A new website — ny.gov/phonefree — was launched on Aug. 14 so that parents and students in schools across New York can look up their district’s plan for implementing the state-required bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions with the new school year.

Referring to President Donald Trump’s reconciliation bill, Tonko said the “Big Betrayal Bill” has “a door opening to privatization” for Social Security.

The county’s goal is to lower costs for accessory dwelling units, making more housing available.

A federal rule change now requires Whitney Young and its counterparts across the nation to verify immigration status, forbidding Community Health Centers from using federal funds to treat undocumented immigrants. At the same time, changes to Medicaid will eliminate insurance coverage for millions of New Yorkers.

A new fair initiative this year is bringing city and country kids together on opening day to explore the fair together.“There aren’t enough opportunities for kids from different backgrounds to come together in a fun place and get to know each other,” said Anderson. “It’s an important thing that we’re missing in society.”

Voorheesville Trustee Jack Stevens said there’d been a recent incident near the corner of Scotch Pine and Locust drives, where a young rider “came around the corner hard and ran right into the side of a car door.”

ALBANY COUNTY — The county is setting up a year-long program to get high school students ready for careers.

The program will focus on at-risk students, students learning English as a new language, unemployed youth, and those entering the workforce.

Albany County sales tax is on the upswing, but lagging behind much of the Capital Region in what has been a banner year for sales tax statewide. 

The state’s departments of health and environmental conservation put out an advisory on Monday, going from noon till midnight for most of the state, including Albany County, because the air-quality index was over 100. The reading in Albany at noon on Monday was 107.

ALBANY COUNTY — Because of flash floods in the forecast, the governor has declared a state of emergency for 14 downstate counties and urges “all New Yorkers to stay vigilant, stay informed, and use caution as we expect excessive rainfall with the potential for flash flooding.”