The GlobalFoundries campus and company headquarters in Malta. Image provided.
MALTA — GlobalFoundries (GF) recently announced its plans to create a new $575 million center for advanced packaging and testing of American-made essential chips within its New York manufacturing facility in Malta.
Supported by hefty investment from both the U.S. Department of Commerce and New York State, the New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center aims to enable semiconductors to be securely manufactured, processed, packaged, and tested entirely in the United States to meet the growing demand for GF’s silicon photonics and other chips needed for end markets including AI, automotive, aerospace and defense, and communications.
GF’s investment in the new center is expected to be $575 million, with an additional $186 million funding research and development over the next decade plus. These investments are expected to create approximately 100 new full-time GF jobs in New York over the next five years.
“The New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center will be unique in our industry and will play a vital role in the continued growth of the Empire State’s world-class semiconductor manufacturing and innovation ecosystem,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF, in a news release.
The New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center aims to expand GF’s advanced packaging capabilities – the process of transforming chips into individual packages ready for end-product use – to provide customers an end-to-end U.S.-based solution for chips made at GF’s Malta manufacturing facility. Across the semiconductor industry, most advanced packaging today takes place in Asia.
GlobalFoundries is the third-largest semiconductor foundry in the world. In 2021, it moved its global headquarters from Santa Clara, California to Malta, New York. The company currently employs 2,500 people at its Malta location and has invested more than $16 billion in the facility since it opened in 2011.
Overlook depiction of the Loughberry Lake Dam area along NYS Route 50. Image: City of Saratoga Springs.
by Thomas Dimopoulos
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The new year brought with it the rattle and hum of heavy machinery whose metal limbs poked at the sky above Saratoga where Route 50 crosses with Marion Ave.
The cause of the scene is a $9 million project to address aging infrastructure in a remediation of the deficiencies of the Loughberry Lake Dam.
The project initially got underway in October 2024 and is slated to continue to its “substantial completion” in October 2025. The goal is to return the dam to a safe working condition per the New York State DEC, says Saratoga Springs City Engineer James Salaway.
A state DEC inspection classified the dam as a “High Hazard,” a classification the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation based on the potential impact that a dam failure may have on downstream areas. By definition, the estimated consequences were the dam to fail: “may result in widespread or serious damage to home(s); damage to main highways, industrial or commercial buildings, railroads, and/or important utilities, including water supply, sewage treatment, fuel, power, cable or telephone infrastructure; or substantial environmental damage; such that the loss of human life or widespread substantial economic loss is likely.” The reclassification was made sometime during the past few years due to increased development.
Last September, the Saratoga Springs City Council awarded a bid to rehab the Loughberry Lake Dam to Winn Construction, of Waterford. Winn Construction was the lowest bidder on the project, and the project bid was awarded at $7.612 million. The $9 million overall project cost includes about $7.5 million in construction and the balance in design and engineering costs, Salaway said.
Loughberry Lake has been the principal potable water supply for Saratoga Springs since 1871 – the lake itself developed sometime between 1850 and 1865, by damming a surface stream channel and valley.
Originally constructed as a railroad embankment, in 1967 the dam crest was widened after state Department of Transportation constructed Route 50.
The lake spans a length approximately 5,700 feet long with a maximum width of 1,050 feet, with three local governments – the city of Saratoga Springs and the towns of Wilton and Greenfield, occurring within the watershed, according to the June 1988 report “Water Quality and Watershed Study of Loughberry Lake” published by the Division of Water in Albany.
Interim DPW Commissioner Hank Kuczynski said every two weeks the engineering staff of the city – led by City Engineer James Salaway, assistant City Engineer Matt Zeno, and Water Plant Operator Brett Johnson – tour the construction site and mark the project progress according to plans submitted by the engineers.
Note: an earlier version of this story referred to the Loughberry Lake Dam as having an “Intermediate Hazard” classification. It was reclassified as “High Hazard” sometime during the past few years due to increased development.
Trombone Shorty will perform Sunday June 29 during the two-day Saratoga Jazz Fest at SPAC. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 48th Annual Saratoga Jazz Festival, presented by GE Vernova will return for a full two-day and two-stage weekend experience on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Featuring a roster of 22 musical groups and 10 festival debuts, the line-up is headlined by magnetic performers Gary Clark Jr. and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, alongside beloved jazz vocalists Gregory Porter and Cassandra Wilson, and the next generation of jazz, funk and rock stars Cory Wong, Lettuce, DJ Logic & Friends and Veronica Swift.
