Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) back issues from March 2008:
Albany loses great historians with passing of Virginia Bowers, Bob Dillon.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2008 ... For those who study and love the history of the great city of Albany, January was a particularly difficult month. As the new year dawned, we lost two of our city's most knowledgeable historians: Virginia Bowers, Albany city historian, and Robert J. Dillon, draftsman/historian ...
NYRA didn't deserve to get another chance.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Let me see if I've got this right. Over the past years, NYRA's mismanagement has resulted in bankruptcy, loss of millions of dollars and an IRS judgment for millions more. Yet, we read that the state has shamefacedly agreed to allow NYRA to extend its franchise over racing at ...
Voters must not lose sight of the war in Iraq.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2008 ... With our attention riveted on the economy and the presidential primaries, we must not lose sight of the ongoing war in Iraq. The troop surge has not lived up to its expectations. Aside from temporarily reducing the level of violence, only one of the 18 pre-surge conditions set ...
Thankful for support of quadricentennial.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Great kudos and thanks to Fred LeBrun for the thoughtful and supportive commentary on Governor Spitzer's State of the State and budgetary provisions for the upcoming quadricentennial celebration (Times Union "Hudson-Fulton-Champlain celebration finally on fast track," Feb. 3). ...
NYRA deal reflects dysfunctional government.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2008 ... There is not a better example of how inept and dysfunctional our state government can be than the recent deal with NYRA. Soon after Gov. Eliot Spitzer took office, he decided that he had to give NYRA the racing franchise in order to get them to give up their claims to ownership ...
Siegelman a victim of politics as usual.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: CYNTHIA TUCKER Don Siegelman, a former governor of Alabama, has spent the past eight months behind the bars of a Louisiana federal prison. Perhaps he deserves every day of his 88-month sentence on corruption charges. Perhaps he committed an egregious abuse of the public ...
A husband and kids not the only life.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: MEGHAN DAUM In the March issue of the Atlantic Monthly magazine, sandwiched between an article about Chinese Internet technology and a review of modernist art criticism, lies a seven-page essay called "Marry Him! The Case for Settling." Its author is Lori Gottlieb, a ...
Obama, Clinton taking a risk.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: TOM TEEPEN Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are taking positions on two key issues late in their scramble for the Democratic presidential nomination that could be awkward for their party in the general election. On one matter, free trade, they are saying too ...
Better than handwriting.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: ANDY ROONEY Because I'm uncertain about whether "Ontario, CA" is in California or Canada, I don't know where David Grossberg lives, but he has written me a good letter about handwriting. He deplores what he calls "the disappearance of the thoughtful, handwritten ...
True patriots.(Main)(Editorial)
Mar 01, 2008 ... A commercial now playing regularly on local television stations portrays the Democratic-led House as acting irresponsibly because it refused to extend the surveillance powers President Bush says he needs in the war on terror. Mr. Bush himself picked up this theme in a speech this week. ...
Consider candidates and faith.(Religion)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: RANDALL BALMER Eight years ago, when George W. Bush stated on the eve of the Iowa caucuses that Jesus was his favorite philosopher, suppose someone had asked a follow-up question: "Mr. Bush, Jesus, your favorite philosopher, invited his followers to love their enemies ...
Church member helps bring group of Kindred Spirits together.(Religion)
Mar 01, 2008 ... T. Marie Coleman: Member of Albany's Metropolitan Baptist Church in Albany and AmeriCorps. Background: Raised in Pennsylvania, she moved to Albany in 1957. Coleman worked for 26 years for the state, starting with the Department of Motor Vehicles and retiring from the Tuition ...
