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Capital Region Once Again On The Brink Of Beginning Its Phased Reopening

Will Levith
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Capital Region Once Again On The Brink Of Beginning Its Phased Reopening

Once again, the Capital Region is on the precipice. In his May 17 press briefing, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that both the Capital Region and Western New York had both gotten within a criterion of beginning their phased reopening. Each region must meet seven criteria.

Early last week, the Capital Region came within one, but backslid later in the week to two criteria, compelling the governor to extend the region’s stay-at-home order until May 28. The governor did note that, if a region were to reach its seven-criteria benchmark during that time, it would be able to immediately break the order and begin its phased reopening.

As of just yesterday, the Capital Region still had two criteria to accomplish: a 14-day decline in hospitalizations (or three-day average of less than 15 new hospitalizations) and a 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths (or a three-day average of under five new ones). Those two criteria have been met, and it is now down to just one, having to do with contact tracing. “There is still a need to increase tracing, the number of people who are prepared to do tracing, and that is a pure administrative function,” said the governor. “In the Capital District, we need 383 tracers; we need an additional 166 identified.” He went on to say that the state would be in contact with the regional heads today to help hire, identify and train those additional tracers. (You can apply to become a contact tracer here.)

Once the Capital Region reaches its phased reopening, it will be divided into four stages: phase one will include reopening of construction, manufacturing and wholesale supply chain, retail (curbside pickup) and agriculture, forestry and fishing; phase two, professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support, and real estate and rental leasing; phase three, restaurants and food services, and hotels and accommodations; and phase four, arts, entertainment and recreation, and education.

On May 16, the governor announced that the state’s horse racing tracks, along with Watkins Glen (car) racetrack, could reopen without fans as early as June 1, regardless of where a region stood in terms of meeting the seven criteria. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) will be announcing when it plans to reopen Belmont Park, and eventually, Saratoga Race Course.

Governor Cuomo Gives Go-Ahead For Horse Racing To Begin Again Without Fans On June 1

Will Levith
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Governor Cuomo Gives Go-Ahead For Horse Racing To Begin Again Without Fans On June 1

After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on May 15 the hard-to-swallow news that the work-from-home order would be extended for the Capital Region and Long Island (and three other regions) until May 28, he followed it up the next day with some extremely positive news for the two regions.

In his May 16 press briefing, Cuomo announced that horse racing tracks would be able to open without fans as early as June 1, with specific guidelines for the required personnel at the tracks. “If you can have economic activity without a crowd, that’s great,” said Cuomo, referring to the various “attractive nuisances” such as racetrack and ballparks across the state. (This includes both Thoroughbred and harness racing tracks.)

In other words, that means that the New York Racing Association (NYRA) can reopen Belmont Park, which is based in Elmont, NY, on Long Island, without fans as early as June 1 (Belmont recently opened its main track to training). The news from the governor comes on the same day that NYRA started offering voluntary COVID-19 antibody testing, provided free by Northwell Health, for all staffers and backstretch workers at Belmont. Health protocols that have already been put in place by NYRA at Belmont include mandatory health screenings and temperature checks for all personnel seeking to access the property; policy and workplace adjustments to support strict social distancing; mandatory personal protective measures, including required face masks; and preventative quarantine protocols, testing and contact tracing.

In a statement later in the afternoon, NYRA’s President and CEO David O’Rourke said: “NYRA and the New York racing community are thankful for Governor Cuomo’s steady leadership throughout this public health crisis and we applaud his decision to authorize the resumption of horse racing, without fans, beginning on June 1.” He continued: “We look forward to the resumption of live racing at Belmont Park with all appropriate health and safety protocols in place to support the hundreds of small businesses, family-owned farms and thousands of hourly workers who form the backbone of thoroughbred racing in New York.”

O’Rourke didn’t specify whether Belmont would kickoff its spring/summer meet on June 1, but said that “NYRA [would] announce race dates and a corresponding stakes schedule for the 2020 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park in the very near future.”

