All Over Albany

Unemployment rate up over a year ago, Soares looks to crack down on DWI, Troy stores will be on Oprah, DiNicola has a brain tumor

The Capital Region's unemployment rate in October was 4.9 percent, up from 3.6 percent a year ago. [TU]

A Siena poll reports that a majority of New Yorkers are planning to spend less this year on holiday presents. [Daily Gazette]

A Thanksgiving food bank in Schenectady says requests are up about 20 percent this year. [Daily Gazette]

Albany County DA David Soares says his office will be cracking down on drunk drivers and will push to seize the cars of DWI suspects. [TU]

The mayor of Rensselaer says the city will not be prepared to handle snow removal this winter after the city council voted down a plan to use state money to replace equipment damaged during summer flooding. The council president says the city hasn't adequately documented what was lost. [TU] [Troy Record]

Enrollment is up this year at SUNY schools, and soon tuition will be, too -- up $310 per semester, though whether the system will be able to spend the additional money is in question. [Daily Gazette] [AP/TU]

Judith Kaye, New York's top judge, had her last day on the bench yesterday. She was the first woman appointed to the state's Court of Appeals (the highest state court) and has served longer as chief judge than anyone else. She's leaving the bench because she's reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. [TU]

The Pine Hills Neighborhood association says it's frustrated by the lack of information it's getting from the city and the APD about the murder of UAlbany student Richard Bailey. [TU]

Schenectady High School was evacuated briefly yesterday after fumes from a cleaning solution sickened three people. The affected workers complained of "general malaise" -- but Jimmy Carter was no where to be found in the building. [Daily Gazette]

After Saratoga Springs asked residents to email suggestions about how to cut the city's budget earlier this week, the city's finance commissioner says they've heard from about six people. [Saratogian]

The state has canceled the liquor license for the Pearl in downtown Albany. A raid there last month turned up more underage drinkers than investigators could cite. [TU]

Ski areas around the region have fired up the snow-making guns. [Daily Gazette]

The owners of Steve and Barry's -- which has a store at Colonie Center -- say the chain will start liquidating its merchandise and will go out of business. [Biz Review]

Three stores from Troy's antiques district will be featured on Oprah next week. Also: the district has apparently become quite the hotspot for set designers searching for props. [Troy Record]

Dan DiNicola has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and is undergoing surgery today in Boston. [TU]