This Saturday, April 21, volunteers will be hard at work when some of our community’s most caring members come together once again at the Guardian House, for a full day of gardening and giving back.

“I’m really amazed. I love Ballston Spa. It is the most giving town,” said Darcy, a current resident at the female veterans’ home.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Commissioner of Accounts John Franck has scheduled a public hearing to be held prior to the May 1 City Council meeting, in an effort to place Saratoga Citizen’s proposed change to the city’s charter on the November ballot. The hearing is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. May 1 at the Saratoga Springs City Council chambers prior to their next meeting. The council may vote on the matter that evening, but will likely wait to hear various solicited legal opinions regarding the proposal’s validity after it was proposed two years ago.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – As the conversation over changing the city’s last call hour continues, a proposal by Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathiesen could be looked at as a compromise between himself and the bar owners who have rallied together to protect their businesses – and bottom lines. Mathiesen is asking that establishments within Saratoga Springs employing bouncers or designated security staff be outfitted with an easily identifiable piece of attire or insignia to help them stand out from customers. This way, the commissioner says authorities would be able to tell who’s who should they respond to an incident downtown.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Regional YMCA was selected as a winner in the 2012 LIVESTRONG Community Impact Project, thanks to the support the project received through an online vote campaign on the foundation’s website.  This award means Saratoga Regional YMCA will be able to implement LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, which is a research-based program that offers support to cancer survivors who are adjusting to life after treatment.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Fifteen people, including 11 currently enrolled high school students, were arrested after allegedly purchasing fake driver’s licenses from an international counterfeiting ring. The four other people facing charges include one of the teenager’s parents, two recent graduates from Saratoga Springs High School and a student at Skidmore College. The 14 teenagers are all facing charges of third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a Class-A misdemeanor. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of up to a year in jail.

MALTA – It’s no longer just wishful thinking: GlobalFoundries and numerous spinoffs have brought thousands of new jobs to the region, spurred economic growth despite a worldwide recession and are on the verge of actively transforming Saratoga County into a manufacturing powerhouse. After years spent hoping and praying for GlobalFoundries to bring real and meaningful change to the area, the wait is over.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Local skateboarders struck a big victory late last year when they successfully petitioned the city to unearth the concrete bowl located at the skateboard facilities within East Side Recreation Park. The bowl had been inexplicably filled in with dirt by the city one morning in 2010, and remained that way until it was finally reopened in November 2011. The concrete bowl’s excavation was thanks in large part to Charlie Samuels, a filmmaker and local skateboarder, who took his plight to city officials on numerous occasions to see that the bowl was reopened for the skateboarders in Saratoga Springs.

WILTON – The Wilton Food Pantry (WFP) and The Empty Bowls Project have joined forces to help combat food insecurity in Wilton, and with the help of Skidmore and the local community, the organizations will seek to raise money to support the pantry Sunday, April 15 at the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge #161.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – In 1919, representatives from 46 out of 48 states ratified what would become the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The amendment proposed making it illegal for businesses to sell or distribute alcohol in U.S. territories. Later that year, Congress would override a veto from President Woodrow Wilson to pass the Volstead act, which further defined the language in the amendment, and set the official start date of prohibition for January 17, 1920. The legislation would create an entirely new subculture of bootleg alcohol distillers, who would supply the newly illegal substance to underground nightclubs more commonly known as “speakeasies.” One of Saratoga Springs’ most prominent buildings, the Batcheller Mansion, was sometimes used by its owners as the venue for the lively, yet illegal gatherings.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Alan R. Davis, President of SUNY Empire State College, announced his resignation effective August 31 of this year. The announcement was made via webcast April 2. Davis is leaving Empire State College to take a position as president and vice chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, located about 25 miles southeast of Vancouver.