Something stinks on the backstretch, workers overcome by fumes, schools big into bilingual, scholarship participation yanked over scuffling football coach, paying more at the dollar store

As if shoveling horse manure all day wasn't bad enough, the New York State Department of Labor says many backstretch workers at The Track are not only not getting paid overtime, they're not even making minimum wage. The labor department says horse trainers, who employ the backstretch workers, are engaged in "widespread violations labor law." [TU]

Two workers for Precision Industrial Maintenance in Schenectady were overcome by toxic fumes yesterday when they stepped inside a tanker truck used to collect raw sewage. Both were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Precision was cited for violating workplace safety rules on a different project earlier this year. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

A plan to turn an apartment building in Troy's Little Italy neighborhood into housing for homeless people with mental illnesses is catching flak from residents of the area. They say they're worried the building could hold back the neighborhood's revitalization. [TU]

Two crime reports from locations you don't normally see them from: a stabbing in Niskayuna and shots fired in Glenmont. [CBS6] [TU]

Bilingual is big right now with local schools, whether it's a Spanish-English immersion program for pre-schoolers in Albany, Arabic for middle-schoolers in Schenectady, Mandarin Chinese at the Albany Academies*, or just new bilingual signs at the recently renovated Hackett Middle School in Albany. [TU] [TU]

The family behind a $1000 scholarship in Schenectady and Niskayuna says Schenectady High School will no longer be allowed to participate because it rehired its football coach after he was involved in a scuffle earlier this year at an Italian restaurant. [Daily Gazette]

Everyone's feeling the cost crunch, even dollar stores -- they've had to raise prices. [TU]

UAlbany debuted a new "walk-through" fountain yesterday. It's part of a newly-built $4 million entry plaza on the school's Washington Ave side. [Troy Record]

Comments

It's really great to know that UAlbany is spending my tuition on wasting water and energy so people can notice the college entrance on Washington. As if the signs weren't enough.

Maybe they're using recycled water (aka sewage).

Because of the way water cycles through the ecosystem, ALL water is recycled water (aka sewage). No telling how many "systems" the water in that their frappuccino has been through. ;-)

It's just one of those things you don't want to think about.

Another Psst: Albany Academy no longer exists. When AA and the Albany Academy for Girls were joined into one school last year (requiring special legislation from the state, as they had granted the initial charter oh-so-long-ago) the joint school became The Albany Academies.

I should know. ;)

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For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

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