Unemployment down. Halloween up?

"Coolest thing" in NY. Diner sold. Metal for mental health.

Thank you to all who purchased annual subscriptions during our sale. You will see the free bonus month soon in your account. THANK YOU!

—Steve Thurston and Abby Tegnelia, co-owners, Saratoga Dispatch

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The “Morning Call” wakes you up with the top stories from the Dispatch and other news outlets that affect Saratoga.

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Feeling the Spirit early?

Spirit Halloween, the seasonal holiday retailer, is on track to open more than 1,500 stores across North America this year, starting next month, a story in the Times Union says. New York will get 38 stores. Exact launch dates have not been announced, but they tend to fill available retail spaces in strip malls and other population centers, the story says..

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Mamdani, McDonough often absent

The state legislature does not set a limit to the number of days a law maker can be absent or follow proceedings on Zoom, but Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Queens Democrat running for NYC mayor, and Assemblyman David G. McDonough, a Long Island Republican, have missed the most, 24 and 16 days missed respectively of 71 days in the session, the Times Union is reporting. “Despite that, McDonough was still able to get as many bills passed this year as Mamdani,” the story says.

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Former coach pleads guilty in hair pulling case

Jim Zullo, the former Northville High School girls’ basketball coach, was caught on video pulling a player’s hair after a big loss in March, pleaded guilty to a harassment charge, the Times Union is reporting.

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Malta diner sold

The former Dunning Street Station Bar and Grille in Malta was sold by Lake Ridge LLC for $420,000 to Sakandari Pizza Co. Inc., a story in the Albany Business Review says. Former owners Bob McKenna and Scott Ringwood had troubles staffing after the COVID pandemic and are focusing on their Lake Ridge Restaurant in Round Lake, the story says.

Looking for more Saratoga Springs headlines?

Head over to our friends at SARATOGA REPORT!

Ellis Medicine faces lawsuits

A data breach that exposed patient information on 13,000 people has led to three class action lawsuits against Ellis Medicine, the Daily Gazette is reporting. The lawsuits claim the Schenectady-based hospital failed to safeguard patient data, violated the rights to privacy, and did not disclose the breech expediently, the story says.

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NYS Biz Council “coolest thing made” contest

Voting in the Business Council of New York’s second annual “Coolest Thing Made in NY” contest is now open. The statewide initiative spotlights the innovation, creativity, and manufacturing excellence of businesses across the state. The public can vote for as many of their favorite products as they would like. The 16 companies that receive the most votes will move on in the competition to the head-to-head bracket-style challenge. (one vote per product per day per device), the council’s website says. Find descriptions of the various entrants here. Multiple rounds of voting as companies are eliminated, click here.

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Below the fold:

Mind blown festival. Weather, traffic, stocks and NYS unemployment figures in a handy table