A local resident and economic development official who has been battling cancer is using his story to help motivate donors during a 10-week intensive campaign to raise money toward curing cancer.

Ryan Van Amburgh agreed to become a nominee in the Upstate NY/VT Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man/Woman of the Year fundraising campaign.

Proceeds raised during the campaign will directly fund cancer research.

For every dollar raised by the Van Amburgh family, Ryan receives a Man of the Year vote until the conclusion of the campaign on May 12. That’s the night of the society’s grand finale event held at 8 p.m. at the Franklin Plaza Ballroom in Troy, when winners will be announced.

One of the top philanthropic events of the year in the Capital Region, tickets and sponsorships for the finale, benefiting Van Amburgh ’s campaign, can be purchased online at www.ChangeTheStory.Today. Direct donations to his campaign can also be made at that site.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has led therapy development initiatives nationwide designed to accelerate better understanding of cancer cells, inhibitors to their growth and increasingly personalize cancer therapies to extend survival rates and quality of life. Its funded clinical trials have generated over 50 percent of the FDA-licensed therapies targeting all forms of cancer since 2000.

By Maureen Werther

Dawn Morrison, owner of the Kar-Ma LLC, refers to herself as a “motor head” and confesses that she has loved cars her entire life. So, when she experienced what she calls “an early mid-life crisis,” she figured out a way to turn a passion into a viable business.

The Kar-Ma LLC is a mobile automotive maintenance, detailing, and service business, offering monthly “mini” detailing, auto shuttling service to and from the dealership, emergency automotive assistance and more.

Morrison, who has a degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communication, started Kar-Ma in 2009. After working for several years in the trade publication industry in Manhattan, she returned to the upstate area sold advertising for Valpak and air time for radio station WGNA. She reached a point in her career where she decided it was time for a change.

The business began informally at first, with Morrison taking care of cars for her friends. It morphed into a membership service, with Morrison charging a flat monthly rate.

The new Rexford Bridge, carrying Route 146 over the Mohawk River between the towns of Clifton Park and Niskayuna, will open to traffic this fall, state officials said.

Work on the $32.5 million project resumed in the last week of March. The bridge carries approximately 22,000 motor vehicles per day.

“The Rexford Bridge is a vital link for commuters and visitors to the Capital Region and, as we resume construction this spring, we help ensure that the new bridge opens to traffic on time this fall,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “The safety improvements and structural upgrades to this bridge will help ease congestion while also ensuring its continued viability for years to come.”

The work is being done under a design-build contract that calls for a single team of contractors to be responsible for both designing and building an entire project in order to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame, officials said. Design-build also provides cost certainty for the state with contractors assuming the risk for project delays and cost overruns.

Saratoga Raceway’s 76th season of live harness racing began in February, with officials at Saratoga Casino Hotel looking to build off the success of 2016, where a record all-source parimutuel handle exceeded $78 million.

“We recognize the importance of delivering an exceptional harness racing product to our guests, as that entertainment option can only be offered regionally here at Saratoga Casino Hotel,” said John Matarazzo, director of racing operations at Saratoga Casino Hotel. “We look forward to welcoming back all of our racing fans as we gear up for another exciting season.”

A top highlight of the upcoming racing season will include the ninth annual Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace, which will feature one dash for $260,000 on July 22. Last year’s Gerrity Champion and 2016 Harness Horse of the Year, Wiggle It JiggleIt, will receive an automatic invitation into this year’s race.

GlobalFoundries announced in February plans to expand its global manufacturing footprint in response to growing customer demand for its comprehensive and differentiated technology portfolio.

The company is investing in its existing leading-edge fabs in the United States, including the Fab 8 plant in Malta, and Germany, expanding its footprint in China with a fab in Chengdu, and adding capacity for mainstream technologies in Singapore.

“We continue to invest in capacity and technology to meet the needs of our worldwide customer base,” said company CEO Sanjay Jha. “We are seeing strong demand for both our mainstream and advanced technologies, from our world-class RF-SOI platform for connected devices to our FD-SOI and FinFET roadmap at the leading edge. These new investments will allow us to expand our existing fabs while growing our presence in China through a partnership in Chengdu.”

In the United States, GlobalFoundries plans to expand 14nm FinFET capacity by an additional 20 percent at its Fab 8 facility in Malta, with the new production capabilities to come online in the beginning of 2018.

Shelters of Saratoga will have a permanent Code Blue shelter built on its property at 14 Walworth St. in Saratoga Springs, the result of a donation in February by Ed and Lisa Mitzen.

Ed Mitzen is the founder of Fingerpaint Marketing on Broadway. Both are shelter volunteers.

The new shelter is expected to be open by next winter.

For the past few years, the shelter has had temporary residence at St. Peter’s Parish Center, the Salvation Army building and the Soul Saving Station Church in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Michael Finocchi, executive director of the nonprofit group, said initial plans call for a two-story building with large kitchen, laundry room, men’s and women’s sleeping rooms, multiple showers and bathrooms, a large storage area for donated food and clothing, and a small Code Blue office.

Bonacio Construction will be handling all the construction and appropriate permits, with assistance from the LA Group. Finocchi said both have agreed to forego any profits to keep the costs as low as possible.