Obviously, the most important piece of the Belmont schedule will be the running of the Belmont Stakes, which this year, will officially serve as the first leg of the Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby was already rescheduled to September 5, and it was just announced this evening that the Preakness Stakes would be running on October 3.

The final piece to this puzzle, of course, is Saratoga Race Course, which was already facing a summer season without fans, and like Belmont, is in a region that has yet to officially restart its phased reopening. It stands to reason that there will, in fact, be a racing season at Saratoga, though it’s still unclear whether the governor would be amenable to allowing the many NYRA personnel, backstretch workers and horsemen, who are currently at Belmont, to travel from the downstate track to Saratoga. The risk there would be of driving up the infection rate and in turn, the 14-day hospitalization and hospitalized death rates again, respectively, which are currently holding the Capital Region back from beginning its phased reopening. It’s entirely possible that, by the time Belmont’s spring/summer season is over, both Long Island and the Capital Region will have reached the benchmarks needed to begin their phased reopening, but it’s too soon to tell at this point.

Opening Day at Belmont was originally scheduled to take place on April 24, but was pushed back indefinitely due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Belmont spring/summer meet was originally supposed to end on July 12, four days before the original kickoff date for Saratoga. So, if NYRA were to reopen Belmont on June 1, its schedule would be one month and a week behind schedule. Whether or not Belmont’s lateness will push back Saratoga’s schedule or shorten its season remains to be seen (the opposite could also occur).

It’s also unclear how all of this news will affect the Saratoga stakes schedule, as the gem of the meet, the Travers Stakes, has traditionally run after all of the Triple Crown races have been completed in late August. Could it be run as a super prep race for one of the legs of the Triple Crown earlier in the meet? All will be revealed in the coming weeks.

New History Channel Miniseries About Ulysses S. Grant, Featuring Wilton’s Grant Cottage, To Air On Memorial Day

Jeff Dingler
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New History Channel Miniseries About Ulysses S. Grant, Featuring Wilton’s Grant Cottage, To Air On Memorial Day

A local historic site just outside of Saratoga Springs is about to be featured on the History Channel. Wilton’s Grant Cottage, a New York State historic site on Mount McGregor, about 20 minutes outside of Downtown Saratoga, will be featured in a new six-hour, docu-series on the life of Civil War hero and President Ulysses S. Grant.

The new documentary, Grant, was produced by New York City-based media company RadicalMedia, along with Appian Way’s Jennifer Davisson, Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio and Pulitzer-winning author Ron Chernow, whose biography of Grant inspired the docu-series. Split into three episodes that are slated to air on the History Channel from May 25 (Memorial Day) through May 27, Grant will feature cameos by Wilton’s Grant Cottage State Historic Site and its Operations Manager Ben Kemp; as well as Chernow and an ensemble of esteemed national figures such as author/journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates and former Central Intelligence Agency director David Petraeus.

“When we were first talking about this project, it was really interesting how many people there were who have connections to Grant,” says Dave Sirulnick, president of entertainment at RadicalMedia. “That includes people who read his memoirs or who visited or grew up near his different homes, near different battlefields or near sites like Grant Cottage.” Sirulnick knows a thing or two about creating successful TV series. Prior to taking the job at RadicalMedia in 2019, Sirulnick spent nearly three decades at MTV developing some of that channel’s most popular programming, including the Emmy Award-winning documentary series Made (2000-12); Emmy-winning series True Life (1998-2014); and musician and fan-favorite, Total Request Live (1998-2008). During this time, Sirulnick also helped create award-winning MTV music documentaries featuring superstars such as Lady Gaga, Drake, Ed Sheeran and Nicki Minaj. “When we here at RadicalMedia had the opportunity to work with the History Channel to bring this story to life, we were very, very excited,” says Sirulnick. “We’re pleased with how the series came out, and we’re very happy that people will get to know more parts of Grant’s story that they didn’t know before.”