Even a diet of news can use balance.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: REX SMITH Being bumped from an over-booked flight to Albany wasn't the most interesting part of my trip to Washington, D.C., this week. Oh, I could weave you an account of how different folks react to travel stress: The guy behind me in line was a jerk, while I, of ...
looking back.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... On this date in ... 1908: Clapp's on Maiden Lane and James Street had a big display of goods for St. Patrick's Day. There were dinner pails, Irish hats, police clubs, potatoes, pipes, Irish flags, snakes, St. Patrick pies, shamrock napkins and playing cards. 1958: ...
calendar.(Capital Region)(Calendar)
Mar 01, 2008 ... SATURDAY COMMUNITY Dr. Seuss Read-A-Thon, Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar When: 2-4 p.m. Cost: Free Contact: 475-0291 Notes: Commemorate the late Dr. Seuss' birthday with continuous readings of Dr. Seuss nature titles, a visit ...
PATENTS.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... METHODS OF purifying polymeric materials Inventors: Robert Hossan and Christian Lietzau, both of Delmar; Jiawen Dong, Rexford; Hua Guo, Selkirk; and Vijay Mhetar, Slingerlands Patent number: 7,314,907 Issued: Jan. 1 Filed: Aug. 19, 2004 ...
calendar.(Religion)(Conference news)(Calendar)
Mar 01, 2008 ... SATURDAY Ministering to Children with Disabilities, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 262 State St., Albany When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost: $60 Contact: 462-2470 Notes: The Rev. Jo Clare Hartsig leads Capital Region Theological Center course on "The Inclusive Congregation." ...
Nominations due for firms, individual awards.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... COLONIE - Nominations are due Monday at noon for the Center for Economic Growth's 12th annual Technology Awards. The awards honor innovative and growth-oriented companies and individuals in the region. They recognize companies, entrepreneurs, students and mentors. They are given ...
Glens Falls incubator offers internship program.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... GLENS FALLS - The Adirondack Regional Business Incubator in Glens Falls is starting an internship program. The incubator, run through the offices of EDC Warren County, the county's economic development arm, is looking for businesses and nonprofits ...
Retail project workshop rescheduled to March 15.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... COXSACKIE - The Greene County Industrial Development Agency said its community workshop planned for Saturday about the proposed destination retail project has been rescheduled. The workshop will now ...
Women's tech group to hold seminar series.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... ALBANY - The Tech Valley chapter of the Alliance of Technology and Women is going to host a series of seminars to educate women on how to navigate the region's technology economy. The first event will be 8:30-11:30 a.m. March 20 at the ...
FDA approves drug by Regeneron for rare illness.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... EAST GREENBUSH - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., the biotechnology company whose biggest shareholder is Sanofi-Aventis SA, has won U.S. clearance for its first medicine. On Thursday, the Food and Drug ...
Changing needs altering churches; Adapting to new views could be crucial as survey shows denominational loyalty waning.(Religion)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: ERIC GORSKI - Associated Press If American religion is a spiritual shopping center, denominations that once dominated the market are in danger of being boarded up. A major survey of 35,000 Americans released this week by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public ...
capital REGION.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... $7M project vote North Colonie and Maplewood residents go to the polls Monday on a proposed $7 million capital project from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the elementary schools. Maplewood residents should vote at Goodrich School. For an absentee ballot, call 785-8591. Fiddle ...
Colonie adopts whistle-blower law; Measure, in wake of lawsuit, is meant to protect town employees who reveal waste, misconduct.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST - Staff Writer COLONIE - The Town Board has approved a new whistle-blower shield law with bipartisan support, granting broader protection to workers who expose waste, fraud and misconduct. The law, as first proposed last month, would ...
Moorish sect carries on faith tradition.(Religion)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: RENEE K. GADOUA - Religion News Service SYRACUSE - Jakada Makkah Bey begins Friday prayer services by raising five fingers on his left hand and two on his right. "Seven is a perfect number," he says. "Our goal is to perfect our ways. Our ultimate goal is to be ...
Donations send vets to WWII memorial.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: TERRY BROWN - Staff Writer A group of World War II veterans and their guardians from the Capital Region are set to visit the World War II Memorial and other monuments in Washington, D.C., thanks to the efforts of Patriot Flight 2008 volunteers. The 14 ...
