Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) articles from August 2007

Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) archives from August 2007

A leisurely journey to gain historic perspective: Two centuries later, cruise rewinds Fulton's steamboat trip along the Hudson River.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Scott Waldman Aug. 13--ALBANY -- Reliving history is a lot more comfortable than experiencing it. When Robert Fulton's steamboat, the North River, chugged up the Hudson River from New York to Albany 200 years ago Friday,...

After surviving a massacre, safe haven in Albany: Emmanuel Mandevu and his brother, Olivier, are among more than 500 refugees who fled violence in Congo.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Cathleen F. Crowley Aug. 13--VOORHEESVILLE -- Three years ago, Emmanuel Mandevu, then 20, was running for his life. His family had fled from Congo where Banyamulenge Tutsis were being killed by Hutu extremists. They were at the...

Welfare motels come under fire: Bill would ban placing families and individuals in unsafe buildings.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Carol Demare Aug. 13--ALBANY -- Legislation will be introduced tonight barring Albany County caseworkers from placing families and individuals in certain motels in Colonie until the buildings are brought up to code. Christine...

Albany A's ousted.
August 13, 2007... Aug. 13--The Albany Athletics missed a trip to the American Amateur Baseball Congress Stan Musial World Series, losing 12-3 to the Easton (Mass.) Huskies in Sunday's championship game of the North Atlantic regionals in Farmingdale. ...

Albany Times Union, N.Y. Mark McGuire column: Still has something to prove.(Column)
August 13, 2007... Byline: Mark McGuire Aug. 13--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Not since his redshirt freshman year at Florida State -- that would be 1994, folks -- had Andre Wadsworth watched so much football while in uniform. On a fall-like Friday night...

No stemming this apple crop: Growers say conditions have been good and could lead to a bumper harvest of sweet fruit.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Bob Gardinier Aug. 13--KINDERHOOK -- Amps, guitars and drums are set up in a corner of the packing room at Golden Harvest Farms so workers can jam when the apple line is slow. The hired hands may not have much time to reggae...

Budget forces groups to pay: Under law, Albany school district must charge for after-school programs.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Tim O'Brien Aug. 13--ALBANY -- As the school year approaches, the Albany schools' contingency budget is forcing community groups to pay for after-school programs they long ran for free. The May 19 defeat of the school budget...

Classic Pack roars: 13-1 shot breaks at right time to win West Point.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Mark Singelais Aug. 13--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Trainer Mike Hernandez had a horse for the course and a new jockey in Cornelio Velasquez, who's been good on long shots at this Saratoga Race Course meet. It was a formula for...

Online connection: Networking site LinkedIn joins professionals around the world.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Michael Janairo Aug. 13--Kim Lloyd wasn't looking to change jobs. The MapInfo marketing manager from Latham got an e-mail last year saying a friend wanted to introduce her to someone who was starting a company. The...

Alabama, Travers without two stars: Any Given Saturday, Rags to Riches won't go at Spa.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Tim Wilkin Aug. 13--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- It would be easy to call Todd Pletcher the party pooper of this year's Saratoga race meet. He has two of the marquee horses of the summer in the brilliant filly Rags to Riches Haskell...

Altamont Fair expects big draw: Events begin Tuesday; rides, circus, exhibits could attract 120,000.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Scott Waldman Aug. 13--ALTAMONT -- The Altamont Fair is older than air conditioning, television and, of course, the Internet. And it holds more allure than the creature comforts those amenities provide as it still brings more...

EDITORIAL: Oil's future.(Editorial)
August 13, 2007... Aug. 13--Whatever else one might think of it -- and we have our differences -- the three-pronged energy plan outlined by John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Co., is not short-sighted. It includes medium- and long-range ideas that warrant...

Jockey is grateful to Griffin for shot: Gomez got Breeders Cup chance from entertainer.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Mark Singelais Aug. 13--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Jockey Garrett Gomez gave Merv Griffin his greatest triumph in thoroughbred racing when he rode Griffin's Stevie Wonderboy to victory in the Breeders' Cup juvenile two years ago. ...

Offstage, Turner takes the director's chair.(Theater review)
August 12, 2007... Byline: Steve Barnes Aug. 12--Thirty years after she began her acting career, Kathleen Turner is making her stage directorial debut. "Actually," she says, using a tone suggesting she's revealing a confidence, "this is the first...

