Saratoga Springs News

Jim Hamblet hangs a gas incentive banner on a car at Fogg's Automotive in Glenville Thursday afternoon.

Call him Pastor Willie now, but he's the same street minister fighting drugs, guns and violence, a mission he plans to bump up with his new title.

Brooklyn Beat actually left the borough for a brief sojourn upstate. Here's an excerpt from his report on Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn.

Da' Tara, upset winner of the Belmont Stakes, and stablemate Anak Nakal, who dead-heated for third behind him, returned to training last Saturday morning in Saratoga Springs, with both horses breezing a ...

Thousands packed the city's downtown and surrounding neighborhoods Friday to celebrate Independence Day.

The Saratoga Harness Track was the host of one of the most exciting fireworks shows I have seen in years. During every fireworks show everyone enjoys the "big payloads", but it just builds the anticipation for the "Grand Finale". At this show there was no way to tell when the official Finale was. We believed the finale happened 4 times, but it kept starting again! I would say nearly half of the entire show was comparable to a "Grand Finale". Excellent! Kudos to Saratoga Gaming & Raceway.

It's a piece of Saratoga Springs history, and it could be yours for the taking. That is, if you can pony up the cash.

On any list of the 100 most beautiful, luxurious, technologically advanced cars in history, you will undoubtedly see a few Cadillacs.

Next week, we'll be in Saratoga Springs for NightCam. We're heading to Gaffney's and Max London's, but will also be doing a print story on late night eats in the Spa City.

Middleweight contender Raymond Joval is scheduled to face prospect and champion's son James "Buddy" McGirt Jr.

The county Public Health Department is getting 10 to 15 confirmed reports of Lyme disease every day, and the county appears to be headed for a record year for the disease.

That indicates deer ticks carrying the Lyme bacteria are living in the county’s grasslands and woods, although state officials don’t yet consider the disease endemic to the county.

The former Getty station at the five-way junction of South Broadway, Circular Street and Route 50 attracts skateboarders, some of whom attempt dangerous stunts.
Although officials and residents long have complained about the site, which has been empty for more than a decade, officials took action after someone shot photos of teen skateboarders dangling from the top of a steel canopy that used to shelter people pumping gasoline.

Assembly Roy McDonald formally launched his campaign to succeed State Senator Joseph L. Bruno, addressing crowds of supporters in Troy and Saratoga Springs.

A local resident may be the largest patient to ever undergo a robotic gastric bypass surgery said his doctor.

Benjamin Moore, 27, had the minimally invasive surgery done on April 30 when he weighed 650 pounds. Robotic gastric bypass is similar to laparoscopic surgery where specialized instruments with cameras attached are inserted through small incisions in the abdomen.

Moore, who started the program weighing 741 pounds, was required to lose a percentage of his body through diet and exercise before getting the surgery.

Shortly after Joseph Bruno made his announcement that he would be vacating the seat he has held in the state Senate, a political game of musical chairs quickly ensued, spread over two counties.

The Republican Senate majority leader from Brunswick has held a Senate position for more than 30 years.

The latest potential candidate to throw his hat into the ring is Democrat Michael Russo. On Monday, the district director for Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Greenport, announced in a prepared statement that he will seek the open seat in the 43rd Senate District in November.

"I am grateful for the outpouring of encouragement to run for the Senate seat, which will be vacant due to Sen. Bruno's retirement," said Russo, a longtime labor leader, in a press release.

"After much consideration, I have decided that this is a unique opportunity to bring the same level of open, honest and transparent government that we have worked to achieve (with Gillibrand) on the federal level to state government," he said.

Potential candidates vying for the seat have until July 10 to get 1,000 signatures from registered voters of their respective parties to be eligible for candidacy.

Saratoga Springs County Supervisor Joanne Yepsen said she is "exploring" the possibility of running for the seat and is focused on getting the needed signatures and funding to enter the race.

A proposal to increase state income taxes on millionaires in order to raise money for local property tax relief merits "a serious look," Democratic Assembly candidate Ian McGaughey said Monday.

"It makes sense to me," said McGaughey, who is seeking the 112th Assembly District seat now held by Roy McDonald, R-Saratoga.

McDonald is not seeking re-election in the fall because he is running for the state Senate seat being vacated by Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, who is retiring.

McGaughey said the most wealthy individuals in New York pay 6.5 percent of their income in state and local taxes, while those at the lower end of the scale pay 12.6 percent.

"To me, that's tax inequity," said McGaughey, who plans to run on the Democratic, Independence and Working Families party lines.

Enter the Thoroughbred Racing Fans Association.

The newly minted nonprofit will arrive at the Saratoga Race Course for the first time this summer, providing what organizers say is the sport's first fan club.

Organizers say the association could help galvanize longtime fans and bridge the gap between those unaffiliated with the equine world and those who can plop down $2 at the betting window as if they're ordering a Big Mac at McDonald's.

"How long is a furlong? What does it mean when a horse gets to the eight pole? Who tells you that stuff?" said Mike Kane, spokesman for the National Museum of Racing. "There's a learning curve that has to take place in racing that baseball, football and basketball pretty much don't have to worry about."

Kane said the group would supplement, but not overlap, the efforts of the museum, which focuses primarily on the sport's history.

The Saratoga Springs Housing Authority has reached a long-awaited milestone -- its first purchase of property designated for affordable housing.

"We're finally out of the box," Ed Spychalski, the housing authority's executive director, said. "For years, we've talked about the need for affordable housing, and now we're doing it."

Using a combination of government funds and around $200,000 in charitable contributions, the group was able to make a down payment on the $2.3 million purchase of 28 two-bedroom apartments on Allen Drive earlier this month.

The seven-building complex sits on 5 acres at 35-42 Allen Drive, off Route 9N, and the site includes room for expansion, officials said.

The apartments will be rented for around $700 a month.

Since she was a toddler, Samantha "Sammie" Sagnelli wanted to play softball.

Sammie is playing the sport she loves: At tryouts over the winter, she was rated the top pitcher in the Miss Shen 10-and-under program and was selected for the elite A team. But pursuing her favorite sport is vastly harder now: She has Burkitt's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer that was discovered in March.

To combat the disease, she has been going to Albany Medical Center for chemotherapy, which "wipes her out," her mother said.

No question about it, Return to Forever was the main attraction at the 31st annual Freihofer's Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Saturday.

RTF was one the pioneers of fusion jazz back in the '70s, and the quartet's reunion at SPAC for their only U.S. festival performance was the big draw of day one at the fest. Keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White and guitarist Al Di Meola were back together again after a hiatus of 25 years, and once again they made a mighty sound, lightning-like licks from Di Meola, awash in the mighty cascading arpeggios of Corea and the muscular funk rock foundation of Clarke and White.