The blue wave that gave Democrats control of the State Senate did not lift all boats.

Republican George Amedore won a third term representing the 46th Senate District. He bested his Democratic opponent, Pat Courtney Strong, a newcomer to politics, with 55 percent of the vote.

Settlement money from the nation’s largest banks over misconduct that contributed to the housing crisis is being given to land banks across the state to revitalize communities with blighted or abandoned properties.

GUILDERLAND — Amy Castillo and her husband realized their dream a few years ago when they were able to buy a farm on Brandle Road.

They named it Kava La Reina Farm. “Kava” means “bee” in Guarani, an indigenous language of South America and an official language of Paraguay.  So their farm’s name translates to “queen bee.”

Incumbent Democrat Patricia A. Fahy faces two challengers to represent the 109th State Assembly district: Republican Robert G. Porter and Conservative Joseph P. Sullivan.

Candidates for New York State’s Assembly and Senate were asked about relevant background, their reasons for running, and what they hope to achieve if elected. They were also asked to give their views on each of these issues:

The Mohicans have purchased tribal lands in Bethlehem where human remains of their ancestors were found.

Firefighters say requiring sprinklers in new homes would save lives. Realtors say installing such systems should be a matter of personal choice not a government requirement.

Laura Ten Eyck, in researching a book about hops, which is now grown at Indian Ladder Farms, became interested in hemp and hopes to write a book about that, too.

The public hearing on a proposed Youth Council law, which would require town board approval when picking their director, will continue next month.

ALTAMONT — This week, Wayne Knapp and Kathy Mack, a couple from Guilderland, will be strolling the grounds of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia plantation, and they will also be exploring, on foot, the nation’s capital of country music: Nashville, Tennessee.