Maryam Ahmad

Amidst a food insecurity crisis and federal cuts to SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, the Schenectady Food Council is calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to make funding SNAP benefits and emergency food assistance a priority in the upcoming legislative session.

While the second Trump administration has had an aggressive stance on immigration from its earliest days, this week marked a clear escalation. On Dec. 3, all asylum applications for nationals from 19 different countries were suspended until further review, a move that followed a series of new restrictions on immigration. Upstate New York communities weren’t insulated from any of these policies.

At high schools across New York, some students aren’t just graduating with diplomas – they are graduating with professional licenses, like at Albany High School's Next Gen barbershop.

On a brisk Monday morning, National Guard members and veterans from the Capital Region loaded Christmas trees on to a FedEx truck at Ellms Tree Farm in Ballston Spa. The trees are bound for military bases across the country and overseas as part of the Trees for Troops program.

The Empire State Youth Orchestra broke ground on its new Capital Region Youth Music center in Schenectady on Tuesday.

The federal government laid off thousands of workers this year after funding cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency and a lengthy government shutdown. The cuts also led to the dismantling of USAID, the world’s largest foreign aid agency. The impacts of the USAID cuts were felt worldwide, as well as in the Capital Region.

Advocates rallied statewide on Tuesday to call for sentencing reform ahead of the 2026 New York legislative session. They gathered in front of the Governor’s Mansion in Albany as formerly incarcerated individuals, their families and Albany community organizers called for support of the Communities Not Cages campaign.

After Zohran Mamdani’s historic win as the first South Asian and first Muslim mayor of New York City, Albany Muslim organizers and community members are looking to follow his example, and increase their political engagement and presence in the Capital Region.

Schenectady County presented a $100,000 check today to the Schenectady Foundation to address food insecurity in the county amid uncertainty over Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

The Albany County Legislature and Albany County Executive Dan McCoy recently unveiled banners honoring veterans of the Capital Region.