Suit over state building nears trial: Court rejects motion by last remaining defendant to throw out case of allegedly sickened workers.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Brian Nearing Aug. 12--ALBANY -- It's been said the wheels of justice grind slowly, and it looks like they may have finally gotten around to a lawsuit filed 15 years ago by state workers who claimed chemicals in their building at...

EDITORIAL: Hearings and smearings.(Editorial)
August 12, 2007... Aug. 12--So much for Round One of the Senate Republicans' hearings on the Spitzer administration's attempts to discredit Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. If this is their idea of an inquiry, we'll wait instead for the investigations by the state...

Brunettos is big about portion sizes.(Restaurant review)
August 12, 2007... Byline: Ruth Fantasia Aug. 12--If the quality of a restaurant was determined by the quantity of food the kitchen put on a plate, Brunetto's in Warrensburg would be earning worldwide acclaim. Mention the name and locals tell you, "Don't...

Masters at persuasion: Deals end in real estate failures, bankruptcy.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Brendan J. Lyons Aug. 12--ALBANY -- The art of negotiating a real estate deal came as naturally to Detective Kenneth P. Wilcox as his storied reputation for getting a signed confession from a murder suspect. On the afternoon...

A vision of excellence put to test at UAlbany: A year after President Kermit Hall's death, some left wondering if a successor can carry forward the success strategies he advanced.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Marc Parry Aug. 12--ALBANY -- One year after the sudden death of University at Albany President Kermit Hall, the future of the institution he inspired for 18 months remains a question mark. Administrators say they're honoring...

State beefs up mega-farm checks: Five inspectors added after catastrophic manure spill at dairy.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Brian Nearing Aug. 12--Twice the number of state inspections will be done on mega-farms this fiscal year compared to the previous year, two years after a massive manure spill at a Lewis County dairy farm that fouled 20 miles of...

Cooking their way to the past: Demonstrations at Knickerbocker mansion part of Canal Splash.
August 12, 2007... Byline: David Filkins Aug. 12--SCHAGHTICOKE -- Sian Myers sat under a tent, gripping a butter churn with both hands as she shook, shook and shook some more. Her mother, Devon, flattened dough using an archaic rolling pin that had no...

Dare's role in Pastures cost association $100,000.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Brendan J. Lyons Aug. 12--ALBANY -- An advocate for the Historic Pastures Homeowners Association, which lost more than $100,000 in association dues from the mismanagement of the properties by Aaron R. Dare, said federal...

OPINION: Tracing Bush, Nixon parallels.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Harry Rosenfeld Aug. 12--It is beyond farfetched to credit talk about impeaching George W. Bush as anything more than is encapsulated by Cindy Sheehan, the tireless anti-war activist who is motivated to redeem the sacrifice of...

Question of equine intelligence gets put to the test: We know thoroughbred horses are fast, but can they think on their hooves?
August 12, 2007... Byline: Tom Keyser Aug. 12--Let's start with a riddle: How smart is a horse? Are the thoroughbreds racing at Saratoga, those magnificent running machines sucking up your betting dollars like petrol, running on a full intellectual...

Dave likes plenty of work: Six-year-old set to go in today's West Point.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Mark Singelais Aug. 12--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Yes, owner Tom Gallo loves the name: Dave, about as simple as it gets for a racehorse. That's not the main reason Gallo and his partners bought Dave after previous owner Joe Gerrity...

Preseason 'D' looks dreadful: In first half, Giants yield 212 yards, 17 points.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Pete Iorizzo Aug. 12--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- If Michael Strahan watched the Giants on television in their first preseason game, he saw just how much his teammates miss him. Without Strahan, the new-look Giants defense...

Albany A's reach regional finals.
August 12, 2007... Aug. 12--The Albany Athletics reached the American Amateur Baseball Congress Stan Musial North Atlantic regional's championship round by eliminating the Tarrytown Knights 8-1 on Saturday at the State University College at Farmingdale on Long...

Many falls in jockey's summer.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Mark Singelais Aug. 12--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- John Velazquez could only laugh as he picked himself off the dirt on Saturday, as if in disbelief he'd fallen again. Velazquez was unseated when Tommasi stumbled at the start of the...