To tell the story of the 18th president, Grant will feature a mix of filmed commentary, cinematic scenes and footage of actual historic sites and enhanced archival imagery. Wilton’s Grant Cottage is where the Civil War hero and then-former president spent the last weeks of his life in 1885, finishing his famed memoirs that would go on to become a bestseller and rescue his family from poverty. The third and final installment of Grant will include discussion of Grant Cottage, as well as filmed commentary by Kemp. “We’re excited to have exposure like the films and new biographies,” Kemp told Saratoga Living last June when SL first broke the news that the state historic site would be mentioned in the big-budget documentary. “It’s great because Grant Cottage is the final chapter to a fascinating life, and the last chapter is the thing that people usually remember.”

When DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, picked up the film rights to Chernow’s biography in 2015, rumors swirled that Steven Spielberg was in talks to direct with DiCaprio playing Grant. Now that Grant will finally see the light of day, it’s unclear whether that production will still happen.

AngioDynamics’ CEO Jim Clemmer On Why Keeping Company Morale High Is Crucial During The COVID-19 Crisis

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AngioDynamics’ CEO Jim Clemmer On Why Keeping Company Morale High Is Crucial During The COVID-19 Crisis

It might be challenging to stay focused while working remotely or continually reminding colleagues/family members to unmute during Zoom meetings, but what exactly does a work-from-home scenario look like if you’re the company’s CEO? This is the question that Jim Clemmer, CEO of AngioDynamics, a medical technology firm based in Latham, had to answer while his company’s employees, deemed “essential,” continued working both onsite and from home during the COVID-19 crisis.

“Honestly, I’ve had to change my game as we all have,” says Clemmer. “I’m used to going to the office every day, and now I can’t. I used to like to walk the building, talking to people—that’s how I like to lead.” Over the last few months, Clemmer has had to pivot, and he’s really come into his own, as he and AngioDynamics have gone to great lengths to ensure that employees are both safe and in good spirits during the pandemic. That includes offering online training seminars, increasing levels of communication and hosting regular Zoom meetings with the staff (with both those working from home and onsite). The company has also launched what it’s calling the Culture Crew, an employee-run group that dreams up fun events, such as virtual happy hours and online trivia games, for AngioDynamics workers, both on and off the clock.

AngioDynamics CEO Jim Clemmer

Additionally, AngioDynamics launched “Thank You Thursdays,” its series of free, weekly pizza lunches for all plant employees. Clemmer regularly attends them to show his personal appreciation for the staff and check in on his workers. “We’ve made some tough decisions to make sure we didn’t have to do layoffs or furloughs,” he says. “But I think our employees have been really resilient through this process, and we’ve really accepted the changes.”

Clemmer has been CEO of AngioDynamics for four years, after three decades in the med tech industry. He relocated to Saratoga Springs for the role. “I used to come up to SPAC every summer and stay the weekend in Saratoga,” Clemmer says. “When I was asked to join Angio, I thought, ‘Great, I can live where I go on vacation.’”

Looking ahead, Clemmer says that he and the AngioDynamics team will continue embracing the challenges that the COVID-19 crisis presents, whatever they might be. “The key to all of this is being nimble,” he says. “The new normal will be different, but I think we’re actually looking forward to it, because our people have the right spirit.”

Governor Cuomo Extends Work-From-Home Order For The Capital Region Through May 28

Will Levith
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Governor Cuomo Extends Work-From-Home Order For The Capital Region Through May 28

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to people who have been keeping an eye on the state’s new interactive map. Given the fact that the Capital Region and four other regions in New York State have not yet met the seven criteria needed to begin their phased reopening, Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the work-from-home order until May 28 for those five regions. (The other regions still on lockdown include Long Island, the Mid-Hudson region, New York City and Western New York.) “There’s no politics to this judgement,” said Cuomo of the extension of the lockdown order for those regions. “There’s no arbitrary nature to this judgement. It’s all on the numbers.”

The announcement was made during Cuomo’s daily press briefing on May 15.

The seven criteria in question include: a 14-day decline in hospitalizations (or a three-day average of less than 15 new hospitalizations); a 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths (or a three-day average of under five new ones); a three-day rolling average of under two new hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents; the share of total hospital beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; the share of total ICU beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; 30 residents per 1,000 that are being tested monthly (seven-day average of new tests per day); and 30 contact tracers per 100,000 resident (or to meet the current infection rate).

