Melissa Hale-Spencer

Superintendent Marie Wiles told the board members at their March 12 meeting, that, by creating a third Comprehensive Skills section next year, “The hope is spreading those students out over three sections, recognizing the wide range of age levels that are served there, [ages] 14 to 22, will give us a lot more opportunity to meet those individual needs, customize the programs for those students as they age through the program and their journey here.”

“I mean it’s crazy,” said Guilderland School Board President Seema Rivera. “We’re asking for things for our kids … nothing exorbitant. And then … we have to send money to Crossgates. I think it’s insane.”

More than 70 high school students will represent Capital Region BOCES on March 18 in a regional competition that challenges the professional skills of more than 350 students from the Capital Region, North Country, Hudson Valley, and beyond.

“If the net cost is zero, why wouldn’t we purchase more?” asked school board member Rebecca Butterfield. “It comes down to being able to store them, charge them, and run them …,” responded Andrew Van Alstyne. “While free buses would be good … districts have seen them break down.” He said he hoped the technology will be more advanced before Guilderland turns over its fleet to electric.

The retirement of Maria Buhl and Kim LaPlant from their decades of work at the Guilderland Public Library have nothing to do with the controversy caused by the Café con Mel’s accusations of racism.

While she said the program is “a great idea,” Robyn Gray went on, “I just want to make sure that we’re going to focus on affordable housing and senior housing and not high-end housing, not even market-rate housing. It should all be for those special needs.” Superintendent Peter Barber responded that the grant programs “are all geared towards workforce housing, affordable housing, senior housing.”

Volunteers across the state have helped the amphibians safely across roads since 2009, and 1,600 surveys have been provided by volunteers, biologist Laura Heady said, with information that is used to develop recommendations for preserving these “really important amphibians.”

ALBANY COUNTY — Thacher Park is among the state parks that will hold special events leading up to the total solar eclipse on April 8.

Thacher will hold what is billed as an “activity hour” on Saturday, March 23, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

The district has spent $5.7 million to pay tax refunds after court challenges, and drained its reserve for tax certiorari cases. So it made a strategic decision to pay Crossgates Mall, once the most recent tax challenges are decided, not entirely out of the operating budget but rather by borrowing the money and paying off the bond over a decade.

The pandemic has heightened food insecurity nationwide, said McCoy. Albany County, he said, has worked with United Way, the Food Bank of Northeastern Regional, and “nearly 60 food pantries and soup kitchens to get healthy food to families within our neighborhoods that need it most,” committing a quarter of a million dollars to the effort. Also, the county has provided $109 million in food-stamp benefits to 19,000 families county-wide, he said.

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