Glens Falls choice: Downtown apartments or green space

When developer Chris Patten proposed last summer to put up a new 64-unit apartment building on a prominent corner in downtown Glens Falls, he offered to fill an urban gap that has persisted for 45 years. Patten said he wanted to restore some of what the city had lost when the five story, marble-columned Glens Falls Insurance Co. building was torn down in 1976, leaving a vacant lot at the corner of Glen and Bay streets. His new building would mostly fill the footprint of the old one, generating lots more pedestrian traffic for downtown. Reaction to his plan was swift -- and overwhelmingly negative.
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Feeling the heat of Vermont

Pawlet hot sauce maker finds a spicy niche.
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New York’s disappearing third parties

When voters across New York head to the polls this November and next, they’ll likely have fewer candidates to choose among for local, state and federal offices. New state rules make it much harder for third-party candidates to get their names on the ballot, and that’s put a chill on party members who might have considered running for office. Four minor parties that were on ballots statewide last year, including the Green and Libertarian parties, have lost their ballot lines under the new rules.

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At the Clark, sculptures with a playful take on nature

The French artists Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne were married 40 years and worked together even earlier. Although they seldom collaborated on a sculpture, they always showed their work together under the shared name “Les Lalanne” and became known around the world for their whimsical life forms. This summer, their copper and bronze shapes will come to the Berkshires.

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