Items tagged with 'ualbany'
UAlbany's walk-through fountain
Every day can be fountain day now.
UAlbany dedicated a new "walk-through" fountain this week at the Collins Circle campus entrance on Washington. And, yep, you really can walk through the fountain.
It's basically just a plaza with spouts that shoot water straight up from the surface. There's a sort of runway to follow through the water, but you do get wet.
While we were there today checking it out, a handful of people stopped to take a look. It seemed like the most common reaction was, "Huh?" (Katherine had a similar reaction.)
More pics after the jump.
Something stinks on the backstretch, workers overcome by fumes, schools big into bilingual, scholarship participation yanked over scuffling football coach, paying more at the dollar store
As if shoveling horse manure all day wasn't bad enough, the New York State Department of Labor says many backstretch workers at The Track are not only not getting paid overtime, they're not even making minimum wage. The labor department says horse trainers, who employ the backstretch workers, are engaged in "widespread violations labor law." [TU]
Two workers for Precision Industrial Maintenance in Schenectady were overcome by toxic fumes yesterday when they stepped inside a tanker truck used to collect raw sewage. Both were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Precision was cited for violating workplace safety rules on a different project earlier this year. [Daily Gazette] [TU]
A plan to turn an apartment building in Troy's Little Italy neighborhood into housing for homeless people with mental illnesses is catching flak from residents of the area. They say they're worried the building could hold back the neighborhood's revitalization. [TU]
Two crime reports from locations you don't normally see them from: a stabbing in Niskayuna and shots fired in Glenmont. [CBS6] [TU]
Troy prostitution sting, local synchro swimmer competing today at the Olympics, on the trail of a campaign sign thief, Mr. Subb goes upscale
The Troy police busted 16 men this week during what they've described as an undercover prostitution "reverse-sting." As you might expect, there were some complaints from the busted. One guy says he didn't actually ask the undercover policewoman for, um, service (police say the same guy was arrested on the same charges last year). And another says he had a stick stuck up his nose during the arrest. [TU] [Troy Record]
After having their Schenectady store broken into eight times over three years, the owners of Funn Electronics and Keys World say they're moving back to Brooklyn, where they didn't have any trouble. They say they might stay if the city would allow them to install a metal gate that could be pulled down over the business while it's closed -- but the city doesn't allow them. [Daily Gazette]
Troy native Kim Probst is competing in synchronized swimming today at the Olympics. She's co-captain of the US team. [Troy Record]
Stabbed where?
UAlbany's Indian Quad
It's only Tuesday and we already have what looks like the clear winner for weirdest story of the week.
According to UAlbany campus police, firefighters had to hoist a 330-pound construction worker off the roof of a campus building today after he was stabbed by a co-worker. (CBS6 has video of the effort.)
The alleged stabber has been found. He turned up at a hospital in Troy. Police aren't sure what prompted the incident.
Maybe-funny-only-to-us line from that CBS6 story: "This is something Albany fire trains on regularly and it paid off this morning." They train for removing 300-pound stabbing victims from the top of buildings?
That is some comprehensive training.
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]
UAlbany student charged with plotting a "velvet revolution" in his home country
A UAlbany public health student being detained in Iran has been charged with plotting a "velvet revolution."
Iranian-born Kamiar Alaei is a doctoral student at the UAlbany School of Public Health. He and his brother Arash Alaei are both physicians. They've been described as "heroes" working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in their home country. Here in the US, Kamiar had been working with Centro Civico in Amsterdam and had applied for funding to do research in that city.
The brothers were arrested on a visit home in June, though the Iranian government didn't charge them with anything until this week. According to updates on a Facebook page set up by concerned friends and colleagues they've finally been able to see their family, but their lawyers still have no access to them.
photo: The Asia Society
Piling on at Giants camp
There's a football coach in there. Somewhere.
Even the media huddles up at the Giants' training camp at UAlbany.