Albany Times Union, N.Y. Brian Ettkin column: Parcells saysretirement fits.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Brian Ettkin Aug. 12--SPRINGS -- Bill Parcells looks as if he's retired from coaching, tanned and smiling, sitting at a table in the bar at Sargo's, the fine-dining restaurant at Saratoga National Golf Club, sheltered from the...

Albany Times Union, N.Y. Mark McGuire column: Former greats left out.(Column)
August 12, 2007... Byline: Mark McGuire Aug. 12---- Go back several scandalous sports issues, before Barry Bonds' 756th, and new Tour de France doping revelations, and allegedly crooked NBA ref Tim Donaghy, and Michael Vick's indicted cruelty, and Pacman...

EDITORIAL: A shield milestone.(Editorial)
August 12, 2007... Aug. 12--Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have laws that protect journalists from being hauled before prosecutors and ordered to reveal their confidential sources. But as yet, there is no federal shield law to protect reporters...

Credit concerns far-reaching.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Chris Churchill Aug. 11--The credit crunch that roiled Wall Street this week is worrying some Capital Region businesses that depend on the free flow of borrowed money, and could cause problems for people hoping to buy homes. ...

EDITORIAL: Arming the enemy.(Editorial)
August 11, 2007... Aug. 11--Even before he gives his much anticipated report on the progress of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus has some explaining to do. Specifically, how is it that tens of thousands of small arms issued by the United States...

Young eagles taking wing for a life in the wild: Tiny chicks that hatched at sanctuary in May well on their way to adulthood.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Brian Nearing Aug. 11--PETERSBURGH -- When the doors dropped open, the young eagle walked to the edge of the cage and leaped into the rain, his first flight disappearing from view as he banked around some nearby trees. "This...

Latin flavor aplenty.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Greg Haymes Aug. 11--ALBANY -- Thursday evening's Alive at Five concert was billed as "Latin Rock Night," and indeed, the double-barreled Los Lobos and Los Straitjackets show had a definite Latin spin to it, but it was so much...

Court denies legislator's ballot challenge: Albany County politician argued opponent didn't reside in the district.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Carol Demare Aug. 11--ALBANY -- A county legislator lost his court challenge Friday to have his opponent in next month's primary thrown off the ballot on grounds the other candidate didn't live within the legislative district....

Taking a tandem tour from shore to shore: Father and son make stop in Troy as they near end of cross-country bike trip.
August 11, 2007... Byline: David Filkins Aug. 11--TROY -- The idea came to Ryan McKee two summers ago, during a bicycle ride with his family on Prince Edward Island in Canada. It was a passing thought. Yet, despite its magnitude, it seemed possible to...

SuperPower deal to leave parent firm nears: Company developing superconducting wire was acquired last year by Dutch company Royal Philips.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Larry Rulison Aug. 11--SCHENECTADY -- It appears SuperPower Inc. could be close to finalizing a deal that will allow it to spin off from Dutch parent Royal Philips Electronics NV. SuperPower, which is developing...

American Bio Medica waiting on FDA OK: Waiver would allow company to distribute products more widely.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Chris Churchill Aug. 11--KINDERHOOK -- American Bio Medica Corp. is waiting. Any day now, the company expects to receive a waiver from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that will allow it to distribute its drug tests much...

Ankle crack retires Flashy Bull: Injury believed to happen as he finished seventh in Whitney.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Mark Singelais Aug. 11--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Flashy Bull's disappointing performance in the Whitney Handicap on July 28 turned out to be the final race of his career. Flashy Bull was retired this week with a small crack in the...

All-terrain sandals: The simple flip-flop has evolved into something with attitude.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Michael Janairo Aug. 11--In the beginning there was Teva. The year was 1984 when Teva introduced its flip-flop-like sandals, which neither flipped nor flopped, for Velcro straps kept them secure. Hikers on land and boaters in...

If it's good, bumping noses shouldn't matter: There's much ado about wondering whether a first date ends in a kiss.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Kristi L. Gustafson Aug. 11--My stomach feels like acrobats are turning tricks and I can't stop biting the inside of my cheek. I'm consumed by thoughts of tonight's date and it's not yet 10 a.m. Why? I'm thinking it could end in...

