All Over Albany

Job anxiety at Capitol, Albany Med planning more development, cell phone prompts school evacuation, NYSTI fighting merger with Egg

The change in control of the state Senate is causing a lot of anxiety for staffers -- many of their jobs are up in the air as resources are being re-apportioned. The state Senate has 1,300 staffers. [NYT]

Albany Med is looking to build an office building, hotel and parking garage on land owned by the VA across New Scotland Ave. The plan would also reconfigure that part of New Scotland into a four-lane street. [TU]

A chunk of ice flew off the back of a tractor trailer yesterday and smashed through the windshield of a Ballston Spa woman's car. (The picture is remarkable.) She says she'd now like to see a state law to making it illegal to drive with ice on your car. [CBS6] [CBS6]

Local auto repair shops say business is booming as people look to hang on to their cars longer because of the economy. [TU]

Police say they're not sure what led to the death of a man found along the side of the road in North Greenbush on Sunday. [Troy Record]

(there's more)

State of the State today, Democrats organize control of state Senate, unemployment claim system crashes, two-year-old found wandering snowy streets

David Paterson will deliver the state of the state speech today at 1 pm. A group of labor unions representing state, local and healthcare workers is planning a march through downtown Albany before the speech -- traffic is being re-routed as thousands are expected to take part. Paterson has largely been out of sight the last few weeks because he's needed the time -- some 60 hours -- to memorize his speech. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [CBS6] [Daily Politics] [ABCNews]

It appears the Democrats have worked out an arrangement to take control of the state Senate. The deal may -- or may not -- have included an agreement to block a vote on same-sex marriage. Malcolm Smith will become the state's first African-American Senate majority leader. And with the change of party control, there are a bunch of new committee chairs -- including the guy who was recently charged with felony assault. [NYT] [TU] [NYDN] [Daily Politics] [NYT]

On the first day of testimony in the trial of the teen accused of firing the shot that killed Kathina Thomas, a prosecution witness admitted he had lied during his testimony. The girl's mother also testified yesterday and her account of the incident was heartbreaking. During opening arguments, the attorney for the accused teen said his client did fire a shot that day -- but not with the type of gun police say killed Thomas. [TU] [AP/Daily Gazette]

(there's more)

Democrats strike deal for control of state Senate, Schumer touting Gillibrand, longtime Saratoga sheriff gets challenger, wrong way driver causes four accidents, students organize for french fries

Note: the TU's site wasn't loading this morning.

Democrats in the state Senate have worked out a deal with the "Gang of Three" senators who were threatening to side with Republicans in the upcoming leadership vote. As part of the deal, Malcolm Smith will become head of the state Senate (president pro tem), but Pedro Espada will become majority leader (no, it usually doesn't get split like that). Also apparently part of the deal: the chamber won't bring up a vote on gay marriage, which one of the Gang of Three opposes. [NYT] [NYDN] [NYP]

Chuck Schumer is reportedly encouraging David Paterson to pick Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton. [NYP]

The solider from Rensselaer County accused of killing two superiors in Iraq was found not guilty by a military jury yesterday at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. The judge had to clear the courtroom after the verdict prompted yelling from the victims' families. [AP/Daily Gazette]

Police say bystanders flocked to the aid of the family hit by a pickup truck on State Street in Schenectady Wednesday. An SPD spokesperson says the accident scene was one of the worst he's ever seen, with little kids "lying in the street screaming for their mother." [Daily Gazette]

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What's left of Heritage Park

Onetime habitat of the rare diamond dog.

Check out these photos of Heritage Park by Flickr user dougtone. It's kind of remarkable how overgrown and rundown the place looks now (the pics are from this past summer).

The Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs were the last regular tenant of Heritage Park. The independent league baseball team dissolved in 2002.

These photos -- and the stadium's condition -- reminded us of The World Without Us.

