ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County is down $16 million from where it was last year for second-quarter sales-tax revenues, the county’s executive Daniel McCoy, reported on Monday.

He termed the 25-percent drop from a year ago “a very huge hit.”

ALBANY COUNTY — Local school districts, like more than 700 across the state, have until July 31 to submit plans for reopening.

The schools were closed by executive order in mid-March to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“We’re starting to see a slight uptick in cases, which is a big concern,” said Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen, noting, “It only takes a small number of cases to start … exponential growth of COVID in the county.”

Schools in New York State are to reopen based on data, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.

The state is divided into 10 regions; each is going through four phases of reopening, based on metrics.

“Numbers speak,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy as he noted that the Capital Region, among New York’s 10 regions, is tied with the Southern Tier, for second lowest in percentage of positive tests, at 0.7 percent; the very lowest is the North County at 0.1 percent.

Nancy Papish, Rotterdam

While President Donald Trump and Republican State Assembly members are calling for schools to reopen this fall, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday that the state will decide during the first week of August, based on data, whether schools will reopen then. The state’s Regents chancellor, acting education commissioner, and the largest teachers’ union all backed the governor’s announcement. Plans to reopen schools are due from the state’s more than 700 districts on July 31.

These local students were named to the dean's list from Western New England University in Massachusetts for the spring 2020 semester with a grade point average of 3.3 or higher:

— Sarah Fischer of Delmar, is majoring in engineering;

— Jonathan Hogg of Delmar, is majoring in forensic biology;

On the heels of the Fourth of July weekend, Albany County Health commissioner Elizabeth Whalen said the county has been receiving complaints of residents who are returning from visits to listed states. Whalen urged those residents to contact the health department, to follow the 14-day required quarantine, and to get tested.