Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) back issues from May 2008:
Best of the Capital Region.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Calling all auteurs: Eighteen days remain for you to put together your short film about the community's finest people, places and things for "Lights, Camera - Best of the Capital Region 2008." Check out the submissions so far - ranging from John Yost's smooth-as-silk Steadicam celebration ...
India official: Stop drinking on screen.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: SAM DOLNICK - Associated Press NEW DELHI - After asking Bollywood actors in January not to smoke on screen, India's health minister has called on movie heroes to stop drinking alcohol on camera, while hinting that the booze could stay in villains' cups, a newspaper ...
'Flying pig' pieces land in yards.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: Associated Press INDIO, Calif. - When things go bad for a huge inflatable pig, don't expect it to be pretty. A helium-filled swine, released into the night sky during Roger Waters' headlining set Sunday at the Coachella music festival in the Southern ...
'Give Peace a Chance' lyrics being sold in summer.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: GREGORY KATZ - Associated Press LONDON - When John Lennon gave Gail Renard the scribbled lyrics to "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969, he told the teen to hold on to the piece of paper. "It will be worth something someday," predicted Lennon, who was in the midst ...
Picks of the Week - May 1-7.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... TODAY MASTERS OF PUPPETS At once pointedly political and profoundly poetic, the world-renowned Bread and Puppet Theater has been making annual trips from its Glover, Vt., home base to Hudson for the past decade. To celebrate its 10th anniversary at Time & Space ...
Summer movies drive toys full-speed to shelves.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: SCOTT BOWLES - USA Today Forget the battle of the box office. This summer will mark a showdown of movie toys. More than 2,000 toys and 6,000 other merchandising tie-ins - from fast-food trinkets to life-size, limited-edition busts - are flooding stores to ...
Colin Hay: Still very much a man at work.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: DAVID HILTBRAND - McClatchy Growing up in Scotland, and after he moved to Australia with his family as a teenager, Colin Hay was always a keen observer and admirer of American culture. So he was more than a little shocked when he came to the United States for ...
Beat goes on; African master Yacub Addy promoting 'Congo Square' DVD.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: GREG HAYMES Two years ago, African drum master Yacub Addy and his percussion/ vocal ensemble Odadaa! teamed up with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer- trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for the world premier of their massive musical ...
Winds of change; Albany Civic Theater's take on 'Inherit the Wind' lets audiences draw their own conclusions.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: MICHAEL ECK - Special to the Times Union What goes around, comes around. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee wrote "Inherit the Wind," which bowed on Broadway in January 1955, as a commentary on any number of cultural battles - between creationism and Darwinism, ...
SCREEN TEST.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... One of Hollywood's most durable and beloved actors has never really achieved megastar status. But who cares? Jeff Bridges keeps getting the good parts - including a villainous turn as nasty industrialist Obadiah Stane in the new "Iron Man." Here's a quiz on the career of Lloyd Bridges' ...
Veteran actor steps into the spotlight in 'Visitor'.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: ROGER MOORE - McClatchy "A brilliantly sustained performance," according to William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. A star turn that "brings all his saltiness and comic solemnity to bear," wrote Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe. An actor ...
No crying 'Uncle' Alan Jackson casts a shadow on husband-and-wife duo the Wrights.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: JOHN GEROME - Associated Press Nashville is full of singers and musicians looking for a break. Very few, though, have a country superstar for an uncle. And there's the rub: No matter how talented Adam Wright and his wife Shannon may be, some will wonder if the ...
Zero to hero; Robert Downey Jr. returns to a star's orbit in 'Iron Man' armor.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: RACHEL ABRAMOWITZ - Los Angeles Times To become a mega-movie star these days, a man must don the tights. Now it's Robert Downey Jr.'s turn. The 43-year-old ex-junkie, ex-con, Oscar-nominated professional entertainer is renouncing his title as the talent most ...