Updated: Eugene writes: "The World Without Us? How about "Life After People," the
Emmy-nominated History Channel series directed by Argyle resident
David De Vries?"

photo: Flickr user dougtone

No tax increase for Schenectady?, cop gets backup from passerby, Saratoga mini-Chopper food won't be pricy, a bounty from tainted Booty

The Schenectady City Council passed a 2009 budget that does not include a tax increase. The budget proposed by Mayor Brian Stratton had called for a 2.9 percent hike. Stratton has said he would veto the budget if the council made significant cuts. [Daily Gazette]

At a John McCain rally in downtown Albany on Saturday, Jim Buhrmaster -- the Republican running for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat) -- said "the silent majority" will push McCain over the top in the presidential race. At a nearby Barack Obama rally, Paul Tonko -- the Democrat running for the seat -- said the opportunity to elect Obama is "a great fortune." [Troy Record]

After an Albany police officer got tangled up in a fight Friday night with a teenager, whom police say was carrying a shotgun, a passerby went into the cop's patrol car and called for backup. (Apparently the battery in the officer's mobile radio had died.) The APD says it hasn't been able to find the anonymous person who helped the officer. [Fox23] [Daily Gazette]

A car running a red light at Quail and Madison in Albany early Sunday morning hit an ambulance, causing it to roll over. The ambulance, which had its lights and siren on, then hit another car waiting at the light. No one was seriously injured. [WNYT] [TU]

Albany Common Councilman Glen Casey says his car should't have been booted for unpaid parking tickets. "Somebody needs to do a better job," he told the TU. The city treasurer says Casey still has outstanding tickets. [TU]

(there's more)

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]

(there's more)

Colonie facing a lot of red ink, smoking ban proposed around hospitals, Schenectady looking at slick solution for graffiti, chowderfest winners

Auditors for the Town of Colonie report the town is facing a $19.5 million deficit -- that's even bigger than the previous estimates that prompted finger wagging by the state. Town supervisor Paula Mahan says the town is still looking to collect a one-time deficit reduction tax next year. A plan to do that earlier this year was blocked by the state legislature. [TU]

John McCain said last night on 60 Minutes that Andrew Cuomo, who's currently the New York attorney general, would make a good head of the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. [Daily Politics]

Capital Region colleges say they're seeing jumps in enrollment and financial aid requests, possibly because of the state of the economy. [Daily Gazette]

An Albany common council member says he's going to propose a ban on smoking within 100 feet of hospitals. It's not the health effects that have him bothered -- it's the litter. [TU]

(there's more)

Worth its weight in copper

A hot -- and sometimes hot -- commodity.

The TU reported today that a group of thieves took off with 780 pounds of copper wire from a recycling company in Colonie last night.

Why rip off copper? The price of the metal has increased more than five-fold since 2001 (demand from China has been pushing up prices). That's made copper quite the target for thieves. Depending on the type of wire, the copper stolen last night in Colonie is worth somewhere between $435 and $1,100.

But it looks like the thieves need to work on their market timing. Copper prices took their biggest dip in a year today.

photo: Flickr user dh3hao, used under a CC license

Unscheduled days off for Albany High, Rensselaer gets money for flood recovery, auto dealer closing because of high gas prices, RPI kicks retired prof's email because of criticism

Classes have been canceled this week at Albany High School after a computer problem messed up students' class schedules. [TU]

The state Senate is giving the City of Rensselaer $1.1 million to help with recovery from the flooding in August. Mayor Dan Dwyer says "hardly anything has been fixed" since the heavy rains. Residents say they're worried about the water rising again. [Troy Record] [TU] [WNYT]

The City of Troy is considering the purchase of a system that can listen for gunfire and then triangulate the point from which the shots were fired. It costs $200,000 for the system to cover one square mile. [TU]

A Rensselaer police car was rear-ended on the Dunn Memorial Bridge while it was stopped to issue a traffic violation. The collision pushed the cop car into the back of the car that had been pulled over. [Troy Record]

(there's more)

Malta clears way for AMD chip fab, infamous Schenectady B&B sold, brewery scolded for serving too-big samples, the best milk in New York, horse to get key to city

The Malta Town Board approved zoning changes that clear the way for the construction of the AMD chip fab in Luther Forest. The company still hasn't officially committed to the project, though. [TU]

The infamous sex party B&B in Schenectady's Union Ave neighborhood sold yesterday at auction for $201,600 (just $33 per square foot). The new owner is a psychiatrist who will use the house for offices. The old owner is headed off to Florida in his party bus, which is equipped with a stripper pole. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

A Colonie police car was torched in the driveway of an officer's house early Monday morning. It appears some kind of flammable substance had been poured over the car's exterior. [TU]

The number of Capital Region home sales in July was down 20 percent from the same period a year before -- but the median sales price was up 2 percent to $210,000. [Biz Review]

(there's more)

Spitzer aides accused of breaking ethics laws, gun buyback in Troy, Colonie EMTs upset about being grounded, lower gas prices if you pay cash