Whereas earlier in the week, it looked as though the Capital Region might be on the cusp of beginning its phased reopening—it had just one criterion left to accomplish—that soon backslid to two. And both criteria are the type that potentially require a two-week sample size: the 14-day decline in hospitalizations and 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths.

Cuomo was quick to note that if a region reaches the aforementioned benchmark in the middle of the latest extension, it would be able to break the lockdown order and begin its phased reopening.

Regions that have been given the green light to reopen as of today (May 15) are Central New York, the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country and Southern Tier.

Saratoga Should Consider Temporarily Shutting Down Broadway To Traffic During The COVID-19 Crisis (Opinion)

Will Levith
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Saratoga Should Consider Temporarily Shutting Down Broadway To Traffic During The COVID-19 Crisis (Opinion)

I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed a day or so ago, when I came across a man who, citing a news article that helped support his point, was arguing that the City of Saratoga Springs should temporarily shut down Broadway to traffic, so that restaurants, for instance, could properly mete out socially distanced real estate to potential diners. This could happen for at least the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis, but possibly longer. It’s certainly not a novel concept, and I think that during a time like this one, in which we’ve been forced to get creative on all fronts, whether it be through telemedicine, tele-education, tele-religion or tele-commuting, it’s the type of idea that could have legs—literally.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m a native Saratogian, who, after college, lived abroad for a year and then spent about 14 years in New York City. I remember when then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to shut down portions of Times Square and Herald Square to cars, turning them into “pedestrian plazas.” There was an immediate uproar. How could this be good for anyone? Taxis would be put out of business! People wouldn’t be able to get to work! It would be mayhem! Since then, it’s become an incredibly popular trend downstate, with more than 70 pedestrian plazas popping up throughout the city (here’s a full list). It’s made streets safer and helped boost the economy. The naysayers were silenced, and the Naked Cowboy continues to play, unabated.

Again, though, the idea of shutting down Broadway in Saratoga doesn’t really have anything to do with traffic or accidents or smog—at least at the moment. First and foremost, it has to do with health: It would offer Saratogians, and potentially hordes of summer tourists, more space to walk around, socially distanced from one another. It would help keep the infection rate down and save lives. And given the fact that the Capital Region needs to get its hospitalizations and hospital deaths down before it can reopen, all the more reason to try, right? (Need I remind you what this virus can do to healthy people?)

A temporary Broadway shutdown could also help facilitate three equally important, interrelated issues, which all depend on the Capital Region getting through its four phases of reopening before the peak summer months:

(1) It would help increase socially distanced foot traffic in Downtown Saratoga, which is likely facing an apocalyptic scenario due to the fact that Saratoga Race Course will likely be devoid of fans, or worse, depending on when the Capital Region is able to get itself in the mix of regions able to begin a phased reopening; and the fact that the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) will be presenting a greatly reduced season (top-flight acts such as the Dave Matthews Band and Bob Dylan have already postponed/cancelled their shows);

(2) It would increase the ability for small businesses, such as restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, cafes and boutiques, to create socially distanced seating and displays, essentially allowing them to “extend” their real estate beyond the normal brick-and-mortar locations (obviously, that would have to be closely regulated, too; and people could still park on side streets to pick up delivery orders, if they still needed to);

(3) And above all, it would provide those businesses a fighting chance to survive the summer months by bringing in much-needed dollars across the board. I’m sure the “Broadway effect” would be felt beyond that single strip of street that runs through the city, too.

As a few of the commenters noted on that fellow’s original Facebook post, Broadway quickly turns into US 9 on its south side, which is technically maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation; and it also branches off just before North Broadway to become the New York 29 truck route. So, as the commenters argued, shutting Broadway down to traffic would not only be a city-, but also a state-level issue. And if that truck route were affected, it could potentially disrupt commerce. Hey, look, if they could permanently shut down massive portions of Times Square in Manhattan, which sees 50 million tourists per year, they can figure out a way of (temporarily!) doing it in small town Saratoga, which reins in an estimated 1.5 million during the summer months. (Those numbers are likely going to be way down this summer anyway.)