BARS & CLUBS.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Today The Dallas-based Secret Machines won't be unveiling their third album of sophisticated indie rock until late summer, but you can hear a sneak preview of such new songs as "Last Believer Drop Dead" and "The Fire Is Waiting" when the band hits the stage at Jack Rabbit ...
COMING ATTRACTIONS.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Idolicious Brooke! Carly! Chikezie! Kristy Lee! Michael! Ramiele! Syesha! Puppy-eyed Jason! And, of course, David and David! Yes, it's almost time for the Top 10 pop tarts of "American Idol" to jump off your TV screen and hit the road. And once again, they'll be making a tour ...
The Checklist; This week's new releases.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... CDs EARL KLUGH, "THE SPICE OF LIFE." Grammy-winning jazz guitarist. MADONNA, "HARD CANDY." Eleventh studio album features collaborations with Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams. DEF LEPPARD, "SONGS FROM THE SPARKLE LOUNGE." Eleven new ...
OFFBEAT.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... I own a lot of recorded music. A whole lot of compact discs. A lot of vinyl record albums and vinyl singles, too. And several boxes of cassettes. Not to mention the VHS videotapes and wall of music DVDs on the shelves in the bedroom. With so much recorded music, I sometimes ...
Nothing to fear; Panic at the Disco expands its sound and garners critical praise.(Preview)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: DANIELLE FURFARO - STAFF WRITER Panic at the Disco bassist Jon Walker checks in from Miami, where he's just come back from getting sunburned after an afternoon at the beach. Soon, he'll put on a fancy suit and tie and hit the stage, where he'll play for hundreds of ...
Why are nonessential employees on payroll?(Main)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2008 ... I applaud Gov. David Paterson for his efforts to limit hiring to "essential" employees only. What are "nonessential" ...
Get real about alternative energy sources.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2008 ... In all the discussion on energy, and the mystique of the alternatives like wind, solar and biofuels, we are losing sight of what works, and what is just a pipe dream. While almost every alternative energy source has its niche and contribution, they will not add much to our energy mix. ...
Senator didn't explain differences in gas prices.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2008 ... Nice letter by state Sen. Andrew Lanza on April 25. Now, maybe he can tell us why gasoline is about 30 cents a gallon cheaper on the Massachusetts Turnpike or why it's about 50 cents a gallon cheaper in New Jersey (and you don't get any smell ...
Why does Maureen Dowd's column still run?(Main)(Letter to the editor)(Column)
May 01, 2008 ... I have I think rather patiently watched Maureen Dowd's column be featured day after day and week after week, and have pretty much refrained from responding to her hatred of Hillary Clinton. But her April 23 column pushed me over the edge. Is it really necessary to give so much ...
'VALUE-ADDED ASSESSMENTS' SHOW PROGRESS OF INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, TEACHERS.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2008 ... Count me among those who are passionate about improving schools. As Maria Neira of the teachers union points out in her April 17 commentary, our state's existing grade 3-8 testing regimen is not designed for evaluating teacher effectiveness - yet. Measures of student learning must improve ...
Capital Region graced with 19 world premieres.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2008 ... Congratulations to Albany Symphony's Dogs of Desire for their adventurous program of seven premieres in one performance (review by James Hennerty, April 14). Having just completed our own festival of new music, which featured nine world premieres in one concert, the Empire State ...
During bad economy, don't fund pet projects.(Main)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2008 ... Gov. David Paterson is correct in trying to control state spending and sweep unused funds from the dark corners of the state's coffers. But to have an exemption that permits legislative pork to avoid the broom is yet another sign that nothing really changes in Albany, where legislators ...
Ending poverty is everyone's mission.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: SISTER MAUREEN JOYCE Difficult questions lurk behind every story. A woman trying to escape domestic violence considers changing her identity to reduce the risk of being tracked down by her abuser. But if she does, she will lose her professional credentials and ...
For women at work, a bad deal.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: MARIE COCCO When you conjure up a mental image of modernity, the Senate cloakroom doesn't come quickly to mind. Still, you would think the guys who run the place - as of now there are only 16 female senators - would get it. But they don't. There is no other ...