A report from the State Commission on Public Integrity says four former Eliot Spitzer aides violated state ethics laws while taking part in the "Let's get Joe Bruno by using the State Police to track his travel on state aircraft" plot. The report left the former governor off the hook, a move that some are calling a "whitewash." [NYT] [TU]

Dean Skelos, the new State Senate leader, was at The Track yesterday and said he gives his "commitment" that he would continue Joe Bruno's upstate economic development projects, including the proposed AMD chip fab at Luther Forest. [Daily Gazette]

The Albany gun buyback program is being expanded to Troy. (Earlier on AOA: The Albany gun buyback: buyer's remorse?) [TU]

The Troy police chief is in the running to head up the police force in Marco Island, Florida. [TU]

Colonie EMTs are protesting the town's decision to discontinue the medics' participation with State Police rescue flights around the region. Paula Mahan, the town supervisor, says Colonie needs the resources focused on the town. [WNYT]

Gas stations around the region are starting to offer lower prices to people who pay with cash. The stations says credit card transaction fees are taking a big bite out of their revenue. [Daily Gazette]

The head of the Metroplex Development Authority in Schenectady says the Big House night club project is back on track. [Daily Gazette]

Flooding from all the recent rain damaged the wood floor at the HVCC sports complex, probably closing the facility for the rest of the summer. HVCC is hoping it can save the floor -- a replacement would cost about $200,000. [Troy Record]

Troy City Hall to be knocked down, Bruno says Spitzer was "nuts," something may be rotten at Colonie's dump, local unemployment rate up

A $6 million slab of Bruno bacon, probably the last of his pork, will be put towards a project that includes the demolition of Troy City Hall. A riverfront park and underground parking garage are slated for its place. There doesn't appear to be a solid plan for where the new city hall will go, but Harry Tutunjian and the city council -- who have been fighting over this for months -- are vowing to work together on the relocation. [TU] [Troy Record]

Joe Bruno will officially resign from his state Senate seat at midnight tonight. In an exit interview of sorts with the Troy Record, Bruno says he'll miss the power that comes with being one of the The Three Men in the Room. He also says that he "knew there was something wrong with" Eliot Spitzer after their first meeting, describing the former gov as "certifiably nuts." [Troy Record]

The Town of Colonie, the state DEC and the AG's office are investigating whether a trash hauler defrauded the town landfill of $15 million in revenue. The company has been accused of working with landfill employees to systematically underreport the amount of garbage it's been dumping. In May, a former employee reportedly complained that they had been fired for not going along with the alleged scheme. [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record]

The candidates for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat) got together last night to talk about their positions on a range of topics. "Change" was apparently a popular topic. [Daily Gazette] [Daily Gazette]

The head of AMD, the company talking about building a massive chip fab plant at Luther Forest, stepped down yesterday. Hector Ruiz had been under pressure after the company reported losing more than $1 billion last quarter. The new CEO is reportedly a star engineer who's respected on Wall Street. AMD has still not officially committed to the Luther Forest project. [TU] [NYT]

The Capital Region unemployment rate hit 4.9 percent last month, that's a full point higher than the same period last year. [TU]

Don't you just hate it when your star artist neighbor won't quit bugging you about that 90 acre parcel of land in Rensselaerville until you sell it to him? [TU]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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]

Big Fuller Road makeover planned, local Derby bettors tripped up, Albany Med prize awarded, bad cotton candy

A plan to completely reconstruct Fuller Road in Albany includes three roundabouts, medians, bike lanes and the possibility of moving the intersection with Washington Ave north to provide more room for Albany NanoTech. [TU]

Bettors at Capital Region OTBs had a little trouble getting into the gate before the Kentucky Derby. A computer glitch an hour before post time kept people from placing bets on race. Capital OTB says the hiccup wasn't its fault. It looks like about $500,000 less was bet this year on the race than last year, possibly because of the hold-up. [Daily Gazette]

The Albany Medical Center Prize went to UCSF's Elizabeth Blackburn and Yale's Joan Steitz this year for their work on RNA. They're the first two women to win the award, which is $500,000 -- the largest cash prize for medicine in the country. [Daily Gazette]

An Albany County legislator is proposing that sex offenders be prevented from staying in the same emergency shelters as everyone else. [TU]

The Fort Orange Club wants to knock down a couple of office buildings on Washington Avenue so it can build a parking lot. It seems people in the neighborhood aren't too happy about that. [TU]