We’d also not be the first city, by a long shot, to do something as drastic as this. The city of Berkeley in California is shutting down many of its streets, so that its downtown restaurant scene can survive; and Portland, ME and Denver, CO are thinking about doing the same. Seattle is shutting down 20 miles of streets to traffic, so that people can get outside and exercise more during the crisis, and Boston is weighing doing the same. Philadelphia has shut down streets to traffic, as has Minneapolis. All of this will likely be temporary, but who knows? It could catch on.

We’re living in unprecedented times right now—ones that I was literally reading about on vacation last year in an 800-page, fictional Stephen King novel (The Stand), which I laughed off as horror-fiction trash. Do I think that it’s the answer to all of our problems? No. But am I willing to try anything right now to ensure that all Saratogians are safe and our small businesses survive the summer? Absolutely.

Beyond My Battle Teams Up With Caffè Lena To Put On Virtual ‘Art With Heart & Hope’ Show

Gabrielle Vuillaume
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Beyond My Battle Teams Up With Caffè Lena To Put On Virtual ‘Art With Heart & Hope’ Show

The COVID-19 crisis has brought Saratoga’s once vibrant arts community to its knees, closing many of the city’s venues and postponing a number of live events. But late last month, there was a glimmer of hope when historic folk venue Caff`e Lena was deemed “essential,” opening back up to crowd-less performances.

Saratoga Living recently cosponsored an event there recently, and now others are taking notice. Beyond My Battle (BMB), a local nonprofit organization that provides support, education, resources and awareness to people with chronic illnesses and their families, will be holding its second annual Art With Heart & Hope, an art show featuring works by people who’ve been served by BMB, at the Saratoga venue, virtually.

On Saturday, May 30, BMB’s virtual Art With Heart & Hope event will be live-streamed on Caffè Lena’s YouTube page starting at 8pm. In addition to the exhibition, the event will also feature a live performance by local musician Angelina Valente. Art submissions for the show will be accepted through this Friday, May 15.

This year’s submissions “express a sense of hope more than last year,” says BMB Co-Founder Martel Catalano. One piece, she says, even focuses on COVID-19, specifically. “We can all use art to express how we feel, and we don’t have to be ‘good’ at it to do so,” she says. “Having a creative mindset brings us into the present moment where we can connect to what we’re feeling, in turn allowing us to express it through images, sounds or words.”

For more information on the show or how to submit work, click here.

The Capital Region Has Slid Back To Two Criteria Away From Its First Phase Of Reopening (Updated)

Will Levith
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The Capital Region Has Slid Back To Two Criteria Away From Its First Phase Of Reopening (Updated)

New York State’s recently launched interactive map, tracking regional reopenings, has quickly become a daily must-visit. And as it stands today, the Capital Region is on the cusp of beginning phase one of its reopening.

As Saratoga Living has reported in the last few days, the Capital Region began the week having met five of the seven criteria to begin the long, phased reopening process. To jog your memory, the seven criteria are as follows: a 14-day decline in hospitalizations (or a three-day average of less than 15 new hospitalizations); a 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths (or a three-day average of under five new ones); a three-day rolling average of under two new hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents; the share of total hospital beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; the share of total ICU beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; 30 residents per 1,000 that are being tested monthly (seven-day average of new tests per day); and 30 contact tracers per 100,000 resident (or to meet the current infection rate).

While earlier in the day, the Capital Region had just a single criterion left before being able to reopen—a 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths, or a three-day average of under five new ones—it has since backslid to five out of seven again, with an update to its 14-day decline in net hospitalizations. (The data in the chart is fluid.)

The four-phase reopening process will look something like this:

Phase 1: businesses that can reopen include construction, manufacturing and wholesale supply chain, retail (curbside pickup) and agriculture/forestry/fishing

Phase 2: professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support and real estate/rental leasing

Phase 3: restaurants/food services and hotels/accommodations

Phase 4: arts/entertainment/recreation and education

The predicted average between each phase, which is wholly dependent on whether the phase successfully occurs without infection rates rising, is about two weeks.

