All Over Albany

AMD chip fab "full steam ahead," violent crime in Schenectady down, Bruno takes victory lap, horse slaughter protest planned

The AMD chip fab project proposed for Luther Forest appears to still be on track despite a change in leadership at the company and a huge quarterly loss. Chuck Schumer says the both the old and new CEO told him the Luther Forest project is "full steam ahead." Of course, AMD has still not definitively committed to the project, yet. [TU]

Violent crime is down in Schenectady over the last two years. Officials are attributing the decline to a state program that's put up money for more patrols and intelligence gathering. The city's about to get $900k more from the program. [Daily Gazette]

Two people were sent to the hospital by a lightning strike Friday evening at the Saratoga County Fair. It looks like the lightning hit a pine tree under which they were standing. [Daily Gazette]

Joe Bruno led a bus tour/victory lap around the Capital Region Friday afternoon for the media. Among the stops: Joe Bruno Stadium and the Joe Bruno bust at ALB. The very last scrap of Bruno bacon may have come in the form of an ice cream the now-former state Senator bought for a little kid at the Rennselaer train station. [TU]

A group opposed to horse slaughter for human consumption is planning to protest at the opening of The Track on Wednesday. [Saratogian]

Two Starbucks in the Capital Region will be closing: 1818 Central Ave. in Colonie (near Kohl's) and 2441 Watt St. in Schenectady. [Business Review]

The Capital District Federation of Ideas is giving up Point 5, its headquarters on Madison Ave in Albany. CDFI has been having trouble covering the rent. It's hoping to use the money it had been putting toward rent into other projects. [TU]

127 at 64 Grand

Jazz and Iranian melodies melded with an alternative sound. That's how the Iranian band 127 describes themselves. You can check them out tonight at The Grand Street Arts when they stop there as part of their world tour.

According to their site, their lyrics blend "issues unique to Iranian youth with universal feelings of isolation, frustration and hope." You can catch them tonight at 8 at 64 Grand Street (the former St Anthony's Church) along with Albany's own Broadcast Live.

Local transit info now on Google Maps

The intersection of State and Pearl in downtown Albany.

Check it out: Google Maps now offers transit info on its maps for the Capital Region. (Zoom in to the third closest level to see it.)

Bus stops are marked with an icon. Click on them and info about all the routes that connect at that stop pops up. Click on one of the numbers and a schedule will pop up. Pretty cool.

Trader Joe's update

The TU has a report from a gathering this past weekend of the We Want Trader Joe's in the Capital District group. It seems the Legion of Bruce's persistence could be paying off. Maybe.

Bruce Roter tells the TU that a local TJ's store is now "no longer a question of if, but when." The evidence? An email from the Trader Joe's vice president of real estate, in which the VP states, "Albany does seem to have a lot of potential for Trader Joe's."

Hmm.

Earlier AOA coverage of the Trader Joe's campaign.

photo: CelinaBean

The WEXT Top 15

From our friends at Exit 97.7 WEXT, the 15 most-played songs on the station during the last week:

1. Living Well is the Best Revenge - R.E.M.
2. Long Division - Death Cab For Cutie
3. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
4. Dance With Me - Old 97s
5. Fighter Girl - Mason Jennings
6. I'm Amazed - My Morning Jacket
7. Orphans - Beck
8. Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady
9. Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
10. 1492 - Counting Crows
11. Black & Gold - Sam Sparro
12. Burn You Up, Burn You Down - Big Blue Ball ft. Peter Gabriel
13. Do You Wanna - The Kooks
14. Dream Catch Me - Newton Faulkner
15. Explosions Underground - Ben Karis-Nix

The Top 15 from two weeks ago.

Also, congrats to WEXT for being named the best local radio station by Metroland.

After the jump, songs that will hit the playlist for the first time this week -- including stuff from My Morning Jacket and Dar Williams.

And down the stretch they come!

Here's the mascot race from yesterday's open house at The Track. We totally had our money on the Skidmore Thoroughbred (how could you not?), but as you'll see, it appears the fix may have been in.