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Remember that story about the Skidmore Photography Club getting all the student groups on campus together to pose nude for a charity calendar? I thought so.

Well, if you just so happened to grab one of those preciously provocative date savers, here’s a chance to make it all the more unique: the photography club is hosting a calendar signing on Saturday, Jan. 30 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the first floor of the Case Center.

Organizers said that each club featured in the calendar have members on sight to sign individuals’ copies.  A few of the clubs have also volunteered to perform throughout the afternoon, they said, without elaborating on exactly what those performances may look like.

The organization that is ultimately benefiting from the fundraiser — The Giving Circle — will also be represented at the event. Remaining calendars will be sold on site, as long as supplies last.

– Drew Kerr

I didn’t realize this until earlier today, but the Saratoga Springs Police Department has a profile on Facebook.

The department’s page has a bunch of interesting old photos from around the station, notes about activity within their ranks (their longest tenured officer, Sgt. Robert Wilson, retires on Friday after 36 years in public service, for example) as well as helpful tints about law changes and news releases.

A lot of police outfits are turning to social media these days — in some cases to shame the people they arrest, in other cases to help them get information to the public in the most efficient means possible.

The SSPD’s social networking prowess ends at Facebook, but there are a number of other agencies in the area that are turning to Twitter as another tool to reach residents (here’s the feed from the Hudson Falls Police Department, for example).

Asked today if the SSPD might one day find themselved using the micro-blogging site, Lt. Greg Veitch, who serves as their public information officer, was noncommittal.  “I don’t really get how that works,” he said.

Hey, it’s a start.

– Drew Kerr

Go ahead and mark your calendars: the Dave Matthews Band is coming back to Saratoga Springs.

Concert promoters Live Nation announced on Tuesday that Matthews and company would play the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on June 4 and 5.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Feb. 26, but early ticket requests can be submitted as early as Thursday through the band’s Web site (yeah, you have to be a fan).

The band — Matthews, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard and Boyd Tinsley — will appear in Saratoga Springs with the Felice Brothers, according to Live Nation.

The show is the fourth stop on the band’s 2010 North American tour. The tour begins with shows on May 28 and 29 at the Comcast Theatre in Hartford, Conn.

There are 49 total stops on the tour, which concludes on Sept. 15 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

The only other show I’ve seen announced for SPAC so far this year — unofficially — is the Doobie Brothers. They are scheduled to play here on July 3, according to Pollstar.

— Drew Kerr

Skidmore College is hosting a series of climate-changed themed events next week that could help local residents make sense of what took place in Copenhagen last month. All of the programs, part of an annual effort called ‘Focus Skidmore,’ are free and open to the public.

Events include: a screening and discussion with producer and director Jennifer Redfearn, who chronicled the plight of an island that could be overtaken by a rising ocean; a discussion with a Maine-based carbon consultant who specializes in weatherization; and a forum with Pakistani Ambassador Ahmad Kamal, who works with the United Nations’ climate change team.

Details for each event can be found here.

– Drew Kerr

Some complimentary tax help will be offered at the Saratoga Springs Public Library beginning next weekend.

Help will be available on a first come, first served basis between noon and 3 p.m. beginning Saturday, Feb. 6, organizers with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program said (to reserve a spot, you may want to hit the Henry Street library when it opens — 9 a.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday).

The United Way is offering some help on Wednesday evenings, too. Appointments are required, and can be made by calling 664-8322. There are also taxpayer assistance centers in Queensbury and Albany that residents can turn to. They are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Only residents with incomes less than $49,000 are eligible to receive the free help. You will need to bring a Social Security card, photo ID and all other necessary tax information, organizers said.

– Drew Kerr

Saratoga County’s housing market continues to show signs of rebounding.

Statistics released today by the Greater Capital Association of Realtors showed the number of closed residential sales in the county was up 21 percent, and that the number of pending contracts climbed 43 percent, when comparing December 2009 and December 2008.

In all, 160 home sales were registered in Saratoga County last month, according to GCAR; there were another 132 contracts of sale, the group reported.

Those gains, though, did not translate into better prices for sellers: the average sale price dropped 3 percent, to $269,120, and the median price dropped 6 percent, to $235,000.

The trends in Saratoga County match those seen in a number of neighboring counties, but stand in contrast to new national numbers, statistics show.