During the May 11 press briefing by New York Governor Cuomo, the governor noted three regions that had met all of the criteria to begin their phased reopening after this Friday, May 15: the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier. A fourth has since joined them: the North Country. Central New York is one criterion away from reopening, while the Capital Region, Western New York, the Mid-Hudson region and Long Island have met five of the seven criteria. New York City has met just four.

NYRA’s Belmont Park Opens Main Track For Training

Will Levith
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NYRA’s Belmont Park Opens Main Track For Training

With Saratoga racing fans still unsure about the future of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course—at last we heard, there might be a fan-less meet in the Spa City this summer—another one of the triumvirate of New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks looks to be gearing up for live racing without fans.

As of Tuesday, May 12, the main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY, on Long Island, has opened for training, with horsemen and their prized Thoroughbreds onsite, preparing for the kickoff of the spring/summer meet, which still remains delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A date has yet to be set for the start of the Belmont meet, though racing fans may have gotten a sneak-peek, when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled an interactive map during his May 11 press briefing, which identified the regions in the state that have been cleared to reopen, after the statewide lockdown order expires this Friday, May 15. Long Island has reached five out of the seven criteria needed by a region to reopen. These include: a 14-day decline in hospitalizations (or a three-day average of less than 15 new hospitalizations); a 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths (or a three-day average of under five new ones); a three-day rolling average of under two new hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents; the share of total hospital beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; the share of total ICU beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; 30 residents per 1,000 that are being tested monthly (seven-day average of new tests per day); and 30 contact tracers per 100,000 resident (or to meet the current infection rate).

Interestingly, both Long Island, the site of Belmont, and the Capital Region, the site of Saratoga Race Course, have just two criteria left to meet before they can start their phased reopening. But the phased reopening will likely take weeks, even months, to accomplish, and it’s unclear whether any “attractive nuisances,” such as a racetrack, will be allowed to open during any phase.

Job Hunters: Get Hired As A COVID-19 Contact Tracer, Radio Personality Or Snack Delivery Person

Will Levith
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Job Hunters: Get Hired As A COVID-19 Contact Tracer, Radio Personality Or Snack Delivery Person

There’s a massive elephant sitting in the room between us, and his name is the April 2020 jobs report. Yes, 20.5 million people lost their jobs and the unemployment rate soared to 14.7 percent, both monumentally crappy pieces of news—but there is a potential “silver lining” to all of this. “Almost all of the increase in people that lost their jobs believe that the layoff is temporary at this point, about 97 percent,” Matthew Luzzetti, US chief economist at Deutsche Bank told Yahoo Finance. “If that proves to be accurate, it is a positive sign.”

So, if that’s true—that this massive wave of unemployment is, indeed, temporary—then there is some hope. And hope is good. But hope doesn’t get you paid, right? In the meantime, application pools for jobs across the country (and potentially, around the world) are going to be larger than usual, so that means you job hunters out there need to be that much more intelligent about where you’re sending your résumés and cover letters. If you don’t qualify for a job, don’t apply; it’ll be a tremendous waste of your time and energy. If you do qualify for a position, make sure you have all your T’s crossed and I’s dotted before you send anything in. On LinkedIn Jobs, it’s tempting to click on “Easy Apply,” but that still means you’ll need to craft a cover letter, update your résumé and make sure that your LinkedIn page is up to date.

Lastly, we know that it’s a major drag even reading the news these days: Everything seems to be pretty negative. But there’s a way of putting a positive spin on some of it. For example, the fact that California is in the process of reopening means that remote work opportunities at Cali businesses will likely be increasing. Since we have our nose to the job boards constantly, we’ve seen a bunch of new opportunities crop up on the Left Coast. So, even if New York State is taking its sweet ass time reopening—and for good reason—there might be a future for you, remotely, elsewhere in the country. You’ll be a Zoom cocktail party hit in Upstate New York when you tell everybody you actually work in Santa Monica.

