National Grid Gas Prices Down, A Missing UAlbany Student And More News You Need to Know Near Albany Today

To bring you up to speed on some stories happening around the Capital Region, here is a recap of what was discussed in the news this morning.

New York - A new survey from the state Council of School Superintendents shows layoffs hit nearly three percent of teachers in the state this year.  7,000 teachers lost their jobs due to cuts and 4,000 unfilled positions were eliminated. The state employs about 222,000 classroom teachers statewide.  The New York State United Teachers union blames Albany because of this year’s rare cut in state aid after two years of flat spending and the law capping property tax growth.

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New York - National Grid said customers can expect the price of natural gas to fall by 8 percent this winter thanks to lower market prices.  However, the price of oil will be higher than last year.  A gallon of No. 2 heating oil cost $3.64 last week, which is 29 percent higher than the $2.82 customers were paying last winter.  According to NYSERDA, propane is 11.2 percent more while kerosene is up 26.6 percent.

Columbia County - A horse was shot in the neck over the weekend while grazing in a field on Yonderview Road in Columbia County.  The single gunshot wound to the neck is believed to have been inflected from a rifle.  Authorities think someone shot the horse from a nearby road.  State Police are now investigating the case after the horse died from the injury.  The owner, Heather White, and friends are offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the prosecution of the responsible parties.  Information can be forwarded directly to the owner at hlw18e@yahoo.com.