Albany Times Union, N.Y. Mark McGuire column: For better or worse, Jets fly.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Mark McGuire Aug. 11--RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Jets face far fewer questions this preseason compared to last. Carved down, there's really only one that matters: Did the Jets do enough this off-season to keep up with...

OPINION: We're here to inform, entertain.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Rex Smith Aug. 11--Before e-mail and text messaging, nobody knew about emoticons -- you know, those punctuation collections that create something looking vaguely like a facial expression. Back then, writers who couldn't convey...

Albany Times Union, N.Y. Tim Wilkin column: Funny Cide love fest just right.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Tim Wilkin Aug. 11--SPRINGS -- I've got to admit, I had never heard the Bette Midler tune "Wind Beneath My Wings" at the racetrack. But it was blaring through the sound system at Saratoga Race Course on Friday afternoon and the...

Land dispute to be a matter of church and fate: Developer, Bethlehem parish headed to court to decide who can lay claim to field.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Scott Waldman Aug. 11--BETHLEHEM -- The sign in front of Mt. Moriah Ministries reads, "Thou shalt not steal -- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's land." The sign faces a stretch of weeds and wildflowers that catch candy...

Parking woes for Giants, Jets fans.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Mark McGuire Aug. 11--EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Mets and Yankees fans already know the headache of driving to the game when a new stadium is under construction next door. Now New York Jets and Giants fans get their...

Suspend rivalry: One horse hurt: Better Talk Now to miss race vs. English Channel.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Tim Wilkin Aug. 11--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The air came out of the $500,000 Grade I Sword Dancer Invitational early Friday morning. The highly anticipated face-off between Better Talk Now and English Channel is off. This was...

Brothers' bakery is on the rise: Eight-month-old Cookie Factory builds its success on years of experience.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Alan Wechsler Aug. 11--TROY -- Here's a little secret: The Fudge Fantasy cookies made by The Cookie Factory look an awful lot like the Fudge Fancies made until recently by The Vanilla Bean. It's no conspiracy. Both cookies...

They're not last year's Giants: No Tiki and no Strahan as team opens preseason.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Pete Iorizzo Aug. 11--ALBANY -- Let the post-Tiki Barber era begin. And maybe life after Michael Strahan, too. Oh, and enter a few new linebackers, a couple of new place-kickers and some new coaches. At 8 p.m. Saturday at...

Car crash through home still echoes: Owner says she has yet to recover from the damage, 10 months after incident.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Leigh Hornbeck Aug. 11--BALLSTON SPA -- Ten months after a drunken driver drove through her living room, severely damaging her home, Leslie Grossmann Brown is still picking up the pieces. The social worker was asleep with her...

Official: City can take parking lot: Use of eminent domain to take land owned by newspaper suggested.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Dennis Yusko Aug. 11--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The city could take by eminent domain property belonging to The Saratogian newspaper to satisfy its need for more downtown parking, a city official has suggested. "Maybe we bring it...

Cement firm fined for smoke: St. Lawrence pays $285,000 to DEC over dense emissions from Catskill facility.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Larry Rulison Aug. 11--CATSKILL -- St. Lawrence Cement has paid a $285,000 fine after the state Department of Environmental Conservation discovered smokestack-emission violations at its plant here. The violations occurred...

BRIEF: Appeals court sticks Saratoga Springs with legal bill: Saratoga Springs told it must pony up for defense of former official.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Robert Gavin Aug. 10--ALBANY -- A state appeals court has upheld a ruling that requires the city of Saratoga Springs to pay for the legal defense of former deputy public safety commissioner Erin Dreyer. Dreyer and former...

A class divide in office market: While tenants gobble up modern Class A space, older buildings remain unfilled.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Chris Churchill Aug. 10--ALBANY -- The downtown Albany office market is like two worlds. At one extreme, there is high quality, or Class A, space. It's much in demand, with a vacancy rate of just 4.4 percent and some of the...

EDITORIAL: Deadly drunk.(Editorial)
August 10, 2007... Aug. 10--Now come the last critical details about the last hours in the lives of two young women killed in a horrific drunken driving incident in Albany last month. Sara Epstein, 19, and Alice Quintana, 21, it had been reported before, were...

