Items tagged with 'cliftonpark'
Legislature back for special session, Clifton Park residents want dog park to themselves, charter high school opens, woman wins $1 million from scratch-off, Crazy Legs buffaloed in hot dog eating contest
The State Legislature is back today for its special "holy moly, the state is going broke" session. There isn't a whole lot of consensus about how to make cuts, though. [TU]
The Route 9P bridge that goes over Saratoga Lake has been narrowed to one lane after inspectors found that two of the bridge's floor beams had been falling apart. Repairs are expected to take two weeks. [TU]
Judging from the comments made at a public hearing last night, it sounds like Clifton Park residents aren't so keen about sharing their dog park with people not from Clifton Park. [Daily Gazette]
The City of Troy would like turn the site of the Rensselaer Iron Works, which burned down earlier this year, into a park. It would use pieces of the old iron works in the landscape and call the place Artifact Park. The city needs about $300,000 from the state to make it happen. [TU]
The Green Tech Charter School opened this week in Albany. Green Tech is an all-boys, college prep school. It's only the nation's third all-boys charter school. [TU]
Paterson proposes $1 billion in cuts, more flooding, track season all wet, principal arrested, permits for off-leash dogs, Giants coming back
David Paterson has proposed a plan to cut $1 billion in spending from the state budget. Half of that would come from Medicaid funding, $250 million from aid to local governments, and $100 million from legislative pork projects. As you might expect, legislators and lobbyists are already protesting. Local governments are also worried -- for example, Schenectady figures Paterson's plan could cut $700,000 in funding for the city. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
North Greenbush and Rensselaer were the latest parts of the Capital Region to get swamped by rain. The Amtrak line between Hudson and Rensselaer had to be closed for a while because the tracks were underwater. The 74-year-old mayor of Rensselaer said yesterday's flooding was the worst he'd ever seen in the city. A Rensselaer County legislator says the drainage systems there just haven't been able to keep up with the pace of development. [TU] [Troy Record]
Both attendance and the amount bet at the Track are down from last year at the season's midpoint. Attendance is down more than 16 percent and the "handle" is down 8 percent. [Saratogian]
Will IBM follow through, pile up at the ER, eyes for Schenectady Big Brother, more people biking to work, enormous houses on Lake George
You know that big deal the state recently announced with IBM to invest in research capacity and new jobs? It appears that Big Blue doesn't always follow through on its word. [TU]
The merger between Ellis and St. Clare's hospitals has led to long waits at the Ellis emergency department. The hospital is planning to expand, but in the meantime it's encouraging people with minor injuries to go to emergency department at the former St. Clare's (now Ellis McClellan Campus), which is still open. [Daily Gazette]
The head of the Albany Convention Center Authority has quit. George Leveille says it was a good time to leave because there's a "lull" in the action. That lull would be uncertainty about whether there will be enough state funding to complete the project. [Biz Review] [TU]
Schenectady's crime surveillance cameras now have people watching the feeds from them, at least part of the time. [Daily Gazette]
An Albany County legislator wants to pass a law that would make adults responsible when they knowingly allow minors to consume alcohol on their property, even if they didn't serve it. [TU]
The rewards for information about the two recent cat abuse cases in Troy have grown again. [TU]
Cycling groups and bike shops report that more people are biking to work because of high gas prices. [Daily Gazette]
There's a gas price war going on just off the Northway at Exit 10 in Clifton Park. [TU]
Yep, those were two F-15s flying over the area this past weekend. They were on a training mission from Massachusetts. [CBS6]
A breeding program is helping to prop up the local population of Karner Blue butterflies. [Daily Gazette]
The rich are different from the rest of us. One more reason: they have bigger houses on Lake George. [TU]
Changing it up at Clifton Park Center
It's inconspicuous from the outside, like an Indiana Jones cave.
So is Crossgates feeling too corporate for you? Colonie Center just a bit too deja vu (except for the heaven that is Sephora)? Then maybe it's time you head on over to Clifton Park Center.
