Brian and Chrissy

Schenectady has great food, we all know that.  Known mostly for it's outstanding Italian food and pastries, the Electric City appears to be making a name for itself in the world of BBQ as well.  A recent survey of Yelp reviews ranked the Top 25 best BBQ restaurants in all of Upstate, and a local place didn't just make the list, it dominated.

Wow. I don't think any of us saw that coming. Following her strong performance of "Shallow" in round 1 of the American Idol finale, and a hometown video that gave us chills, Madison VanDenburg returned to the stage to perform a song by the artist she's been most compared to.  In round 2 of the finale, VanDenburg belted out "Breakaway" from Kelly Clarkson.  Luke Bryan commente

On the Facebook page of a historic and popular bowling, thank you's are posted to the firefighters for their brave efforts, and the local community for their support  following a fire that blazed through parts of Troy this morning. While everyone is thankfully safe, this fire marks the devastating end of an era for a place that was home for good times and good friends.

The first hour paid tribute to the music of the Woodstock era on American Idol Sunday night, and Cohoes' Madison VanDenburg proved once again, that she can rock out with the best of em'.  But it was during her show-stopping second performance of the evening, a power ballad by Celine Dion, where the local teen brought the house down.

Ask anyone in the Capital Region who their favorite American Idol finalist is and it would be mostly unanimous; Madison VanDenburg.  We had the chance to ask the Cohoes native what some of her favorite local things are, and she was more than willing to share them with us.  From favorite ice-cream spots to dream local concert venue, Madison gave us the lowdown.  Here the whole segment here as heard

The massive wave of Idol momentum continued Sunday night for 17-year-old Cohoes native Madison VanDenberg.  The pitch-perfect teenager advanced to the final eight on American Idol following a performance of a song that many have said they never heard sung so well.

When I was in middle school, it was a chore to get me to clean my bedroom let alone the bathroom.  To be honest, it still is.  Major props to these local middle school kids who brought a little hard work and creativity and worked together to give their school a cool looking bathroom makeover.

A woman in Troy sent us an email telling us about her brother, a rather obnoxious (her words) Patriot fan from the Boston area who she wanted to 'mess with a little bit about his favorite team'. Challenge accepted! Enjoy the audio of the prank call we made to this Pats 'super-fan' just days before the big game.

The upcoming Super Bowl match-up features the New England Patriots led by the G.O.A.T. Tom Brady, while their upstart opponents, The L.A. Rams are led by their young star in the making, quarterback Jared Goff.  While fans and oddsmakers continue to make their arguments over which team will win on Sunday, Brian and Chrissy from the GNA Morning Show decided to let local farm animals battle it out. 

Nothing is better than a hot, creamy, delicious bowl of chowder especially this time of year. Whether you like yours loaded up with clams, potatoes, corn, chicken, bacon, cheese, ham or all the above, nothing warms your insides and makes you happier during Winter's deep freeze quite like a piping hot bowl of chowder.  I prefer New England Clam, but I'm down to try all the delicious chowder recipes

We all know that police hear all kinds of excuses as to why people were caught speeding, texting, in an accident etc.  I think it's probably safe to assume that most of the time, a lousy football team isn't the go-to excuse. But one New York Jet fan told cops that he got drunk and crashed his car because his football team stinks.

John Bradke is originally from Niskayuna where he served as a volunteer firefighter for 12 years, but in his heart, he knew he needed to be doing what he loves down in New York City. So 5 years ago he chased his dream of becoming a firefighter in the Bronx, leaving behind a loving girlfriend, family, and friends.  He told GNA why he decided to make such a bold leap and it's the kind of life-changi