Police arrest suspect in string of burglaries; $7,000 worth of goods was stolen from 6 homes during daylight hours.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... MENANDS - Police said Friday they arrested a Massachusetts man after a monthlong investigation into a string of burglaries in the center village neighborhood. Police arrested David Murphy, 43, formerly of Greenfield, Mass., but currently homeless. Police Chief Michael O'Brien ...
Negative reports shake stocks; Dow takes plunge amid rising oil, poor economic, earnings studies.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: Associated Press NEW YORK - Stocks fell sharply Friday after a series of depressing economic and corporate reports as well as high oil prices stoked concerns about the health of the economy. The major stock indexes fell more than 2.5 percent and the Dow Jones industrials ...
Bank opening new base in Albany; First Niagara will employ 200 at $8.5 million regional office, with all commercial bankers under one roof.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: LARRY RULISON - Business writer ALBANY - First Niagara Bank is going to establish a new regional headquarters in Albany that will include 200 employees in a new 35,000-square-foot building off Patroon Creek Boulevard. Most of the employees who will move into ...
State to recommend charter school close; International Charter School of Schenectady officials say problems have been addressed.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: BOB GARDINIER - Staff Writer ROTTERDAM - The state Charter Schools Institute has reached a final recommendation that the International Charter School of Schenectady should close at the end of this school year. "The institute will present its final renewal ...
march best bets.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Tim Wilkin picks of the month 6-10: The MAAC Tournament kicks off in Albany. Siena has the homecourt advantage and the Saints are very good. They've got a great shot. 7-9: The America East tournament kicks off in Binghamton. UAlbany doesn't have the homecourt advantage. Great Danes are ...
Tech Valley momentum; State panel gives final OK for $300 million investment at UAlbany's NanoTech complex.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: LARRY RULISON - Business writer ALBANY - In a major milestone in the development of New York state's Tech Valley, a state oversight board gave final approval Friday to $300 million in spending for the International Sematech project at the University at Albany. ...
RIT center to help fight pollution; State gives Rochester college $6 million to design and test "green" manufacturing methods.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: JAY GALLAGHER - Gannett News Service ALBANY - The Rochester Institute of Technology has been picked to run a new pollution-prevention institute that will be supported by $6 million from the state, Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced Friday. The center, to be known as ...
European jet beats Boeing for $35B fleet.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: Associated Press WASHINGTON - Northrop Grumman and the maker of Airbus planes beat out Boeing Co. to win a $35 billion government contract to build up to 179 military refueling planes, the Air Force said Friday. The selection of Los Angeles-based Northrop ...
CORRECTIONS.(Main)(Correction notice)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Mike Zarnofsky and Erica Checca married Friday in Ballston Lake. A photo caption on Friday's front page had the groom's first name wrong. A front-page article Friday incorrectly stated in some editions how much Albany Medical Center will borrow to pay for an expansion project. ...
Clash between lawyers means disorder in court; Murder case sentencing postponed as prosecutor vows to sue Aretakis.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: ROBERT GAVIN - Staff Writer ALBANY - The second highest-ranking prosecutor in Albany County exploded at controversial attorney John Aretakis on Friday after the lawyer accused him of allowing false testimony into a murder trial last year. "This time, he's ...
Buffett clobbers the market.(Business)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. - Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said Friday its fourth-quarter profit fell almost 18 percent as its companies linked to construction were hurt by nationwide housing woes, and the company generated smaller insurance underwriting profits and ...
State Senate GOP suffers another setback; Lawmaker's broken leg leaves Republicans with only a 31-30 edge for at least two weeks.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: MICHAEL GORMLEY - Associated Press and staff reports ALBANY - The Republican majority in the New York Senate is even smaller, at least temporarily. Republican Sen. James Alesi of Perinton, Monroe County, is recovering from surgery he underwent last week on a ...
