New York news

• Union hockey heads to the finish line

  13-02-2019 23:51 via timesunion.com
  SchenectadyA perfect weekend in the ECAC? Sure, that has happened for the Union College hockey team.Once.You have to go back to the first weekend of November to find the only time this season the Dutchmen have swept league foes on consecutive nights. It was Nov. 3 and 4 when Union beat St. Lawrence (4-1) and Clarkson (3-2) on a Friday and Saturday.
  
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• Citing Detective’s Death, de Blasio Scraps Political Trip to New Hampshire

  13-02-2019 23:43 via nytimes.com
  Mayor de Blasio said that he will postpone a campaign-style trip to New Hampshire, following the tragic friendly-fire death of a police detective.
  
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• Grand jury hears testimony in Troy sale of city-owned land

  13-02-2019 23:29 via timesunion.com
  TROY – A city code enforcement officer went from being a target of a Rensselaer County grand jury investigation to serving as a witness before the same panel as he testified Wednesday about the sale of city-owned property to former City Engineer Andrew Donovan.
  
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• Campus watch: Guilderland's Andy Sischo starring for Daemen College

  13-02-2019 23:18 via timesunion.com
  Daemen College's Andrew Sischo continues to be one of the top performers in Division II basketball.The 6-foot-9 red-shirt sophomore from Guilderland (Guilderland High) was named East Coast Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time this season on Monday. It was his 14th league honor in two years.His latest came after he matched his career-high with 36 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in an 89-75 league victory over Molloy last Sunday in Flushing. He had 20 points and 13 rebounds in an 8
  
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• Bail reform slow to move forward

  13-02-2019 23:17 via timesunion.com
  With Democrats in control of state government, the end of cash bail in New York appears inevitable and the final legislative discussions will likely be over how much leeway prosecutors will have in advocating for keeping some defendants in jail.
  
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• White Supremacist Who Killed Black Man to Incite Race War Sentenced to Life in Prison

  13-02-2019 23:16 via nytimes.com
  James H. Jackson received the maximum sentence after apologizing to the court for fatally stabbing Timothy Caughman, 66, in Manhattan in March 2017.
  
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• Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. Disciplined Over Anti-Gay Remarks

  13-02-2019 23:11 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  City Council members on Wednesday voted to dissolve a subcommittee chaired by Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. — days after Diaz claimed City Hall was “controlled by the homosexual community.”Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York
  
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• NY Giving Out Free Tree Seedlings to Prevent Soil Erosion

  13-02-2019 22:55 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  New York state landowners whose property borders rivers and lakes can apply for a bag of free seedlings to prevent soil erosion.Photo Credit: Pexels/CC
  
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• Carol F. Reich, Charter School Innovator, Is Dead at 83

  13-02-2019 22:37 via nytimes.com
  The success that she and her husband achieved with the experimental school they opened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, helped inspire a movement.
  
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• Storm water project on Ramsey Place eliminates bioswale

  13-02-2019 22:33 via timesunion.com
  ALBANY — Opposition to a plan to install a bioswale along Ramsey Place to reduce flooding downhill has prompted city officials to revise its approach, but it still narrows the 40-foot-wide residential street — a proposition that some residents will not accept.Many residents on Ramsey, located in the Helderberg neighborhood, decried the plan for a bioswale, a gently sloped landscaping with vegetation that's designed to remove debris from surface runoff and retain water during downpour
  
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• Long Distance Romance? Get on the Love Bus

  13-02-2019 21:54 via nytimes.com
  College sweethearts and long-distance lovers are using OurBus, which offers low rates, multiple routes, and millennial-friendly amenities.
  
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• Quentin Tarantino-Themed Bar Opens in Brooklyn

  13-02-2019 21:52 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  A recently-opened bar in Williamsburg just might be the new hangout for fans of Quentin Tarantino movies.Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York
  
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• Albany Empire will open season April 27 at home

  13-02-2019 21:51 via timesunion.com
  AlbanyThe Albany Empire will open their second Arena Football League season with two consecutive home games, according to the schedule released Wednesday.The league also announced some minor rules changes that will take effect in 2019.The Empire will play the first of their six regular-season home games on Saturday, April 27 -- two weeks later than in their inaugural year — against the expansion team from Columbus. The following Saturday, they will face the defending ArenaBowl champion Was
  
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• Photos: Valentine's Day rose sale at Colonie Fire Co.