The festival will also see the return of jazz icons such as Al Di Meola, Michel Camilo and Kenny Garrett in addition to new, emerging artists on the scene like Nicole Zuraitis, Brandee Younger, and Julius Rodriguez.
Founded in 1978 by jazz impresario George Wein, Saratoga Jazz Festival is the fifth longest-consecutive-running jazz festival in North America. Initially founded as “the Newport Jazz Festival at Saratoga” the weekend event was renamed Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in 1998.
The 2025 festival marks the beginning of SPAC’s new partnership with lead festival sponsor GE Vernova. The two organizations embark on a five-year partnership, with $200,000 committed from GE Vernova for each year, ensuring the vibrancy and longevity of Saratoga Jazz Festival, one of the largest jazz events in North America.
Making his SPAC debut to headline the festival on Saturday is four-time Grammy award-winner, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and performer Gary Clark Jr. Heralded for his bold and expressive guitar playing, his music fuses blues, rock, R&B, soul and hip hop with influences and collaborations ranging from B.B. King, the Jackson 5 and Muddy Waters to Alicia Keys, Dave Grohl and Childish Gambino. His most recent album JPEG RAW, released in 2024, represents a quantum leap displaying his versatility and demonstrating the fresh new directions he can take with his music.
Back by popular demand to headline the festival on Sunday is Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Since 2010, Shorty has released five chart topping studio albums (his most recent being 2022’s Lifted); toured with everyone from Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and has collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani, Ringo Starr, and countless more. Beloved for his onstage charisma, Shorty’s appearance marks his fourth Saratoga Jazz Festival performance.
In addition to two non-stop days of great music on two stages, fans can also enjoy a host of amenities including new and diverse food offerings, a fine arts and crafts fair, and artist merchandise signings. Guests are welcome to bring in their own food and beverages, as well as lawn chairs, blankets, tents and lawn umbrellas. Parking for the event is free. Performances will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 and at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 29.
Tickets go on sale beginning on Jan. 21 to SPAC members (tiered by level) and on Jan. 24 to the general public.
Tickets for the festival start at $85. Members will also receive a discount of 15-20% (depending on level) on their ticket purchase. Two-day passes are also available. Children 12 and under receive 50% off tickets in the amphitheater and are free on the lawn. Full-time students with a school issued ID receive 25% off tickets in the amphitheater, or $28 on the lawn (student ID must be presented at will call).
Visit spac.org for more details.
2025 SARATOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP:
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
Amphitheater: Gary Clark Jr., Gregory Porter, Lettuce, Veronica Swift, Michel Camilo Trio, Kenny Garrett.
Charles R. Wood “Discovery” Stage: Artemis, Nicole Zuraitis, Keyon Harrold, Julius Rodriguez, C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band, The String Queens.
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
Amphitheater: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Cory Wong, Cassandra Wilson, Al Di Meola Acoustic Band, DJ Logic & Friends featuring Vernon Reid, Cyro Baptista, Emilio Modeste, James Hurt, Felix Pastorius & Terreon Gully.
Charles R. Wood “Discovery” Stage: Gary Bartz, Bria Skonberg Quintet, Brandee Younger Trio, La Excelencia, Skidmore Jazz Institute Faculty All-Stars Celebrate their Heroes feat. Clay Jenkins, Jimmy Greene, Steve Davis, Dave Stryker, Bill Cunliffe, Todd Coolman & Dennis Mackrel.
Sample ballot with spaces colored-in for purposes of this depiction that lists the Republican candidate on the ballot and where the write-In candidate’s name would go.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Readying for retirement after serving ballot-casters in Saratoga the past 15 or so years, the county’s aging voting machines will be pressed back into service one more time for a special election to place in Saratoga Springs.
Election Day is Tuesday, Jan. 28. In advance of Election Day, nine days of early voting will get underway Saturday Jan. 18 in a citywide vote to elect a Commissioner of Public Works in Saratoga Springs.
