Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) articles from July 2011

Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) archives from July 2011

Times Union, Albany, N.Y., Kristi Gustafson column.(Column)
July 31, 2011... Byline: Kristi Gustafson July 31--Eight inches, eight hundred-plus miles and nearly two decades. Those are the statistics that separate me and Kristi Lynn Gustafson -- a Michigan teenager with whom I shared a name till two weeks ago when...

Times Union, Albany, N.Y., Steve Barnes column.(Column)
July 31, 2011... Byline: Steve Barnes July 31--Brendan and Glenda Horn's restaurant, Horn's Tavern in Brunswick, lasted less than 15 months. Its closure last weekend was forced by slow business due to a countryside setting that felt remote even though it was...

Times Union, Albany, N.Y., Mark McGuire column.(Column)
July 31, 2011... Byline: Mark McGuire July 31--ALBANY -- The University at Albany needs a new football stadium and running track. That's not up for debate, despite all the yards of words dedicated to the topic in this newspaper and its blogs and elsewhere. ...

Saratoga riding title named for Cordero.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Mark Singelais July 31--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Angel Cordero Jr. practically owned the Saratoga riding title during his Hall of Fame career. Once called "The King of Saratoga," Cordero will have his name on the Spa championship. ...

BRIEF: Dutchmen can't slow Mohawks.
July 31, 2011... July 31--The Amsterdam Mohawks belted a pair of home runs within the first three innings and went on to rout the Albany Dutchmen 14-4 Saturday at Bob Bellizzi Field in Albany. Amsterdam jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second...

Quail St. gym a launching pad.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Pete Iorizzo July 31--Albany When two boxers outfitted with gloves and headgear step into the ring at the Quail Street boxing gym, the thuds from the heavy bags and pop of the speed bags fade to a hush. In one corner Mike...

Mellet just misses.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Pete Dougherty July 31--Frank Mellet began Saturday at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, preparing to play the third round of the U.S. Senior Open. By nightfall he was home in Slingerlands. Mellet, director of golf at Colonie...

Forging air links to Albany.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Eric Anderson July 31--COLONIE -- If you're flying into Kennedy International Airport from overseas, you don't want to miss the connection to Albany. That's because there's just one plane a day. "The connections aren't all that...

Italian style in its glory.
July 31, 2011... July 31--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The celebrity chef and cookbook author Marcus Samuelsson and award-winning fashion designer Adrienne Vittadini will be the honorary chairs for the annual Saratoga Wine & Food and Fall Ferrari Festival, based at...

BRIEF: Model green homes give taxpayers the blues.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Lauren Stanforth July 31--For three years, Schenectady has patted itself on the back for using federal money to build energy-efficient "green homes" for low- and moderate-income families. The residents rave about their lower...

Revenue streams differ.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Jimmy Vielkind July 31--Gov. Cuomo says small governments cost taxpayers money and should be consolidated. But what is the price of government in tiny Green Island? Does its unique status as both a town and village, with a very small...

Too small to make sense?
July 31, 2011... Byline: Cathy Woodruff July 31--Green Island is a tiny place in the Capital Region, which would appear ripe for consolidation. But that's not the case as a rare combination of teamwork, plus legacy institutions like a hydro plant, keep...

Vote fracas off to court.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Carol DeMare July 31--ALBANY -- Democratic County Legislator Wanda Willingham is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning to respond to allegations by her opponent that her designating petitions are fraudulent and should be...

Telling a tale 'that needs to be heard'.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Leigh Hornbeck July 31--GREENFIELD -- As a child, Joseph Bruchac sought out stories from his American Indian heritage. His ancestry is also Slovak and English, but it was the Abenaki blood he followed. When he was a student at...

As summer peaks, Ramadan begins.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Azra Haqqie July 31--CLIFTON PARK -- Back in the mid-1990s, the month of Ramadan coincided with the short, dark days of December. This year, 1432 on the Islamic lunar calendar, the monthlong sunrise-to-sunset fast observed during...

Times Union, Albany, N.Y., the Advocate column.(Column)
July 31, 2011... Byline: Cathy Woodruff July 31--A couple of years ago, Chuck Thorne was contemplating how little he enjoys answering a knock at his door, only to be confronted by a sales pitch. As Schenectady's deputy city clerk, Thorne knows more than...