  13-02-2019 21:37 via timesunion.com
  COLONIE — The annual Valentine's Day rose sale is in full swing at the Colonie Fire Company.
  
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• Amid state shortfall, Albany school board starts budget planning

  13-02-2019 21:28 via timesunion.com
  If the school board did nothing, the Albany school district would face a $7.4 million deficit and a 6.4 percent tax hike.
  That, however, is highly unlikely, say school officials who stress that they are just now getting out their budget knives and are looking at ways to keep the spending plan – and subsequent taxes – to a realistic level for the 2019-20 school year.
  "We know that's not the final number," said Bill Hogan, deputy superintendent for business and finance.
  
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• Washington County farmer heads dairy co-op

  13-02-2019 21:17 via timesunion.com
  CambridgeA Washington County dairy farmer has been reelected board chairman at Agri-Mark Inc., a dairy cooperative that owns the Macadam and Cabot brands in New York and Vermont.Neal Rea, owner of the 550-acre Reafield farm in Cambridge, is serving his 13th board term and has family ties to the cooperative dating back nearly eight decades.Representing 850 dairy farms, the co-op owns a processing plant in Franklin County,as well as three plants in Vermont and Massachusetts, that together employ a
  
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• Man arrested for two separate attacks on women in Albany

  13-02-2019 21:11 via timesunion.com
  ALBANY - A 40-year-old man who assaulted two woman, in separate incidents this year, has been arrested police said Wednesday.Arie Patterson, of Albany, was charged with three counts of assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
  
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• It Might Get Cheaper to Rent Apartments in NYC -- by Law

  13-02-2019 20:49 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  Two New York City Council members will introduce a package of bills Wednesday that aim to make renting apartments in one of the world's most expensive real estate marked more affordable, the Wall Street Journal...Photo Credit: Getty Images
  
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• Walmart merging Albany fulfillment center

  13-02-2019 20:38 via timesunion.com
  The customer fulfillment center at the Walmart Supercenter at Crossgates Commons will close and its activities merged into a similar center in Bethlehem, Pa., a spokesman said Wednesday.
  
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• Plug Power opening Rochester facility amid expansion

  13-02-2019 20:12 via timesunion.com
  COLONIE - Fuel cell maker Plug Power of Latham is holding a grand opening on Feb. 22 for its new Rochester facility.CEO Andy Marsh and U.S. Rep. Joseph Morelle will be speaking at the event, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at the Eastman Business Park on Lake Avenue in Rochester.
  
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• Milton GOP incumbents passed over for endorsements

  13-02-2019 20:10 via timesunion.com
  MILTON – Two Republican town council members who wanted to keep their seats on the board have been rejected by the town's GOP committee.The town's Republican Committee Chair Anna Stanko announced that its membership has endorsed Megan Soden and Antonio Bianchi over incumbents Barbara Kerr and Benny Zlotnick. Soden is the chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Bianchi, his LinkedIn page indicates, is a Siena College senior and a legislative assistant at the state Senate.
  
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• Zemsky says IBM deal 'cements' SUNY Poly for years to come

  13-02-2019 19:41 via timesunion.com
  ALBANY - The state's top economic development official told legislators in Albany earlier this week that the state's $300 million deal with IBM for a new artificial intelligence hardware lab at SUNY Polytechnic Institute will help secure the school's technology leadership role for years to come.IBM is planning to spend $2 billion over the next five years on the new AI Hardware Center and related technology development at SUNY Poly and its other IBM sites in New York state such as its resear
  
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• Heartstrings on show at Shakespeare & Company this summer

  13-02-2019 19:10 via timesunion.com
  LENOX, Mass. — Shakespeare & Company's 2019 season, running May 23 to Oct. 13, will feature four works by Shakespeare and four contemporary plays on four stages.
  
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• ‘Friendly Fire’ Killing of Detective: 42 Shots, 7 Officers, 11 Seconds

  13-02-2019 19:05 via nytimes.com
  Seven officers opened fire toward a man holding what appeared to be a gun in the doorway of a Queens store he had been trying to rob, the police said.
  
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• ‘Arrive Alive,’ the Police Dispatcher Said. Then Everything Went Wrong.

  13-02-2019 19:05 via nytimes.com
  The police response to a Queens robbery ended in tragedy. A detective was killed by “friendly fire” from fellow officers, and the suspect’s gun turned out to be fake.
  
