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WASHINGTON, D.C. — With less than 10 hours to go before a government shutdown, President Donald Trump called Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer to the White House for what appeared to be a one-on-one meeting of the outer-borough opposites.

The Tri-City ValleyCats will have a new manager for the third year in a row. The Houston Astros, Tri-City's parent club, announced today Jason Bell will manage their New York-Penn League affiliate in Troy in 2018.
Bell replaces Morgan Ensberg, who went 34-39 in his only season with Tri-City. Ensberg, a former Astros All-Star third baseman, was promoted to manager of Class A Advanced Buies Creek (N.C.)
Bell, 26, will be Tri-City's ninth manager and the youngest in the history of the franchise, founded in 2002. He graduated from Central Missouri in 2014. It will be his first managerial job.

ALBANY - A new study by the Center for Economic Growth in Albany shows the incredible research and development output of the Capital Region's semiconductor industry, which produced more than 1,000 computer chip and semiconductor technology inventions in 2016.

SCHENECTADY — Jason Sacks, a building manager accused of failing to make sure the fire alarm system and the fire doors worked in a Jay Street apartment building where four people died in a fire almost two years ago, quietly pleaded guilty to felony charges on Jan. 12.In return for this guilty plea to four counts of criminally negligent homicide, Sacks will be sentenced to one to three years in state prison.

ALBANY — The state agency in charge of oversight and inspection of New York's 561 local jails and state prisons hasn't been tracking incidents that could reveal larger trends and problems, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said in an audit released Friday.

Temperatures are expected to warm up over the weekend, but meteorologists say they're not anticipating widespread flooding.Dan Thompson, a meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Albany, said the stretch of warm weather won't be as warm as the last time - with temperatures getting into the high-40s at its peak.

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Keith Urban's 58-date Graffiti U World Tour will stop at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in June.Urban's June 27 show at SPAC is the fifth show scheduled so far on the tour.

ALBANY (AP) — More than $5 million in two new state grants is available for farmland protection efforts in New York.Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that a total of $5.5 million will be available to help preserve farmland and protect it from development and conversion into non-agricultural uses.

Journey and Def Leppard are playing a show at the Times Union Center in May, Live Nation announced Friday morning.The May 23 show is part of the joint tour the rockers, who were majors stars in the 1980s, will mount this summer.