Local Job Opportunities

Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Radio Personality
A few Job Hunters columns ago, we highlighted a pair of job opportunities at a local radio conglomerate, iHeartMedia, which owns PYX 106.5—the classic rock radio station we grew up listening to and which still plays Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” at least 20 times a day (just guesstimating, of course)—among other local favorites. Well, it turns out it’s on a bit of a mini-hiring spree: iHeartMedia’s looking for a Morning Show Personality, who can do “news, talk, music, comedic or other format shows or program for broadcast entertainment.” (Of course, that doesn’t mean you can drop F-bombs and/or have wardrobe malfunctions live on the air; this is terrestrial radio, not satellite, which doesn’t adhere to FCC regulations.) It’s also not an entry level position: You need at least three-plus years experience on the radio and a four-year college degree. Search for the position on LinkedIn Jobs, or look for it on the company’s jobs page.

Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Contact Tracer
If you’ve been following our What It’s Like series on saratogaliving.com, you’ll be aware of what a contact tracer is. It’s basically someone who helps a person who has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus antibody to “trace” the number of people he or she came in contact with before he or she went into quarantine. It’s a super important job that will help reopen New York faster. Look at it this way: If we know how many people have been infected and can quarantine people who may’ve been in contact with them, it’ll make life safer for everyone. If you’re thinking, “I don’t want to be anywhere near someone who’s had COVID-19,” don’t worry; this is a remote position and just involves good organizational skills. Per the job listing, it’s part time and temporary, and will involve “[using] a web-based client resource management (CRM) platform to call all contacts of anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, determine exposure, assess symptoms, refer for testing according to established protocols and provide them with instructions for isolation or quarantine.” Sound like something you could do from your home office while you wait for the next big position elsewhere? Apply here, or search the job on Indeed.com.

Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Cybersecurity
It shouldn’t be surprising that there are a ton of great tech companies in the Albany area, given that one of the country’s top tech schools is based in Troy (see: RPI). And since we’re on a cybersecurity role—we had a listing in last week’s column from a local firm—we figured we’d include another one: Do you have what it takes to be an IT & Cybersecurity Manager? We don’t know who the company is hiring for the position, but our pals at Walrath Recruiting sure as heck do. Let them help you find out here.

Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Dishwasher
Little known fact: Saratoga Living Editorial Director Will Levith spent a number of summers in Saratoga (at Skidmore College and Saratoga Race Course) and Ballston Spa (at the long-shuttered August Cafe), washing dishes. And in a brief interview, he said, “I loved it.” If you have what it takes to make dishes, silverware and other kitchen-related implements appear spotless after they cross through your sink station, maybe it’s time to apply for this Dishwasher job at Chili’s in Glenmont. Search for the position on Indeed.com or search the company’s jobs site.

Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Drivers/Deliverers
Seven years ago, two 20-year-old dudes at Drexel University in Philadelphia had the idea to launch an app that would send people all over the country snacks and other essentials: frozen dinners, sugary cereals, candy bars and the like. They called their invention GoPuff, and given that right now, we’re all in need of a little love in the form of a junk-food care package, GoPuff’s business is booming. And it just so happens that the company is hiring drivers and deliverers in our area. Search for those jobs on Indeed.com (there are multiple). Or, if the company sounds like a place you’d like to throw your business acumen behind, corporate’s also hiring in Upstate New York (check out listings here).

National/Remote Work Opportunities

Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote) – Copyeditors/Proofreaders
Think you’re a whiz at copyediting and/or proofreading? (It doesn’t hurt if you have an English degree or know where the phrase “sucks to your assmar” comes from.) Book publisher Simon & Schuster, which is owned and operated by media bigwig Viacom-CBS, is looking for part-time copyeditors and proofreaders for its pop-culture books division, Adams Media. You’ll need to have amazing attention to detail and be able to adhere to its in-house copyediting guidelines—not to mention have familiarity with The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th or 16th Edition (ChicagoManualofStyle.org) and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition (Merriam-Webster.com). You need a BA and at least one year of experience doing this type of thing—so we’re going to guess that if you interned at Saratoga Living in the past few years, you have a leg up on most candidates. If you need a reference, we’d be happy to write you one. Search for the job on Indeed.com, or apply on the company’s corporate website.