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• Jealous rage or self defense? Lawyers clash as Albany murder trial

  13-02-2019 19:02 via timesunion.com
  ALBANY -- To prosecutors, Lahquann Grady stabbed Rashaun Byrd in the heart on July 5 in a case of anger and jealously that boiled into deadly rage.To Grady's attorney, it was self-defense.On Wednesday, a jury heard both arguments as Grady, 21, went on trial before Judge William Carter in Albany County Court accused of killing Byrd, 29, inside a basement apartment at 297 Orange St.
  
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• Albany police to purchase two drones

  13-02-2019 18:29 via timesunion.com
  Albany Police are purchasing two drones, becoming the first urban police department in the Capital Region to utilize the technology.The department got a $100,000 state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services grant to pay for the two drones, said Chief Eric Hawkins."It's a really critical progression of technology in law enforcement," he said
  
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• MTA Unveils Proposed Alternative Service Plan for L Train

  13-02-2019 18:13 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  The MTA has announced a proposed Alternate Service Plan for the L subway line during its much-anticipated and talked-about repair work.
  
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• Man Releases Giant Rat in NJ McDonald’s; Total Chaos Ensues

  13-02-2019 18:06 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  A man released a large, white rat into a McDonald’s in New Jersey last week, sending patrons scrambling for the exit in an incident that was caught on video.
  
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• Crash kills Saratoga County man

  13-02-2019 17:57 via timesunion.com
  A Saratoga County man died after a crash early Wednesday in Moreau, State Police said.Troopers said Caleb D. Lawrence, 23, of South Glens Falls lost control of his 2003 Chevy Silverado just before 1 a.m. on Route 9 near Greenway Road.
  
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• Vicarious Visions lets go 12 amid larger Activision cuts

  13-02-2019 17:51 via timesunion.com
  COLONIE - Video game developer Vicarious Visions laid off 12 employees recently as part of a larger corporate restructuring of its parent company Activision Blizzard.Although Vicarious Visions is in the middle of a $7.3 million expansion into a new 44,000-square foot-office in Colonie, the video game developer's parent company, Activision Blizzard, revealed earlier this week that it would be cutting 8 percent of its workforce across the company's various units and subsidiaries, which is 800
  
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• Vicarious Visions cuts 12 amid larger Activision Blizzard restructuring

  13-02-2019 17:51 via timesunion.com
  COLONIE - Video game developer Vicarious Visions laid off 12 employees recently as part of a larger corporate restructuring of its parent company Activision Blizzard.Although Vicarious Visions is in the middle of a $7.3 million expansion into a new 44,000-square foot-office in Colonie, the video game developer's parent company, Activision Blizzard, revealed earlier this week that it would be cutting 8 percent of its workforce across the company's various units and subsidiaries, which is 800
  
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• Ticonderoga man tried to meet teen for sex, police say

  13-02-2019 17:45 via timesunion.com
  Colonie police said Wednesday they arrested a Ticonderoga used car dealer earlier this month after he tried to meet a 13-year-old girl.
  
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• For sexual harassment witness, the fallout has been 'devastating'

  13-02-2019 17:19 via timesunion.com
  ALBANY — For Gina Bianchi, the fallout of stepping forward as a witness in a sexual harassment case has been devastating. Financially. Emotionally. Physically."This horrible life-changing incident destroyed my career, and I have suffered a stigma that I am not sure can every be rectified," Bianchi wrote in a six-page testimonial that was submitted this week to a legislative panel examining New York's byzantine system for investigating sexual harassment.Although Wednesday's hearing at the C
  
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• Warrant Wednesday:Troopers hunt for drunken drivers, thieves

  13-02-2019 16:39 via timesunion.com
  Accused thieves, drunken drivers, and violators of orders of protection are among the fugitives State Police say they are searching for as part of their Warrant Wednesday initiative.
  
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• Warrant Wednesday: Troopers hunt for DWI, theft suspects

  13-02-2019 16:39 via timesunion.com
  Alleged thieves, drunken drivers and violators of orders of protection are among the fugitives State Police say they are searching for as part of their Warrant Wednesday initiative.
  
