Here is today’s daily dilemma:

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A question about a co-worker of mine has been bothering me, but I am too afraid to ask him directly. Everyone who works with him believes that he is gay, although he is not out openly. He actually never talks about anything related to relationships.

The only reason I would want to ask him anything about it is out intense of curiosity, and I know it’s not my call to make, but I feel like if he were honest with us, everyone would be more comfortable around him, as it is right now people avoid him because we are afraid to say something that would tip him off about our suspicions.

It wouldn’t change how I see him, I just want to get to know him better and I am almost 90% certain that he is. I haven’t mentioned anything yet because I don’t want to cross a line or embarrass him.

How should I handle this situation?

From Flickr user Beingmyself

The latest stop for some wayward black bears is in North Greenbush. One was spotted at Lydius Street close to Carman Road and another one was seen on Meadow Drive near the little league field. DEC officers are on the scene now taking care of the situation.

One of the bears is a repeat offender who has already been tagged in the past. Hide your picnic baskets. We’ll keep an eye on this.

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Question: Which 2012 WGNA Countryfest singer admits to discovering a love of whiskey and the music of Merle Haggard at the age of 13?

Answer: Joe Nichols recently revealed on GAC’s Backstory that he started drinking at around age 13. When he could, he’d shut himself in his bedroom, listening over and over again to a Merle Haggard record, mimicking the country music icon until he was hoarse. Time spent with the Hag paid off and at 19, Nichols released a single on a small independent label in Arkansas and played some club dates. He moved to Nashville and after a nearly two year period of dues-paying, was the first artist signed to Universal South Records.

According to his web site, Joe Nichols married Heather Singleton in ’07 following a friendship that began when they were 19. Just 30 days into their marriage, Nichols was back in rehab and what followed was a one step forward, two steps back pattern of behavior until 2008 when an intervention orchestrated by his family and friends sent the singer to an intensive, in-patient rehab treatment program.

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For me it is beef in general. Steaks, burgers, London broil. Everyone has a favorite.Next week we will take this a step further and put out a poll that is always a big issue of debate. What’s the best way to barbecue, gas or charcoal? This week though we tackle the food end of the spectrum. As you run the aisles of your favorite grocery store in the Albany area we wonder what grilling meats your are throwing into your carts for that next cookout at home with the family. Share this poll with your friends. You have until next Tuesday to vote.

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Former American Idol Kelly Clarkson is no stranger to country music. She has hit the top of the country charts twice. Once with Reba Mcentire on a duet of her hit “Because of You”, and the second time on a duet with Jason Aldean on the song “Don’t You Wanna Stay” which was written by 1077 ‘GNA Rising Star Andy Gibson who currently has a hit of his own with “Wanna Make You Love Me”.

Kelly is back again with one of her huge hits that she totally re-worked and did a great job of “Countrifying”.. if that’s a word. LOL If not, I just invented one. Check out her country version of “Mr. know It All.”

Flickr User bagsgroove

The Times Union is reporting there is one in a tree in North Greenbush, on Meadow Drive. There’s another in Guilderland, that was seen heading towards the Thruway near East Lydius Street.

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Officers from New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation have been working on getting the North Greenbush bear out of the tree. This one is close to the Hudson Valley Community College‘s day care center. everyone that’s inside the building was urged to stay there.

Let’s hope that all these bears will be returned, unnamed to their own environment, and let’s hope this will be one of the last bear sitings in residential areas for awhile.

From Grand Central Station Band website

Great tunes. Great food. Great price. When you get to party in the Grand Ballroom at Mallozzi’s in Rotterdam it’s always a good time. When you get to party with one of the region’s premier party bands Grand Central Station it is off the hook. You can this Friday night from 7-11pm at our Spring Fling Party.Tickets are just $10 per person online here, and will be $15 at the door on Friday evening. So come on over and party , we’ve got room, fun and music for everyone. It’s 21 and over to attend the party.

If you’re in the neighborhood but can’t attend and your 18 or older stop in the lobby at Mallozzi’s and register to win a trip to the Bahamas out of Miami from Silverleaf Resorts. There is no purchase necessary. We will give this trip away at the end of the night right there at the Spring Fling Party and you don’t need to be present to win.