The number of sales made in Saratoga, Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie and Montgomery counties climbed 11 percent when comparing December 2009 and December 2008, according to GCAR, while the average sale price dropped 5 percent.

Nationally, though, the number of existing home sales fell almost 17 percent last month. That was the greatest drop-off in four decades.

– Drew Kerr

A section of trails out at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park will be shining on Saturday night.

Staff at the park announced this week that their annual moonlight ski and snowshoe will take place from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Camp Saratoga parcel off Scout Road. Luminaries will be placed along 2.5 miles of groomed trails that run through the forest, where bonfires and hot chocolate will serve to provide a bit of warmth. The event is free, but snowshoe rental (limited; first come, first served) costs $3.

Staff said the event will take place weather permitting — the forecast now calls for a chilly but clear night — and that the back-up date is Saturday, Feb. 27. Call 450-0321 for more details.

– Drew Kerr

There’s been a lot of movement on Broadway in recent weeks.

Among the developments:

– Saratoga Needle Arts, located at 494 Broadway, closes today. Last I saw, the store was offering 20 percent off all items. Owner Cindy Spence told The Post-Star recently that outsized rent played a role in her decision to sell the business, which is now expected to reincarnate in a few months under new ownership.

– The Grotto, later known as Club 388, is now available for lease. The 7,000-square-foot space is located just south of the take-out Chinese place.

– Nearby, at 382 Broadway, the former home to Kem Handbags, there is a sign for a forthcoming Italian ice store. Johnny’s Gourmet Italian Ices is due to open in Spring 2010, according to the sign.

– Next to that location, at 378 Broadway, are indications of another new business: Zola Kids. The sign says the “earth-friendly boutique” will open in March.

– Celtic Treasures is temporarily closed as construction crews build a stairway to the second floor, which will be renovated into rentable office space. The store is also getting a new facade that 0wner Paul O’Donnell says will mimic the look of the Menges & Curtis Pharmacy nearby. The hope is that the story will be re-opened in time for the Dance Flurry over Valentine’s weekend, O’Donnell said.

– Cafe Gelato is making a move to 458 Broadway, which previously housed a Subway restaurant and a short-lived cafe, Boca Viva.

I hope to learn more about the incoming businesses in the near future, and will bring you more information on each when I can. In the mean time, though, what are your thoughts on all the activity downtown?

– Drew Kerr

Saratoga Springs Mayor Scott Johnson announced this week that he will present his annual ‘State of the City’ address on Jan. 26.

Johnson, a Republican who easily won a second term last year, will deliver the speech at 7 p.m. inside the under-construction Saratoga Springs City Center. The city charter mandates the mayor give the address before the first meeting of the city council in February.

Last year, Johnson used the opportunity to call for fiscal conservatism and to caution against drawing too heavily from the city’s reserve funds.

– Drew Kerr

Reuter’s reported on Wednesday that the Abu Dhabi investment firm that teamed up with Advanced Micro Devices last year to create GlobalFoundries is now eying full ownership of the company.

The Advanced Technology Investment Co., or ATIC, filed an application in Germany earlier this month seeking to take over GlobalFoundries, according to Reuter’s report.

ATIC  is wholly owned and operated by the government of Abu Dhabi, which is using its vast wealth to make headway into the computer chip market. The company already has a majority stake in GlobalFoundries, which also has operations in Dresden, Germany. AMD owns the company’s remaining shares.

ATIC officials made light of the move in the Reuter’s story, suggesting it was part of a “long-announced plan for AMD to gradually become fab-less,” a term that refers to companies which design computer chips, but do not make them.

But the development comes as New York state continues to reimburse GlobalFoundries for construction costs associated with their $4.2 billion factory at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta. The company is eligible to receive up to $600 million in state taxpayer money for building in the state, and can receive an equal amount in tax breaks and credits.

My question to you, readers, is this: If GlobalFoundries becomes wholly owned by a company with access to Abu Dhabi’s deep pockets, does the state’s incentive package still make any sense?

AMD, by the way, is set to release its latest earnings report later today; analysts seem optimistic.

Update: AMD posted their first profits in three years after the market’s close. A $1.25 billion settlement from chief rival Intel helped the company make gains.

– Drew Kerr