All Over Albany

Final approval for Aqueduct racino deal, church group says 88-year-old woman's family prompted eviction notice, driving-while-talking ticket cancelled for amateur radio operator

Today is primary day. You can look up your polling place on the NYS Board of Elections site.

State comptroller Tom DiNapoli has signed off on the Aqueduct racino contract. That was the last step in the approval process. Genting, the winning (and, in the end, only) bidder, says it will be sending New York State its $380 million upfront payment this month. Among the planned uses of the money: propping up the faltering horse racing industry in the state. The president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association says he's not ready to pop the cork on the champagne yet, "but at least you could probably chill it now." Saratoga Springs supervisor Joanne Yepsen called the deal "a huge win for our local and state economy." [NYS OSC] [TU] [Daily Gazette] [Saratogian]

Ariel Myers, the Troy 19-year-old convicted of shooting Robert Guynup, got the maximum sentence -- 25 years in prison. Guynup suffered brain damage from being struck in the head and, in her victim impact statement, his wife said she now hugs "the shell I call my husband" and remembers when he could hug her back. Myers said he felt bad for what happened, "But at the same time, I'm just an innocent kid. I didn't have anything to do with it." [TU] [Troy Record] [Fox23]

The body of Marine Cpl. Philip Charte is scheduled to return to Washington County today. Community members, with 1000 American flags, will be lining the streets of Cambridge for the procession this afternoon. [TU] [Post-Star]

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The Loom and Sgt Dunbar at Valentines

They're a sextet.

Here's something to look forward to this week: Brooklyn indie folk group The Loom is playing Valentine's this Saturday with Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned.

The Loom was featured in Paste's "Best of What's Next" earlier this summer. We got a preview of their upcoming album, Teeth -- it's good. Here's a clip of them playing at SXSW earlier this year. (They sound a little bit like the The National.) They'll be a good match on the slate with Sgt. Dunbar.

Also on the bill that night: Baltimore's The Eureka Birds and Mia Riddle, also from Brooklyn.

Doors are 8pm. Tickets are just $7. That's a solid night of music for just a few bucks.

photo: Sarahana Shrethsa

Eat Local Challenge: Leah's local high holiday meal

Leah's local high holiday meal.

The Honest Weight Food Co-op's LocalHarvest Festival is this Sunday in Albany's Washington Park. AOA is a media sponsor of the event, so we thought it would be fun to ask a few local food bloggers to come up with some easy meals made with local ingredients.

For today's challenge, Noshing Confessions Leah puts together a local meal for the Jewish high holidays.

Children are running underfoot. They've been soaked by the water table outside, and now are coated in mud, demanding apples from the table. Adults are calling from room to room, laughing and talking politics, as the dressing is tossed through the greens, the wine opened and poured. Our final arrival comes bearing two half gallons of Stewart's Vanilla Ice Cream.

The Eat Local High Holy Day Meal of 5771 was about to commence.

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Hospice care for pets?

Facing a tough situation, Terry emails:

I have a cat that is 18 years old. He's been with me since right after I moved to the Capital District. He's been a lively, healthy guy, 18 years is well past the typical feline expiration date already, but now his clock is reaching its final ticks, and as much as I wish I didn't have to, I know that sooner rather than later I will have to do my final job as a loving, responsible caretaker for him and have him put down.

My question is this: do any of your readers know of a vet that will makes "final house calls" and come to my home? I would like to give my little guy as much security and comfort as possible on his final day, vs. putting him into a plastic crate and driving him to a vet's office and a chrome examination table.

Thank you in advance - while I grew up with pets, this is the first time I've ever "owned" this responsibility, and it just feels awful.

We haven't heard about any clinics that offer this service -- but we had a question not too long about veterinarian care for cats, and a few places got multiple recommendations (Bloomingrove, Parkside). They might be a good place to start inquiring about an in-home visit.

We hope you have suggestions for Terry.

photo: Flickr user Tambako the Jaguar

They don't make jobs like they used to

A few interesting bits from a Rockefeller Institute report on manufacturing in New York State (admit it, you have irrepressible envy over our reading list): in 1960 there were more than two million manufacturing jobs in New York -- as of last year, there were fewer than 500k. Also: the biggest manufacturing center in the state, by number of jobs? New York City.

- Tue 2:15 PM - 2 comments

Breaking My Art's A.C. Everson

Stuffed rooster.

Annine Everson spends hours creating works of art.

And when she's done, people break them.

Everson makes piñatas of all shapes, sizes and colors. She makes them for parties -- and for performance art.

Yes, we scratched our heads about that last part, too.

But after the jump, Albany's only piñata making performance poet explains the allure of breakable art, piñatas and performance -- and her philosophy on strings vs. paddles.

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Floating in the sky

It's a giant clown head -- floating above you. What's scary about that?

Sebastien passed along a nice photoset from the SunKiss Balloon Festival in Hudson Falls this past weekend. There was a beautiful sky and it provided a great background for the balloons.

It sounds like Sebastien had a good time:

This is my second time up close and personal with hot air balloons and I still wonder how they manage to take off so close to each other, without any incident. Some skills, really. I probably didn't get my quota of hot air balloon as a kid in Frenchland, it's thrilling to be so close to an object that size, right under these giants towering the crowd. They sway back and forth ever so gently, blocking out the sun every now and then. I catch myself keeping my head down when one dangles too close to the ground; something tells me I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of this giant hug.

Also, there was a huge clown balloon that apparently has been haunting his dreams.

Mike was also there and his set his includes a bunch of good shots.

By the way: the big Adirondack Balloon Festival in Queensbury is coming up September 23 and 24.

photo: Sebastien B