state department of transportation. The number of serious injuries is down, though -- and rush hour travel times are a third of what they had been. A DOT official attributed the rise in accidents to people adjusting to the circles. [Daily Gazette]

Attendance for the ballet and orchestra at SPAC this past summer was down 9 percent, leaving the org $375,000 short of its budgeted goal for those performances. (Pop music attendance was up 27 percent.) Ticket sales for the ballet and orchestra don't even cover half the expense of hosting the two series. SPAC did end the season in the black, though, thanks to advertising and endowments. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

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Cops crack down on another Albany HS brawl, NYRA bankruptcy ending, airport asks if you're experienced, Alive at Five alcohol ban proposed, something stinks at Yaddo

There was another throwdown among Albany High School students yesterday along Quail Street. The cops were waiting this time -- with pepper spray, batons and horses. It looked like a crazy scene. (AOA's gotten email from witnesses that this is the third time this week these fights have erupted.) So what's going on? "It's a little bit of everything," one teen told the TU. [CBS6] [CBS6] [TU]

It looks like NYRA will emerge from bankruptcy today. New York State will be giving the racing org $105 million in return for the deeds to the Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct tracks. [Saratogian] [TU]

There's a new color-coded security line set-up at the airport, with separate lanes for families, "casual" travelers and "expert" travelers. The sorting is supposed to help move people through the security line faster. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Remember that big steroids investigation being prosecuted by David Soares and Albany County prosecutors? Seventeen people have pled guilty in that investigation, but yesterday a judge tossed the indictments of five people at the center of the drug ring. [TU]

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Albany HS schedule mix-up "not acceptable," Troy tap water orange, two "thin, bald white guys" fight over slogan, the Choppinator

The president of the Albany school board says the scheduling screw-up at Albany High is "not acceptable." The computer problem behind the mix-up has apparently been a known issue since early last month. Classes are now slated to start on Monday. [TU]

Neil Kelleher -- former Troy mayor, longtime Republican member of the state Assembly, WWII veteran, and barber shop quartet singer -- died yesterday. He was 85. Both Republicans and Democrats hailed him as a friend. [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record]

Harry Tutunjian says there's "absolutely no health risk involved" with the discolored tap water in Troy. The water's orangish tint is apparently the result of higher levels of iron and manganese dissolved in the water. [TU]

A special prosecutor says he will not bring charges against two Troy cops accused of using excessive force after a January car chase that ended up in Menands. There's still a civil case in progress. [TU]

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Local counties won't get flood money from feds, fingers already pointed in DA race, pit bull ordred put down and another banished, horse betting on the Blackberry

It looks like local counties will not be getting money from FEMA for recovery after the flooding late last month. Apparently area wasn't damaged quite enough -- the region's tally of $18.2 million fell about $5 million short of FEMA's cut-off. The mayor Rensselaer, which suffered $3.5 million of damage, says he's "heart-sickened" over the situation. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record]

One of the workers overcome by toxic fumes earlier this week in Schenectady has died. His co-worker's condition has been upgraded to good. [Daily Gazette]

The almost-race for Albany Count DA has already descended into finger pointing and cries about conflicts of interest. [TU]

Funding for the much argued about new Saratoga Springs police station was taken out of the city's capital budget during a closed-door meeting yesterday. [Daily Gazette]

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Soares says DWIs should lead to Alive at Five re-evaluation, charity shipments ripped off, CDTA has big plans for Schenectady, more people deciding pet care too expensive, Knicks going to Skidmore, how Marylou exercises

David Soares says Albany should "re-evaluate" the Alive at Five events after a bunch of people were arrested for DWI following last week's event. Thirty-two people were arrested during a four hour sweep following the Thursday night concert. A state police deputy says that's the highest number of arrests he can remember in such a short period of time. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

The CEO of Ellis Hospital says his org wasn't prepared for St. Clare's to be shut down two months ago. The lack of readiness has led to long waits in Ellis' emergency department. [Daily Gazette]

Three men have been charged with ripping off charity shipments from the Target in Wilton that were intended for volunteer fire companies and charitable organizations. [Daily Gazette]

CDTA says it has a plan to revamp service in Schenectady pretty much all ready to go, but it needs about $3 million from the state to make it happen. The transit org figures the expanded service will increase ridership about 40 percent. [TU]

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Soares dumps Spitzer-Bruno documents, state official recommends firing Saratoga teacher, buried in the backyard, a two million dollar horse

David Soares' office released more than 8,000 pages of documents from the investigation into the Spitzer administration's "Let's get Joe Bruno by tracking his travel on state aircraft" plot. The short story: the Spitzer admin tried to hatch the plan while keeping the former Gov publicly out of it (though he was involved behind the scenes). Also: Spitzer didn't like Bruno, which probably comes as a surprise to, well, no one. [TU]

A hearing officer for the state Department of Education has recommended that a tenured Saratoga Springs teacher be fired for having what was apparently a platonic, though weird, relationship with one of his students. The 36-year-old teacher and 14-year-old emailed, texted, and IM'ed each other about poetry and met up at places such as Uncommon Grounds. No criminal charges have been filed. [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]

The Albany Airport Authority moved a historic house, intact, more than 200 feet yesterday in order to clear it from a safety zone. [TU]

A woman who recently moved to Schenectady's Hamilton Hill neighborhood was flipping over old patio stones in her backyard and one turned out to be... a grave stone from 1849. A local historian says most of the neighborhood was once a cemetery. Said the historian to the Gazette: "It's a great little piece of Schenectady history. I think a lot of people didn't realize they're living in a former graveyard." No, that probably wasn't in the MLS listing. [Daily Gazette]

