This week was brought to you by
Where did our snowman go?
This week was brought to you by some gray skies a little snow and a bunch of slush. Yep, it was one of those weeks where you have to look for the bright spots -- like your puppy, a good cookie and AOA advertisers. Yes, we like them as much as puppies and cookies.
They make it possible for us to do what you read here everyday, so please check them out when you can.
Got something you'd like to advertise on AOA? It's easy and affordable. Email us at advertising@alloveralbany.com and we'll get you started.
Helpful stuff
+ Buying or selling a home or commercial property? You need a great real estate lawyer. Dorothy Tischler, an attorney with 24 years experience helping buyers and sellers in commercial and residential real estate.
+Recenter Square is ready to help you jump start your new year's resolution right now. They've got personal trainers, classes and there's off street parking.
+ Sunmark Federal Credit Union is partnering with Regional Food Bank to help distribute prepared and non perishable food. They're also temporarily easing the loan process to get cash to people who need to make repairs, necessities and clean up efforts.
+ Best Cleaners will pick up and deliver your dry cleaning to your home or office at no extra charge.
Stuff to learn
Endorphin Business Center will help teach you the tools to make your new idea or business a success.
Albany Law School presents "From Lark Street to Nuremberg" a program on Supreme Court Justice and Albany Law Grad Robert Jackson.
Food and Drink
+Our Daily Eats -- serving up fresh basil pesto, roasted nuts and seeds. They also have four granolas. Available at the Delmar Farmers Market, Schenectady Greenmarket and the Empire State Plaza Wednesday Farmers Market. Local retailers are listed on their website.
+ The Wine Bar and Bistro on Lark is now offering a five-course tasting menu with seatings at 6 and 9 pm Tuesday-Saturday. You'll need to make a reservation for those.
+ Capital Wine on State and Lark in Albany. They've got tastings every Friday night, so stop by on your way out to dinner. And they've got great tips on wine and food pairings.
+ Taste is holding after work French wine tastings with their wine steward. Tastings start at 5PM.
+ Stop in at The Point for dinner on in the "Don Draper Room."
+ There are lots of great seasonal flavors waiting for you at Honest Weight Food Coop.
Stuff to do
+Proctors presents jazz great Branford Marsalis with the Joey Calderazzo Duo and the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Friday, February 3rd.
+The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall has three great shows coming up: Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole on February 4th, John Waite on February 9th and the Pickin' All Star Bluegrass All Star Jam on February 10th.
+The Sisters Rosensweig opens this weekend at Capital Rep.
Albany Dodgeball is looking for players. Join them any Thursday nights at The Washington Avenue Armory.
Stuff to Do
+The Hellions of Troy are celebrating their third year in the Capital Region.
+The Albany All Starsare back at The Washington Avenue Armory.
Stuff to live in
17 Chapel Boutique Condominiums in downtown Albany still has a few condos available. You can check out their new model condo and see the furnished rooftop patio. A special tax discount from the City of Albany means that combined utility costs, homeowners fees and property taxes are as low as $250 per month.
Stuff to Try
+ Get $250 off your 2011 website design and development from Brayton Graphics when you mention you came from AOA!
+ Get a FREE MONTH of Wink High Speed Internet Service from Tech Valley Communications. Enter this code when you sign up for service at: www.winkinternet.com: w1n87k0
Photo:Flickr user MissusK (Cindy)
The Capital Region legislative districts, before and after
How Capital Region state Assembly districts could shape up.
The task force in charge of drawing new districts for the state Senate and Assembly released its slate of proposed maps this week. As this is New York State politics, there was much criticism. And we'll get to some of that in a bit.
The Capital Region could potentially end up being affected by a lot by the proposed new district lines. Most significantly, the task force is proposing to add a new Senate district that would cover the southwest corner of the area. But there are also shifts in the city of Albany, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and Troy.
Reading about all this, we found it kind of hard to keep all the old and new maps straight. So we've we've put together before-and-after versions of the Capital Region's legislative districts -- the current districts side by side with the proposed new lines.
Citizens of the Capital Region, meet what could be your new gerrymanders...
