Regional

The superseding indictment alleges that the defendants were part of an online group known as “Purgatory” and that they used multiple online social media platforms, including Telegram and Instagram, to coordinate and plan their swatting activities and to announce swats that they had conducted.

ALBANY COUNTY — Not-for-profit organizations in Albany County may apply to the county’s Soil and Water Conservation District for funding to complete conservation-related projects that protect the natural resources of the county and beyond.

Charles van Wie told The Enterprise this week, after the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets put out a notice about a batch of chocolate milk from his farm that was recalled due to improper pasteurization, that the milk is “totally perfect.”

The number of old bucks killed during hunting season continues to grow following a campaign launched by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

Not long after Albany County legislators tabled a bill that would ban misinformation in anti-abortion facilities, New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Heartbeat International and 11 anti-abortion facilities that promote an abortion pill reversal treatment that has been discredited by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

The Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, Northeastern Cave Conservancy, and Huyck Preserve will receive a combined $95,000 for various projects that help them further their separate missions. 

The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking data on species status assessments to update New York’s State Wildlife Action Plan for 2025 to 2035.

A line in the proposed bill would exempt the Albany County Department of Mental Health from notifying local officials when a mental health facility proposes to relocate within the same municipality, causing angst among legislators who worried one might wind up in their district without input.

ALBANY COUNTY — A quick-thinking environmental conservation officer, Michael Hamline, prevented a Voorheesville brushfire from spreading by using a folding  shovel.

The fire was reported on Tuesday, April 9, on State Farm Road, according to a release from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

NEW SCOTLAND — The Albany County Rail Trail near the Bender Melon Farm Preserve Bridge in New Scotland is closed through Tuesday, April 30, because the bridge is being upgraded.

This is the area between Hilton Road and Upper Font Grove Road.