Items tagged with 'colonie'
Eating the buffalo chicken wing cupcake from Coccadotts
Buffalo wings and cupcakes together -- as nature probably never intended.
When we heard this week that local cake shop Coccadotts was making Buffalo chicken wing cupcakes for the Super Bowl, we were intrigued. Because... Buffalo chicken wing cupcakes. It seemed unnatural, possibly wrong -- and perhaps, in some weird way, maybe kind of good.
So we stopped by the bakery today to eat one.
A fisher strikes a pose
Today's wildlife moment: a posing fisher.
During our email exchange earlier this week with scientist Roland Kays, he passed along two recent clips his wildlife cameras had captured in the Colonie. The first, embedded above, is of a fisher striking a pose in front of a camera just off Sand Creek Road (we're guessing this is the general area):
This camera was ... in a slim strip of forest that connects 2 larger wooded areas (aka core areas). Our GPS tracking of fishers suggested that they used this strip as a movement corridor to get between the larger fragments, we are now testing that by setting cameras out.
We've linked to it before, but here's Kays' "Scientist at Work" series at NYT about tracking fishers in Latham.
The second clip, of raccoons "jogging" over a footbridge near the Hilton Garden Inn at ALB, is after the jump.
Trader Joe's confirms Wolf Road location
The site of the soon-to-be Trader Joe's in Colonie.
Trader Joe's has confirmed that it will be opening a store at 79 Wolf Road in Colonie. The company says the store will open during the 2nd quarter of this year. The grocery store will be approximately 13,000 square feet.
Commence whatever ceremony you had planned.
A tip of the hat to the Business Review's Michael DeMasi for first reporting the news today. And to the TU's Chris Churchill for first identifying the site back in November.
The strip mall where the TJ's is being built formerly housed an Office Max. When we stopped by last week to peek through the windows, the interior had been gutted to the dirt. A construction worker told us the space will be filled by a "a Chinese restaurant and a gourmet grocery store."
The Wolf Road Trader Joe's will not be carrying wine, says TJ's spokesperson Alison Mochizuki. This isn't surprising -- in New York State retailers are only allowed one location to sell wine and liquor, and TJ's has one in Manhattan.
As for why the company chose Albany -- and whether the We Want Trader Joe's in the Capital District group influenced the company, Mochizuki says in an email:
There's a lot of foodies in Albany! We consider ourselves the neighborhood grocery store and feel Albany is a wonderful community to be part of.
Although it is very nice to be wanted, wooing doesn't go into our decision making processes of selecting a location.
Full company press release after the jump -- and a bunch of reaction from people on Twitter...
Colonie still among lowest-crime large municipalities in nation -- but not the lowest
Colonie is ranked #7 on this year's list of lowest crime cities in the US as compiled by CQ Press.* The town was #1 in the rankings for 2010 and 2009.
This year's rankings are based on stats from 2010. Colonie's police chief says the number of major crimes dropped slightly this year. [TU]
The city of Albany was ranked 295th on this year's list -- that's up (or, in reference to crime, down) from #317 in the 2010 rankings. And the crime score compiled by CQ for the city dropped from 86.77 to 68.06.
CQ Press also ranks metropolitan areas. The Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro is #77 on this year's rankings -- it was #73 on last year's list. It's still well below the national average.
The Glens Falls metro ranked #8 this year, after topping the rankings last year.
If you're curious about the methodology behind these rankings -- and the strong criticism of them -- here's a little more...
Firsthand accounts of the Latham Gold's Gym struggle and death
A man died during a struggle with Colonie police this morning at the Gold's Gym in Latham, as the Times Union reported.
It sounds like there were a handful of people in the gym at the time, and a few firsthand reports have popped up online -- which describe a crazy scene.
First from Crystal Beauchemin (@Beau511) on Twitter:
Wow: guy who was flipping out& knocking machines over at my gym this AM then tazed by police...died...&I was working out 10ft away
A string of her tweets describing the incident is embedded after the jump.
And then from Courtney Horan, who posted an account on her blog:
Then he ran down the stairs, backwards mind you, and ran through the lower level of the gym, screaming and making a couple loops before going out the door. Somebody tried locking the doors after that, but he stormed back in, continuing on with his rage. Luckily someone managed to dial 911.
