“The vast majority of dogs are licensed, they have chips … they’re found,” said Supervisor Peter Barber of strays in Guilderland. “Again, we are one of the few towns locally that actually has an animal shelter with two professional animal-control officers and so we do shelter most of our animals but they find their way back home within the five-day period.”

ALBANY COUNTY — Starting on Monday, March 6, trees are being removed to prepare for replacing the bridge on the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail.

The governor’s plan allocates $1.5 million for Guilderland’s pre-kindergarten program next year but the district will likely be unable to use all of those funds since it has no space for pre-K classes in its own schools and local providers lack capacity — both space and staff — as well.

A Hispanic man in his 50s was “found unresponsive” Saturday morning in the café court at Crossgates Mall, and later declared dead, according to a release from the Guilderland Police.

“There is no indication of foul play, and the death does not appear to be suspicious at this time,” the release, issued just after noon, said.

DELMAR — Jill Rifkin is a sort of Robin Hood for musical instruments.

She collects them from often well-off kids who don’t use them and redistributes them to children who can’t afford them.

Rifkin was hooked, she says, by a little boy from the Caribbean.

About a third of the deer tested during the second season in Albany County were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus that causes COVID-19, a recently published Cornell study says. The samples were collected by hunters from 2020 to 2022.

“I think it’s a testament that we want to make sure our town is home to all residents, regardless of income,” said Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber in his Feb. 7 State of the Town address. “It should not make a difference whether you’re a doctor or a lawyer, we want to make sure the home-care aids, the laborers, the people who do not have the same income have a welcome home in our town.”

GUILDERLAND — On Monday morning, in the second minor school bus accident this month, again no students were injured.

On Feb.13, the Route 41 bus, serving Altamont Elementary School, was hit at the intersection of Route 146 and School Road in Guilderland Center, according to an email sent at 9:30 a.m. to “GCSD Families.”

“Strawberries are sacred to the Mohawks,” Ward Stone told me several years ago. “When somebody dies, they will say, ‘She is eating strawberries now,’ not that she died but that she is eating strawberries.”

Ward Stone is eating strawberries now.

GUILDERLAND — Since the developer planning a large subdivision on the outskirts of Altamont has withdrawn his application, and since a stormwater management plan for logging has been approved, tree-cutting is allowed to resume.