The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance for state and local governments, saying, “Universal case investigation and contact tracing are not recommended for COVID-19.” Rather, health departments should “prioritize specific settings and groups at increased risk,” the CDC says.

“We are right now living through kind of the political and the intellectual collapse of something we thought was very natural and very normal,” says Ryan Irwin.

Some counties in New York State are designated as “high” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We will allow them the flexibility to determine what’s best for their county,” said Governor Kathy Hochul in terms of masking in schools. Albany County is “medium,” meaning no masks are required.

Guilderland Superintendent of Schools Marie Wiles noted that the two-year anniversary of the county’s first COVID-19 case — from Farnsworth Middle School — is upon us. It’s been “a rollercoaster for the last two years,” she said and echoed “the power of partnership” in getting through it.

Papers were filed on Feb. 18 by the town’s attorney, James Melita, against Kent Hansen, who owns the property; Joshua White, who leases the property; and The Back Door Albany, the name of the venue.

The announcement follows changes in federal guidance on mask-wearing, announced on Friday, which Hochul said “surprised a lot of people.” Mask requirements remain in effect “for the time being,” Hochul said, in state-regulated health-care settings, state-regulated adult-care facilities and nursing homes, in correctional facilities, in homeless shelters, and in domestic violence shelters.

The Guilderland School Board’s Feb. 15 resolution says the Cobblestone Schoolhouse property “is declared to be of no further use or value to the District and in fact, continued ownership of Property is fiscally detrimental to the District.” The resolution goes on to authorize listing the property for sale or auction.

Another Albany County resident, a man in his nineties, died of COVID-19 on Thursday, according to a Friday morning release from Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy. This brings Albany County’s COVID-19 death toll to 528.

As the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to plummet from the mid-January Omicron peak, both statewide and in Albany County, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that all hospitals across the state can now perform elective procedures. The state had kept a list of hospitals, which Albany Medical Center was initially on, where staffed bed capacity was less than 10 percent, meaning elective procedures couldn’t be performed.

BERNE — Beth Davis has fulfilled a lifetime dream.

She was one of just eight school librarians from across the United States to serve on the William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award Committee for 2022.