School tax cap recommended, cigarette taxes jump today, truckers want to roll through Albany, pothole for paychecks
A state commission has recommended capping school tax increases at four percent a year. It also suggested that the STAR exemption be linked to income so that high earners wouldn't necessarily get a break on their property taxes. NYSUT, the politically powerful teachers union, opposes the tax cap (that's what those NYSUT billboards with kids in graduation caps are referring to). New York property taxes are 79 percent above the national average. [TU]
New York's cigarette tax jumps $1.25 today to $2.75, the highest in the nation. [AP]
A group of truckers wants to ring the capitol with big rigs to protest rising Thruway tolls and high diesel prices. The City of Albany hasn't decided yet whether to issue the protest a permit -- though one organizer says the truckers will roll into town regardless. [TU]
A plan is coming together to reshape the intersections around Northway Exit 9 in Clifton Park. Among the goals: to put some "there" there. [Daily Gazette]
The Van Dyck will be going up for auction July 2. It's estimated to be worth about $1 million. A bank foreclosed on the building last year. [Daily Gazette]
KEM Cleaners has bought a new, somewhat more environmentally friendly cleaning machine -- and is changing its name to Greener Cleaners. It seems that "environmentally friendly dry cleaning" is a relative term, though. For example: there's nothing really organic about "organic" dry cleaning. [TU]
The pay check process at the Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works has hit a pothole. The DPW's office manager retired last week -- and with no replacement, there's now no one who can legally process the payroll. [Saratogian]
Gambling joint knocked over, texting while driving ban proposed, MoveOn in town, nanoeconomics
A couple of things about the local gambling scene have to come to light over the past month. The first: people have been playing poker at illegal clubs around Albany, including a "members only" club on N. Allen. The second: it looks like a group is knocking over these clubs, in robberies like something out of a movie. [TU]
The state Senate has passed a bill that would make it illegal to text while driving. The bill now heads to the Assembly. [Daily Politics]
MoveOn will be in Albany and Saratoga Springs today campaigning in a somewhat unusual way against John McCain. [Saratogian]
A road reconstruction project has downtown Chatham closed to traffic, maybe for months. [TU]
RPI is moving toward letting students use their school IDs to spend their "Rensselaer Advantage Dollars" at off-campus businesses. UAlbany, Siena and St. Rose already such arrangements. [Troy Record]
UAlbany recently awarded the world's first PhD in "nanoeconomics." [Daily Gazette]
Clifton Park is looking at opening a second the dog park -- and hiking fines for not leashing dogs in its other parks. [Daily Gazette]
Housing market stable, pork off-limits, manhole cover mystery continues, dramas over water and hot dogs, warm weather beats Rats like a rented goalie
The median sale price for houses in the Capital Region rose in March compared to the same period last year. The number of sales was way down, though. [TU]
Even as the state goes looking through the couch cushions for extra cash, the money assigned to legislative member items -- you know, pork -- is still off limits. [TU]
National Grid still isn't sure what caused the manhole-cover-shooting underground explosion in Troy. [CapNews9]
A full-on political soap opera has emerged among Clifton Park Republicans over... the water board. [TU]
Speaking of melodrama... Saratoga Springs is watching one of it own. The center piece of this plot: hot dogs. [Saratogian]
The city of Schenectady says it can't afford a Big Brother, so one resident says he'll do it for free. [Daily Gazette]
Seniors riding scooters and their "accident-prone" behaviors have prompted Saratoga officials to get the word out about safer scootering. Among the tips: slow down, don't scooter while sleepy. [Daily Gazette]
In a face off with sunshine and warm weather, it seems the River Rats lose almost every time. [TU]
Budget looking like its done, ethics commission not following rules, mobile police station, surfing in Waterford
It looks like the state budget will be wrapped up today. The last hang-up was a measure pushed by NYSUT that prevents teachers from being denied tenure because of their students' performance on standardized tests. The final version also includes $53 million for the planned AMD chip fab project in Malta. Money for a new UAlbany football stadium didn't make the cut. [AP/Newsday] [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The state commission set up to reform ethics in the legislature is -- surprise -- not doing what it's supposed to. [TU]
A plan to shut down the New York City OTB this summer would hit Saratoga County and the city of Saratoga Springs, which both share in money from the betting operation. [Saratogian]
South Broadway in Saratoga is getting a face lift, which officials hope will smooth the transition from the park into downtown. [Saratogian]
The Albany Police Department unveiled its new mobile police station in Arbor Hill. Local reaction seems to be something along the lines of: "Oh, great... you've parked a trailer here." [CapNews9]
The Doane Stewart School has a deal to buy the Van Rensselaer school building (the one right off I-90) in Rensselaer and hopes to move in a year. [Troy Record]
Apparently you can surf in Waterford. Sort of. [TU]
A Shenendehowa 9th-grader is mathmaticious and now everyone knows it. [Fox23]
How walkable is your neighborhood?
There's this interesting site called Walk Score, which tries to assign walkability scores to neighborhoods. So, we decided to drop 10 Capital Region locations into the site. Here's how they ranked:
(Scale is 1 to 100, the larger number, the more walkable)
10. Guilderland: 25
9. Clifton Park, Clifton Park Center: 25
8. Ballston Spa: 63
7. Delmar, Four Corners: 69
6. Albany, uptown: 71
The top 5 after the jump...