Danes hope to go on attack against Irish.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: MARK SINGELAIS - Staff Writer University at Albany men's lacrosse coach Scott Marr had his team practice twice on Friday for Saturday's match at sixth-ranked Notre Dame. Marr said the No. 13 Great Danes had to make up for preparation time they lost on ...
BEST OF; OUR BLOGS.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... I love political season. Love love love it. I've been pondering the pending Veepstakes, and here's my predictions on who would pick who: If Senator Clinton gets the Democratic nod (which I consider unlikely at this point), she will have to pick Senator Obama as her running ...
Broadway actor jailed for fondling minor.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... NEW YORK - A prominent Broadway actor who played the beast in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" was sentenced Friday to 60 days in jail and three years probation for sexual encounters with a 15-year-old drama student. James Barbour pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of ...
4 students arrested after assault put online.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... OSSINING - Four Westchester high school students are under arrest after a violent gang assault was posted on YouTube. Police say the attack was recorded with a cellphone camera by one of the attackers. The teens, who are seen ...
NYPD seeks public aid in abandoned baby case.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... NEW YORK - Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Friday that the NYPD was seeking the public's help in identifying an infant girl who was abandoned in a livery cab, but that so far only one person has called its tips hot line. Kelly called the poor response "both troubling and ...
On-air insults draw suspension for radio host.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... MASTIC - A morning radio personality on Long Island station WBLI-FM has been suspended for making disparaging on-air remarks about the community of Mastic - and refusing to apologize, the station said Friday. The co-host, identified only by his radio name of "Randy," went on a ...
Syracuse police recover stolen grave markers.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... SYRACUSE - Syracuse police say they have recovered about 40 cemetery markers stolen from the grave sites of war veterans. Police discovered the stolen metal markers at a Syracuse scrap yard after workers there alerted authorities. Lt. Joe ...
Eagles' confidence growing in Olsen; Guard picks up scoring since position change.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: JAMES ALLEN - Staff Writer DELMAR - As Mark Nealon concluded his practice session Friday evening, he made one last point regarding his Bethlehem High girls' basketball team's Section II Class AA title showdown Saturday night against Suburban Council rival Shenendehowa. ...
sick days; After two mild seasons, this year the flu is spreading far and fast.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY - Staff writer The 90-minute workshop on taking a horse's vital signs was canceledon Tuesday. The reason? Snow and flu. "Normally, we would we get someone to cover, but everyone was sick," said Jennifer Conte, an educator at the Cornell ...
IRS notes show how brains beat Al Capone.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: RYAN J. DONMOYER - Bloomberg News WASHINGTON - Al Capone was a "punk hoodlum" whose "native Italian secretiveness" confounded tax collectors for years in the 1920s before the government convicted him in the most celebrated tax case in U.S. history, newly released IRS ...
Coach spat leads to suspensions.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: Staff reports Binghamton basketball coach Kevin Broadus and UAlbany assistant Chad O'Donnell have been suspended one game for their roles in a postgame incident earlier this week. Broadus shoved O'Donnell after UAlbany's win in Binghamton on Wednesday. Broadus will miss ...
Jets' Vilma to get new start with Saints; Injured linebacker traded for undisclosed draft pick.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: Associated Press NEW YORK - The New York Jets traded linebacker Jonathan Vilma to the New Orleans Saints on Friday for an undisclosed draft pick as the NFL's free agent period began. Vilma, who missed the last nine games of the 2007 season with a knee injury, ...
Guard soldiers hurt in bombing; Suicide attack on patrol in Afghanistan wounds 2 from South Glens Falls.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: DENNIS YUSKO - Staff Writer At least two area soldiers were wounded in a suicide bombing attack this week in Afghanistan, where 1,700 New York Army National Guard troops are stationed. Spc. Charles Naylor, 21, of South Glens Falls was riding atop a Humvee ...