BRIEF: Saratoga racetrack fan dies at 105.(Obituary)
July 31, 2011... Byline: Dayelin Roman July 31--ALBANY -- A woman who turned 105 on the Fourth of July and had a race at Saratoga Race Course named after her has died. Rose Vener died Saturday morning at her modest, one-story home off Buckingham Lake where...

BRIEF: Hadley woman accused of assaulting trooper.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Dayelin Roman July 31--HADLEY -- A woman was arrested on Friday after she swerved into a trooper's lane, fled from his chase, resisted arrest and assaulted the trooper, State Police said Saturday. Laurie A. Fletcher, 36, swerved...

BRIEF: Motorcyclist killed on I-787 ramp.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Dayelin Roman July 31--ALBANY -- A 24-year-old Watervliet man died after a motorcycle crash on a I-787 southbound ramp on Saturday afternoon, State Police said. Police have not released the man's name pending notification of next...

Road job dumps gunk into lake.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Robert Gavin July 31--GREENFIELD -- When a young swimmer emerged from Lake Desolation in Saratoga County somewhat caked in oil residue earlier this week, it was a clue something was off in the summer water. State officials say the...

Saratoga attacks bring alert.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Dayelin Roman July 31--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- City police are urging women to be cautious while looking for the man they say sexually assaulted two women last week. Both incidents happened late at night in a residential area on the...

Stay Thirsty a real Dandy.
July 31, 2011... Byline: Mark Singelais July 31--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Owner Mike Repole took a few sips from a bottled water as he waited for Stay Thirsty to return to the winner's circle after Saturday's Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course. Repole, the...

Times Union, Albany, N.Y., Mark McGuire column.(Column)
July 30, 2011... Byline: Mark McGuire July 30--ALBANY -- The first day of New York Giants training camp Friday was dedicated to conditioning. A single athlete sprinted the University at Albany track. With the NFL lockout just recently concluded, things are...

Mellet awaits Open results.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Pete Dougherty July 30--As Frank Mellet spoke on the phone early Friday evening from Toledo, Ohio, the "projected cut" for the U.S. Senior Open fluctuated five times, between 2 and 3 over par. Mellet may have been flip-flopping in...

Ice Box tries something new.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Tim Wilkin July 30--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- When he looked at the return of Ice Box on paper, trainer Nick Zito saw a few things, and they weren't good. After looking at the past performances of the six-horse field in Friday's third race,...

Noise from chip fab riles neighbors.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Larry Rulison July 30--MALTA -- Residents who live near the GlobalFoundries factory at Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta say that a high-pitched noise has been emanating from the soon-to-be-completed computer chip "fab" for the...

Cornell's gets a cash appetizer.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Larry Rulison July 30--SCHENECTADY -- Cornell's, the landmark Italian restaurant in downtown Schenectady that has fallen on hard times lately, will get an infusion of capital under its new ownership. Cornell's has been mired in...

Mahan well ahead in cash.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Tim O'Brien July 30--COLONIE -- It's early in the race for town supervisor, but incumbent Democrat Paula Mahan is off to a significant head start in fundraising. Mahan has $27,895 on hand, while Republican challenger Denise...

Retired jockey now a track ambassador.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Dennis Yusko July 30--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The fight is over. After 30 years of guiding race horses at furious speeds, bunched beside the world's best, a second broken neck forced Richard Migliore to hang up his jockey silks last...

Warsaw ghetto survivor dies, never forgot need for better world.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Paul Grondahl July 30--ALBANY -- Nobody in these parts will ever sing again the Warsaw Ghetto Partisan Song the way that the late Ruth Jeziernicka Lewanda did, defiantly, heartfelt and in Yiddish. Each spring on Yom Hashoah,...

Mom's lament all too typical.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Scott Waldman July 30--ALBANY -- Jamar Farmer would put her son on probation if she could. The 16-year-old has skipped dozens of days of school, and though she tries to stay on top of his every move she feels powerless to get him...

BRIEF: Cops: Teens arrested after prank kidnapping.
July 30, 2011... July 30--EAST GREENBUSH -- Three East Greenbush teens have been charged with falsely reporting an incident, a misdemeanor, after police say their actions prompted a search for a possible kidnap victim. Police said they responded to the...

BRIEF: Crash closes I-787 ramp, detours started.
July 30, 2011... July 30--ALBANY -- The I-787 southbound ramp to I-90 westbound has been closed due to a crash at 1:30 p.m., according to a state Department of Transportation advisory. As a result of the crash investigation --details of which are unknown as...

