Albany Times Union Local News

The slogan "Be All You Can Be" was a recruiting pitch used by the U.S. Army until the turn of the century to attract potential recruits. Although she is not seeking a stint in the armed services, Stillwater junior track standout Gianna Locci has found innovative ways to excel during difficult circumstances.

During a winter indoor track and field season ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic that left facilities Section II competitors normally compete in unavailable, Locci has found various ways to stay sharp. Over the weekend, the 16-year-old standout earned All-American status in the long jump after finishing fifth at the Adidas Indoor Nationals in Virginia Beach, Va.

A 59-year-old male driving a pickup truck struck a parked car pushing it 270 feet into a building on Classic and Main Street on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Hoosick Falls Police.

The Saints can conclude the season in a special way by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season championship for the second year in a row.

Leiyano Walters said the school year has so far  been boring being mostly confined to his home on his computer learning remotely while missing out on activities that make for a memorable senior year.

“Usually they’ll (seniors) go on a field trip or something, and we didn’t do none of that, we just was at home and had to stay virtual and away from people,” said Walters on Wednesday about one rite of passage for seniors.

The 17-year-old and more than 400 other teens in Schenectady got a taste of a school life albeit in a small group classroom setting or learning pod after they set foot in the building at the high school and the district's three middle schools Wednesday morning for the first time this academic year for in-person full day learning.

But that number, roughly about 413 students, is only a fraction of the 1.400 students district-wide on a waiting list that includes elementary students, who will start at learning pods Wednesday.

Add U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, to the growing list of progressives pushing to end the filibuster, a legislative rule that now means Democrats need 10 Senate Republican votes to pass most legislation.

In an interview with the Albany Times Union, Tonko announced his support for eliminating the filibuster and said he would personally speak with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., to encourage him to hold a vote to overturn the rule.

A state agency responsible for overseeing group homes for the disabled has made “limited progress” in complying with a 2007 law spurred by the killing of a 13-year-old boy.

That’s according to a new letter issued by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office, which follows a 2019 audit detailing the Cuomo administration's problems following the law.

Boaters, tourism operators and others are worried that a  proposal quietly tucked into Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state budget plan could open the door to privatizing parts of the  historic but costly state Canal system.

A Barker Park activist was sentenced Wednesday in Rensselaer County Court Wednesday to a year in jail for violating his interim probation on a second-degree forgery conviction. County Court Judge Debra Young sentenced Kenneth Zeoli, 25, to a year in the Rensselaer County Jail after hearing him ask for mercy and failing to meet the conditions of his probation.

A 36-year-old Troy man pleaded guilty in Rensselaer County Court Wednesday to stabbing a 21-year-old mother of their infant son to death in her Pawling Avenue apartment in January 2019, the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office said.

No governor has publicly called for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to step aside from his chairmanship of the National Governors Association despite bipartisan calls for his resignation from office amid simultaneous investigations — one state, the other federal — into sexual harassment allegations made against him and his handling of nursing home deaths in the state.

The Albany Times Union contacted the governors of all 49 other states to ask if Cuomo should remain chairman of the nonpartisan political organization, which represents the collective voice of governors. Few offered any response — and none said he should leave the role.

A federal judge sentenced a reputed Albany gang member Wednesday to more than four years in prison for possessing a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic pistol in his Menands apartment.

Jahmeek Croley, 33, known as “Meeker,” an alleged member of the Yard Boys street gang based in the Ida Yarbrough Apartments, received a 51-month sentence during a virtual appearance before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy. Court papers show Croley -- who was convicted at trial of a 2013 murder-for-hire in Albany before an appeals court reversed it -- possessed the weapon in a locked safe in his apartment.

After showing flashes of her skill set as a freshman, Helene Haegerstrand has emerged as a constant in a UAlbany lineup getting ready for an America East Tournament semifinal game Sunday afternoon at top-seeded Maine.

BALLSTON SPA - For those having trouble signing up online, the Saratoga County Department of Health has created a COVID-19 vaccine hotline to help residents get in line for the vaccine.

Saratoga Springs Supervisor and Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee Tara Gaston announced the hotline on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference.

Siena said contact tracing was conducted and determined there was no close contact between the individual who tested positive and the rest of the team's Tier 1 personnel, which includes players, coaches, student managers and support staff. But it was decided not to proceed with the Niagara series out of extra precaution, Siena said.

COLONIE - Latham fuel cell maker Plug Power revealed Tuesday it missed a deadline to file its 2020 financial statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as it continues to review certain costs and internal controls.

Plug said it's "possible" it may have to make "charges or adjustments" to its financial statements, although it would not impact its financial forecasts. The company projects gross billings will increase from $337 million last year to $475 million in 2021.

Plug Power to build $290 million hydrogen factory in western New York