Economic achievements over the past year were central to County’s Executive Daniel McCoy’s 2023 state of Albany County.

On Wednesday, the state’s labor department announced that regulations for farm laborers overtime pay have been adopted.

Over the course of a decade, farm workers statewide will see the threshold for overtime pay lowered until it reaches 40 hours a week, down from the current 60.

The state comptroller’s Feb. 17 analysis shows sales-tax collections for Albany County increasing by 11.6 percent from January 2022 to January 2023 — going from $27.3 million to $30.55 million. Sales-tax levels still exceed pre-pandemic amounts

For centuries, a great primeval forest stretched uninterrupted from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. But, after little more than three generations of European development, the landscape was completely transformed.

About a third of the deer tested during the second season in Albany County were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus that causes COVID-19, a recently published Cornell study says. The samples were collected by hunters from 2020 to 2022.

Michael Thomas Snyder, an East Berne native who cherished his children and life outdoors, died suddenly and peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. He was 42.

State University of New York College at Oneonta has announced students achieving honors for the Spring 2022 semester. 

— Sean Nolan of Altamont, graduated  cum laude and earned a bachelor of science in sport management;

— Caroline Lydon of Delmar, graduated  cum laude and earned a bachelor of science in psychology;

These local students were named to the president’s list Southern New Hampshire University for the Summer 2022 semester:
 

— Emilie Moss of Delmar. on president’s list  at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester with a grade point average of 3.7 or higher;

These local students were named to the dean’s list or received a similar honor from their college or university for the spring 2022 semester:

— Celia L. Welton of Delmar, at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts with a grade point average of 3.8 or higher;

A new widow had never driven. She had no license. She did, however, have her husband’s car. But, without a driver’s license, she couldn’t register the car to park it on the street.

A neighbor said, “Hey, if you title it to me, I can register it in my name and I can then park it.”