Owl-topped urban totem pole wins temporary reprieve in Albany.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Jordan Carleo-Evangelist July 30--ALBANY -- The Jefferson Street totem pole has won at least a temporary reprieve. Councilman Richard Conti said the 10-foot totem pole slapped with a code violation last week has had its removal...

Albany fumes over Colonie landfill deal.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Jordan Carleo-Evangelist and Tim O'Brien July 30--ALBANY -- Mayor Jerry Jennings on Friday questioned the town of Colonie's controversial decision to hand over control of its landfill to a private company, saying the move compromised...

BRIEF: Ex-counselor will get Level 2 status.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Bob Gardinier July 30--ALBANY -- A former Rensselaer County psychologist who had sex with one of her students will be classified as a Level 2 sex offender when she is released from prison next month. Jennifer Hastings, 36, of Sand...

Gosling-mania surfaces in Scotia shoot.
July 30, 2011... Byline: Paul Nelson July 30--SCOTIA -- A stretch of usually busy Mohawk Avenue downtown seemed to be in a holding pattern Friday as scenes for a movie starring actor Ryan Gosling were shot under the watchful eyes of camera crews and crowds of...

Times Union, Albany, N.Y., Pete Dougherty column.(Column)
July 29, 2011... Byline: Pete Dougherty July 29--BRISTOL, Conn. -- Imagine Tom Coughlin and his coaching staff inviting three New York Giants beat writers into a meeting room and asking them to evaluate the team's performance, everything from play-calling to...

Uncle Mo works again.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Tim Wilkin July 29--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Uncle Mo remains on target to run during the Saratoga meet. Last year's 2-year-old champion, who hasn't run since his first career loss in April, worked four furlongs in 50.49 seconds on the...

Mellet has his moments at Open.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Pete Dougherty July 29--It was Frank Mellet's goal, in his first U.S. Golf Association national tournament, to play well enough to make the cut. Through nine holes of the U.S. Senior Open on Thursday in Toledo, Ohio, he was well ahead...

A quieter camping experience possible.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Gillian V. Scott July 29--The water lapped quietly at the lakeshore just feet from our tent. A family of ducks floated by, keeping a wary eye on the dogs lounging around our campsite. With just one other tent within view, we had a...

Scotus appealed to owner, trainer.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Mark Singelais July 29--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Scotus sold for $25,000 two years ago, which would seem a bargain for a horse that is about to take his chances in the $500,000 Grade II Jim Dandy on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. ...

A forever place in the heart.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Chris Churchill July 29--Troy The densely packed neighborhood of Herb Hyde's youth exists only in memories. The businesses he remembers have all closed. The families he knew left for the 'burbs decades ago. Even most of the...

Cuomo introduces economic A team.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Larry Rulison July 29--SCHENECTADY -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced his economic development council for the Capital Region on Thursday at Schenectady County Community College. The group -- one of 10 regional councils established...

BRIEF: East Greenbush police get report of possible kidnapping.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Bob Gardinier July 29--EAST GREENBUSH -- Town police put out a bulletin late Thursday for a car that was reported to have a possible kidnap victim bound in the backseat. Police received a call around 9 p.m. from employees at a...

Maplewood gets new lease on life.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Tim O'Brien July 29--COLONIE -- The former Maplewood Elementary School will gain new life this fall as a home to prekindergarten, kindergarten and developmentally disabled students. The North Colonie school district closed the...

Times Union, Albany, N.Y., Inside Politics column.(Column)
July 29, 2011... Byline: Jordan Carleo-Evangelist July 29--Not only did county Republicans not work especially had to get county executive candidate Nathan Lebron on November's ballot -- now one has succeeded in bouncing him off it. The Albany County...

A pizza to go, please, but hold the bandage.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Paul Grondahl July 29--BALLSTON LAKE -- Ken Wieczerza usually loves a slice of leftover pizza from the refrigerator. But when he bit into this particular piece of cold Pizza Hut pie, he recoiled when his teeth encountered an...

6-year prison term for OGK member.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Robert Gavin July 29--ALBANY -- A triggerman for the notorious Original Gangsta Killas street gang has been sent to federal prison for more than six years. DyJuan "Dy" Tatro, 25, already serving time for shooting two rival gang...

Local woman's passion is in Africa.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Paul Grondahl July 29--ALBANY -- Three years ago, Lovonia Mallory saw a TV documentary about the thousands of children who die across Africa because they don't have access to clean water. First, it broke her heart. Then, it...