Here’s our Spring Fling host band Grand Central Station in action. You don’t want to mis this time. There will be plenty of tickets at the door that night so grab the gang and come party with us. Who knows, you may be taking some time off work for your trip to the Bahamas too!

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Eric Church is ready to rock Countryfest 2012 at the Times Union Center on July 7th and he can save you money on the Brad Paisley Virtual Reality at SPAC on June 29th. Here’s how:This Friday from Noon-6pm and Saturday from 10am-2pm at the SPAC Box Office Only when you show them you Countryfest 2012 ticket you will get $10 off lawn tickets for the Brad Paisley Virtual Reality Tour with special guests The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery on June 29th. The will be not additional charges so you’ll save the full $10 when you flash your Countryfest 2012 ticket. That means your lawn seats for Brad Paisley will be only $19. You can buy up to 4 at this price.

So if you haven’t got your Countryfest 2012 tickets yet, get them now at Ticketmaster.com, The Times Union Center Box Office, or phone charge at 1-800-745-3000 and save on Brad Paisley this Friday from Noon-6pm and Saturday from 10am-2pm with SPAC and 1077 ‘GNA. We will be partying with all of you at both of these awesome shows!

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Personally, I don’t consider $3.82 a real bargain, but I’ll take any price cut I can get. In a story that I saw in the Times Union, the lower gas prices may be starting to help people start making some bigger purchases. If you want to find out about where the lower gas prices are in the Albany area, check out Albanygasprices.com. So take our poll about what you will do.

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Question: Which 2012 WGNA Countryfest singer cut a deal with his father to finish college? The deal was, that if he graduated, his father would pay for his first six months of living expenses in Nashville.

Answer: Eric Church had been making music all through high school, he continued to play while earning his marketing degree at Appalachian State University. Church’s group, the Mountain Boys, became a popular regional party band, playing nightly at bars and fraternity socials across the South. Church wanted to drop out of college to pursue his musical dreams, but his father cut him a deal: he promised to pay for Eric’s first six months in Nashville if Eric finished college. Two years later with diploma in hand, Church headed to Nashville, Tennessee to make a name for himself in the world of country music.

According to Yallwire, he used the first six months to get acquainted with the city, Church learned the ropes and made contacts in various record companies, eventually landing a job as a songwriter for Sony Tree Music Publishing. A hard-working small town boy, Church amazed executives by churning out hundreds of songs during his short tenure at the company. In early 2006, Church’s hard work finally paid off. He signed a deal with prolific record label Capitol, and released his first album Sinners Like Me in late 2006.

Brian Baker

This Friday is second stop on the Sean and Richie Small Town Tour. This week we join the Village of Victory Mills for breakfast at the Victory Mills Fire Department. Loving this stop because not only do we get a $7 breakfast but because this is also a fundraiser…when good deeds and full bellies go together I get happy! Menu includes choices from Scrambled Eggs, Home Fries, Pancakes, French Toast, Bacon & Sausage and Coffee, Tea or Juice. So join us for breakfast, find out who the Victory mills Citizen of the Year is and raise some cash for the fire house Friday 6 am to 10 am at the Victory Mills Fire House 23 Pine St, Victory Mills NY 12884.

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First, I want to thank everyone who wrote in to nominate people for the Victory Mills Citizen of the year. We received many amazing nominations. The hardest part was narrowing it down to four deserving individuals, but we have. Now it is your turn once again, we need your vote!

In the interest of fairness you will only be allowed one vote, so if there is someone you really believe in, make sure to tell your friends and neighbors to vote as well. Please read the excerpt I have included from the emails we received and then vote for your favorite.

1. Maureen Kemmet: Maureen has been our village clerk for several years. She has handled every major project that has been brought to her. She put together wonderful welcome packages for residents new to the area which include; refuse pick up, recycle pick up, village meeting times, dates and places. Maureen always treats people the way she would expect to be treated and is very helpful and sincere to all she come into contact with.

2. Mark Dennison: Assistant Fire Chief for the Village of Victory. He has spent countless hours over the course of his 31+ years of fire service fighting fires, doing EMS calls , training & teaching training courses. He was Fire Chief for 9 years of those years as well. The knowledge, integrity and devotion he shows his department as well as his community makes him an excellent candidate for this award.