Paterson live at five, car falls off parking garage, attendance down at The Track, candidate says he'll donate salary, UAlbany off the party school list
David Paterson will be making a live, televised address late this afternoon (5:10 pm). The message: the state budget is in bad shape. "There will be no confusion about the gravity of the situation," the Governor said yesterday. By some estimates, the state will come up $5 billion short this year. [TU] [NYT]
A woman drove her car off the second level of a parking garage in Menands yesterday. Even though the car flipped over during its 20 foot fall, the woman was able to crawl away from the wreckage. [TU]
After tests turned up low levels of PCBs in its drinking water, Stillwater is looking around for other options. The town currently gets its water from the Hudson and it's concerned the dredging project will increase PCB levels. Kirsten Gillibrand says if an alternative can't be found, the dredging project should be delayed. [Daily Gazette]
Both attendance and the amount bet at The Track are down from the same period last year. Attendance is off about 25 percent and the handle (the total amount bet) is down more than 12 percent. NYRA officials blame rain and a lack of bobbleheads. [Saratogian] [Daily Gazette]
Ian McGaughey, a Wilton Democrat running to fill the state Assembly seat currently held by Roy McDonald (who's running to replace Joe Burno in the state Senate), says he'll donate his entire Assembly salary to charity if elected. That would be $79,500. [Saratogian]
UAlbany has dropped off the list of the Princeton Review's top party schools. Students may have been missing reasons to party. The school still ranked highly in a group of unflattering categories, including a second-place finish for "Least Beautiful Campus." [TU]
Wall Street trouble could lead to state shortfall, Schenectady to buy back guns, UAlbany student held in Iran, express train to NYC could be arriving soon
David Paterson issued another warning that the state will be facing a significant financial shortfall this year because of the slowing economy. Problems in the financial sector, and thus Wall Street, are expected to take a big bite out of state revenues. [TU]
Schenectady will use state money to fund a gun buyback program that will also offer reward money for tips leading the seizure of illegal guns. The buyback program will give people $100 for every illegal gun turned in. [Daily Gazette]
NYRA is still in bankruptcy and it sounds like it won't be emerging any time soon. The org was just granted its sixth temporary racing extension by the state. [Daily Gazette]
A UAlbany public health student and his brother -- both doctors -- have been detained in Iran. The brothers had been working on HIV/AIDS prevention programs in their home country. [TU]
An express train from the Rensselaer station to New York City could begin service this fall. [TU]
The rewards for info leading to the arrest of the people involved in two brutal cat killings in Troy are growing -- they're now at $4,500 and $2,000. [Troy Record]
According to a state report, second home buyers and "suburban gentrification" are pushing up home prices in Saratoga, Washington, Warren and Greene counties. The report also says the biggest real estate issue facing Troy, Schenectady and Albany are the cities' abandoned buildings. [TU]
An energy expert has told the City of Schenectady that it should dump its Crown Victoria police cruisers for more fuel-efficient cars. The Crown Vics currently in use get just 8 miles per gallon. [Daily Gazette]
Big investments for research facilities, Guilderland teachers' transfers upheld, gun buyback in Troy, Tedisco getting married
An IBM plan to invest $1.6 billion toward chip fab facilities in New York State will reportedly include at least 325 new jobs at the UAlbany nanotech center. [TU]
UAlbany and Albany Med are teaming up to build a new research center in E. Greenbush focused on cancer, cardiology and neurological disorders. The two institutions hope the new center will enable them to attract more money from the National Institutes of Health. The center will be funded by a $42 million slab of pork secured by Joe Bruno. The headed-for-the-door state Senator says another $25 million in state money will go toward building a new neonatal intensive care unit at AMC. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
The Guilderland School Board voted yesterday to uphold the transfer of two popular teachers from the high school to a middle school. The board also released a copy of the "culture climate report" that led to the transfer, though one board member described the released report as "useless" because it had been stripped of many details. One of the two transferred teachers says she's still not sure exactly what she's been accused of doing wrong. The board president says the district will be conducting more such inquiries. [TU]
A $25,000 slice of Bruno bacon will help fund a gun buyback program in Troy. (Earlier on AOA: The Albany gun buyback program: buyer's remorse?) [Troy Record]
Prompted by cases such as that of Jermayne Timmons -- the 15-year-old accused of firing the shot that killed Kathina Thomas -- advocates are arguing that New York State should require that any suspect under the age of 16 have an attorney present during questioning by police. Timmons reportedly confessed to the shooting without representation. [TU]
The Knicks are looking at the possibility of moving their training camp to Skidmore. [Daily Gazette]
The new Hampton Inn on High Rock in Saratoga opened yesterday. Apparently "new hotel smell" is that of "freshly cut lumber." [Saratogian]
Jimmy Tedisco is marrying his long-time lady friend, Mary Song. [Daily Gazette]
Yvette Nsiah at Miss Universe
Yvette Nisah, a UAlbany student representing Ghana, competed in yesterday's Miss Universe pageant. She didn't finish in the top 15, though she did look great. And let's face it, not meeting the approval of Donald Trump's leering eye isn't so bad.