Bare-knuckled political bash intrigues Brits.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: H.D.S. GREENWAY LONDON - Britons are mesmerized by what one journalist called a "nomination race that is now closely approaching one of those Victorian bare-knuckle fights that went on for scores of rounds." Their own prime minister, Gordon Brown, may be under ...
Author Mary Gordon to speak at UAlbany.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Mary Gordon, the New York state author, will address the University at Albany commencement at 10 a.m. May 18. Gordon is known for her work on Irish-American family life and Catholic spirituality in novels, short stories, essays, and memoir. She is Millicent C ....
Get a whiff of that pork.(Main)(Editorial)
May 01, 2008 ... T he colloquial language of state government has evolved over the years to the point where seemingly any mention, let alone scrutiny or indignation, of the political slush funds known as legislative member items comes with a critical caveat. It's that some of pet projects of the governor ...
Times Union Center big top will welcome the circus.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... ALBANY - To borrow a phrase, there's a sucker for the circus born every minute. Albany will be clowning around a little more than usual when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' "Bellobration" rolls into town at 7 p.m. on May 8 at the Times Union Center, 51 S. Pearl ...
GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB WILL HOLD BIERFEST.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... COLONIE - Break out the steins and lederhosen, it's time for Bierfest. The German-American Club, 32 Cherry St., will be transformed into a ...
BEER BENEFIT WILL AID HIKE FOR DISCOVERY.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... ALBANY - Imagine if your propensity to pound beers might benefit a recreational program. Sound too good to be true? The Orchard Tavern & Restaurant, 68 N. Manning Blvd., begs to differ. From 7 to 11 p.m. on May 10, the Tavern will ...
Looking back.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... On this date in ... 1908: James Dolan was arrested by Officer Waldbillig for being drunk on Broadway. Dolan denied the charge. He said he had come from West Albany on a trolley and got off at corner of State and Pearl Street because he had kidney trouble and rheumatism. He said ...
Repudiating a pastor.(Main)(Editorial)
May 01, 2008 ... S en. Barack Obama did the right thing Tuesday - albeit a little late in coming - when he denounced the views of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., his former pastor. The senator used the word divisive to describe the minister's remarks, but that's putting it mildly. The Rev. Wright's views - ...
Albany County calendar.(Capital Region)(Calendar)
May 01, 2008 ... TODAY BENEFITS & GALAS The Mental Health Association in New York State's Spring Reception and Silent Auction, The State Room, 142 State St., Albany When: 6-9 p.m. Cost: $50; seniors, $40 Contact: 434-0439 or http://www.MHANYS.org Notes: Featuring guest speaker David ...
ALBANY COUNTY EDITION.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Mostly Latin Gala The Mostly Latin Gala, a fundraiser for the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, begins at 5 p.m. Saturday at the State Museum in Albany. The event includes food, a silent auction, a talk by artistic director Ellen Sinopoli and more. For information, call 474-5877. ...
Times Union Hope Fund extends reach; New grants include programs for children in Rensselaer and Schenectady counties.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: PAUL GRONDAHL - Staff Writer COLONIE - The Times Union Hope Fund will award four additional grants totaling $21,500 to help inner-city children learn tennis and life lessons, attend a summer arts program, receive after-school tutoring and join the fun at a lakeside ...
Hoping tips are in the cards; Jail inmates are in play to get word of missing, homicide victims.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: DAVID FILKINS - Staff Writer ALBANY - The newest card game in county jails across the state could pay off for families of missing and murdered New Yorkers. More than 7,200 decks of cards featuring photos and profiles of 52 missing people or homicide victims ...
Around the region.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... TODAY BENEFITS & GALAS May Day Reception/ Benefit, Kismet Gallery, 71 Fourth St., Troy When: 5-9 p.m. Cost: Free Contact: 272-1918 Notes: A benefit to Save the Sanctuary for Independent Media. Appetizers and music will be provided. Also the opening for a show that ...