Meanwhile, he went behind the front desk and into the office, trashing everything.
He went back out into the gym, knocking over free weights, display walls, and huge weight machines. By this time, the police began arriving, with one of the first responders in being a woman. The enraged man spotted her and began going after her, so right as he went to approach her, she tased him.
She reports it then looked like the man had a heart attack. The Troy Record reports the man got treatment for cardiac arrest, and both the Record and the TU report he was later pronounced dead at Albany Med.
Update: Colonie police say the man was tased multiple times during the struggle -- apparently once when he triggered the taser himself. [TU] [Troy Record]
Hooters is back
Update: It opened June 17. [Fox23]
____
Everyone who pined for Chipotle, and longs for Trader Joe's and Whole Foods and Ikea* -- the gods of chain stores and restaurants are laughing at you. Hooters is coming back to the Capital Region.
We had gotten a tip about this recently, so we emailed the company earlier this week. A spokesman confirmed the rumors -- a new Hooters is set to open at 70 Wolf Road, maybe sometime in June. The site was, most recently, a Fuddruckers. When we drove by today, a crew was working on renovations.
The Capital Region's last Hooters was at Crossgates -- it closed in 2007. [Biz Review]
*Yep, we'd count ourselves among that number.
(Thanks, D)
Update: No sooner do we hit publish and skim our Twitter feed, do we see that Chris is on top of this -- he rightly notes that the new Hooters will be across from the "Hooters of haircutting."
Shopping Target's new fresh-food offerings
It's like Target, only ... more.
It's Supermarket Week on AOA -- a whole week of posts about shopping for food. Because we all have to eat.
Time was, if you were stuck having to pick up something for dinner at Target, that meant grabbing some bread and some mediocre cold cuts, or maybe chicken strips and frozen veggies.
Things have changed a bit over at the Colonie Target.
Changed how?
Changed like green curry with shrimp and sugar snap peas over jasmine rice, plus a green salad with cranberries, balsamic almonds and fresh tangerine slices.
That's what I made for dinner after going to Target earlier this week.
Target's food offerings have expanded. At the end of March, the Targets in Colonie and Wilton opened what they call "PFresh departments," an expanded grocery section with produce, meat and baked goods. Targets in Latham and East Greenbush will get PFresh departments this summer.
I went over to the Northway Mall Target to check it out.
Fajita nachos at Pancho's
A snack that eats like a meal.
It's Forget the Resolution week on AOA: a whole lineup of foods that can send your New Year's resolution to eat better/eat less/exercise more/lose weight to its timely end.
This year I joined the mass of Americans that makes a New Year's resolution to become fit and healthy.
I recently reached a fairly minor milestone, so I figured I deserved a "cheat meal." But I couldn't figure out how to reward myself without going completely overboard.
So I gave my brother, my accomplice in overeating, a call; he reminded me of the mixed fajita nachos at Pancho's Mexican Restaurant in Colonie. The nachos consist of the same ingredients in a fajita platter spread over freshly fried corn tortilla chips and covered with copious amounts of melted white cheese. The portion is plentiful and is easily enough for a hefty snack for two.
That was it. I was going to Pancho's to order my very own plate of mixed fajita nachos.
Colonie again tops list of lowest-crime municipalities
Colonie Town Hall
For the second year in a row, Colonie is ranked at the top of CQ Press' rankings for lowest-crime cities.* Also this year, the Glens Falls metro area ranked first among metro areas for lowest crime ranking.
Albany ranked #300 #317 on the list of lowest-crime cities (it was #300 last year). And the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro ranked #73 on the list of metros.
St. Louis was ranked #1 for highest-crime. The Detroit metro area ranked #1 among metros.
CQ Press says the rankings are based on data from the federal Uniform Crime Reporting program. Here's an explanation of the methodology.
These rankings have critics. The FBI says it "discourages" such rankings and says they "lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents." And the US Conference of Mayors called this year's rankings "a premeditated statistical mugging of America's cities."
* Yes, Colonie is not a city -- it's a town. CQ Press tagged it as such, not us.
(Thanks, Jess)
photo: UpstateNYer / Wikipedia
Bettie comes to Colonie
The cupcake bus and truck for Bettie's Cakes have made appearances all over the Capital Region, but the only place you could be sure to find the bakery's cupcakes anytime was in Saratoga's Downstreet Marketplace.
