November 30, 2011
More local school children living in poverty, uproar over Albany County proposed budget, high school students building political networking site
The percentage of students living in poverty in many local school districts has increased by double digits during the recession. [TU]
At an Albany County Legislature hearing last night, heads of municipalities said they are concerned that cuts to services could negatively affect their communities. Many are also upset over the proposed 19.2 percent increase. To pass the budget as is, the county will have to override the 2 percent tax cap. [TU] [YNN] [Fox23]
The Capital Region Economic Council made another pitch for its plan to spur development in the area economy yesterday, and focused on plans that would not require funding from the state (unlike items such as the $25 million supercomputer for proposed for RPI). [Daily Gazette]
A pedestrian was struck and killed near Exit 4 of the Northway and police are trying to figure out what happened. [TU] [Fox23]
Tickets for Brunswick x2
The trailer for Brunswick.
Drawing's closed! Winner's been emailed!
The new documentary Brunswick -- about a farmer, local politics, and the tension between farming and development in Rensselaer County -- will be screened for the first time at the Spectrum next Wednesday (December 7). It's already sold out.
This Sunday at 7 pm, Matthew Carefully will be performing the music he composed for the Brunswick soundtrack at Caffe Lena. We're guessing it will be a packed house.
You still can go to both the screening and the concert -- because we're giving away a pair of tickets to both of them. To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:
If could grow anything, what would it be?
Of course, "anything" in this case could be fruits or vegetables. It could also be... well... anything. Creative answers encouraged.
We'll draw one winner at random. That person will get a pair of tickets for each event. And if you could attend both, that would be extra swell.
Here's a bit more about Brunswick, which is directed by Nate Simms. And here's more from Matthew about the soundtrack. Bonus: the Caffe Lena show's opener is Bailiwick.
Important: All comments must be submitted by 10:30 am on Thursday (December 1, 2011) to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly -- seriously, if you win, we want to give you the tickets) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by noon on Thursday and must respond by 9 am Friday (December 2).
Chestnuts roasting by an open Price Chopper
Price Chopper says that it will again be offering freshly roasted chestnuts at its Rotterdan and Niskayuna stores this December. Your move, ShopRite.
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: Thanksgiving volunteering (and goats), turkey trotting, Walmart on Thanksgiving night, an Albany Christmas miracle, cemeteries, cheesy marvels, ridiculous desserts, Captain Denim, a moonshine jug, and the dawn sky.
Jessica Gahring, from NY Ink, at Sage
Could be interesting: tattoo artist Jessica Gahring -- a resident of Troy who appears on the TLC reality show NY Ink -- will be at Sage Thursday for a talk titled "Talking Back, Speaking Out and Being Humble & Making It Big." (Kind of sounds like a lecture on humblebragging.)
Gahring, a 2004 Russell Sage College grad, told the Troy Record earlier this year that she heard about the show via a former Sage classmate in NYC, and got cast after an interview.
Here's her Facebook page -- she lists Wynantskill as her home. And here's her Twitter stream.
Gahring's talk starts at 7 pm in the Schacht Fine Arts Center on the Sage Troy campus. Tickets for the general public are $10, and will be available at the door.
photo via Jessica Gahring Facebook
Steve Aoki at Northern Lights
DJ/producer Steve Aoki is coming back to the Capital Region for a show at Northern Lights February 29 -- tickets go on sale this Saturday ($25/$30). Aoki played the Washington Ave Armory this past April. He's worked with a bunch artists from all over, among them: Rivers Cuomo, Kid Cudi, MGMT, Lil John.
That's not snow
But it looks a lot like it.
Probably the craziest thing we'll see all week: we were sitting in Uncommon Grounds in Albany Wednesday afternoon (surprise) when a huge white cloud started spreading from the nearby Mobil station. There was a bit of a "Hey, look at that! Wait, should we be running for our lives?" moment.
It turns out something tripped the gas station's fire suppression system. Apparently there wasn't any initial indication there had been a fire -- the guys working the counter said they weren't sure what set it off.
The chemical spewed out by the system covered everything around the station. It looked like it had snowed.
We talked for a minute with a woman who said she'd been standing under the station's canopy with the system went off -- she was covered in a fine white dust, like she'd been baking a little too enthusiastically. She said all of a sudden there was white everywhere and she couldn't see. She was kind of dazed, understandably.
A few minutes after the system went off, the Albany Fire Department rolled up to inspect the scene.
A bunch of photos after the jump.
Deer Tick at Jillian's
Deer Tick is playing a free show at Jillian's December 10, courtesy of WEQX. Deer Tick was last in town for the Restoration Festival. [via Nippertown]
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?