Few fired up by torch run for Tibet; Protest of China's actions in Himalayan nation barely gets a look.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: PAUL GRONDAHL - Staff Writer ALBANY - It is 7,000 miles from the steps of the state Capitol to Beijing. The distance seemed even greater Wednesday. The pleas of a few dozen demonstrators protesting China's human-rights abuses in advance of the ...
Fate makes him a millionaire; GE retiree wins $10M on lottery ticket after his first choice was sold out at Ravena deli.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: SCOTT WALDMAN - Staff Writer RAVENA - A retired General Electric engineer won $10 million on a lottery scratch-off ticket that was his second choice, state Lottery officials said Wednesday. Gary Owens, 58, won the top prize in the New York Lottery's Win for ...
Prosecutor target of claims; John Aretakis says Saratoga County DA mishandled abuse cases.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: DENNIS YUSKO - Staff Writer SARATOGA SPRINGS - An area lawyer has accused Saratoga County's district attorney of malfeasance for not investigating 2002 claims against a former Saratoga Springs school bus driver now charged in sexual abuse cases involving at least two ...
Hearst grant funds music facility at Saint Rose.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... ALBANY - A new music facility at The College of Saint Rose will get a $250,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation Inc., the college said Wednesday. The money will support the new $14 million Massry Center for the Arts under construction on Madison Avenue. In return, ...
Firefighters plan benefit to assist Troy homeowner.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... TROY - The Troy Uniformed Firefighters Association plans a musical benefit Friday night to assist Andrew Lewis, whose home was heavily damaged in a Feb. 16 fire. Andrew Lewis had no insurance on his homes at 1107 and 1109 Jacob St. The eight residents are staying with friends. ...
Watervliet police will increase I-787 patrols.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... WATERVLIET - Watervliet police will step up patrols along Interstate 787 with the help of an $11,800 grant from the Department of Motor Vehicles' Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. Thye highway, which runs through the city along the Hudson River, is normally patrolled by State ...
Troy sued over arts center closing.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... TROY - The New York Civil Liberties Union announced Wednesday it is suing the city over what it says are free speech violations during the shutting of the Sanctuary for Independent Media. The city closed the arts center due to code violations in March after receiving complaints ....
Mayor faults council for risk to funding; Hearing deadline nears as Troy Democrats take issue with allocation of $2.03 million in HUD aid.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... TROY - The city's tense politics has spilled over into the allotment of $2.03 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding the city expects to receive. Mayor Harry Tutunjian, a Republican, said Wednesday that the Democrat-controlled City Council has endangered ...
Hofmann, 'father' of LSD.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: FRANK JORDANS - Associated Press GENEVA - Albert Hofmann, the father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery inspired - and arguably corrupted - millions in the 1960s hippie generation, has died. He was 102. Hofmann died Tuesday at his home in ...
In disputes, silence isn't golden.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: DAN HIGGINS Lisa Cerkowski had a dispute with a man and she wanted to take him to small claims court. She's no lawyer, and the amount of money involved, $1,700, would quickly erode if she paid an attorney, so she turned to the Internet for some assistance. ...
CORRECTIONS.(Main)(Correction notice)
May 01, 2008 ... In a story in Monday's Times Union about bluestone mining in New York, The Associated Press misspelled the surname of a sales representative of Sammarco Stone & Supply. He is Bud Passoni. A calendar listing in Tuesday's Life Health section for the Rensselaer Land Trust hike had ...
Woman guilty of abusing child; Prosecutors say sitter shook or threw child, causing lasting injuries.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: PAUL NELSON - Staff Writer SCHENECTADY - Relatives of a city woman openly wept after jurors found the woman guilty Wednesday of abusing a child she had cared for since the girl was 4 months old. Rebecca Polomaine, 31, was convicted Wednesday afternoon of ...
