Jim Levulis

It was on March 1, 2020 that New York state confirmed the first case of a novel coronavirus that would eventually change everyday life across the United States and the world. So how will history treat this COVID-19 era? Since early 2020, Madison County Historian Matt Urtz has been compiling a timeline of key events and personal stories in hopes of chipping away at that monumental task.

M&T Bank announced this week that it is acquiring People’s United Financial in an all-stock transaction. The combined company will total about $200 billion in assets and more than 1,100 branches spanning 12 states from Maine to Virginia, plus Washington, D.C.

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled to land on Mars shortly before 4 p.m. Eastern Time today. Back in July the rover blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop a rocket.

A January report from the New York attorney general found missteps in how the state’s nursing homes responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation detailed that failure to comply with infection control protocols put nursing home residents at increased risk during the pandemic. It also said homes that entered the pandemic with low staffing rates had higher COVID-19 fatality rates. The New York Association on Independent Living says the report is the latest piece of evidence that no person should live in a nursing home.

Two major Northeast grocery store chains are merging. Price Chopper and Tops Markets announced an agreement today involving nearly 300 stores and more than 30,000 employees across six states.

Roughly 1,300 soldiers and airmen of the New York National Guard are among the thousands of troops providing security for Wednesday’s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. The show of force follows the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump on January 6. And it comes as the New York Army and Air National Guard units – which have 16,000 members – help operate COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites across the state.

2020 will be remembered for many reasons in the United States – among them the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a turbulent political cycle and nationwide protests against racial injustice. But, the year has also etched itself into the global record books. NASA says 2020 tied 2016 for the hottest year on record.

A new book documents the stories of a husband-and-wife hiking team and others who tackled the 2,653-mile long Pacific Crest Trail in the western U.S. The author is Barney Scout Mann. Having also trekked the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, he has completed what’s known in the hiking world as America’s Triple Crown. WAMC's Jim Levulis spoke with Mann about his experiences and how he approached the hike that turned into Journeys North: The Pacific Crest Trail.

The University at Albany women's basketball team’s games against Vermont this weekend and the Stony Brook series scheduled for January 9 and 10 have been postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test result, found through UAlbany's pooled testing program.

After initially showing reluctance, President Trump over the weekend signed a $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package that includes direct payments to Americans, extends unemployment benefits, and sends money to businesses hurt by the pandemic. For some insight into the expected impacts of the legislation, WAMC's Jim Levulis spoke with Hugh Johnson, chairman and chief investment officer of Hugh Johnson Advisors in Albany.

According to the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, the number of Americans over the age of 55 in the labor force will reach 42 million in 2026, or nearly a quarter of the nation’s workforce. That’s compared to fewer than 36 million in 2016. Now, that data was compiled before the COVID-19 pandemic, involving a virus that has led to more serious complications and mortality when contracted by seniors. As part of WAMC's special series on aging and to better understand how the pandemic and the reactions to it have impacted the economic outlook for older Americans, Jim Levulis sat down with a familiar voice on WAMC's airwaves – Hugh Johnson, chairman and chief investment officer of Hugh Johnson Advisors in Albany. 

Schools across New York suddenly shuttered in the spring when the novel coronavirus hit the state. Education leaders waded through an uncertain summer heading into an unprecedented fall. With the virus surging once again, WAMC's Jim Levulis spoke with Bob Schneider, the executive director of the New York State School Boards Association, who gave an assessment of how districts have responded to COVID-19.