NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, announced a boost in participating employers in New York’s Small Business Marketplace (SBM) due to significant changes made earlier this year. 

State officials said it’s now easier for small businesses to access the federal Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, and there are more health plans for employers to choose from through New York’s SBM. 

In the first five months of New York’s re-vamped SBM, the number of participating small employers increased by over 300 percent and now exceeds 9,000.

The Adirondack Thunder and The Wesley Community have entered into a new partnership that will offer seniors a savings on home game tickets to see the Thunder at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.

Seniors ages 55 and older will receive a $2 discount on tickets to home games during the 2018-19 regular season, courtesy of The Wesley Community. The discount is available on all full-price tickets exclusively at the Upstate Chevy Dealers Box Office at the arena.

“We are extremely excited to announce this brand-new partnership with The Wesley Community,” Thunder President Jeff Mead said. “Adirondack Thunder hockey at Cool Insuring Arena is a great night of fun and entertainment for people in our community of all ages. Our goal is to always make Thunder hockey affordable for all and this new discount program will continue that push for the seniors in our region.”

A group of more than 50 trail enthusiasts turned out on Nov. 3 to cut the ribbon at the new entrance to the Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail in Saratoga Springs conducted by Saratoga PLAN. 

The reopening culminates a season of trail renovations including the creation of a new spur trail at Meadowbrook Road, extended bog bridging to avoid wet areas, extensive raising and smoothing of the trail surface, numerous drainage improvements, and new additions to prevent flooding caused by an active beaver population, officials said. 

The trail had been closed since last spring while the renovations were underway.

Many volunteers who worked on the trail attended, along with representatives of business partners, the city of Saratoga Springs, and Saratoga PLAN staff.

By Jill Nagy

Plug Power Inc., a manufacturer of hydrogen-powered fuel cells based in Latham, opened a new manufacturing plant in Clifton Park in August. The new facility, at 620 Van Patten Drive, will supplement the company’s existing manufacturing plant in Latham. 

The company said the facility provides the expanded manufacturing capacity required for Plug Power products to meet the rapidly growing demands of the hydrogen fuel cell industry.

Plug Power is investing nearly $2.8 million over five years for the new 38,400-square-foot facility. Plug Power estimated that it will add 97 new jobs to its current roster of 650 employees. Because of the commitment to creating new jobs, Plug Power will receive nearly $640,000 in tax credits under the state’s Excelsior Job Program.

By R.J. DeLuke

GlobalFoundries announced in late August that it is shifting its strategy and will cease development of cutting edge manufacturing technologies and stop all work on its 7LP (7 nm) fabrication processes. Instead, the company will focus on specialized process technologies for clients in emerging high-growth markets.

The change has resulted in layoffs. GlobalFoundries will eliminate 455 jobs at its Malta plant and another 31 based at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany, according to filings with the state Department of Labor.

The company employed about 3,400 people before the restructuring.

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) aid the 2018 season at Saratoga Race Course concluded on Labor Day with the second highest all-sources handle in history, despite a summer meet that was inundated with more than 10 inches of rain.

Total all-sources handle generated during the meet was $659,083,459, in spite of the fact that 50 races were forced to be taken off the turf, nearly double the number from 2017 and almost as many as the prior two years combined, officials said. A total of 27 races were taken off the turf in 2017 and 25 in 2016.

On track handle for the 2018 Saratoga meet surpassed $148.8 million. Total paid attendance for the 2018 Saratoga meet was 1,124,149, marking the third consecutive season that paid attendance has exceeded 1.1 million fans.