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Seven weeks after Cohoes was rocked by a massive fire that devastated part of its downtown, the city has decided to pass the $106,000 donated to the fire's victims over to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. But some of the fire victims, already frustrated by the delay in access to the raised funds, are unhappy with the fund distribution process Catholic Charities is implementing — a process more involved than simply cutting checks.

Prospective jurors in the upcoming federal criminal trial of Joseph Percoco, a former top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, are being asked to note any potential conflicts with dozens of individuals whose names or testimony may be part of corruption case.

TROY – City officials would not explain Wednesday what Mayor Patrick Madden asserted were factual errors in the State Attorney General's Office report critical of city police's investigation of the fatal officer-involved shooting of a DWI suspect during an April 2016 traffic stop.The report recommended that the Troy police overall its investigation methods for officer-involved shootings; update its training and policies for shooting at moving vehicles; and equip its officers with body cameras and dashboard cameras.

One of the highlights of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 2019 budget presentation is proposal under which wage earners could avoid paying state income tax and have their employers pay the equivalent in the form of a payroll tax.The idea, Cuomo said, is to "thwart" the loss of deductibility that came with December's overhaul of federal tax laws. Under the new tax changes, passed by the Republican-led Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, deductions for state and local taxes are capped at $10,000.

TROY – A retired Albany Police Department detective has been named as Rensselaer County's STOP-DWI coordinator, County Executive Steven McLaughlin announced Wednesday.John Hourigan of Schodack will assume the $29,800 part-time position. It previously was held by Tom Hoffman of North Greenbush, a retired Troy police sergeant, who transferred to an investigative position in the county Department of Social Services.

TROY -- The Rensselaer County Clerk's Office is now accepting the electronic filing of land records such as deeds and mortgages, County Clerk Frank J. Merola said Wednesday.The clerk's office has received more than 24 e-reordings since the program began Jan. 8.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's wide-ranging executive budget proposal would extend autonomous vehicle tests, increase fines for passing a stopped school bus and require adults to buckle up while riding in the back seat of a car.

New York education officials and advocates aren't embracing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed 2019 state budget, even as it proposes a 3 percent or $769 million hike in state aid to schools this coming school year.

Non-E-ZPass customers using the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge/Tappan Zee Bridge replacement can enter their license plate, state and zip code at thruway.ny.gov/amnesty to see how much they owe.

SCHENECTADY - Transfinder, the Schenectady-based transportation software company, generated record revenue of $13.67 million in 2017, an 8 percent increase over the previous year when it brought in $12.65 million in revenue.