On the very last day of the dig, a thunderstorm was coming in from Lake Victoria in Kenya.

“My graduate student … was up on top of the hill with a laser transit, which is a big metal contraption used for surveying,” recalled Thomas W. Plummer, who was overseeing the archaeological excavation.

Guilderland Superintendent Marie Wiles noted that currently Guilderland is allotted $5,400 for each pre-kindergarten student, “which doesn’t begin to cover the cost for the community-based partners that we have.” She went on, “They feel and rightfully so — and were pleased to continue to work with us — that they can actually do better just by being independent and getting self pay from parents who can afford it.”

After a pandemic-induced moratorium on evictions that lasted almost two years, ending early in 2022, proceedings have topped pre-pandemic levels in 40 out of 62 counties statewide, according to an analysis by Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Albany County saw filings for 8 percent of renter households in 2022, according to the Eviction Filings Dashboard. The county, with 55,849 renter-occupied units, had 4,362 filings last year.

The new Guilderland law grants an exemption of 10 percent on town taxes to active firefighters with two years of service; a volunteer with 20 years of active service gets a lifetime exemption. The law also grants exemptions for surviving spouses.

GUILDERLAND — The school board here voted unanimously on Tuesday to refund Macy’s $373,623 in taxes because of a settlement on its assessed value.

BERNE — Anita Martin talks to horses.

As a certified equine sports massage therapist, she helps horses in pain.

“When horses are in pain,” she says, “they need help. They can’t tell us with words, but they certainly tell us with body language and action,” which can include biting, bucking, and kicking.

Board members Rebecca Butterfield and Kimberly Blasiak are certain they will run again. Judy Slack is taking a wait-and-see approach while still gathering names so she is prepared to run if need be, she said.

If a call to 518-665-7860 results in a gun seizure, the caller could get a $500 reward.

“The classroom disruptions caused by the pandemic have hurt New York’s students,” said Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli this week as he announced the results of his analysis. “Academic losses were greater for younger students, with fourth grade scores dropping more than the national average. School districts must act quickly to take full advantage of available resources to help students that are most in need get caught up, before time runs out.”

NEW SCOTLAND — When is a coat a work of art? When is a coat the center of a play?

When it is Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The character Joseph wears his coat in this weekend’s school production in Voorheesville — where it takes on a life of its own, swirling in its many-splendored colors.