By Rachel Phillips
Marini Homes has plans to build 22 townhomes behind Ellsworth Commons, off Route 9 in Malta.
The plaza is located at 2101 Ellsworth Boulevard in Malta, in the heart of the downtown district of Malta.
West Mountain ski center off of Northway Exit 18 has sprung into a new season with renovations and additions to offer skiers new options.
New chairlifts, expanded terrain, 100 percent snowmaking capabilities, learn-to-lessons, after-school programs, tubing, night skiing and an up-and-coming alpine racing program are all part of West Mountain, where Spencer Montgomery, co-owner and managing member, has developed a place for family fun.
With 31 trails and five lifts, skiers and riders of all abilities come to West Mountain. Improvements include a new “Apex” triple chairlift on the Northwest side, 15 tower snow guns that round out the completion of the snowmaking capabilities, and a five-acre Tree-Top Aerial Adventure Park.
In addition to the updates on the mountain, a brand new West Express Cafe will be open on the first floor of the main lodge this season offering more healthy food options. Skiers and riders also have the option of experiencing the mountain under the lights with night skiing.
The area’s longest-running farmers’ market, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association is in a new location for the winter at the Wilton Mall.
Markets run each Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will feature 50-plus vendors selling a range of locally produced items including fresh produce, ready-to-eat foods, and artisan products.
The market will be located in the interior space of the mall near the DMV and former Bon-Ton entrance.
By Susan E. Campbell
Whether the forecast for the economy and the investment markets is good, bad, or middle-of-the-road, retirement professionals agree that staying the course is the best course.
“The number one thing for 2020 is, in a word, uncertainty,” said Don Tenne, a financial planner with Ameriprise Financial Services and based in Glens Falls.
“Tariffs, elections, China and other international uncertainties are things that tend to slow down the market even though the economy is doing very well,” said Tenne.
Markets are driven not only by fundamentals but also by investor psychology, which can be impacted by alarmist media, he said.
“The media says a recession is coming, but we don’t know when,” he said. “Many experts say recession may be one to six years ahead. So we see the stories, and then they go away.”
By David L. Cumming
As we move through our career, we often accumulate a number of different retirement accounts: A traditional IRA here, a rollover IRA there, and two or three scattered 401(k) accounts left in the plans of former employers.
As the accounts add up, it can become difficult to get a clear picture of your overall retirement preparedness.
Consolidating your retirement accounts into one central account can help you make sure your retirement assets are invested appropriately for your overall goals, better track the performance of your holdings and, in some cases, discover more investment choices and potentially incur lower fees.
Retail prices for 267 brand-name drugs commonly used by older adults surged by an average of 5.8 percent in 2018, more than twice the general inflation rate of 2.4 percent, according to new AARP Public Policy Institute (PPI) data released in November.
The annual average cost of therapy for one brand-name drug ballooned to more than $7,200 in 2018, up from nearly $1,900 in 2006, the study said.
“There seems to be no end to these relentless brand-name drug price increases,” said Debra Whitman, executive vice president and chief public policy officer at AARP. “To put this into perspective: If gasoline prices had grown at the same rate as these widely-used brand-name drugs over the past 12 years, gas would cost $8.34 per gallon at the pump today. Imagine how outraged Americans would be if they were forced to pay those kinds of prices.”
By Jennifer Farnsworth
Holidays goers can once again enjoy the annual Quick Response Restoration holiday light show and display.
The event, called Santa’s Playland, is now in its 19th year. It will be held at the company headquarters, 2077 Route 9, Round Lake.
Vincent Laurenzo of Quick Response said this was something his father started as a away to give back to the community and today the show still upholds that tradition.
“This is something that is important to our family and to all of those 50 plus volunteers who make it happen,” said Laurenzo.
Saratoga Hospital is honoring a beloved Saratoga Springs icon with its 2019 collector’s ornament, “Celebrating Mrs. Marylou Whitney.”
Proceeds from the sale of the ornaments will support the Saratoga Hospital Cancer Patient Fund.
“Marylou was so impressed by the quality of care she received at Saratoga Hospital,” said John Hendrickson, Mrs. Whitney’s husband. “I know she would have been humbled and honored to have the hospital’s holiday ornament dedicated to her memory.”
The 24th in the collectible series, the ornament features the Saratoga Race Course clubhouse entrance, renamed in Mrs. Whitney’s honor. Previous ornaments depicted historic places, buildings, statues, or iconic areas or pastimes.
The artwork is by Saratoga Hospital surgeon Dr. Joseph Bell, vice president and medical director of perioperative services.
“Mrs. Whitney’s loss reverberated throughout the city,” Bell said.
For the 14th consecutive year, faculty and staff at Skidmore College are joining together through the College’s Skidmore Cares program to assist those in need in Saratoga County.
Since the community service program was begun in 2006 by Skidmore President Philip A. Glotzbach and Marie Glotzbach, the Skidmore community has donated more than $108,000 in monetary gifts, more than 26,000 food items and nearly 12,000 school supplies to nonprofit agencies throughout Saratoga County.
On Wednesday, approximately 125 Skidmore faculty and staff members attended a kickoff luncheon on campus to mark the beginning of the donation effort.
“What Skidmore Cares is all about is an opportunity for the Skidmore community to come together and to have a moment of good fellowship and for all of us to give – and give back – to the larger community,” Glotzbach said. “It’s a time of gathering. It’s a time of celebration of the season. And we are very happy to combine that with this opportunity for giving.”
Representatives from several Saratoga-based community service agencies attended the luncheon.
By Susan E. Campbell
A new internet-based service will soon bring together Capital District businesses with nonprofits whose missions align with a company’s goals for charitable giving.
Called Knitt LLC, founder Lisa Munter believes her organization will provide “a mindful and time efficient way to connect” donors and donor organizations. Its success, and future compensation, will depend on the “knitted” relationships among businesses and nonprofit organizations who did not have a prior relationship, Munter said.
Munter is an avid volunteer and wife of a businessman whose company, Munter Enterprises, is “inundated with requests for donations.”