Let my Beetle go
File this under "good to know." In The Advocate today, Chris Churchill points out a little known part Albany's towing regulations. That tow truck driver who tells you once he's hooked your car up, it's too late -- even if you're there and willing to move it? Unless the police have authorized the tow, he's wrong.
The Avett Brothers at the Palace
Folk rock band The Avett Brothers are scheduled to play The Palace April 22. Tickets go on sale February 3. They are $38 and $43.
The band is reportedly almost finished with a new album, produced by Rick Rubin. You might have seen them play on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon recently. [Rolling Stone]
Also: Daughtry, the man and the band, are scheduled to play the Palace April 29.
Earlier on AOA: Some shows that are coming up, winter 2012
photo via The Avett Brothers Facebook
Stuff to do this weekend
Diego Garcia is at The Linda.
The eerily warm winter continues. Things should dry up a bit by Saturday and we're expecting a fair amount of sunshine as well, so you may want to get out and make a little vitamin D.
If you haven't made your plans for the weekend yet, we've got a few suggestions for you after the jump. Got something planned that we haven't mentioned? Share, please.
And whatever you're up to, have a great weekend!
Proposed legislative districts released to criticism and veto threat, brokers indicted on charges of stealing millions, idea for bank robbery allegedly started as joke, that's not a real diamond
The state task force in charge of drawing new legislative districts for the state released its proposed maps for the state Senate and Assembly. The lines immediately drew criticism. Said a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo: "At first glance, these lines are simply unacceptable and would be vetoed by the governor." And NYPIRG called the proposed districts for the state Senate "clearly the most gerrymandered lines in recent New York history." Said the League of Women Voters: "This was a partisan process, has been for decades, and it produced extraordinarily partisan lines where incumbents continue to have the upper hand ... they are designer districts done by partisans who want to select voters before voters get to select them." Said Jack McEneny, who served on the task force, when asked if he though the proposals are non-partisan: "No. I think it was done by people who are very much in politics and know exactly where they're drawing the lines." [LATFOR] [TU] [NYT] [AP/Troy Record] [State of Politics]
As proposed, the districts would cause a significant shake-up in the Capital Region. A new state Senate district -- NY Senate 46 -- would include large parts of Albany County (currently represented by Neil Breslin) and counties to the south and west. There's been speculation this district was created for current Assemblyman George Amedore, who said yesterday when asked whether he would run for the seat: "I've got a lot to think about." Other big changes: the Senate district that includes Roy McDonald would lose a large part of Troy. And in the Assembly, Jim Tedisco would no longer represent Saratoga Springs. [LATFOR] [Daily Gazette] [Troy Record] [Saratogian]
Said George Mott III following a jury finding him not guilty of being involved with the 1994 death Rosemary Crosier, about the fact members of his family testified against him: "[T]he story my mother gave was the worst. It killed me." Mott also says that if he had been sent to prison, "I wouldn't drag my wife through that so I would have to tell my wife she has to go on her way, we would have to split up." Mott and his family were confronted by a group of men at their home following his acquittal, and one was arrested. A Troy police report said there's "no reason to believe this is connected to the Mott trial." [Fox23] [TU] [Troy Record]
Albany investment brokers Timothy McGinn and David Smith have been indicted by the feds on allegations they took millions from investor accounts and used it for their own expenses. The attorney for one of them men argues they weren't skimming money from accounts, but rather the losses were the result of the economy tanking. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The federal government has issued restraining order to the stop the Double Happyness busline from operating after it allegedly continued to do so following orders to shut down because of safety violations. Yesterday in Albany, buses were still showing up at the stops that have been served by Double Happyness. Though it's not clear which company is operating the buses. [CBS6] [TU] [WNYT]
Ingrid Michaelson at The Egg
Singer/songwriter/glasses wearer Ingrid Michaelson will be playing a show at The Egg May 14 (it probably won't be chilly by then, so you won't need her sweater). Tickets go on sale this Friday (January 27) -- they're $25.
Michaelson's album Human Again is currently the #1 album on iTunes.
photo via Ingrid Michaelson's website
Icy, Snowy Apocalypse Watch
So this is what it's come to this winter: the Icy, Snowy Apocalypse Meter slumming it. On a rain storm. It's just embarrassing. For everyone.