A few more pics of Yvette from the pageant are after the jump.
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]
UAlbany's Miss Universe contestant
Her name is Yvette Nsiah and she'll be representing Ghana at the pageant in July. Nsiah is a junior Africana studies major at UAlbany. She tells the TU she has a passion for "world issues," though on her MySpace page (or what looks like her MySpace page) she describes herself as an aspiring artist.
So, why did Nsiah get picked to represent Ghana at Donald Trump's pageant? The judges said she represented "the quintessence of Ghanaian femininity." And she has quite the smile, too.
A short video interview with Nsiah is embedded after the jump.
Paterson has surgery, school budgets pass, NanoCollege joins up with Army, talented dog adoption gets more expensive
The "migraine" that sent David Paterson to the hospital yesterday was actually a buildup of pressure in his left eye. The governor had laser surgery yesterday to relieve the pressure, which is a form of glaucoma. Doctors will repeat the procedure on his right eye -- the one in which he still has some vision -- as a preventive measure. [NYT]
School budgets passed in almost everywhere yesterday, including Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Bethlehem, Guilderland, Shen and E. Greenbush. The Albany library budget also passed with an increase that will allow for a new branch in Arbor Hill and expansion of the Pine Hills branch. [TU]
UAlbany's NanoCollege announced it will be working with the US Army to develop technologies like tiny sensors, "smart" bandages and (gulp) nanobots. [Daily Gazette]
New York State has recommended that Saratoga Springs pay female employees $2000 in compensation for, among other things, not having a women's bathroom at the city's police station. [Saratogian]
How does the Larfarge cement plant in Ravena, the state's largest mercury polluter, win an environmental award? Having a company VP sit on the environmental group's board probably doesn't hurt. [TU]
Saratoga County is studying the possibility of a horse park. [Daily Gazette]
The Albany Common Council raised many administrative fees, including the one paid for adopting a "talented" dog. The fee for taking in such a dog is increasing from $50 to $65. Adoptions of "other dogs" will be $15. [TU]
Birthday cocaine, crime in the student ghetto, the gas tax and Plato, the new Tulip Queen
What do you get for that special ex-police chief in your life on his birthday? A shipment of cocaine, apparently. [Daily Gazette]
A map of crimes involving UAlbany students compiled by the TU paints a not-so-pretty picture of life off campus. [TU]
Using the obligatory "Look, I'm at a gas station because we're talking about gas prices" photo op, state assembly minority leader Jim Tedisco announced he's (or someone) collecting signatures for a petition supporting the "gas tax holiday." Sheldon Silver and David Paterson both oppose the temporary suspension of the tax. [Troy Record] [TU]
Speaking of Paterson, he gave the commencement speech for the College of Saint Rose this past weekend because "the lieutenant governor couldn't be be here." The governor also told the crowd that people pushing the gas tax holiday are following shadows instead of light. (Yep, that's a Plato reference.) [Daily Gazette]
The mysterious collapse of honey bee colonies is making things tough for apple growers around the area. It seems there were just enough bees to go around this year to pollinate the apple trees. [Daily Gazette]
Sarah Volk is the new Tulip Queen. [WNYT]
Local Congressional race starts to focus, Troy has a concrete plan, rabid fisher prompts fear phobia, documenting Fountain Day
The Albany County Democratic Party has picked three front-runners in the race for the 21st Congressional District (Mike McNulty's seat): Tracey Brooks, Phil Steck and Paul Tonko. And what about Tonko, is he in or out? Well, he quit his job at NYSERDA on Friday, so it looks like he'll probably be jumping in. [TU] [TU]
Speaking of Congresspeople... Kirsten Gillibrand is nearing her due date and says she'll be back at work "as soon as I am physically able." Gillibrand will be just the sixth House member to give birth while in office. [TU]
Famous medical examiner Michael Baden will conduct a second autopsy of Joshua Szostak's body, which was found floating in the Hudson near Coxsackie. The original autopsy conducted at St. Peter's ruled that Szostak's death was an accident. [TU]
Troy is looking at repaving roads with concrete because of the rising cost of asphalt, which is made from oil. [Saratogian]
A Glenville woman says she can barely bring herself to pet a dog (because of the fur) after being attacked by a rabid fisher last year in her garage. [TU]
UAlbany held its annual Fountain Day yesterday and local media outlets made sure they were there to document the wet, half-naked college students. [Daily Gazette] [TU] [CapNews9] [Fox23] [Troy Record] [CBS6]
