Daily Star
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To our local colleges, all of which ranked in the top tier of the U.S. News & World Report's 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges.
State University College at Oneonta is ranked 45th in regional universities in the North. While it shared the spot last year, it is in sole possession of it in the current rankings.
Hartwick College is ranked 170th for national liberal arts colleges this year. It was previously listed among Tier 3 schools.
The State University College of Technology at Delhi is ranked 39th in regional colleges in the North. Last year, it was 45th among baccalaureate colleges.
The State University College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill is 43rd among regional colleges. It was in Tier 3 last year and not ranked.
Although some of the categories and criteria have changed from last year, making the rankings difficult to compare directly, it is good for the quality of our local institutions of higher education to be recognized.
To the state leaving dog licensing to localities.
Under new rules from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, New York will continue to require licenses for dogs, but localities will assume all responsibility _ and collect all the fees.
The state-mandated changes will allow local municipalities to set their own fees to cover expenses.
The base cost now of licensing a dog in the state is $2.50. For unneutered and unspayed dogs, it is $7.50.
Revenue for the state's Animal Population and Control Program _ which goes toward spaying or neutering cats and dogs adopted from shelters or owned by low-income households _ will also be collected at the local level.
Municipalities will be required to collect a surcharge of at least $1 on licenses for altered dogs and at least $3 on licenses for unaltered dogs, according to the new rules.
Since most of the legwork of licensing dogs is done on the local level, taking a layer of bureaucracy out of it only makes sense.
It will also save the state money and can become a revenue-generating source for local municipalities.
To everyone who participated in local fairs this season.
The fairs are a highlight to many people's summer.
From the food, games and rides, to the animals, art shows and exhibits, just about everyone can find something to enjoy at the local fairs.
The season kicked off with the Afton Fair on July 21 and, except for a few days, a fair could be found in the region through the closing day of the Delaware County Fair on Aug. 21.
For those who can't get enough of the fair atmosphere, the State Fair is continuing through Monday in Syracuse.
We applaud the organizers and participants of our local fairs for making them something we look forward to each year.