Fatal shooting detailed; Alleged accomplice of man charged with murder says doubts arose later.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: PAUL NELSON - Staff Writer SCHENECTADY - Moments after shooting Xavier McDaniel Jr. twice at point-blank range, Omari Lee discussed the possibility he had killed the wrong man, a witness testified Wednesday. "I told him that I didn't think Xavier did it, and ...
BEST OF; OUR BLOGS.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... The monthly or quarterly reports we receive on the performance of our 401k are beginning to strike fear in the hearts of many. Last week a friend of mine told me hers had dropped in value ...
Cops test graffiti in Szostak case; Sample taken from tree near Port of Albany after new theory suggests possible foul play in man's death.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: ROBERT GAVIN - Staff Writer ALBANY - City police are probing the discovery of graffiti depicting a face on a tree at the Port of Albany - but continue to dismiss any speculation the vandalism is somehow linked to the death of Joshua Szostak. Police took a ...
City hall offers upset Tutunjian; Troy mayor says discord in City Council prevented better bids for site.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: KENNETH C. CROWE II - Staff Writer TROY - Two scanty proposals to buy city hall and a developer's letter saying the city's political discord will hinder any development of the site left Mayor Harry Tutunjian discouraged and angry Wednesday. "I'm disappointed ...
Events to target health care reform; Experts on single-payer system to speak in Troy tonight; rally set May 6.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... Single-payer health care is the topic of two upcoming events in the Capital Region. Tonight, the Hudson-Mohawk May Day Committee will mark International Workers Day at Troy's Prospect Park. The theme of the event is single-payer health care, a system where the government is the ...
Man faces charges in woman's overdose death.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... GLOVERSVILLE - An East Fulton Street man faces multiple charges for allegedly providing the drugs and needle used last year in the overdose death of a city woman, Gloversville police said. Joseph Labadia, 27, allegedly provided Stephanie Hawkins, 33, with the methadone and ...
Police searching for suspects in slashing case.(Capital Region)
May 01, 2008 ... ALBANY - Police are looking for a group of teens who attacked and slashed two 14-year-old boys during a fight Wednesday afternoon near an Albany school district building. Police said the boys were standing near the Adult Learning Center on Western Avenue at about 3 p.m. when ...
Going green, but with caution; Clifton Park's attitude is that suburbs can be environmentally friendly.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST - Staff Writer CLIFTON PARK - In a second-floor conference room at Town Hall, councilmen Scott Hughes and Tom Paolucci are mulling the po tential impact of running town vehicles on biofuels. "You read these horror stories about how ...
Aviation companies point fingers over 9/11; Sued by victims' families, they are in turn faulting the FBI, the CIA and terrorists for deaths.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: LARRY NEUMEISTER - Associated Press NEW YORK - Aviation companies sued by the families of Sept. 11 victims for failing to safeguard air travel are in turn blaming federal investigators - arguing the Federal Aviation Administration was not alerted that al-Qaida was poised ...
Rule designed to protect right whales blocked.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON - White House officials have blocked a rule aimed at protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales for more than a year by challenging the findings of government scientists, according to documents obtained by the Union of Concerned Scientists. North Atlantic right ...
FDA orders Merck plant to correct deficiencies.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... TRENTON, N.J. - The Food and Drug Administration has ordered Merck & Co. to correct numerous manufacturing deficiencies at its main vaccine plant in West Point, Pa. The plant, which recalled two vaccines in December over sterility problems, makes a number of children's vaccines ...
Boys in sect checked for signs of sex abuse.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... SAN ANTONIO - Texas child welfare authorities are looking at the possibility that young boys were sexually abused at a polygamist sect's ranch as part of a massive investigation triggered by allegations that girls were forced into underage marriages and sex. Carey Cockerell, the ...
Animal electrocution a model.(Main)
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: MICHAEL GORMLEY - Associated Press ALBANY - The fox is yanked from among the rows of cramped, filthy cages where it has spent its short life. Metal rods are attached in two locations and a battery turned on, electrocuting the animal for its fashionable fur. ...