The City of Saratoga Springs is holding a class to teach people how to "grieve" their property tax assessments. [Saratogian]

You know what's a bad flavor for cotton candy? Ant poison. [CapNews9]

Woman charged with starving mother, bus fares probably going up, farmers market staying for now, Rats game goes on and on and on

An Albany woman has been indicted on charges that she allowed her elderly mother to starve to death. [TU]

Facing a budget gap, CDTA says it's very likely that fares will have to go up sometime during the next year. Bus fares haven't increased since 1995. (Does it pay to take the bus to work?) [TU]

The Town of Colonie is close to selling Heritage Park to Albany County for $2.7 million. The money would be used to pay down the town's $18 million budget deficit. [Daily Gazette]

The Troy Farmers Market will be staying in its regular location for at least the first few months of the summer. Construction of a hotel will eventually bump the market someplace else. [TU]

A developer is proposing to build a new five-story office building at the corner of New Scotland and Myrtle across from Albany Med. [TU]

It sounds like a N. Greenbush town "workshop" didn't work very well. The meeting ended with the town supervisor locking himself in a room and the town attorney storming off in his car -- all while a TV reporter chased after them. [Troy Record]

The River Rats lost last night in a game that went to five overtimes. It was the longest game in AHL history. [Daily Gazette]

State budget finished, biting the bullet in Colonie, rebuilding Uncle Sam's house, UAlbany's hottest professor

The state budget is done. The final tally was close to $122 billion, up almost 5 percent over last year. That works out to about $6,400 for every person in New York State. Comments about the plan from budget watchers included the word "larding." [NYT]

The Town of Colonie is looking to take a big bite out of its state-scolded $18 million budget deficit by asking homeowners to chip in an average of $250 in a one-time tax. [TU]

Troy has hired an architecture firm to help plan a mixed-use development at the intersection of Congress and Ferry streets. One highlight of the tentative plan: rebuilding the house of Sam Wilson, the guy who inspired the character Uncle Sam. [Troy Record] [TU]

The Malta Drive-In is adding a second screen. The brothers who own it hope the addition will help them turn a profit for the first time. [Saratogian]

Michelle Mosier is apparently UAlbany's hottest professor. She attributes her title to great shoes. [TU]

More turns in the "Virtual Jihadi" drama, Schenectady cops to be tracked, call for more depleted uranium testing in Colonie, good year for maple syrup

The Sanctuary for Independent Media is discussing whether it should file suit against the City of Troy after the city closed the gallery to public events because of code violations. The org says the action was politically motivated, a response to the gallery exhibiting Wafaa Bilal's "Virtual Jihadi." [TU]

RPI has yanked the school-hosted site of the College Republicans after they called the art department a "terrorist safehaven" for its involvement with Wafaa Bilal. But the site that actually featured those comments is hosted off campus -- and it's still up. [TU]

Police cars in Schenectady will be getting GPS units so dispatchers can track their locations. The geographic info is supposed to help improve response times, but it would also help the department know when one of its cops has gone to Scotia to watch bowling. [Daily Gazette]

A group of activists is trying to get government money to do more testing of people who lived and worked near the old munitions plant on Central near the Albany/Colonie line. There's depleted uranium at the site and tests reported three months ago that some people who lived nearby were exposed to it. [TU]

RPI plans to give out $10 million more next year in financial aid. [TU]

Despite its currently decrepit state, architects and town residents are excited about what the plan to turn the Victory Mill (in Victory, outside Saratoga) into luxury condos. [Post-Star]

It's looking like a good year for maple syrup. [Daily Gazette]

Morning Blend: state cash, Saratoga rentals, fake helicopter pilots

New York State's Restore NY program announced it was dropping more than $13 million on projects around the region. Albany's getting $3.3 million to build a pair on buildings on New Scotland in the Park South neighborhood. Schnectady is getting $2.5 million to renovate the Center City Sports Complex. And Troy is getting the same amount to knock down city hall for river front development. [TU]

Colonie showed off its new system for videotaping interrogations in serious crimes. You might have thought that local law enforcement agencies are already doing that, but apparently they're not. APD chief James Tuffey says it's too expensive. [TU]

The state still hasn't worked out what's up with the New York racing franchise, but a real estate agent says that hasn't stopped the track season rental market from heating up in Saratoga. [Saratogian]

Thinking it might be cool to go around acting like you're a helicopter pilot for the state? Well, it turns out that's probably illegal. [CBS6]