On Monday, the CDC changed its guidelines to exclude testing people who do not show COVID-19 symptoms even if they have been exposed to the virus. In Albany County, and across New York State, the focus for months has been on increasing diagnostic testing, especially to identify the disease in people who may be spreading the disease before they show symptoms or who never show symptoms.

Anne F. Higgs, a retired teacher who lived in Florida, died peacefully at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. She was 90.

She was born Nov. 14, 1929 in Manhattan to the late Herman and Margaret Urquhart Forester.

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.