SuperPower reports advances in technology: Company tells feds it's made progress in commercializing high-temperature conducting wire.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Larry Rulison Aug. 10--SCHENECTADY -- SuperPower Inc. told a U.S. Department of Energy conference this week that it has made significant progress toward commercializing its second-generation high-temperature superconducting wire....

Baffert excited by Maimonides.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Tim Wilkin Aug. 10--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Bob Baffert hasn't left yet to go back to California. No one would blame the trainer if he wanted to stick around Saratoga for the rest of the meet, just so he could be around a talented...

State announces grants for affordable housing: $13.75 million for senior complex in Saratoga Springs; $10 million for row houses in Albany.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Jimmy Vielkind Aug. 10--State grants announced Thursday mean extensive renovations to apartment complexes in Saratoga Springs and Albany, bringing more affordable housing to those cities. In Saratoga Springs, the Embury...

Ex-con found guilty of burglary: Albany man convicted of break-ins at homes of sister, neighbors.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Robert Gavin Aug. 10--ALBANY -- An Albany man faces up to 75 years in jail for breaking into homes owned by his sister, neighbors and a clergyman and selling the proceeds for drugs. Phillip Morris Henry, 27, stole at least...

Computer aide claims bias: Schenectady County worker says a supervisor sexually harassed her.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Paul Nelson Aug. 10--SCHENECTADY -- A Schenectady County worker has filed a lawsuit alleging she was subjected to unwanted sexual advances by her male boss only to have another supervisor who is his friend try to force her out...

Court rejects appeal in 2004 baby killing: Albany man who fatally punched 18-month-old had argued that his life sentence was too harsh.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Robert Gavin Aug. 10--ALBANY -- A state appeals court has upheld the murder conviction of an Albany man who beat his girlfriend's 18-month-old baby to death in 2004. Tyshawn Ford, 24, who is serving a life sentence at Upstate...

Cleanup called incomplete: Federal, county officials disagree over status of Fort Orange paper site.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Bob Gardinier Aug. 10--CASTLETON -- Asbestos cleanup at the former Fort Orange paper plant is finished, as far as the federal government is concerned, but Rensselaer County legislators have again voiced worry that the job didn't...

New tourism leader on way: Incoming president of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau aims to build on success.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Dennis Yusko Aug. 10--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Tourism has a new face in Saratoga Springs. David Zunker, who has been vice president of the Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau in Columbia, S.C., will become president of...

BRIEF: Fundraiser benefits Seton Health.
August 10, 2007... Aug. 10--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The Seton Health Foundation raised more than $100,000 at its 14th annual A Summer Evening in Saratoga at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs. Steven and Susan Bouchey, longtime supporters of Seton...

Hearing examines trooper scandal: As GOP senators lash Spitzer aides, Democrats accuse them of political grandstanding.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Rick Karlin Aug. 10--ALBANY -- Republicans controlling the first Troopergate hearing Thursday criticized the state inspector general's office for failing to finish its investigation of the State Police re-creation of Senate...

MTI narrows losses to $2.48M: Report says methanol fuel cell closer to commercial sales.(Financial report)
August 10, 2007... Byline: Larry Rulison Aug. 10--COLONIE -- Mechanical Technology Inc. reported improved results for the second quarter as it gets closer to commercializing its fuel cell for mobile electronics. The Colonie-based company, which also...

EDITORIAL: Help New York farmers.(Editorial)
August 10, 2007... Aug. 10--Farmers in the Midwest have every reason to view the House agriculture spending bill as a major achievement. But farmers in the Northeast, and in New York particularly, have every reason to hold a different view. They are being...

Hall of Fame's frequent flier totes Bonds items: Idelson itinerary includes San Francisco, Chicago, Colonie and Cooperstown.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Mark McGuire Aug. 10--COLONIE -- Wearing jeans and a baseball cap and sporting a day's beard, Jeff Idelson looked like just another passenger who had caught a San Francisco red-eye through Chicago. Except, of course, for the...

Highs, lows in the middle.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Pete Iorizzo Aug. 10--Thirteen days down. Thirteen days left. Giants camp touches the midpoint today. Through 18 practices and seven two-a-day sessions, the Giants managed to begin answering most of their pertinent questions....

Coughlin's patience fading: Giants, without Strahan, ready to face Panthers.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Pete Iorizzo Aug. 10--ALBANY -- Two weeks after Michael Strahan failed to report to training camp, there remains no word on whether he intends to retire or play for the New York Giants. Coach Tom Coughlin said Thursday...

UAlbany assigns staff.
August 10, 2007... Aug. 10--University at Albany men's basketball coach Will Brown announced the hiring of Jeremy Friel as assistant coach and Kenny Dagostino as director of operations. Friel previously served as the program's director of operations since...

Funny Cide to get a king's farewell: Retirement party to honor Spa's favorite son today.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Tim Wilkin Aug. 10--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Dave Mahan, a co-owner of New York's favorite horse Funny Cide, was walking towards the gelding's barn one Saratoga morning. He had peppermints in his pocket for his pal and couldn't wait...

Spa fit for Evening Attire: "Horse for the course" fares better here than at any other track.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Mark Singelais Aug. 10--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Evening Attire has been tailor-made for Saratoga Race Course. The 9-year-old gray gelding has five wins in 10 career starts at the Spa as he enters today's fifth race, an allowance...

The big picture: Street artists put their in-your-face mark on a mural outside the Spectrum.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Danielle Furfaro Aug. 10--Outside the Spectrum 8 movie theater in Albany, the midday sky is a blazing iridescent blue. But lower your gaze just a bit to the northern wall of the theater, and the sky abruptly transforms into an...

Latin flavor aplenty at Riverfront Park.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Greg Haymes Aug. 10--ALBANY -- Thursday evening's Alive at Five concert was billed as "Latin Rock Night," and indeed, the double-barreled Los Lobos and Los Straitjackets show had a definite Latin spin to it, but it was so much...

Albany Times Union, N.Y. Brian Ettkin column: New York could fuel NASCAR.(Column)
August 10, 2007... Byline: Brian Ettkin Aug. 10--I like experiments in cross-cultural pollination. So I enjoy observing Eliot Spitzer, a can-do dynamo as attorney general, try to lubricate the rusted, intractable gears of state bureaucracy now that...

Official accepts driving penalties.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Jordan Carleo-Evangelist Aug. 10--COLONIE -- Town Board member Ulderic J. Boisvert has admitted in Saratoga County to driving while ability impaired, a noncriminal offense stemming from a June charge of driving while intoxicated...

Accident claims a generous spirit: Albany man devoted to volunteer service killed when SUV drives onto sidewalk in Long Island.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Carol Demare Aug. 10--ALBANY -- Thomas Nathan was remembered Thursday as a giving person who was there to help, whether pitching in at a local soup kitchen or volunteering at the Interfaith Prayer Room at the Albany International...

Trial set in jockey weight scandal: Case of former clerks of scales will open next month in Saratoga County.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Dennis Yusko Aug. 10--BALLSTON SPA -- A slimmed-down "fat jockey" case will go to trial next month, two years after then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer charged that New York Racing Association employees were defrauding the public...

BRIEF: Rotterdam Town clerk a state standout: Rotterdam's Eunice Esposito named Most Outstanding Older Worker.
August 10, 2007... Aug. 10--ROTTERDAM -- Eunice Esposito, Rotterdam's 80-year-old town clerk, was honored Wednesday as the state's Most Outstanding Older Worker. The award, from the Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program, was given in response to an...

Dancer takes plea deal in drug case: NYC Ballet's Martins admits disorderly conduct, avoids jail, denies using drugs.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Dennis Yusko Aug. 10--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Five weeks after city police charged him with felony cocaine possession on Caroline Street, ballet dancer Nilas Martins pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation, in City Court on...

Ballston woman admits to killing: She pleads guilty to second-degree manslaughter in November fatal stabbing.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Leigh Hornbeck Aug. 10--BALLSTON SPA -- A Ballston woman admitted in Saratoga County Court Thursday that she killed her boyfriend in November. Noelle Williams, 27, stabbed Steven Smith, 36, during an argument at her home in...

Albany Times Union, N.Y. Brian Ettkin column.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Brian Ettkin Aug. 9--In 1939, The New York Times thought that the average American wouldn't have time to watch some newfangled gizmo: TV. IBM founder Thomas Watson once predicted that the world market would support only five...