The fitness industry is booming, but are clubs maximizing their revenue at the expense of consumers’ rights? (Metroland – August 5, 2004) In July 2001, Jill Doris thought she had found the perfect fitness center. It was fairly new, local, and with relatively low monthly fees. Most important was that the club had all of [...]

Despite a new report saying everything’s rosy, examples show there are no guarantees an Albany convention center will succeed (Metroland – June 10, 2004) Is a new convention center in Albany’s future? A recent announcement by Mayor Jerry Jennings would seem to indicate that it’s a sure thing, but questions still surround the proposal. The [...]

State Legislature passes amended version of convention-center bill (Metroland – July 1, 2004) A number of bills found their way out of the New York State Legislature last week in the annual flurry of activity preceding lawmakers’ departure. Included among the last-minute legislation is a bill that would create the Albany Convention Center Authority—bringing the [...]

Cable contracts are up for renewal around the region, and one community—Albany—still lags behind in providing public access (Metroland – July 15, 2004) By most accounts, the pro- cess of negotiating a city’s TV cable contract usually has a David-and-Goliath feel, pitting local governments with little experience in such issues against powerful cable companies with [...]

Hudson Valley author Daniel Pinkwater has been letting Web readers take a peek at his new book for free—and is now waiting to see how it will affect sales (Metroland – May 3, 2007) At a time when many creators seem to be spending as much time blocking their products from showing up early on [...]

While other cities lament their failures with similar projects, Albany pushes forward with ambitious plans for a new convention center (Metroland – March 02, 2006) Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: People of this fair but beleaguered city! Do you want all your problems solved? All you need is a convention center! Would [...]

Homebuyers seeking a peaceful country life can make uneasy neighbors for the region’s remaining small farmers (Metroland – September 15, 2005) “As our nonfarming neighbors increase, it’s become necessary to remind everyone that farming is not a beautiful thing,” begins Bill Hoffay during the public comment period of a recent Town of Sand Lake board [...]