Here's the situation: a "potent" storm system is moving from Mississippi Valley toward the Northeast. it's likely to bring a lot of precipitation, but the forecasts are currently project much of that precip will fall as rain here. Rain is more likely to the south of Albany, and snow/ice more likely to the north and east.
The paraphrased forecast:
Thursday night: Rain and sleet, switching to all rain overnight, and then sleet mixing back in. Little accumulation expected. Lows around 33.
Friday: Rainy and warm. Rainfall of about half inch or more possible. Temps in the low 40s.
Friday night: The storm is spent. Wind gusts. Lows in the upper 20s.
Saturday: Sunny and highs around 40. Jack Frost filing for unemployment.
Sunday: Chance of rain and snow in the morning, then sun in the afternoon. Highs around 40.
Those warm temps should keep things liquid. But if the temps drop and the rain/snow line shifts farther south... things could go a bit badly. All that rain could switch to the ever popular freezing rain and/or snow. And there will be plenty of moisture available. That said, it doesn't sound likely.
In other news: The absurdly warm and easy winter has led to penguin hatchlings being born about three months early in Syracuse. Their cuteness arrived on time, though. Syracuse has gotten just 27.7 inches of snow this season -- that's only about 40 inches behind where it's usually at by this point. [Post-Standard] [NWS]
Necessary note: You should take this all with an enormous bag of rock salt. AOA has absolutely no weather forecasting expertise. At all. That said, the world will probably not end because of some snow. Most likely.
Earlier on AOA: Where's all the snow?
From the dining room at the Cambridge Hotel...
Jerry ate at the Cambridge Hotel this week as part of the shooting for the Gordon Ramsay TV show Hotel Hell. He totally holds back on the good stuff (we're guessing that's part of the deal with the show) -- but he shares an extensive description of the meal. It sounds like Ramsay will have plenty to scream about. (Which is the whole point of the show, right? That we can witness the transformative power of a rather upset British perfectionist?) Earlier: On the origins of apple pie a la mode at the Cambridge Hotel
Craig and his wonderful list
The good thing about Craigslist: It's a window into our fellow community members' wants, needs and aspirations. The bad thing about Craigslist: It's a window into our fellow community members' wants, needs and aspirations.
Good or bad, we'll let you decide...
Literary tourism
A overnight visit (without kids) to the Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, the history of which includes many connections to the famous and/or literary, prompted Daniel Nester to consider literary tourism -- or as one expert described it to him: "literary voyeurism, worship, or, more crudely, lit porn."
Molly McGrath: The Last Five Years
Molly Rose Marie McGrath -- a coloratura in cowboy boots.
She's a coloratura who owns six pairs of cowboy boots and prefers show tunes and country standards to arias.
There is nothing stereotypical about Molly Rose McGrath.
Born and raised the the Capital Region, her voice teachers pushed her toward opera and encouraged her to head for New York -- but she prefers to stay close to home.
She's been performing locally for years, most notably as Annie Oakley at Albany's Park Playhouse and Patsy Cline in Saratoga.
Now she's trying her hand at producing with a dark, funny little cult show called The Last Five Years.
Mott found not guilty in Crosier death, criticism continues over redistricting, CDTA head for near-record ridership year, Gordon Ramsay sighting
A jury has found George Mott III not guilty in the 1994 death of Rosemary Crosier in Troy. The jury reached the verdict around 9:40 pm, after three days of deliberations. Said Mott's attorney after the verdict: "It's not something to be happy about. Someone has died here. It's something to be relieved." Scott Chaplin, the co-defendant in the case, still faces trial, which is expected to start in April. [TU] [CBS6] [Troy Record] [YNN] [WTEN]
The new state Assembly and Senate district lines are expected to be released to the public sometime today (probably). The early word is that they include some significant shuffling of the districts in the Capital Region, including a new Republican-leaning district supposedly created for George Amedore. That district is expected to take a chunk of Neil Breslin's current district and he's already calling the new district's creation "illegal and unconstitutional." Breslin says his current district -- which is Albany County -- is "as close to a Senate district as you could draw, if you were drawing it properly." [State of Politics] [TU CapCon] [State of Politics] [CBS6] [AP/Saratogian]
Members of the state legislature seem less than enthused about the proposed new "Tier VI" for the state employee pension system. [TU]
A grand jury has started hearing evidence for the potential re-trial of Joe Bruno. [Troy Record]
A romantic winter weekend getaway?
