SARATOGA SPRINGS – As student-athletes from area high schools graduate and move on to collegiate programs, the media’s attention tends to shift toward the next batch of kids ready to suit up for the Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks. Students moving on to programs that are outside of their hometown’s coverage area can be overlooked unless they become stars in their own right.

If you’re a sports fan or a fan of Saratoga, you’ll not want to miss this weekend’s World Championships Breeders’ Cup races from beautiful Santa Anita Park. This is the World Series, the Super Bowl of horse racing and nearly one third of the total entries for this year’s 15 races are from our own turf.

Recently, a small group from upstate New York visited The United Arab Emirates as part of a fact-finding and good will effort aimed at understanding a part of the world about which most of us in America are ill informed, but with which there are growing connections in business, industry and cultural matters.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – In the words of Sustainable Saratoga representative Larry Toole, the land where the capped Weibel Avenue landfill sits is currently “useless.” The nonprofit, grass-roots organization hopes to change that and use the land as a location to harvest sunlight for solar energy, which if successful, could eventually allow residents who wouldn’t normally be able to utilize solar energy the chance to buy into production capacity and offset electric consumption in their own homes.

BALLSTON SPA - Dozens of supporters of Maplewood Manor milled about with colorful signs in front of the Saratoga County Office Complex on October 24 prior to the Public Health Committee’s special meeting regarding the possible privatization of the nursing home.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen held a public forum October 23 in his efforts to make local government a more transparent and open process.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – As exclusively reported by Saratoga TODAY in its June 8, 2012 issue, the heads of Saratoga Springs’ Universal Preservation Hall (UPH) and Schenectady’s Proctors Theater confirmed the beginning of what they both hope will be a permanent working relationship that will lead to both upgraded facilities and programming.

While most fine arts programs in schools throughout the country are being cut or reduced dramatically due to lack of funding, the program at Saratoga Central Catholic (SCC) High School is actually growing, even against all odds.

There have been a lot of people pushing for the athletic complex on the Saratoga Springs High School campus to be named in honor of the late Raymond Waldron. Ray passed away a little over a month ago, and I had written a column about the importance and impact of Ray's life and influence on this community and the school district.

For most Saratoga residents and for many racing fans in general, the season for horse racing is limited to the Saratoga meet. But if you really want to see two days of the most concentrated racing talent in America and some of Europe's most capable runners, don’t miss the upcoming Breeders’ Cup races. On Friday and Saturday, November 2-3, Santa Anita will offer 15 Breeders’ Cup races with purses totaling more than $25 million.