Gang ties at issue in Albany murder case; Pretrial hearing offers picture of 2006 shooting outside tavern.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: ROBERT GAVIN - Staff writer ALBANY - Gang retribution led to the 2006 slaying of a man who was shot to death as he celebrated his 24th birthday outside a city tavern, a prosecutor said Friday. The alleged shooter, Dushan Wilson, 18, of Colonie, was identified ...
Santana is drubbed in first Mets outing.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - In his New York Mets debut, Johan Santana threw for the cycle, giving up a homer, a triple, a double and a single over two innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Mets 5-4 in a spring training game Friday. At the start, the crowd cheered Santana's ...
HVCC wins quarterfinal.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: Staff reports Derick Faragon scored 22 points and teammate Justin Gallo added 20 to lead Hudson Valley (30-0) to a 92-77 victory over Fulton-Montgomery in NJCAA Division III, Regional III men's basketball quarterfinal action on Friday at Herkimer Community College. ...
Record opium enriches Taliban; U.S. report calls for action against Afghan poppy production.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: ANNE GEARAN - Associated Press WASHINGTON - Record illegal drug production in Afghanistan supplies the Taliban insurgency with money and arms and the U.S.-backed government must take direct, prompt action against poppy growers, a State Department report said Friday. ...
Bush plans to pull more troops from Iraq; Official says summer pause in withdrawals will only run four to six weeks.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: PETER BAKER - Washington Post WASHINGTON - President Bush expects to pull more U.S. troops out of Iraq before he leaves office next January, a senior administration official said Friday, dismissing suspicions that a pause in withdrawals this summer would freeze U.S ....
Tail wags, but can he give a sloppy kiss? Nursing home study finds robot dog was as good as real pooch at easing loneliness.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: CHERYL WITTENAUER - Associated Press ST. LOUIS - Dogs may have a hard time wrapping their paws around this one: Robotic competition is nipping at their heels in the man's-best-friend department. A study by Saint Louis University found that a lovable pooch ...
Bond rates hurt state; Turmoil could cost New York _ with about $48 billion in debt _ $500 million a year.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: JAY GALLAGHER - Gannett News Service ALBANY - Turmoil in the variable-rate bond market has already cost the state nearly $2 million in extra interest charges already, and could raise interest costs by $500 million a year or more, analysts said Friday. "This ...
book review.(Capital Region)
Mar 01, 2008 ... These books are recommended by the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library staff: ADULT Adult services librarian Melinda Taormina suggests: "Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States" by Pete Jordan. A colorful, offbeat memoir chronicling ...
Deadly toxin found in vials in sick man's hotel room.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... LAS VEGAS - Vials found in the motel room of a man hospitalized in critical condition tested positive for the deadly toxin ricin, authorities said Friday. There was no indication of any link to terrorist activity, Las Vegas police Deputy Chief Kathy Suey said at a press ...
White House official resigns after admitting plagiarism.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON - A White House official who serves as President Bush's middleman with conservatives and Christian groups has resigned after admitting to plagiarism. Twenty columns he wrote for an Indiana newspaper were determined to have material copied from other sources without attribution. ...
Meat inspectors suspended in wake of mass beef recall.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended at least two federal meat inspectors following the largest beef recall in the nation's history, a union head said Friday. Stan Painter, chairman of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, said the USDA ...
Florida utility blames outage on human error.(Main)
Mar 01, 2008 ... MIAMI - Florida Power & Light says human error caused a power outage for more than half a million customers earlier this week. The electric company released a two-page preliminary report on Friday. It placed blame on a field engineer who was investigating a switch that ...
Siena beats Rider in OT.(Sports)
Mar 01, 2008 ... Byline: Staff reports Shondaya Burrell scored a career-high 31 points and sparked Siena to an 84-81 overtime win at Rider on Friday. Burrell was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in overtime. Siena (11-17, 7-11) never trailed after Burrell's layup put Siena ahead 71-69 ...