October 16, 2013
Moreland Commission to issue subpoenas, Collins pleads not guilty to attempted abduction, arson suspect is former firefighter
The Moreland Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to issue subpoenas to the employers of state lawmakers in an effort to get them to release the names of clients in their private law firms. The committee will also be investigating Democrats.[WNYT][TU][NYT]
The Guilderland man arrested on arson charges for allegedly burning down a home on Carman Road on September 30 is a former firefighter and served as assistant fire chief in Rensselaer County. [TU[[WNYT]
Anthony Collins pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to kidnapping and weapons charges in connected with the alleged attempted abduction of two women at a bus stop near UAlbany's downtown campus last week.[WNYT]
The three men who led police on a foot chase in the Lark Street area on Monday after their car crashed into a building are facing drug charges and one faces weapons charges for possessing a gravity knife. [TU]
Wine & Dine for the Arts 2014 tickets on sale
A heads up: This year's -- well, next year's -- OK, the next Albany Wine & Dine for the Arts Festival is January 16-18. That's a bit of a way off, but tickets for the festival went on sale this week. And because many of the events associated with the annual festival sell out, buying tickets earlier rather than later is probably a good idea if you're interested in attending.
This year's festival events include:
+ A grands tasting, with 70 chefs and restaurants and 250 wines, spirits, and beers
+ The "rising star" chefs pavilion
+ A reception and book signing with chef Suvir Saran
+ The Slider Slam -- 15 chefs competing to make the best sliders
+ The Barista Albany competition, in which local baristas compete
+ A mystery basket-style competition for chefs
+ A gala reception and six-course dinner
Some of the events require individual tickets, and prices start at $10 and go up from there.
The beneficiaries of the 2014 festival are: Albany Barn, Albany Institute, Albany Symphony, Capital Rep, and the Park Playhouse.
Grocery opening, Confectionery patio roof closing
Two bits about The Grocery/The Confectionery in downtown Troy: 1) The Grocery -- which is pretty much what it sounds like -- is scheduled to open for Troy Night Out on October 25. 2) And you know the back patio for the Confectionery -- the owners are planning to install a retractable glass roof so the area can be used year round. [TU] [Biz Review]
Yep, the Confectionery was a stop on the Historic Bad Boys tour.
What's up in the Neighborhood
Among the topics in this most recent spin around the Capital Region's online neighborhood: beautiful autumn scenes, marathons, goals, getting needled, the pediatrician, a polar panorama, don't drink the water, pumpkin beers, Concord grapes, the Euro Deli, almost everything, The Wine Bar, a vineyard, girding your loins, Bonefish, Minnewaska State Park, identifying plants, the oil can tomb, and a mummy.
Troy Author Day 2013
This Saturday -- October 19 -- is Troy Author Day. Blurbage:
Twenty of the Capital District's most popular authors will gather to meet readers, autograph books, and discuss their work. Drop in for a few minutes, or stay the whole time. ...
Select authors will participate in two panel discussions: one about their creative processes and another about publishing.
You'll recognize a bunch of the authors on the slate. A few names that immediately jumped out at us: Lydia Davis, Elisa Albert, Paul Grondahl, Dennis Mahoney, and James Kunstler.
Troy Author Day is noon-3 pm Saturday at the Troy Public Library. It's free. Copies of the authors' books will also be on sale, and portion of the proceeds benefit the TPL.
There were these tapes and people played them on a machine called a VCR...
The quiet end of an era: The last Blockbuster video store in the Capital Region -- in Latham -- is set to close soon, News10 reports. For a while there, Blockbuster and Hollywood Video were the two big movie rental chains in this area -- Hollywood closed a few years back. [News10] [WSJ 2010]
TOP2013: Crunching the numbers
DeFazio's has posted a string of high scores in the TOP. But given the history of veggie pizzas, the Troy shop's record-tying score this year in the veggie round was a bit of a surprise.
We're almost to the finish line in the 2013 Tournament of Pizza -- sponsored by The College of Saint Rose. Here's a little something to snack on before the result from the final.
The Tournament of Pizza is now in year 5 of the modern 100-point scale era. So we have a lot of numbers piled up from the tournament -- and a lot of stats. Let's break some of them down...
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?