January 6, 2014
Cuomo to push forward on limited medical marijuana legalization, Joe Biden to visit Albany, fatal fire on Dove Street in Albany, all that and the wrong person
"State officials" tell the New York Times that Andrew Cuomo will announce during his State of the State address Wednesday that he will open the way for limited use of medical marijuana in the state via an executive action. (Bills to allow medical marijuana haven't been able to make it through the state Senate.) The move will rely at least in part on provisions in a 1980 state law, though the legislature may still have to get involved in some way. Supporters of pot legalization were chuffed by the news, but the floated 20-hospital limit for the program muted some of the excitement. [NYT] [State of Politics] [TU]
Joe Biden will be in Albany Tuesday for an event with Andrew Cuomo, according to a White House press release, though there weren't many details about the visit. "Sources familiar with the event" tell the Times Union the Vice President's visit will touch on the use of federal disaster aid for rebuilding infrastructure. [WH press release] [TU]
A look at how Massachusetts has gone about the casino siting/selection process -- and how New York's process is (or isn't) shaping up. [TU]
Despite efforts to diversify the Albany Fire Department, the ranks of city fire fighters are still overwhelmingly white and male -- among the reasons cited by people inside and outside of the department: criteria used during the screening process and the composition of the civil service exam. [TU]
Drawing: Wine & Dine for the Arts
Drawing's closed! Winner's been emailed!
The annual Wine & Dine for the Arts food and wine festival is next week. The multi-day event includes tastings, chefs and restaurants, seminars, and competitions for sliders, baristas, and bar tenders. We have a pair of tickets to the grand tasting on Saturday, January 18 and we're giving them away -- maybe to you.
To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:
What is your 2014 resolution for the Capital Region?
Could be big, could be small, could be whatever. We'll draw one comment at random -- that person will win the tickets.
Wine & Dine for the Arts, the Albany Chef's Wine & Food Festival, starts Thursday, January 16 with a cocktail reception at Albany City Hall. Friday includes a grand tasting and seminars (along with the NYS Craft Beer Pavilion and the Rising Star Chef Pavilion) at the Hilton Albany, an appearance by chef Suvir Saran, and the Slider Slam. Saturday's lineup includes a grand tasting, the Barista Albany competition, and the grand gala reception and dinner. Ticket prices for each event vary -- they're available online.
The tickets for this drawing are for the Saturday grand tasting, from noon to 4 pm. They're $60 each.
The arts org beneficiaries of this year's festival are the Albany Barn, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Capital Rep, and Park Playhouse.
Important: All comments must be submitted by 5 pm on Tuesday, January 7, 2013 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by 10 am on Wednesday and must respond by noon on Thursday, January 9.
Warm weather bang for your airfare buck 2014
Next stop: someplace warm?
For obvious reasons, we've been thinking about travel to warm places. So, as we've done in years past, we figured it'd be fun to see where we could get the most degrees for our airfare dollar.
Now boarding...
"She Loves You -- The Beatles and New York"
The Egg and musicologist Gordon Thompson are teaming up for a week of events in February to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' arrival in New York. Event blurbage (link added):
The festivities begin with eight multi-media lectures held in various venues around the Capital Region. Led by musicologist and Beatles scholar Gordon Thompson, the program, entitled "She Loves You - The Beatles and New York" will explore the impact of the British invasion on New York, led by The Beatles in February 1964, their historic concert at Shea Stadium, John Lennon's NYC connection and discuss how their music continues to be an inspiration to composers and performing artists today. ...
The celebration culminates with two performances at The Egg, beginning with "All You Need is Love", a Valentine's Day Concert of Beatles love songs performed by a number of regional artists. "This concert will demonstrate how the Beatles' music has been an important part of generations of New York performing artists, whether they are rock, jazz or folk musicians, said Peter Lesser, The Egg's executive director.
The schedule for the eight multimedia lectures is after the jump. And that concert at The Egg -- "All You Need is Love" on February 14 -- is free, though you'll need a ticket.
The week of Beatlemania concludes with a show by The Fab Faux, a Beatles tribute act, at The Egg February 15. Tickets for that start at $35.
The same Fran
You remember Fran McCaffery, the successful Siena men's basketball coach who left a few years ago to coach at Iowa. McCaffery had a reputation for being, um, intense at times on the sidelines. It appears Midwestern life has mellowed him out a bit. [SI]
A peek at the reopening Madison Theater
The screens at the Madison Theater in Albany will flick back to life January 17 when the theater opens for the first time after a renovation.
The 85-year-old venue has lived through many different versions in its history. But this next life represents a significant transformation. The Madison is now operated by Tierra Farm, the Columbia County-based organic nuts/coffee/dried fruit company that also runs the coffee shop at the front of the building. Tierra has big plans for the space: upgraded theaters, digital projectors, a retail store for its products, and, eventually, an event space.
We stopped by the theater Monday to get a look at the renovations and hear a little bit more about what's planned for the neighborhood theater.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?