EAST GREENBUSH— Ronald Gene Czajkowski a religious and creative family man, died on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, from injuries sustained from a fall at Thacher Park. He was 44.

The soil, groundwater, and sediment at the site are contaminated with mercury. An unnamed tributary, which runs parallel to the site, merges with the Patroon Creek, and empties into the Hudson River, has also been contaminated.

The worth of an education cannot be measured in test scores; rather, its value becomes apparent as life unfolds. Schools must be careful not to cut or curb what most ignites students' passions.

Check out some scores from the past week.

Athletes may have their high school sports season ruined by serious injury, but they can learn life lessons in the process.

Alexander Ivanov, a veteran Grandmaster from Massachusetts, drew his last game against fellow Grandmaster Joel Benjamin to score 5-1 (four wins and two draws) to win the $1,500 first prize in the 135th New York State chess championship, America’s longest running chess tournament.

The University at Albany is recognizing 227 outstanding high school seniors from the greater Capital District as recipients of its 2013 Multicultural High School Achievers Awards.

Six Guilderland High School students and seven Bethlehem High School students are among the approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 59th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

The Guilderland students are: Matthew Gu, Hahn-Sol Kang, Justina Liu, Isaac Malsky, Luxi Peng, and Michelle Xiong.