Until now. Bettie's is opening up a location in the food court at Colonie Center.
First Prize Center photos
That sign.
Sebastien and B's Urban Decay Tour of the Capital Region™ continues with the First Prize Center, that huge complex near Everett Road in Albany/Colonie. As Sebastien wrote on his site, "it's a story of pipes, broken catwalks, vats, giant letters, zombies in barrels, 80's toys & Bugs Bunny." (B thought it might be their white whale.)
Earlier on AOA: Jess looked at the backstory of the First Prize Center last year -- and peopled followed up with some interesting comments.
photo: Sebastien B
Toy car
So, what is the preferred glue for sticking a figurine to one's hood?
While we're on the subject of art cars: we passed this car in the parking lot at Colonie Center this past weekend.
It's a compact Nissan with with figurines stuck to the hood. And the trunk was covered in chalkboard paint, with an accompanying bin of chalk. People had written messages all over the trunk (among them: "Freakin epic car dude!!!").
A few more pics after the jump.
Checking out the new Dnipro location
The new spot on Central Ave. The entrance is in the back of the building.
After Lou saw that Dnipro -- the great little Eastern European market -- had moved from Cohoes to Colonie, he decided to swing by and check it out.
And he was nice enough to send along a report from the new store. (There's bacon involved.)
Inside the Central Avenue Trolley Power Station
The second floor at Knighton's. We kind of want to live here.
A lot of people were interested in yesterday's post about the restored trolley power station on Central Avenue -- and a few folks mentioned wanting a tour.
The owner, John Knighton, gave us a tour of the place when we there and we've posted a few more pictures after the jump.
Powering the Troy-Schenectady Railway
The mystery of 1830 Central Avenue, finally solved.
So, for about as long as we can remember, every time we drive past this building at 1830 Central Ave (near Kohl's) we look up and ask ourselves "What the heck was that?"
The building has looked vacant for the longest time... but it's really kind of cool looking and we guessed it might have been an old theater of some kind. We guessed wrong.
The other day we saw an open sign hanging in the window. So we did a little happy dance and detoured into the parking lot.
Al-Tro Park: the Capital Region getaway in Menands
Al-Tro Park: "Pleasure Island" in Menands.
A century ago, Albanians looking for summertime fun didn't get in the car and drive for hours to a Six Flags or a water-park.
They got on board a trolley car or steamship and headed to Menands to find the finest in 19th-century entertainment.
Hoarded cats becoming ready for adoption
The Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society reports that 13 of the cats rescued from the animal hoarding situation in Colonie last month are now ready for adoption. (That's Slinky, one of the cats, in the photo.) [email press release]
Brad Shear -- MHRHS's executive director -- wrote on his blog today about the resources involved with rescuing 52 cats from one incident:
Every animal needs to be identified and given a clean place to stay with food and water. A photo is taken of each cat and a record is created. Each cat then needs to be examined by our medical director, Dr. Sarah Madaio. You are probably familiar with a normal veterinary exam, just like the one your pet would get at her annual exam. Vets may schedule about 20 minutes for a 'healthy pet visit' - an annual exam in which your pet is coming in for annual vaccines, but may not have any other medical issues. Suffice to say, all of these cats had medical issues. So our veterinarian set up with two assistants to start the exam process that would last for days.
photo via Brad Shear
A tour of the Shaker settlement in Colonie
America's first permanent Shaker settlement was founded in what was once Watervliet, and is now Colonie.
You might be familiar with the well-preserved and historic landmark Hancock Shaker Village in Western Massachusetts (not to mention its cute baby animals), but you might be surprised to find out the first American Shaker settlement was built right here in the Capital Region.
The Watervliet Shaker National Historical District, settled in 1776, is a stone's throw from Albany International Airport (it's right across Albany Shaker Road). Some of the site's buildings and the museum are open for self-guided tours, but lucky for me the Historic Albany Foundation and Shaker Heritage Society let me tag along on a recent and seldom-conducted guided tour.
Way too many cats in one house
The Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society reports that 52 cats were recently taken from a woman's home in Colonie. It says there are indications she may have been been keeping as many as 66 cats at the house. The society says the woman has turned herself in to Colonie police and is facing animal cruelty charges.
