All Over Albany

Few new details in Schenectady missing infant case, Trump visits upstate, wanting to believe in bigfoot

Investigation of infant death in Schenectady
+ Schenectady police said Monday they need more time for the autopsy and identification process for the remains found behind a State Street residence, and did not indicate whether they think the remains are that of an infant whose mother had been living at the address. "Individuals familiar with the ongoing joint probe" tell the Times Union that the remains were badly decomposed, making the identification process difficult. [Daily Gazette] [TU]
+ The missing infant's mother's aunt said Monday she has hope the child is still alive, but worries the situation is too coincidental. She also said she thinks child protective services failed the infant by not following up on a claim about the infant's living situation. [Spectrum] [News10]

Albany County styrofoam ban
The Albany County Legislature voted Monday to expand the ban on the use of polystyrene (styrofoam) at food service establishments. (The ban previously had applied to chain restaurants.) [TU]

Donald Trump upstate
+ Donald Trump visited Fort Drum Monday to sign a military appropriations bill and told the crowd there that Elise Stefanik had "called me so many times" to make a stop there. In a tweet, Stefanik said it was an honor to have Trump accept her invitation to visit Fort Drum. [TU] [@EliseStefanik]
+ At a fundraiser for Republican Congress member Claudia Tenney -- who's facing a challenge from Democrat Anthony Brindisi -- in Utica later in the day, Trump criticized Andrew Cuomo and Kirsten Gillibrand. [Politico x2]

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Postmodern Jukebox back at Troy Music Hall

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox is returning to the Troy Music Hall February 22. Tickets on on sale to the general public this Friday, August 17 -- they're $34.50 and up.

Postmodern Jukebox performs jazz/ragtime/swing covers of pop music. They've racked up about a billion views on Youtube, covering pop acts across all a bunch of genres.

The act has made multiple stops at the Troy Music Hall. That includes a show this past January ahead of which the group spent a few days rehearsing for a tour. And it was during that time the group recorded the video embedded above -- a jazzy cover of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up."

Troy Music Hall advertises on AOA.

How to handle a situation involving a neighbor and uncertain future for a shared property?

Anonymous emails:

Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with the situation below:

We live in Center Square and we share a demising wall with a neighbor that has aged significantly. While we value her as a neighbor, we are concerned about what happens to her home when she passes away since we share a wall. Furthermore, we are concerned that she has no inheritors that will take responsibility for her house. So many houses are left in limbo in Albany and it takes many years for them to actually come on the market. What are some things we can do as proactive neighbors to avoid a bad situation?

Very often the best path is to start a polite discussion with the neighbor about an issue like this. (Or, really, about anything -- it's good to know your neighbors.) Sometimes that's not possible, though. And it's true that sometimes properties can fall into an in-between state of ownership that makes it difficult to address problems. Pretty much every neighborhood in Albany (and we suspect most other cities around here) have at least one or two houses that are stuck in this sort of state for all sorts of reasons.

So, this is an important and sensitive situation. Maybe you have a constructive suggestion to offer Anonymous? If so, please share.

Same place, very different map

The history of Albany as a city stretches back 400 years. But the history of this land -- and people living here -- is, of course, much longer than that. When the Europeans showed up this place was already inhabited by the Mahican people (or Mohican).

With that history in mind, have a look at this interesting map site called Native Land that charts the lands of indigenous people here in the northeastern US, the Americas more widely, as well as other places around the world. It highlights one aspect of the rich and diverse and complicated history of this place prior to the 17th century. That clip above shows this area.

The map is the creation of a Canadian programmer named Victor Temprano. Atlas Obscura recently talked with him about how the map came about, along with the ongoing work to build it and make it more accurate.

By the way: If you're curious about the pre-Columbus history of this hemisphere, the Charles C. Mann book 1491 is an interesting place to find more of it.

Earlier: The Cornplanter pipe tomahawk

The Albany airport's getting terminal upgrades, a new parking garage, and a new connector road from Exit 4

The Albany International Airport is set to get terminal upgrades and a new parking garage as part of a $42 million renovation -- and there's now a set plan for a new "airport connector" roadway at Exit 4 off the Northway.

The Cuomo admin announced the upgrades and exit reconfiguration Tuesday. Press release blurbage about the planned upgrades for ALB, for which the state is chipping in $22 million and the Albany County Airport Authority is providing the rest:

New Parking Garage -- The project will construct a 1,000-unit, multi-level parking garage, expanding airport parking capacity by 20 percent. The pre-cast concrete garage will provide a heated pedestrian walkway to the airport terminal. Energy-efficient LED lights will illuminate that bridge, enhancing visibility as well as vehicular and pedestrian safety.

Parking Access Improvements -- The project will install new LED electronic signage, car counting devices, and interactive access control devices that utilize advanced GPS technology to locate available parking spaces and provide wayfinding messages that direct motorists to them. The existing parking system is nearly 20 years old and its electronic controls are in disrepair.

Terminal Rehabilitation and Passenger Amenities - The project will rehabilitate the terminal, including escalators, restrooms, waiting rooms and the food court. Improvements will include new carpets, wall finishes, tile floors, energy-efficient lighting fixtures and better Internet connectivity.

(We hope the airport's art gallery and public art get some dollars, too -- they're our favorite part of ALB.)

And here are some bits -- and explainer renderings -- about the new $50 million airport connector roadway and the reconfiguration at exits 4 and 5:

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Debbie's Kitchen is returning (with Debbie)

Debbie's reopening the kitchen.

There's wondrous sandwich news in Albany: Debbie's Kitchen is planning to return to its old location on Madison Avenue in Albany -- with Debbie herself at the helm.

Debbie, of course, is Debbie Klauber, whose soups, sandwiches, and desserts were Albany famous for 25 years.

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