“We never had a high-five moment and said it’s over,” said Governor Kathy Hochul of COVID-19. “We’re in a new phase; we’ve been adapting to the circumstance and reopening in a way that I still believe should continue.”

Frank D. Coon was known for his strong work ethic and equally strong love of his family.

“He was an excellent husband. Everybody wanted him,” said Verlane Coon, his wife of 63 years. “He was a worker. He didn’t have hobbies. He didn’t go fishing. He worked.”

Mr. Coon died on Thursday, March 3, 2022. He was 80.

Both the state’s health commissioner and governor on Monday emphasized two main courses of action in dealing with the latest Omicron sub-lineage: People should get vaccinated, including booster shots, and people should immediately be tested for COVID-19 so they can be treated to stem the spread.

The two companies producing a messenger RNA vaccine against COVID-19 — Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech — have asked the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization for a second booster shot.

Albany County’s redistricting process is being overseen by an independent commission meant to ensure that districts are changed according to values that line up with fair representation for residents as opposed to political advantage for legislators. 

On Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul quietly extended for another month the pandemic state of emergency she had declared on Feb. 14, set to end March 16. The shortened declaration, which says, “New York continues to experience COVID-19 transmission, with the rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions remaining at over 100 new admissions a day,” runs through April 15.

WESTERLO — Ruth Lucille Bates, a hard-working animal lover who challenged expectations, died on Thursday, March 10, 2022. She was 89. 

These local students were named to the dean’s list at RIT for the fall 2021 semester, each with a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher:

— Cameron Myron of Altamont, majoring in computer science;

— Brendan Mahoney of Voorheesville, majoring in mechanical engineering;

These local students were named to the fall 2021 president's list at State University of New York Oswego, with a grade-point average of 3.8 or higher:

— Katherine J. Bablin of Altamont, majoring in  biology, economics;

— Skylar H. Peay of Westerlo, majoring in zoology; and

These local students were named to the dean’s list or received a similar honor from their college or university for the fall 2021 semester:
 

— Caleb Jacobson of Altamont, at Adelphi University in Garden City, with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher;