SARATOGA SPRINGS – This summer, area cooks and restaurateurs will have a chance to engage in some culinary-combat to find out which one of them will reign supreme. The Adirondack Appliance Cast Iron Chef Invitational will pit the top chefs from the Capital Region’s best restaurants head-to-head to see who has what it takes to be named “Cast Iron Chef.” Beginning June 1 during the annual Parade of Homes: Chefs on Parade event, Saratoga Springs restaurants such as Max London’s, The Local, Mouzon House, Elizabeth’s Table and Lake Ridge will be paired with Capital Region-based building companies to form teams. Along with staking their claim to the title of “Cast Iron Chef,” the winner will receive a brand-new EVO Affinity grill.

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Local philanthropist and community leader Phyllis “Philly” Edmunds Dake passed away in her home Wednesday, May 30, from complications of Huntington’s disease.

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Two area residents have filled a summons and complaint with the state Supreme Court against Nissan of Saratoga, the car dealership raided by state police May 9 as part of a separate ongoing investigation by the attorney general’s office.

BALLSTON SPA – After years of careful planning, millions of dollars secured through grants, numerous renovations to properties and storefronts and a strong revitalization effort, downtown Ballston Spa is booming. With the village firing away on all cylinders, long time businesses are thriving, new businesses are opening up regularly and foot traffic through the beautified village has never been better.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Saratoga Springs has long been a world-class destination for health, history and horses – and now, semiconductor technology and manufacturing.

SARATOGA SPRINGS- In an unexpected move of cooperation and transparency, New York Racing Association (NYRA) officials publically relinquished temporary control of the region’s beloved horse racing industry to the state on Tuesday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS- Although the Memorial Day parade was threatened with cancellation due to a perceived lack of interest and funds, its likely comeback is largely due to the efforts of one local man.

GLENS FALLS – As the collective hockey world shifts its attention to the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals, the Adirondack Phantoms will begin their next season with a new head coach behind the bench. The National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers organization announced on May 22 that Joe Paterson had been relieved of his duties as the head coach for their minor league affiliate Adirondack.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – A 67-year-old woman was assaulted in the early morning hours of May 22 near Congress Street and South Franklin Street. According to the Saratoga Springs Police Department, the woman was sitting in her car awaiting her husband when the suspect, identified as 18-year-old Antonio Lopez-Bautista, allegedly approached the car from behind before pulling the victim out of her seat.

SARATOGA COUNTY – Saratoga County school districts may have dodged a bullet this year after voters approved a majority of the proposed budgets Tuesday, May 15, but drastic cuts in staffing and programing, paired with dwindling state aid and limited revenue will continue to compound district woes in the years ahead.