With an eye toward next month, Robert emails:
So I want to plan a nice Northeast winter weekend getaway for me a my beautiful lady. Something real romantical for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I've never been skiing so I don't even know where to start. I basically want to eat good, peep some beautiful scenery, bundle up in front of a warm fireplace with a bear skin rug and love my lady. Can you and your all knowing readers help me out on this one?
One of the good things about this is region is that there are a lot of small hotels/inns/bed-and-breakfasts in scenic places that are not too far: the Berkshires, Vermont, the Hudson Valley, and so on.
If you're willing to go a bit farther, there's Montreal and Quebec generally. It's like a whole different country up there.
Got a suggestion for Robert and his lady? Please share!
Elsewhere: A similar question came up recently from one of Kristi's readers.
photo: Flickr user Max Wolfe
RPI represents in Davos
RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson is heading to Davos where she'll lead a presentation at the World Economic Forum on Friday. Jackson will be joined Director of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies Jonathan Dordick , Richard Siegel --Director of the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center and Boleslaw Szymanski - Director of the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center. RPI says the presentation, Concept to Commerce, will explain how "the transformation of Rensselaer has fueled development of ideas that move from the laboratory into commercial applications, leading to technological and other advances that improve our lives."
The Snow Train to North Creek
The snow train -- Saratoga to North Creek and back again.
It was still dark enough to see stars overhead when I came to the Saratoga Springs train station, bundled up against single-digit temperatures. By the time the sun rose over hills and treetops I was riding toward the Adirondacks on a trip that until this year, no one had taken since 1942. The Gore Mountain Snow Train was bound for North Creek and I had a panoramic view of the snow-covered landscape rolling by.
After the jump, a little bit of my trip, complete with photos.
Kevin Costner at Northern Lights.
Kevin Costner and Modern West
Here's another to add to the list of shows ahead of us. Kevin Costner is touring with his band Modern West and they're making a stop at Northern Lights. Tickets for the April 6 show go on sale Friday morning at 10. [via]
Also, this just in: Kevin Costner has a band.
photo via Northern Lights
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: jumping into freezing a pond, mediocrity, Saratoga rumors, cross country skiing, ballot stuffing, the Illium, eating at bars, Taiwan Noodle, boar short ribs, seitan sliders, important work at Stewart's, cafeterias, tracking wildlife, finding a dress that fits, getting framed, and Pearl Street exposed.
More on the boxing movie being filmed at the TU Center
Here's a little more background on the film being shot at the TU Center next month. The Challenger, was written and directed by Kent Moran(that's his picture on the right), who says they signed Smallville's Justin Hartley for the film today. It will also star Moran and Ernie Sabella.
Moran says the film is an inspirational movie about a kid growing up in the South Bronx "He has to turn to boxing to win his life back. It's his journey of finding himself and getting confidence back and rekindling relationship with his family."
If you come to the TU Center for the February 4 fight, you'll have the opportunity to stay and be an extra in some of the crowd shots. That shoot will start around 10 pm and run through the night.
We spoke with Moran today and he says there will be a few other opportunities for locals to be a part of the film. They're looking to get a crowd to show up at the TU Center during the day on February 27, when they'll be filming scenes with some of the leads. That shoot may bleed over into the 28. He says it's a family film and they're looking for all types and all ages. Anyone who shows up will have a chance to take part.
The TU Center is the only Capital Region location being used in the film. The rest of the movie will be shot in The Bronx. Moran says he found the TU Center after a scout, but had heard the Albany was a supportive place to make films.
There are also a few small roles that remain un-cast and Moran says he may look to local actors to fill some of those.
A few years ago he wrote a film called Listen to Your Heart, which starred Cybil Shepard and Ernie Sabella. That film was distributed in limited theatrical release, then on-demand and then picked up by television. Moran describes The Challenger as "a low budget indie" and expects that it will be more of a festival film which will then make its way to theaters.
Looking for more? Check out the last week's worth of posts or the archive.
And you can always try searching for it:
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