Tiny post office up for closure in cuts.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Kenneth C. Crowe II July 29--HOOSICK -- P.O. Box 11 at the North Hoosick Post Box has been used by Bill Green's family for three generations. "We've had our post office box for years and years," said Green, 70, who saw his parents and...

Gibson backs party in crisis.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Leigh Hornbeck July 29--U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, said Thursday he will vote for the House plan to raise the debt ceiling immediately and in the long run even though the plan is "far from perfect" and "not what he...

Aging Albany hotel faces gray future.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Jordan Carleo-Evangelist July 29--ALBANY -- The Crowne Plaza hotel, a downtown anchor for three decades, is in danger of losing its franchise unless it receives at least $10 million in upgrades, according to the Dallas private equity...

Hackett report sees deep flaws.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Scott Waldman July 29--ALBANY -- The state Education Department has issued a scathing report on the Hackett Middle School that found low academic expectations for students and suggests a significant change in staff is necessary to...

Colonie approves landfill deal.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Tim O'Brien July 29--COLONIE -- The Town Board voted 6-1 Thursday to privatize the operation of its landfill after three hours of debate and discussion. By year's end, the town will hand over control of operations to Waste...

No rescue from 2003 contract for lifeguards at New York state sites.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Rick Karlin July 29--ALBANY -- Along with college professors, social workers, laborers, engineers, clerks and nurses, New York has nearly 1,000 unionized lifeguards on the state payroll. Stationed during the summer at beaches from...

Nine years with NXIVM.
July 29, 2011... Byline: James M. Odato July 29--ALBANY -- In 2000, when she joined the secretive Colonie-based training group called NXIVM, Barbara J. Bouchey headed a mature financial planning company managing $90 million in client funds. She was...

BRIEF: South Mall route opens.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Tim O'Brien July 29--Albany's South Mall Expressway reopens at 6 a.m. Friday To see more of the Times Union, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesunion.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Times Union, Albany, N.Y. ...

2 witnesses called key to acquittal.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Kenneth C. Crowe II July 29--TROY -- Tyrone Chaires, a nephew of Schenectady Police Chief Mark Chaires, was acquitted Thursday of shooting Jimmy 'Pops' Chapman to death on a South Troy street corner in October of 2009. A...

Teen aqcuitted in killing of two men.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Paul Nelson July 29--SCHENECTADY -- The mother of shooting victim Alphanzo Pittman sobbed and had to be helped out of court by family and friends on Thursday after a jury acquitted the accused shooter of murder. There was little...

Man admits hiding conviction.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Robert Gavin July 29--ALBANY -- When William Lofink Jr. applied to be an Albany County sheriff's clerk, his job application hid his 1992 conviction for having sexual contact with a 12-year-old boy on a Navy base. Now for the next...

BRIEF: Photos: 65 new U.S. citizens.
July 29, 2011... July 29--TROY -- During a naturalization ceremony on Friday at the Rensselaer County Courthouse, 65 people became citizens of the United States. To see more of the Times Union, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to...

BRIEF: Photos: Movie shooting at Scotia bank.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Paul Nelson July 29--SCOTIA -- Filming resumed Friday morning for "The Place Beyond the Pines" at the First National Bank branch on Mohawk Avenue. The sidewalk outside the branch at 201 Mohawk Ave. is closed to pedestrians but...

BRIEF: Troy man admits child porn charges.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Bob Gardinier July 29--ALBANY -- A 30-year-old Troy man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of possessing child pornography and faces at least five years in prison when he is sentenced in December. Logan Klotz entered a plea...

BRIEF: Two Albany men charged with robbery.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Dennis Yusko July 29--ALBANY -- Two Albany teens were arrested in connection with the robbery of a man Monday on Fourth Avenue, police said. Jason Lasand, 19, and Sheiquan Parker, 18, allegedly assaulted and stole $100 from a man...

BRIEF: Four escape Valley Falls blaze.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Kenneth C. Crowe II July 29--VALLEY FALLS -- A single family home was heavily damaged in a fire Friday morning, the Renssealer County Sheriff's Office reported. Two adults and two children escaped the blaze at 17 State St. without...

Jennings rips Colonie over landfill deal.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Jordan Carleo-Evangelist July 29--ALBANY -- Mayor Jerry Jennings on Friday questioned the town of Colonie's controversial decision Thursday to hand over control of its landfill to a private company, saying the move compromised the...