3. Cathy Ippoliti: Shes GREAT! She lives in the hamlet off of Victory Mills known as Smithville and teaches special education kids at Schuylerville central school. They learn life skills.. I have seen them in Walgreens stocking shelves with her as part of their learning how to work.. she cares for each of her students very much.

4. Jodi Leight: Jodi gives 100% of her time to the community. She teaches chorus during school hours, and also tutors her students that need help. She gets up early to teach select chorus students at 7am before school starts. Jodi also organizes the Schuylerville Relay for Life team. Last year the team raised $30,000 for American Cancer Society. Jodi also helps or directs the school play.

OK, that is what your neighbors had to say about these nominees, now it is all up to you. Keep in mind you will only be able to vote ONCE a day and in the interest of fairness, we will not show the results until the polls are closed. Please encourage your friends and family to vote for your favorite but keep it fair.

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This is one of my favorite times of year. I love when the TV networks announce all the new shows and I judge them all site unseen. Then get surprised by a few and disappointed by many. Here;s a quick rundown of ABC’s Fall lineup.

“Red Widow“:  A drama, based on a Dutch show, about the widow of an assassinated criminal who’s forced to take over her husband’s role in an organized-crime syndicate in order to protect her family.

“Nashville“:  A “family soap” that’s set in the country music scene with one star at her peak and one on the rise.  Connie Britton from “Friday Night Lights” is the star, and Hayden Panettiere from “Heroes” is the up-and-comer.

“Zero Hour“:  A drama about, quote, “a bizarre twist of fate that pulls a man who’s spent 20 years as the editor of a skeptics magazine into one of the most compelling conspiracies in human history.”  (???) It stars Anthony Edwards from “ER”.

“Last Resort“:  “An international action-thriller-soap about establishing a new society in a world held hostage by the crew of a ballistic missile submarine. Basically, a U.S. nuclear sub crew goes rogue, escapes to an island, and declares themselves the smallest nuclear nation.  It stars Andre Braugher from “Homicide”.

“Mistresses“:  A drama about four women with “turbulent romantic lives.”  Say no more!  It stars Alyssa Milano and Yunjin Kim from “Lost”.

“666 Park Ave.”:  “A young couple accepts an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York, and they begin to experience supernatural occurrences, which complicate and endanger the lives of everyone in the building.” Terry O’Quinn from “Lost” plays “the building’s mysterious owner,” and Vanessa Williams plays “his mysterious wife.”

“The Family Tools” is a sitcom about a man who “puts his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business” after his father has a heart attack.  Leah Remini from “King of Queens” is in it.

“The Neighbors“:  A comedy about a family that moves into a high-end gated community in New Jersey only to discover that the entire neighborhood is made up of aliens disguised as humans.

“How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life” is a sitcom starring Sarah Chalke from “Scrubs” as a divorced single mom who moves in with her “eccentric parents.”  Her parents are played by Brad Garrett from “Everybody Loves Raymond” and Elizabeth Perkins from “Weeds”.

Malibu Country“:  A comedy starring Reba McEntire and Lily Tomlin.  Reba plays a woman whose husband cheats on her, so she moves in with the rest of her family in Malibu.

The shows ABC is NOT bringing back next season are:  “Work It”, “The River”, “Missing”, “Pan Am”, “Man Up”, “GCB”, “Desperate Housewives” and “Cougar Town”.

The series finale of “Desperate Housewives” aired last Sunday, and “Cougar Town” will move to TBS.

The shows they ARE bringing back include:  “Dancing With the Stars”, “The Bachelor”, “The Bachelorette”, “Body of Proof”, “Castle”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Happy Endings”, “Last Man Standing”, “The Middle”

–”Modern Family”, “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23″, “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, “Wife Swap”, “Once Upon a Time”, “Private Practice”, “Revenge”, “20/20″, “Scandal” and “Suburgatory”.