Worries about Troy's infrastructure, where was the SPD?, Hucktown at Union, new slogan for UAlbany
Troy's city engineer says two recent underground fires are a wake-up call that it's time to start worrying about the city's infrastructure. Over the last week, downtown Troy has seen a gas leak, a manhole-rocketing underground explosion, and another underground fire that caused carbon monoxide to build up in the homes of 40 people. National Grid says it's investigating whether the events are connected. [TU] [Troy Record]
You can add parking to the infrastructure checklist: Troy City Hall's parking garage has been closed because of falling debris. [TU]
The Schenectady police are supposed to have officers patrolling the city's Hamilton Hill neighborhood around the clock. So city officials are asking why there weren't any while while a man was beaten for 20 minutes by a group there Monday morning. [Daily Gazette]
The Albany County legislature is trying to spur the state legislature to keep moving the Albany Convention Center project forward. [TU]
The Schenectady bed and breakfast that hosted the, um, parties for groups of consenting adults is up for sale. [Daily Gazette]
Mike Huckabee encouraged personal responsibility during an appearance at Union College Monday night. The former presidential candidate also described a place called "Hucktown," where hard-working, educated people self govern. [Daily Gazette] [tU]
A student research group from UAlbany has recommended that Saratoga Springs start charging for downtown parking. City officials say it's something they might consider. [Saratogian]
UAlbany unveiled -- with a drum roll -- its new marketing slogan that was $260,000 in the making: The World Within Reach. There was no mention of its grasp. [TU]
Menands body ID'ed, top judge sues state, UAlbany AD says game not over for stadium plan, Fasig-Tipton sold
DNA tests indicate that the dismembered body found in Menands is, in fact, that of a Schenectady woman who's been missing since November. [Daily Gazette]
New York's top judge, Judith Kaye, has filed suit against the state after the legislature chose not to raise the pay of judges. New York judges haven't had a pay raise in 10 years. [TU]
UAlbany's athletic director says the school's plan for a new football stadium is still on track even though the state legislature allocate money for it in the budget. The stadium is expected to cost between $40 and $50 million. [Business Review]
A group of buildings at the corner of State and Clinton in Schenectady are scheduled for demolition tomorrow. The buildings are coming down so that a mixed-use development can go up. [Business Review]
The Fasig-Tipton company, which conducts horse auctions every year in Saratoga, has been sold to a company from Dubai. [Daily Gazette]
Apparently there is some accounting for taste
After seeing today that UAlbany accounting professor Michelle Moshier has been declared UAlbany's hottest prof, we decided to follow up a bit. You know, due diligence and all that.
Here's a clip from the Albany Student Press article about Moshier:
"All the guys in her class go just to look at her!" UAlbany junior and Moshier student Jacqueline Rodd said.
Sorry gentlemen, but this looker is a missus. Her husband, she has been married to for 15 years, actually doesn't like his wife's high "hotness" factor.
"He just doesn't want to hear anything about it," Moshier said. "He's like, 'You need to start dressing differently,' and I don't go in there in a tube top. I dress professionally! I think I dress young."
"She dresses, like, business-sexy," Rodd said.
Moshier said she often has female students asking her where she buys her clothes.
"I go in trying to look nice."
State budget finished, biting the bullet in Colonie, rebuilding Uncle Sam's house, UAlbany's hottest professor
The state budget is done. The final tally was close to $122 billion, up almost 5 percent over last year. That works out to about $6,400 for every person in New York State. Comments about the plan from budget watchers included the word "larding." [NYT]
The Town of Colonie is looking to take a big bite out of its state-scolded $18 million budget deficit by asking homeowners to chip in an average of $250 in a one-time tax. [TU]
Troy has hired an architecture firm to help plan a mixed-use development at the intersection of Congress and Ferry streets. One highlight of the tentative plan: rebuilding the house of Sam Wilson, the guy who inspired the character Uncle Sam. [Troy Record] [TU]
The Malta Drive-In is adding a second screen. The brothers who own it hope the addition will help them turn a profit for the first time. [Saratogian]
Michelle Mosier is apparently UAlbany's hottest professor. She attributes her title to great shoes. [TU]
It's a tragedy, sure, but Shakespearean or Greek?