Congressional race field still changing, challengers for Silver, Spitzer's shine dims, a bus full of teddy bears, Ed O'Brien to head for warmer climes
Republican Chris Callaghan says he will not run for the 21st Congressional seat. But Schenectady County legislator James Buhrmaster might. There are currently no Republicans officially in the field. [Troy Record] [Daily Gazette]
For the first time in more than 20 years, Sheldon Silver will have challengers in the Democratic primary for his state assembly district. [TU]
Eliot Spitzer is catching criticism for violating the spirit, if not the exact letter, of his campaign finance pledge. Spitzer's people say he's just doing what's necessarily to flip the state senate, while good-government groups are starting to think the Gov is just like the rest of them. [NYT]
Albany Common Councilman Corey Ellis is pushing for the city to have a residency requirement for city employees. [CapNews9]
A Clifton Park woman has gained fame with her teddy bear factory on wheels -- and fortune may be just down the road. [Daily Gazette]
Channel 6 morning news guy Ed O'Brien will be leaving the station in August. He says he wants to pursue a different kind of job -- maybe one involving baseball or horseracing -- somewhere warm. [Business Review]
Troy city hall up for sale, Soares to run again, big mercury polluter just outside Albany, Halfmoon wants attention, sportmanship gets a timeout after UAlbany game
Troy's city hall could be yours -- it's now officially up for sale. [Troy Record]
Albany County District Attorney David Soares is expected to announce today that he's running for re-election. So far, he's the only candidate in the field, though Paul Clyne -- the incumbent Soares beat four years ago -- is apparently considering a run. [TU] [Daily Politics]
State auditors wagged their fingers (so to speak) at the Town of Colonie for turning a $12.5 million surplus into a $10 million deficit in four years. Recently elected town supervisor Paula Mahan called the situation "sad." [Troy Record]
The Lafarge cement plant on 9W in Ravena was the biggest emitter of mercury in New York in 2006. Its 400 pound output was one-third of the state's total. [TU]
A 16-year-old Albany girl has been arrested for taking part in a group assault of two UAlbany students last month. [TU]
Schenectady wants Habitat for Humanity to build a "green" house with bamboo floors and solar panels -- and it wants to put up money to make it happen. But Habitat's saying "Thanks, but no." [Daily Gazette]
Halfmoon has had enough of being lumped in with Clifton Park. [Daily Gazette]
A firefighter candidate got bounced from the Saratoga probationary program because he has a fear of needles, which doesn't work out so well for paramedic training. He's now suing. [Saratogian]
There was a shoving match last night between the coaches after the UAlbany men's hoops team topped Binghamton 74-52 on the road. [Daily Gazette]
College fund for girl has money -- but no girl, Northern Lights files for bankruptcy, The Police will play here, return of the flamingos
In 1997 a three-year-old girl saw her mother murdered in Troy. Shocked by how sad the case was, the Troy Police Benevolent Association started a college fund for her. The good news: the fund now has about $50,000. The unfortunate news: the PBA has no idea where the girl is now. [Troy Record]
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is buying a big chunk of land in the Adirondacks from the Nature Conservancy. The preservation group bought the land last year from a paper company for $110 million. [Post-Star]
The hot amenity for new condos: indoor parking. (By the way, the Mooradian Lofts project -- which didn't have indoor parking -- has been put on hold.) [TU] [Troy Record]
Northern Lights has filed for bankruptcy. The Clifton Park music venue filed Chapter 11 (that's the "reorganization" bankruptcy), so presumably it will try to stay open. [Daily Gazette]
The Police will play a show at SPAC on August 1. The message in the bottle: send money. The cheapest ticket will be $93. [Saratogian]
The carousel has re-opened at the New York State Museum. Four-year-olds voice approval. [Daily Gazette]
The flamingos have returned to Schenectady's Stockade. [Daily Gazette]
The UAlbany men's hoops team topped Maine 74-60 on the road. [TU]
Overheard in the cookware section
An older couple is shopping in the cookware section of the Marshall's in Clifton Park:
Older Lady: (holds up smallish pot) Look, for pasta!
Older Man: You can't cook pasta in that, you need a big pot!
Older Lady: So, why do you cram it into that pot we have at home?!?
Older Man: Because I have more skill than most people.
Shopping Mecca in the 'burbs
Are the good deals a myth?
I'm not a fan of bargain stores. I love a good deal, but I HATE the hunt. I don't consider
it a payoff to find $300 Theory pants for $40 if I had to spend two hours picking through the racks and fending off an equally interested shopper to get them. But if you live for the hunt, a trip is well worth it.
For a few years now, everyone's been telling me about how the Marshall's in Clifton Park is amazing; that you can find much better and/or higher-end merchandise than their stores directly in or around Albany.
I'm always skeptical when people say things like that to me. I mean, same company, same stuff, right? Mmm, not so much. A little birdy informed me that unlike sister store TJMaxx, Marshall's stores are stocked by zip code. So more affluent areas generally have more highly-coveted merch. This would explain how a former co-worker of mine got a cute Coach tote (non-logo, thank god) from the location a few years ago. My interest was peaked at the time, but not enough to make my way up the Northway.
Recently, I finally got the itch to go see what all the ruckus has been about. Here's the verdict:
... said Amelia about local college rankings