The election will decide the DPW Commissioner/ fifth city council member to complete the regular balance of the term, which concludes Dec. 31, 2025. All five city councilmember positions – four commissioners and a mayor – will be up for new two-year terms this November.
City Republicans are backing Chuck Marshall for the position. Marshall, a former member of the Saratoga County Sewer Commission, currently serves as chair of the Saratoga Springs Planning Board and is employed as director of real estate at Stewart’s. Marshall’s name appears on the ballot.
City Democrats meanwhile are backing interim DPW commissioner Hank Kuczynski. Kuczynski – who had previously served as city deputy mayor – was unanimously approved by the City Council as interim DPW Commissioner on Oct. 29 and currently occupies the seat.
As Democrats did not secure a pre-marked slot on the actual ballot, voters favoring candidate Kuczynski will need to physically write his name in, in the ballot’s “write-in” box.
Machine Music
Last September, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 241 new voting machines and associated equipment from Clear Ballot Group, Inc. at a total cost of $1.76 million to replace the aging voting machines in use. The new machines will be operational this year, but Saratoga Springs residents voting in the special election will see a return to the familiar.
“We’re using the old machines that still work. The reason is the human learning curve is a couple of months, to get everyone trained on them,” explained Saratoga County Republican Election Commissioner Joseph Suhrada.
The chain of custody of election equipment should be maintained from acceptance to proper disposal, according to The U.S. Election Assistance Commission – an independent, bipartisan commission established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The Commission notes there are security risks associated with the disposal, sale, or destruction of computer equipment and storage devices, and instructs that prior to disposal, all equipment be “sanitized” – that is, the process of removing all data from a device.
The new machines will be instituted for use during the special election for the 21st Congressional District, anticipated to take place this spring.
“That’s when I expect we’ll employ them,” Suhrada said.
That special election will involve a race to fill the presumed vacancy of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who was selected by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The ambassador post requires Senate confirmation and Stefanik must resign her congressional seat in the 21st District – which may happen as soon as next week – after which follows a political pinball process to set a date set for the regional special election to take place.
“We expect (Stefanik’s resignation) to occur around Jan. 20 from what we’ve been told, and with the special election anywhere from 71 to 90 days out from her resignation – that places us somewhere at the middle or end of April,” Suhrada said. “And at that stage we will use our new machines.”
The 21st Congressional District special election will be open to voters in dozens of Saratoga County polling districts from the northeast section of the county to the northwest – the towns of Saratoga, Corinth, Moreau, Hadley, and a portion of Wilton among them.
Saratoga Springs Special Election
In Saratoga Springs meanwhile, all registered city voters may take part in the special election for Saratoga Springs DPW Commissioner.
Early Voting will take place at the Saratoga Springs (Scott Johnson) Rec Center at 15 Vanderbilt Ave. and gets underway Saturday, Jan. 18 and continues for a total of 9 days, until Sunday, Jan. 26, inclusively. Those Early Voting times are: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day – except Monday, Jan. 20 and Wednesday, Jan. 22 when the polls will be open noon – 8 p.m.
On Election Day – Tuesday, Jan. 28 – all city polling sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The position of DPW Commissioner position is both departmental and legislative. The commissioner is responsible for oversight of Saratoga Springs’ street and highway maintenance, its buildings and grounds, and for ensuring that the water system provides sufficient quantities of safe potable water, among other duties.
The position also plays a role in the legislative body of city government by placing the commissioner at the City Council table. The Council proposes and enacts legislation and establishes policy for the city. The mayor and four commissioners form the five-member City Council, and having five members is key in potentially acting as a tiebreaking vote in any deadlocked city-related decisions at the table where majority rules.
There are approximately 21,000 registered voters in Saratoga Springs’ 25 voting districts, according to 2024 state Board of Election enrollment data. About 40% are registered as Democrats, 28% as Republicans, 26% as “blanks” – or those actively registered with no party affiliation, and the remaining 6% registered are with other parties.
While Republican candidate Chuck Marshall’s name appears on the ballot, residents wishing to vote for the Democratic Party backed Hank Kuczynski will need to write in his name. The exact spelling of the candidate’s name is not as much an issue as it once was, Suhrada said, when asked about the issue.