Shakespeare, Spitzer, Aeschylus
Sure, the story of Eliot Spitzer spitzering himself is tragic, but no self-respecting journalist would just leave it at that. Simple "tragedy" is never enough... it has to be some kind of tragedy. And, of course, the two go-to categories for tragedy are Shakespearean and Greek.
Both have gotten a fair share of use this week. Maureen Dowd can always be counted on for a Shakespeare reference, but she wasn't alone. As for the Greek treatment, USA Today has helpfully compiled examples.
OK, but which is it? If you're going to take the time to sound like a cultural elite, you might as well be right. So we checked with an expert.
Two interesting exhibits at UAlbany Art Museum
"Double Fantasy III (dream jobs)" by Jennifer and Kevin McCoy
UAlbany has an art museum? It does. And right now it's featuring two small, but interesting exhibits that examine scale, politics and our modern consumer culture. Or, at least, that's what we got out of them.
State politicians focus on... Oswego, another knifing at UAlbany, the bus to Saratoga is hot, Siena makes a stop in South Dakota
The focus of state politics is not on Albany this week, but rather the area around... Oswego. A special election there tomorrow for the 48th State Senate District has political types hopped up because the outcome could go a long way toward determing whether Republicans retain control of the state senate. [NYT]
Schenectady is looking to increase penalties for landlords who keep rental properties vacant. Albany passed a similar ordinance last month. [TU]
There was another fight between UAlbany students that involved a knife over the weekend. That makes two student-on-student stabbings or slashings in the last month. [TU] [Capital News 9]
The post office in downtown Saratoga Springs, described as a "treasure," will be getting some rehab, including a new skylight. [Saratogian]
The hot way to get to and from Saratoga? The bus. Yeah, CDTA was surprised, too. [TU]
If you can figure out who broke into the home of a Glen's Falls man, he'll give you a Corvette convertible. [Troy Record]
The Siena men's hoops team won its Bracket Busters game at Boise State on Saturday 93-70. The trip home wasn't so easy. The Saints made an unscheduled stop in South Dakota. [TU]
The 11th ranked UAlbany men's lacrosse team lost to No. 1 Johns Hopkins 10-5 Saturday in Baltimore. [TU]
It's all fun and games until they have to call the hazmat team
From the crime blotter in the February 4 edition of the Albany Student Press:
SAFETY/HEALTH/HAZMAT INCIDENT
1/27/1008
State Quad - Whitman Hall
Report of personal hygiene items placed on exterior suite door and
door handle. Environmental Health and Safety notified to sanitize
area.
The door needed to be sanitized? What kind of "personal hygiene items" are we talking about here?
Presidential campaigns set up here, big development planned for Slingerlands, pay raises for legislators, the wrong campus
The Clinton and Obama campaigns have opened local offices as they look ahead to the February 5 NY primary. The Clinton camp set up on South Pearl in Albany, while Obama's people are in West Hill. Said Clinton supporter Mike Breslin: "This is not ceremonial; this is business, baby." [Daily Gazette]
Work could start as soon as this summer on a mixed-use development just of Rt. 85 near the Price Chopper in Slingerlands. Offices, banks, coffee places, a high-end restaurant, condos and an organic food store are all in the plans. [TU]
Word around the campfire at the state capitol is that that Governor Spitzer has agreed to support a pay raise for legislators. NY currently has the third-highest legislator salaries in the nation. Base pay is $79,500, but some earn more than $100,000. [NYT]
Spamalot didn't just draw big crowds to Proctor's -- it drew record-breaking crowds. The Monty Python musical sold more than $1.1 million in tickets. [Daily Gazette]
Siena got thwacked last night at Loyola 85-56. The Saints are now 12-7 and 7-2 in the MAAC. [TU]
Coming home from drinking downtown, a completely bombed UAlbany student smashed through a door at the Harriman state office campus and ended up sleeping in a second-floor hallway of the Department of Taxation and Finance Building. Police say the student was trying to get back to his dorm. [TU]
... said komradebob about You didn't actually ask, but...