Among the $76.4 million from the state for freight-rail infrastructure upgrades is $5 million to Norfolk Southern Railway “toward safety and service reliability enhancements, including the rehabilitation of 15 miles of track along the Voorheesville corridor, grade crossing resurfacing, the installation of welded rail, and other enhancements.”

ALBANY COUNTY — Starting on Thursday, the statewide mask-or-vax mandate for businesses is lifted, Governor Kathy Hochul announced at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Governor Kathy Hochul said on Friday she would talk to her health experts “and then make some decisions in the next few days, the next few weeks about the requirements that we have in place to keep us safe and whether or not they’re going to be as necessary.”

John Ervin, San Diego, California

Tom Ellis, Albany

Asked how her department was able to get into homes and serve seniors during the pandemic while other counties did not, Commissioner for Aging Deb Riitano said, “Albany County adjusted its business model to help people in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. We did not have any reduction in services or programs.”

Serge Oktyabrsky, professor of Nanoscience at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, has received $300,000 in funding from the United States Department of Energy to further develop scintillating detectors.

On Friday, Hochul announced the mask-or-vax requirement, initially set to expire on Feb. 1, would be extended until Feb. 10 and then re-evaluated in two-week increments. An appeal, now in New York’s middle-level court, has yet to be decided. On Monday, the court granted the health department’s request for a stay, which means the mask mandate can remain in effect through March 2.

The rollout of 5G cellular networks across the country is expected to majorly improve people’s online experience, including, eventually, those who have trouble getting online in the first place.