“At the end of the day, as long as it’s determined that it is him, a misspelling is no longer disqualified as it may have been 50 years ago,” he said, pointing to a ruling on the matter made approximately 20 years ago by Judith S. Kaye, longtime Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.
“So, if I put down Hank Kuczynski and I use a Y instead of an I, or an I instead of a Y – they know that I mean Kuczynski,” Suhrada said. “Now that being said – they do have to put it in a certain place on the ballot. It is involved no doubt, but spellings? No.”
Wrestlers pose on the awards podium after the annual Saratoga Invitational held at Saratoga Springs High School on Saturday. Photo provided by Coach Jake Zanetti.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs varsity wrestling team finished first overall in the annual Saratoga Invitational on Saturday that also featured competitors from Ballston Spa, Queensbury, Averill Park, and South Glens Falls.
Individual first-place winners included Brendan Stoutenburg and Danny Dacey, while Luke Stoutenburg, Taylor Beaury, and Gianni Delgado all finished second.
The Blue Streaks recently finished ninth overall at the Windsor Christmas Tournament, where Beaury secured his 100th varsity win. Prior to Windsor, Saratoga placed second overall at the Lee Van Slyke Memorial Dual with a record of 4-1.
Korotoumou Katy Ballo poses with a group of young students inside an Ivory Coast library created by her nonprofit, Impactful Education. Photo via Impactful Education.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A Skidmore College alum who grew up in Anyama, Ivory Coast amidst a decade-long civil war returned to her hometown to open a library that offers thousands of youth free access to educational resources.
Korotoumou Katy Ballo explained how she accomplished this feat at a Saratoga Springs Lions Club meeting in December.
“It was very difficult for [my generation] because we grew up with a civil war and we felt like the older generation had failed us,” Ballo said. “So we have to make sure that we don’t fail the next generation.”
When graduating from Skidmore in 2021, Ballo was a recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace award, a program that funds students who want to implement their own grassroots projects for peace anywhere in the world. This grant led to the creation of Impactful Education and the construction of the first-ever library in Anyama.
Ballo said that many students in Anyama struggle with literacy and don’t always have access to modern technology. Ballo herself had never seen a library nor used a computer prior to immigrating to New York in 2013 (she now works as a senior financial risk consultant at Ernst & Young in New York City).
“Some of them, the first time they used a computer was when they started coming to our library,” she said. “So we are trying to close the literacy and technology gap.”
The library (or education hub as it’s officially known) has 24 computers and thousands of books. A free, 8-week summer program in 2024 helped educate 50 young people from Anyama, offering English learning classes, creative writing, fundamental reading skills, and group discussions and debates. Students also learned basic computer skills and progressed to using programs such as Microsoft Office.
Ballo’s Impactful Education aims to expand its influence in the future, hoping to reach hundreds of thousands of young learners in the rural Ivory Coast by building more libraries and offering more technological resources and educational programs.
“We are doing it for the younger generation,” Ballo said.
Impactful Education has earned financial support from the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs, as well as the Presbyterian United Church of Christ in Saratoga Springs. Ballo serves as the organization’s founder and CEO, and Don Wildermuth of the Wilton Rotary Club serves as the org’s treasurer. The nonprofit is currently accepting tax-deductible donations after recently becoming 501(c)(3) approved. To donate or learn more, visit impactfuleducationprojects.org.
The Ballston Spa girls varsity basketball team poses with their trophy after winning the Cortland Holiday Classic Championship. Photo via the BSPA DAWGS Facebook page.
CORTLAND — They got that dawg in them.
The Ballston Spa girls’ varsity basketball team tore apart the Cortland Purple Tigers like a starving beast devouring Christmas leftovers, capturing the Cortland Holiday Classic Championship last weekend with a 43 to 28 victory.
Cortland kept the game competitive up until the third quarter, when the Scotties hit four three-pointers, outscoring the Tigers 17 to 5.
To reach the championship game against Cortland, B’Spa beat Lafayette 69 to 41 earlier in the weekend.
Aubrey Kramer was named Tournament MVP, averaging 16 points per game. Mallory Sprissler earned All-Tournament honors, averaging more than 10 points per game.
With the win against Cortland, the Scotties improved to 7-1 on the season. They’ll next face Shaker in North Colonie on Tuesday, January 7 at 7 p.m.
