“The next person we’re going to reach on the waiting list applied in 2019,” said James Mastrianni whose company administers the federal program for the town.

The annual statewide ban prohibiting residential brush burning begins March 16 and runs through May 14.

Since 2009, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation has enforced the annual brush-burning ban to prevent wildfires and protect communities during heightened conditions for wildfires.

“Inflation is not only driving increased service to community members in need,” said Natasha Pernicka, director of The Food Pantries for the Capital District, “but is also impacting food pantry operations to keep shelves stocked. Our fuel expense to distribute food nearly doubled in 2022.”

WESTERLO — Lloyd Reman says he has traveled the globe during his career in finance, working with people in 50 different countries.

So many people in the United States, he says, don’t know this world of ours.

ALBANY COUNTY — Through 5 p.m. on Saturday, National Grid had restored power to nearly 53,000 of the 72,700 eastern New York customers affected by storm damage, according to a release from the company.

Among the hardest hit areas were Albany, Saratoga and Schenectady counties.

While just one hunter died last year from a shooting incident, four died after falling from tree stands.

ALBANY COUNTY — This week, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Board of the World Health Organization is meeting to work out the final terms of a global pandemic agreement and will then seek ratification of WHO’s 194 member states.

On Wednesday, the state’s labor department announced that regulations for farm laborers overtime pay have been adopted.

Over the course of a decade, farm workers statewide will see the threshold for overtime pay lowered until it reaches 40 hours a week, down from the current 60.

The new anti-hate policy, said Nathan Sabourin, would “touch on virtually every aspect of the district.” He went on, “It is not going to be simply aspirational. It is going to have, for lack of a better term, teeth, and guidance. And it’ll be not just a policy, it will be a regulation within the district.”

The state comptroller’s Feb. 17 analysis shows sales-tax collections for Albany County increasing by 11.6 percent from January 2022 to January 2023 — going from $27.3 million to $30.55 million. Sales-tax levels still exceed pre-pandemic amounts