The org describes the situation as a case of "animal hoarding."
It says none of the cats are currently healthy enough to be adopted.
[email press release not online]
The last chance post office for tax filers
If you're dropping off your return near the deadline, make sure you hand it to a USPS to get it postmarked.
Update for 2011: This is still the post office of last resort, but it's only open until 10 pm.
____
The post office at 30 Karner Road in Colonie is the post office of last resort for procrastinating tax filers. The branch, which is connected to the mail processing facility there, will be open until 11:59 Thursday night.
Bonus spot: the Colonie Center post office will be open until 8 pm -- which, as it happens, is its normal closing time.
Cuomo hands off Paterson investigation, movie theater planned for Troy, Porco conviction upheld, bizarre chase ends in tasering
Andrew Cuomo has handed off the investigation of the Paterson administration to former chief judge Judith Kaye. Cuomo said a "preliminary review" of the situation concluded "there are credible issues to be resolved." He said he was turning the investigation over to Kaye because of an "abundance of caution, or a zeal to ensure that the public has total confidence in the investigation." (The sharp drop in Cuomo's approval rating in a recent poll might also have had something to do with that.) Kaye has never worked as a prosecutor. She won't be paid to head up the investigation. [NYT] [TU] [Daily Politics] [NY Mag] [NYT] [Daily Politics]
The Paterson administration announced that the tentative agreement with AEG to run a racino at Aqueduct is now off the table. The deal would have paid the state $300 million and revenue from the racino would have helped fund NYRA -- including improvements at Saratoga. That has some now saying that this year's season at The Track could be in jeopardy. [NYT] [TU] [Saratogian] [Saratogian]
Testimony in the Steven Raucci trial yesterday focused an explosive device that attached to the door of a Rotterdam home in 2001. Prosecutors allege that Raucci planted the device in attempt to retaliate over a union matter -- but they say he put it on the wrong house. [Daily Gazette $] [TU]
The Saratoga County sheriff's deputy accused of forcing four women to perform sex acts on him while he was on duty took a plea bargain yesterday. The deal includes six months in jail and a resignation from the sheriff's department. He won't have to register as a sex offender. [Daily Gazette $] [CBS6] [WNYT] [Saratogian]
A $160 million development proposed for the Congress-Ferry corridor in Troy includes a movie theater. The city's planning board also gave the official OK to the new Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which is now expected to open in August. [TU Places and Spaces] [Troy Record] [Fox23] [CapNews9]
Paterson say continues to say he's staying, state stepping up tax audits, another Republican into NY 20 pool, pay by mobile in Saratoga, Dickens letters found
David Paterson told a Brooklyn congregation on Sunday that he will "keep governing till the end of the year." He also said that finishing the term would "fulfill the mission in which God placed me." [NYDN] [NYT]
It's not clear which agency will end up investigating the allegations that Paterson perjured himself during questioning about the Yankees tickets. [TU]
If Paterson were to leave office, lieutenant governor Richard Ravitch appears to be widely respected at the Capitol for his competence, experience -- and bluntness. Of course, that would mean another lt gov appointment, which could be tricky. [TU] [TU]
During opening statements in the Steven Raucci trial, prosecutor Robert Carney alleged that Raucci planned his alleged attacks for night so as to maximize their impact. Carney also alleged the Raucci's actions stole his alleged victim's "peace of mind, their comfort, their security." It also came out on Friday that a key undercover witness for the prosecution is a former cop whom Raucci's attorney called a "crook.". [TU] [Daily Gazette $] [Daily Gazette $]
Fred Lebrun says he thinks the state legislature will find a way to keep the state parks open. [TU]
The state has stepped up the number of audits in an effort to find more tax cheaters. [Daily Gazette $]
The state Board of Regents is reportedly considering cutting some Regents exams in order to save money. [TU]
One man died and a car hit a house as part of a two-car crash in Colonie Saturday. The driver who survived has been charged with Driving With Ability Impaired (drugs). Residents who live near the crash site say the residential intersection is notoriously dangerous because drivers often go through the stop sign there. (map). [CapNews9] [Troy Record] [CBS6] [TU] [Fox23]
Cuomo to investigate Paterson, Bruno sentencing pushed back, guily plea for mom accused of using daughter in burglaries, big snowfall totals in spots