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• CONTEST: Share your postcard-worthy pics of the Capital Region

  13-02-2019 16:05 via timesunion.com
  For our next Upstate magazine, we'll highlight the Best Of our region. In the Best of the Rest nominations, we had one category: Best image that would make the best Capital Region postcard.So why don't you show us?Send your best shots that you think would nail this category to Upstate executive editor Gary Hahn at [email protected] with you name, hometown and best way to contact you. You can also upload your photos to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #capregionpostcard.Please
  
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• Listen Up: NYPD 'Friendly Fire' Death, 'El Chapo' and Tax Season Latest

  13-02-2019 15:53 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  Find out more about the NYPD detective who was killed by "friendly fire" while responding to a robbery, the verdict in the "El Chapo" case and the latest news on tax season in this Feb. 13 edition of Listen Up.Photo Credit: WNBC
  
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• Stewart's to close Troy store

  13-02-2019 15:31 via timesunion.com
  Stewart's Shops is closing one of its nine Troy stores on Sunday.The store at 3283 Sixth Ave. will close because of rising costs and because it doesn't have the space or ability to expand its food-to-go offerings or gasoline, the company said in a release.
  
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• Paul Reiser to speak at UAlbany

  13-02-2019 15:27 via timesunion.com
  Comedian and author Paul Reiser will visit UAlbany at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 4, for a discussion with WAMC’s Joe Donahue, the university has announced. A book signing will follow.It will take place at Page Hall, located on the uptown campus at 135 Western Ave.
  
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• Troy cop rejects plea deal that came with no prison time

  13-02-2019 15:00 via timesunion.com
  TROY — A detective accused of stealing from the police union rejected a plea-bargain offer that would have spared him from incarceration, opting instead to take his chance at trial and face the potential of up to 7 years in prison if convicted.Aaron Collington turned down the plea deal Wednesday morning in a move that sets the stage for trial. If he is convicted of third-degree grand larceny, Collington faces a maximum sentence of 2 to 7 years in prison.
  
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• Albany Airport firefighter faces another health scare

  13-02-2019 14:44 via timesunion.com
  The Albany International Airport firefighter who nearly died after an infection turned septic over the weekend survived another health scare this week.Chelsea Woodward said doctors thought her husband, Josh Woodward, might have developed a flesh-eating bacteria infection in his hand, according to her updates on Facebook.
  
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• See high school musicals from 2019 award participants

  13-02-2019 14:38 via timesunion.com
  The High School Musical Theatre Awards at Proctors are back, and bigger than ever. Literally.Thirty – up from last year's 23 – high schools in the greater Capital Region will participate this year in the show that recognizes excellence in high school theater. Nominations for the awards will be announced on Wednesday, April 24, culminating in the evening ceremony at Proctors on Saturday, May 11.Ticket sales for the event, presented by the Times Union, will be announced at a later date
  
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• Target Recalls Tens of Thousands of Toddler Boots

  13-02-2019 14:11 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  Target is recalling tens of thousands of toddler boots over choking concerns.Photo Credit: Getty Images
  
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• McDonald’s to Debut New Limited Time Breakfast Item

  13-02-2019 13:59 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  From All Day Breakfast, to Triple Stack Breakfast, to the latest breakfast innovation McCafe Donut Sticks.
  
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• I-Team Tests CBD Products, But Finds Results Alarming

  13-02-2019 13:35 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  NBC 4 New York first highlighted the popularity surrounding CBD-infused products months ago.
  
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• Schools closed, delayed as storm leaves messy commute in Albany area

  13-02-2019 12:35 via timesunion.com
  ALBANY - The worst of the storm is over but forecasters say a mix of snow and sleet could leave a glaze on surfaces Wednesday morning.A winter-storm warning remains in effect until noon and the National Weather Service says up to another inch could fall before the warning ends.Most of the school districts in the region are either delaying the start of class or closed for the day.
  
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• Happening Today: Border Wall, Measles, Cardi B, 21 Savage

  13-02-2019 12:29 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  Here's what to know for Wednesday, Feb. 13.Photo Credit: Digital First Media via Getty Images
  
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• N.Y. Today: Why El Chapo Ended Up in a Brooklyn Court

  13-02-2019 12:17 via nytimes.com
  At a trial that drew the curious and the macabre, the Mexican drug lord was handed a verdict of guilty.
  
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• Details Emerge on Suspect in Robbery That Led to Cop's Death

  13-02-2019 11:53 via nbcnewyork.com
  
  Senior law enforcement officials say the suspect is 27-year-old Christopher Ransom.Photo Credit: News 4 / HandoutThis story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
  
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