A horse went for $2 million last night at the Fasig Tipton Selected Yearling Sale. That was the highest price paid at this year's sale. The horse has bloodlines that run back to Secretariat. [TU]

Tom Roohan -- of realty fame -- would rather you steal his horse and admire it rather than kick it. [TU] [Saratogian] [Fox23]

Fall election picture coming into focus, Schenectady hopes to turn gas into savings, Saratoga cops take on hulk, Walgreen's not getting a warm welcome, million dollar horses

It looks like Albany County DA might face opposition in the November election, after all. County Republicans are working to have attorney Roger Cusick -- who ran against Soares in 2004 -- run on the Integrity Party line. The what? Republicans waited too long to put someone on their own line, so they had to create a new one, thus Integrity. [TU]

The field of Republican candidates for the 20th Congressional District (Kirsten Gillibrand's seat) has thinned. The petitions for Mike Rocque and John Wallace were tossed, leaving Sandy Treadwell as the sole Republican. [Daily Gazette]

Schenectady is looking to generate power from methane at its sewage treatment plant. It figures the generator could cover 30 percent of the plant's power needs and save the city $282,000 on its yearly electricity bill. The city's also looking to build a $20 million dollar Department of Services (plowing, etc.) building -- the old one is literally falling down. [Daily Gazette]

ALB says a decline in flights and passengers has put the airport more than a million dollars in the hole so far this year. [TU]

Three men from downstate have been charged with ripping off 45 catalytic converters from an auto dealership in Colonie. The converters contain expensive metals such as platinum. [TU]

It took eight Saratoga cops and a tasering to subdue a guy on Caroline Street early Sunday morning. An officer's hand was broken during the scuffle. [TU]

Walgreen's is looking to expand in the Capital Region, but it's facing some opposition. Its plan for a new store at Brandywine and State in Schenectady has been criticized as too "suburban" by city officials. And after hearing about the pharmacy giant's plan to open a new store in Lansigburgh, one resident there said "Tell Walgreens to shove it." [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record]

Boscov's has filed for Chapter 11 -- it doesn't look like either of the two local stores will be closing. [TU]

Two horses went for more than a million dollars last night at the Fasig Tiption Selected Yearling Sale. [Saratogian]

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]

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]

Dopp kicked

eliot spitzerNY Mag has a story this week about how Eliot Spitzer let Darren Dopp, one of his former top aides, get thrown under the bus -- and then watch as the bus stopped, backed up, and ran over Dopp a few more times. Among the juicy details:

+ After agreeing to take the fall for "Troopergate" -- the plan to "get" Joe Bruno by leaking records of his state aircraft use -- Dopp learned about his suspension not from Spitzer or adminstration officials, but from blogs.

+ When Dopp told Spitzer that Bruno would be "torqued" if the records of his aircraft use were released, Spitzered reportedly told Dopp to "Shove it up [Bruno's] ass with a red-hot poker."

+ During his investigation of Troopergate, Albany County DA David Soares reportedly told Dopp that he'd met murderers with more honor than some of the people on Spitzer's staff.

+ Spitzer, who apparently is famously anti-therapy, is now seeing a therapist.

photo: ny.gov

Troy city hall up for sale, Soares to run again, big mercury polluter just outside Albany, Halfmoon wants attention, sportmanship gets a timeout after UAlbany game

Troy's city hall could be yours -- it's now officially up for sale. [Troy Record]

Albany County District Attorney David Soares is expected to announce today that he's running for re-election. So far, he's the only candidate in the field, though Paul Clyne -- the incumbent Soares beat four years ago -- is apparently considering a run. [TU] [Daily Politics]

State auditors wagged their fingers (so to speak) at the Town of Colonie for turning a $12.5 million surplus into a $10 million deficit in four years. Recently elected town supervisor Paula Mahan called the situation "sad." [Troy Record]

The Lafarge cement plant on 9W in Ravena was the biggest emitter of mercury in New York in 2006. Its 400 pound output was one-third of the state's total. [TU]

A 16-year-old Albany girl has been arrested for taking part in a group assault of two UAlbany students last month. [TU]

Schenectady wants Habitat for Humanity to build a "green" house with bamboo floors and solar panels -- and it wants to put up money to make it happen. But Habitat's saying "Thanks, but no." [Daily Gazette]

Halfmoon has had enough of being lumped in with Clifton Park. [Daily Gazette]

A firefighter candidate got bounced from the Saratoga probationary program because he has a fear of needles, which doesn't work out so well for paramedic training. He's now suing. [Saratogian]

There was a shoving match last night between the coaches after the UAlbany men's hoops team topped Binghamton 74-52 on the road. [Daily Gazette]

Albany DA to investigate Troy cops, the budget flu shot, easy win for Siena

David Soares' office says it will into the alleged use of excessive force by Troy police in Menands. The two men arrested Friday night are now being represented by Terry Kindlon, who calls the situation "a Rodney King-type incident." Kindlon asked Soares to get involved because of says he doesn't trust the Troy PD and, in a letter, called its investigation a "charade." [TU] [Record]

Governor Spitzer compares his proposed budget, which is out today, to a flu shot: "You know there's a momentary sting, but it's good for you in the long run." [WXXI Public Radio]

Siena took it to Canisus last night in a 77-49 win at home. The Saints are now 7-1 in the MAAC. [Daily Gazette]

The Scoop

For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

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