Experts reviewed New York State data before five regions got the green light to reopen Phase 2 businesses on Friday.

After the county closed its congregate-meal and adult day-care programs to stem the spread of the coronavirus, it turned to delivering meals to homebound seniors, which also served as a way to check on their welfare.

As New York State begins to reopen, the horticulture industry, which includes greenhouses, nurseries, sod farms, and arborists, has been deemed essential and these businesses are now permitted to resume business statewide, in all regions.

The county’s health commissioner said systems will be put in place so that the county is aware of deaths that nursing homes report to the state.

Acting Supreme Court Justice David A. Weinstein has ruled that the New York State Board of Elections decision to remove 46th District State Senate candidate Gary Greenberg from the ballot is valid, leaving fellow Democrat Michelle Hinchey unopposed in the primary.

These local students have been recognized with 2020 Academic Achievement Awards, at State University of New York College in Oneonta:
 

These local students were named to the spring 2019 semester dean's list at Nazareth College comprised of students with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher;

— Alexis Anagnostopulos of Altamont;

— Alyssa Belcastro of Schenectady;

— Adriana Brusgul of Altamont;

These local students were named to the dean’s list from their college or university for the spring 2019 semester:

— Jessica Kemp of Delmar, at University of New England in Maine with a grade-point average of 3.3 or higher; 

These local students have recently distinguished themselves:

— Haley Golderman of Slingerlands, helped the University of Vermont's 6th annual student-led fundraising event RALLYTHON raise a record-breaking $140,813.29 for the UVM Children's Hospital;

As Albany County ends the 11th week since the first two cases of COVID-19 were announced on March 12, the county executive says, “We are starting to go in the right direction ….” Both statewide and in Albany County, the curve has flattened and the Capital Region has completed the first week of the reopening of Phase 1 businesses.