October 4, 2010
Proposed Albany budget includes 7 percent tax increase, state police say man tried to have pregnant woman stabbed, report says many Troy elevators not properly inspected
The proposed 2011 Albany city budget includes a 7 percent tax increase and numerous cuts -- including the elimination of 155 positions. The city is facing a $23 million budget gap. [City of Albany] [TU] [Fox23]
The proposed 2011 Troy city budget includes a 5.5 percent tax increase. The budget expects a 41 percent increased in pension contributions. [TU] [Troy Record]
State police have accused a Schenectady man of paying $500 -- and a pressure washer -- to an undercover officer in an alleged plot to abort his former girlfriend's pregnancy by having her stabbed in the stomach. They say the man appears to be the father of the child. [Daily Gazette] [TU] [CBS6]
Unexpected analogy: Carl Paladino as Harry Truman and Andrew Cuomo as Thomas Dewey. [AP/Post-Star]
Unnamed sources say Cuomo's campaign suffers from "paralysis by analysis" because Cuomo is a micromanager. [NYT]
UAlbany president George Philip has announced that the school will be cutting 160 positions by 2012 -- some of them through layoffs. It also appears to be headed toward eliminating its programs for classics, French, Italian, Russian, and theatre. [UAlbany] [TU]
My Exit: Larry Lewis
Every Monday night our friends at WEXT do this thing called My Exit -- local listeners get to come into the station and program an hour of music. So we thought it'd be fun to find out a little bit about these people and why they picked the songs on their play list.
Here's tonight's person:
A good accountant?
With an eye to the future, Ewan emails:
We're thinking that it might be good for at least one year to get some professional tax advice. Has anyone had a good experience with a local tax-oriented CPA?
photo: Edinburgh City of Print (Flickr user edinburghcityofprint)
Any suggestions for Ewan? Please share!
Earlier on AOA: A good divorce attorney?
Virtual weekend: Oktoberfest, Janelle Monae, a whole lot of water
One of Sebastien's photos from the packed Oktoberfest on North Broadway in Albany.
Updated with another photo!
Stuck doing something else this past weekend? Out of town? Having fun some other way?
Here are a few of the sights and sounds from this past weekend -- you know, sort of like a virtual weekend.
Parker Spitzer debut
Parker Spitzer, Eliot Spitzer's new CNN show -- with Kathleen Parker, debuts tonight at 8 pm. The "opening arguments" are online -- and Spitzer's presence is kind of forced.
Ecovative's Eben Bayer at TED Global
Check it out: Eben Bayer's TED Global talk is online.
Bayer is one of the co-founders of Ecovative Design, a Green Island-based startup that uses fungi to produce eco-friendly replacements for styrofoam. His talk -- which he gave this past summer in Oxford, England -- covers the problem with styrofoam packaging and how mushrooms can be used to grow replacement material. There's video of Ecovative's manufacturing process.
Chitinous polymers. Hot.
Ecovative was recently named a "technology pioneer" by the World Economic Forum.
Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, both RPI grads, started Ecovative in 2007.
(Thanks, Jessica R!)
Earlier on AOA: a whole bunch of stuff about Ecovative
Downtown Albany restaurant week
Just a quick heads-up: it's restaurant week in downtown Albany. Eighteen spots are offering three course meals for $20.10.
Kevin Clark's big pictures
Kevin working on the Troy Music Hall mural in August.
Kevin Clark likes to do things big.
Kevin's a mural artist -- you've probably seen his handiwork on Capital Region Walls.
The "Welcome to Troy" mural? His. The one on the side of Brown's Brewing? His. He's also responsible for works on the walls of a bunch of schools, arenas, restaurants and shopping malls around the Capital Region.
His latest creation stands on the side of a building in downtown Troy and depicts the interior of Troy Saving Bank Music Hall.
Just passing by his work kind of brightens our day. And after we caught him in action last month in Troy, we had a few questions about this large scale work and the guy behind it.
Kevin's answers, and some more of his amazing work, after the jump.
Deal-of-the-day sites
The much-hyped Groupon discount site debuted its first Capital Region deal today: a $10 for $5 coupon to X's and O's Vegan Bakery in Troy. CrowdSavings, another deal-of-the-day site, has been offering deals here for a few months. (Thanks, everyone)
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?