Andrew Cuomo has reportedly agreed to David Paterson's request that the AG investigate Paterson aide David Johnson, the actions of the state police and the governor himself. Paterson announced last night that he had suspended Johnson after the New York Times posted an article in which it reported that a woman had sought an order of protection against Johnson -- and both the State Police and Paterson intervened in some way. [NY Post] [Paterson press release] [NYT]
Joe Bruno's attorney have reached an agreement with the feds on how much money the former state senator will have to forfeit as part of his sentencing. The figure hasn't been released, but it will probably be some portion of the $240k he was accused of receiving fraudulently. Bruno's sentencing has also been pushed to May 6. [TU] [Daily Gazette $] [Troy Record]
The state Senate passed the Family Health Care Decisions Act yesterday. The bill allows a surrogate to make decision on behalf of patient whom doctors have determined lacks decision-making capacity. The bill has already passed the Assembly -- and David Paterson reportedly will sign it. [NY Senate] [TU]
Albany County DA David Soares told the TU's editorial board yesterday that the Albany Police Department is "doing greater work in that department without the former chief there." At a community forum last night, residents suggested interview questions for the eight police chief candidates. [TU] [CapNews9]
Snow emergencies taking effect, brake on paid parking in Saratoga, medical marijuana comes up in legislature, rabid raccoons in Rensselaer County
Around 4:30 pm on Tuesday.
We got more than six inches of snow yesterday, according to the National Weather Service (obviously, there's been more since midnight). More snow is forecasted for today. Many cities and towns have declared snow emergencies (including Albany and Saratoga Springs). National Grid was reporting on its web site this morning that about 15,000 customers were without power in the Capital Region. [NWS] [CapNews9] [National Grid]
Rochester's police chief, who was a finalist to head up the Albany police department, has pulled his name from consideration -- somewhat to the annoyance of the search committee. [TU] [CapNews9]
A SUNY committee has voted to recommend closing the New Covenant charter school in Albany. The final vote on the matter is next month. [TU] [Fox23]
The advisory panel for paid parking in downtown Saratoga Springs voted to reject all four of the plans submitted by contractors. One panel member called all the plans "totally flawed." The proposed 2010 budget for the city includes $1.35 million in revenue from parking. [Daily Gazette $] [Saratogian] [Post-Star]
Troy's city council voted 4-4 on the sale of the Uncle Sam parking garage -- which pretty much kills the deal. The developer who wanted to buy the garage now says he might pull out of the city. [TU] [Troy Record]
Weekend of shootings, Victoria Pool on secondary closure list, college student killed on Thruway
Schenectady police say a man was shot five times and killed on Maple Ave in the Vale neighborhood early Saturday morning (map). It's Schenectady's first homicide of the year. The SPD says two officers were injured by a ricocheting bullet as the SWAT team executed a search warrant on the same street Sunday night -- one of the officers was reportedly saved by his bulletproof vest. Police aren't saying whether the warrant is connected to the earlier shooting. The SPD says eight people were detained. [Fox23] [CapNews9] [Daily Gazette $] [CBS6] [CapNews9] [TU]
Albany police say a man was shot four times while walking between apartment buildings near Tivoli Park in Albany Friday night (map). And a teen was shot in the leg Thursday night in south Albany (map). There were a total of five shootings last week in Albany. [WNYT] [TU] [WTEN]
The Victoria Pool, Grafton Lakes and Peebles Island are on a secondary list of state parks and facilities slated for closure, depending on whether the legislature allows the state parks office to use capital funds for operational costs. The planned closure of Thacher Park -- which was officially announced on Friday -- is expected to save $255,000. If the budget plan is approved (a big "if"), parks on the first list would start to close April 1. [Daily Gazette $] [TU] [AOA] [TU] [Troy Record]
David Paterson officially announced his gubernatorial candidacy Saturday on Long Island. In his speech, he tried to position himself as the anti-establishment candidate and said, "I've done more in my two years as governor that most governors have done in two terms." Perhaps a bad sign for the governor: getting more than 100 people to show up at a campaign stop is described as "beating expectations." [NYT] [Daily Politics] [NYO] [NYDN]
... said Jenna about The quintessential Capital Region food?