“It was confusing, very frustrating, stressful, the unknown, fear of the unknown, because this was the first fall when our expectation was that everybody went back to school,”Governor Kathy Hochul said at Monday’s press conference, going over back-to-school COVID protocols. This year’s landscape is different, she said, adding, “We’re expecting it to be a much, much easier year for parents and for schools.”

The Schoharie Valley Singers are beginning rehearsals for the group’s 44th concert season entitled, “Music in the Air.”
Rehearsals start on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Latter Day Saints Church at 141 Church St. in Central Bridge. There will be a potluck beginning at 6 p.m.

On Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed standards, continuing a trend it had started earlier this year. In February, the CDC had shortened isolation times. The changes are part of a movement away from institutions enforcing COVID rules — the Albany County Health Department like others in New York State long ago stopped tracking COVID cases — and towards individuals taking their own measures to protect themselves.

Most counties in New York State, including Albany County, are now under a drought watch — the first of four levels of state drought advisories, which are watch, warning, emergency, and disaster. No mandatory restrictions are in place under a state drought watch.

New York State’s first-ever pollinator survey, conducted over a three-year period, found, by conservative standards, that 38 percent of the state’s native pollinators are viable to be wiped out of the state completely, and that it could be as high as 60 percent of species when considering those that are known only by historical records.

ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County has received $2,365,306 to improve emergency communication.
The money is part of a combined $100 million awarded to 57 counties and New York City from the Statewide Interoperable Communications Grant program. 

ALBANY COUNTY — The Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District has awarded over $145,000 to six municipalities under its 2022 Municipality Conservation Assistance Funding:
— The town of Rensselaerville received $17,100 for ditch lining and bank stabilization;

A new online process will allow New Yorkers with a driver’s license, learner’s permit, or non-driver’s identification card to choose “X” as a gender marker without visiting a Department of Motor Vehicles office.

The sea lions are trained and cared for by Sea Lion Splash, a Texas-based company. 

This week, Albany County’s 126th of coping with the coronavirus, the governor’s office reported three virus-related deaths — one each on Aug. 4, 5, and 9 — in Albany County. This would bring Albany County’s COVID-19 death toll to 579 although, as of Tuesday, the county’s dashboard showed 578.