SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mark Edward Banovic, a Farnsworth Middle School teacher and coach, died on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020. He was 41.

“Mark was diagnosed with leukemia (AML) on May 30, 2020. His treatment for the disease was unforgiving and he valiantly battled the disease until his passing,” his family wrote in a tribute.

Colby Jones, the daughter of Bob and Judy Jones of Hamlin, New York, and Joshua VonHaugg, the son of Matt and Sue VonHaugg of Knox, wed on Aug. 8, 2020 at Ridgemont Country Club in Rochester, New York.
 

The ceremony was officiated by Michael Myers, longtime family friend of the bride.

So far, four Albany County gyms have passed inspection to reopen. The county is urging gym owners to request inspections through its website.

 “For every $100 spent at a local store, approximately $48 stays in the community … If you spend that on a chain store, about $14 stays in the community … That’s a huge difference,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy on Tuesday as he launched a “Shop local” campaign. 

On Monday, the governor issued an executive order to ease mail-in voting, and the state’s Office for the Aging encouraged older New Yorkers, of which there are 4.3 million, to get current with all recommended immunizations.

While the news, statewide and locally, on controlling the spread of coronavirus continues to be good, the fiscal news — a report on state tax receipts shows a 10-percent decline —  continues to be bleak.

Sweeping voter reforms and an extension for protecting tenants were part of the governor’s pandemic response on Thursday.

A letter to the Enterprise editor this week urges local governments to adopt resolutions that call for New York State to be split into three autonomous regions, effectively separating the upstate region from New York City. Bills introduced by New York State Assemblyman David DiPietro and New York State Senator Robert Ortt last year attempt to formalize the idea, which is derived from a decades-old push to make the New York City region its own state. 

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy cited statistics on two leading underlying health issues of New Yorkers who had died from COVID-19: 13,000 with hypertension and 9,000 with diabetes. Regular physical activity, McCoy said, could improve or prevent these conditions.