We advise patience and cohesion rather than inflaming divisiveness in a society fraught with fear where some people are struggling to meet basic needs.

The United States Post Office was critical to the American colonies in winning their independence from England and it grew with the nation as mail traveled by horseback, by stagecoach, by steamship, by train, and by plane. We need to ensure that it continues to connect us in this digital age when the current pandemic has underlined our need for a method of physical delivery and connection.

If each of us commits to giving just a bit of our time and talents, the community as a whole will benefit.

We urge our legislators at the state, county, and town levels to take a close look at what can and should be done to protect cats and to help the people who care for cats that have been abandoned.

As we approach budget-drafting season in our towns, we urge our municipal leaders to set aside some funds for their town historians to carry on worthwhile work. 

In both cases — a splendid Guilderland home for foster children on a break, and a remade wing of county jail for parolees and people without a home — we can see the importance of respite.

So on this Memorial Day, here and now in the United States, when newcomers to our country are being targeted, when racism has been rekindled, and when there have been attacks on synagogues, in Pennsylvania and California, we need to hear Rabbi Gittelsohn’s words — the sermon he called “The Purest Democracy.”

In the same way the state is trying to make up for federal-government shortfalls, we believe local government has an important role to play, too.

The rug — of Civil Service protections — was pulled out from under Knox workers on New Year’s Day.

All of the towns and villages we cover would benefit by having as part of their policies a plan to replace cut trees, maintain current trees, and plant new trees.