Here is today’s daily dilemma:

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I find that it is so hard to open your heart to somebody after you’ve been hurt. I did that and I’ve had my fair share of problems, but one main thing that’s preventing me from dating this new guy is our intellectual differences. I know this will make me sound like a snob but it really isn’t that. I come from a very educated family and I myself am college educated. The guy I’m seeing didn’t go to school (only high school) and he works in the trades. I Love him and he’s an amazing person but I’m terrified that I’m “dumbing” myself down a little. I can’t have deep conversations with him and I feel like our talks are so basic. I just worry that this will eventually become a much larger issue in our lives. There’s other things that are holding me back but this is one of the main things.

Does anybody have any experience with something like this and if so does education make a big difference in relationship dynamics? I don’t want to let him go because he’s amazing, but I can’t help but think I’m settling or down playing myself when it comes to him.

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In a story from The Saratogian, the ground search includes an area in the woods along the Hudson River. On Monday, part of the search focused more closely on the underground infrastructure of what used to be a mill, not far from the campsite. The search has been going on since Friday night and ended on Monday night. The plan will be re-evaluated later this week. There will still be periodic searches by helicopter and boat.

Also according to the Saratogian, “local volunteers worked with emergency responders, including the Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue, North Country Search and Rescue, Hudson-Mohawk Search and Rescue, Tri-State Search and Rescue, Northeast Mobile Search and Rescue and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.”

The Times Union included a new poster about Cale, recently released by authorities.

Our prayers are with Jesse Cole’s family.

flickr creative commons by stefou

Maybe you’re racing to get to your son’s baseball game in Clifton Park, or your daughter’s soccer game in Guilderland, after you went to two or three doctor’s appointments in Albany, and this was after almost a full day of work. So to make sure you get something to eat, you stop by a McDonald’s, Taco Bell or KFC.

As they say, moderation is the key. It’s alright to do it once in awhile. So just out of curiosity, which place is your favorite to stop and get fast food?

Country music also honors our military on number of different levels whether it be doing a USO tour much like Toby Keith and Kellie Picker to name a few have done or just writing a heart felt song that shows how much we appreciate these American Heroes. I always sing along to these kinds of songs when I hear them on GNA and here are just a few of my all time favorites.

1. Toby Keith — Courtesy Of The Red White And Blue (The Angry American)

A song Toby ends every one of his shows with. When I saw him last Summer at SPAC, he brought up a pair of Armed Forces members from the crowd during this song. Brought a tear to my eye.

2. Toby Keith — American Soldier

A song that gets in the mind of our brave fighting men and women. Very Powerful lyrics. Toby always plays this one at his shows as well, just before “Courtesy”.

3. Darryl Worley — I Just Came Back From A War

It is very obvious that Darryl loves his country. “Have You Forgotten” is one of my favorites as a proud American. I also love this one as it puts us in the shoes of a member of the military and tells us what they go through and how war can change people.

4. Billy Ray Cyrus — Some Gave All

The reason why the USA is the greatest country in the world. All because, “All Gave Some and Some Gave All”.  It’s because of these people, we have the freedoms we do today!

5. Trace Adkins — Arlington

Some very powerful lyrics that put us in the shoes of a soldier that gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

God Bless our Military for everything they do each and every day and God Bless America!

There are so many great songs out there that honor our Armed Forces, which ones are your favorites??

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In a story that I read in the Times Union, the bear was seen in the backyard of a man that was eating breakfast with his daughter. She’s the one who spotted it. They called Rensselaer Police. When the emergency crews arrived, the bear had moved on and back into the woods.

The Doane Stuart School, which is located near where the bear was, had sent some extra adults outside to watch for the bear, for the safety of the students and teachers. The school also has a nature trail that was right the bear where the bear was spotted.

The bears that were in Albany and Schenectady had both been released back into the woods. I wonder if, or when, we’ll see another bear head into a very populated area?

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Good news for anyone looking to go to college. Hudson Valley Community College is doing open enrollment for the next semester beginning on August 27th. This is great news for anyone looking to take a class or enroll in one of the more then 70 programs HVCC has to offer. As someone that went to Harvard on the Hudson I will tell you that they make enrollment pretty easy regularly so this has to be insanely easy. All you need is your academic records or your GED. Bring them to the Gunther Enrollment Services Building on the Troy campus Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 6 p. m. and one of the admissions counselors will get you enrolled in person. There is no application fee. So if you’re looking to start or finish a degree or just take a few classes go to Open Enrollment Day at Hudson Valley Community College.