Note: If you’ve never applied for a job at a big company like Viacom-CBS, chances are, the process will take you longer than expected. The reason? You’ll need to upload your entire résumé by hand in all of the many fields it asks for. But take your time with it: Once you upload your information once, if you ever want to apply for another position at Viacom-CBS, your information will be saved in their system. (We know from experience.)

Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote) – Virtual Music Instructor
The COVID-19 crisis has hit our brothers and sisters in the creative arts particularly hard, given that many make their living performing in public places, and that’s pretty much impossible to do right now. (Save for at “essential” venues like Caffè Lena.) What if you could take your talent as a musician and broadcast it remotely? And make money for it? Sweet Music Academy in Howell, NJ, is looking for symphonic‌ ‌musicians,‌ ‌college‌ ‌instructors,‌ ‌touring‌ ‌artists ‌and‌ ‌Broadway‌ ‌performers to fill part-time Remote Music Instructor positions. (Pay is $50-$125/hour, depending on experience.) For more information on the business, click here. Find the job description by searching remote jobs on Indeed.com.

Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote) – Grant Writer
Is there a way to love this job opportunity more? If you’re a talented grant writer—i.e. you know how to apply for grants from the government, major corporations or foundations, on behalf of a nonprofit that needs grant money desperately, more so now than at any other time in recent history—this is the job for you. California-based nonprofit The Love Story, a platform that allows people to use journaling to address depression and prevent suicide, is looking for someone to work 5-10-hour weeks for three months or more. It’s an entry level job, so all of you recent (or soon-to-be recent) college students should get on this. What an amazing organization that’s truly fighting the good fight! Search the position on LinkedIn Jobs, or browse the organization’s about page for more information.

Job, Business And Volunteering Resources

What’s The Dealio With Mealeo? 
According to the Albany Business Review, Latham-based food delivery service app, Mealeo, has grown its business every month since it was founded in 2008. And it’s seen meteoric growth during the COVID-19 crisis, completing 5,000 orders per day versus 2,000 prior to the crisis. Want in? Become a driver today. Or, if a corporate job becomes available, you can send your résumé and cover letter here for future review.

Spread Your Wings—Later
AB Jets, a Lear jet operator that flies all over the country, has put out a call for a First Officer, even though it’s not hiring for one at the moment. “COVID-19 has created economic hardships for us all,” AB Jets’ posting reads. “Our company is in a good position to weather the storm. At this time we have no open pilot positions. Feel free to apply for this job to put your résumé in position to [be] reviewed when the time comes to hire.” If you have the mighty wings (that’s a Top Gun reference, by the way) to make a job like this happen, get your résumé over to them pronto. Apply for a future position here.

Cool Resources For Kids

Bedtime Story, Anyone?
Even as we begin talking about reopening New York State, it doesn’t mean that the stress and anxiety of the COVID-19 crisis will just evaporate into thin air. Kids are under a ton more stress than they usually are these day—and look, if they’re not sleeping, neither are you. If yours are having trouble getting regular Zs, there’s a new-ish app called Moshi that could be helpful. Basically, the app features a number of ways to get your kid to sleep: via meditation, soothing music or bedtime stories, read by stars like Goldie Hawn. You can test it out with a free, seven-day trial (link is over the company’s name).

Cool Diversions

Sweet Melissa
Man, I would’ve thought she’d have stopped a long time ago. But every day of the week on Facebook Live, you can catch Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician Melissa Etheridge performing live for fans in her awesome wo-man cave, raising funds for various nonprofits and seemingly having a bang-up time. Catch her show from this past Saturday above—or you can just tune in today, whenever she happens to be jamming.

Parting Shots
With news that there could potentially be a Major League Baseball season as early as July, we thought it fitting to end with a little baseball-related music. Since we know the Capital Region is full of both Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans, we’ve included the yin and yang of rivalry-related songs to get you in the spirit.

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