BRIEF: Former psychologist on sex offender registry.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Bob Gardinier July 29--ALBANY -- A former Rensselaer County psychologist who had sex with one of her students will be classified as a level 2 sex offender when she is released from prison next month. Jennifer Hastings, 36, of Sand...

BRIEF: Cops: Kidnapping was hoax.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Bob Gardinier July 29--EAST GREENBUSH -- A possible kidnapping of a woman spotted bound and gagged in the back seat of a car at a fast-food drive-thru was a hoax, town police said Friday. Further details were not yet available. ...

Mohonk Mountain House owners sell land to Open Space Institute to protect priceless view.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Brian Nearing July 29--NEW PALTZ -- The owners of the famous Mohonk Mountain House are selling a large piece of their property on the scenic Shawangunk Ridge to a land conservation group. In a deal that took years, the...

More ganders at Gosling.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Dayelin Roman July 29--GLENVILLE -- A pickup truck carrying a film crew and a camera on its bed pulled into a field off Route 5; a man on a motorcycle followed behind. When the man took off his helmet, his bleached-blond hair gave...

BRIEF: Dutchmen stop Pilots.
July 29, 2011... July 29--Justin Brantley of Siena struck out 13, allowing one earned run over eight innings, Thursday night to lead the Albany Dutchmen to a 5-1 victory over the Newark Pilots in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. Jevonte Osterhout...

Albany's totem pole can stay, for now.
July 29, 2011... Byline: Jordan Carleo-Evangelist July 29--ALBANY -- The Jefferson Street totem pole has won at least a temporary reprieve. Councilman Richard Conti said the 10-foot totem pole slapped with a code violation last week has had its removal...

Hamblin wants to play at home.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Jess Koehler July 28--TROY -- Over the past four years, Miles Hamblin's baseball career has taken him from Texas to Mississippi to New York. The Tri-City ValleyCats catcher hopes to one day find himself back in his native Texas --...

Romans keeping Travers in sights.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Tim Wilkin July 28--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Picking the $1 million Grade I Haskell Invitational over the $500,000 Jim Dandy was a no-brainer for trainer Dale Romans. "It makes a lot of sense," Romans said Wednesday on the Saratoga...

Busy days ahead for Asmussen.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Tim Wilkin July 28--SARATOGA SPRINGS -- It took a little while, but trainer Steve Asmussen has sorted it all out. Astrology, one of his 3-year-old colts, will take a road trip to New Jersey to run in the $1 million, Grade I Haskell...

Lockout left agents lots to do.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Pete Dougherty July 28--Thankfully we live in an age where long-distance service is part of most cell packages, or the phone companies could make a killing. Since the NFL lockout ended Monday, team representatives and player...

BRIEF: Dutchmen can't hold on.
July 28, 2011... July 28--Justin Lamborn cracked a two-run home run in the eighth inning Wednesday to give the Elmira Pioneers a 9-8 victory over the Albany Dutchmen in a see-saw game at Albany. Ryan Welke staked the Dutchmen (16-23) to a 6-2 lead with a...

Ticket prices stay lofty at Albany airport.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Eric Anderson July 28--COLONIE -- The average airfare at Albany International Airport topped $400 in the first quarter, up 11 percent from a year ago and 27.5 percent since 2001, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. ...

A tax to charge solar center.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Larry Rulison July 28--ALBANY -- The University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering is hoping to land $25 million from the state to bolster its new federally funded solar manufacturing center. The NanoCollege...

Fort Salem Theater's 'Senior Moments' knows its audience.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Tom Keyser July 28--While many struggling enterprises, from opera to newspapers to horse racing, try desperately to figure out how to attract a younger audience, Jay Kerr takes the contrary view. "We took a look at our audience,...

Jazz Institute at Proctors concludes with a big concert.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Tom Keyser July 28--Where else in the Capital Region can you see 40 musicians play Mingus and Basie with a solo or two thrown in by a six-time Jazz Journalists Association trombonist of the year? We know of only one place, and...

Tea for you.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Jennifer Gish July 28--Some summer math: An Adirondack chair plus a glass of iced tea equals just the right way to relax. But to get the equation right, you need to find a good iced tea. As the owner of a tea shop, Kevin...

BRIEF: Troy man charged with robbery of dollar store.
July 28, 2011... Byline: Paul Nelson July 28--STILLWATER-- A truck driver for Yankee One Dollar store has been charged with felony burglary for allegedly stealing $300 in cash from his employer last month, authorities said. The Saratoga County Sheriff's...