The Adirondack Mountain Club, based in Lake George,  has released the second edition of its popular hiking guide, “Views From on High: Fire Tower Trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills.”

Extensively revised and redesigned, it includes a new chapter describing fire towers outside of both parks. The intervening years have seen what co-author Jim Schneider refers to as “fire tower fever,” a sweeping enthusiasm that has helped prompt restoration of numerous towers and their trails.

Written by John P. (Jack) Freeman and Schneider, “Views from on High” enables hikers, history buffs, and others fond of Adirondack and Catskill trails to visit and learn about 30 historic fire towers.

Detailed trail descriptions are accompanied by numerous photographs and maps as well as an essay about these structures written by historic preservationist Wesley H. Haynes. The new chapter, Beyond the Blue Line, by tower aficionado Jacob C. (Jake) Wilde, describes 13 additional fire towers, three of them demonstration towers.

The Adirondack Trust Co. had a successful year for its lending through the U.S. Small Business Administration, bank officials said.

For the year ending Sept. 30, the bank approved 42 SBA 7(a) loans, amounting to more than $3.45 million. This makes Adirondack Trust Co. the top lender in Saratoga and Warren Counties as a locally headquartered community bank, officials said.

“We are very pleased with the results of our SBA lending activities this year.  For the fifteenth consecutive year, we were the most active locally headquartered and locally owned bank in both Saratoga and Warren counties, both in terms of number of loans made and in terms of the total dollars loaned, said bank President Stephan von Schenk said.

“Since our founding in 1901, this has been the center of our work. Every day, we work closely with locally owned and operated businesses, and we are proud to be able to help them grow by making SBA and other financing programs available. We are only as strong as our community, and the core of our mission is to continually serve that community and go above and beyond.”

Glens Falls Hospital has received the Mission: Lifeline Bronze Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

According to the association, every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call and continuing through hospital treatment.

“Glens Falls Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that goal through nationally respected clinical guidelines,” said Barbara McDermott, director of cardiac and critical care services for Glens Falls Hospital. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced the availability of up to $1.8 million for community campaigns to help residents and businesses install clean heating and cooling systems.

Increasing the use of clean heating and cooling technology will play a major role in achieving the state goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030, officials said.

Alicia Barton, NYSERDA president and CEO, said, “Clean heating and cooling systems will provide users with energy bill savings, increased comfort levels and health benefits compared to conventional heating and cooling technologies. It’s a win-win for consumers and the environment and is vital to meeting Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Officials said the Clean Heating and Cooling Community Campaign initiative will bring together groups of potential customers so they can obtain discounts for air and ground source heat pumps, biomass heating and solar heating through aggregated purchases and a simplified procurement process.

Mannix Marketing, a digital marketing agency and SEO company based in Glens Falls, was named the winner of the 2017 US Search Awards in the Best Use of Search/Retail  category.

“I can’t express how thrilled I am that Mannix Marketing won Best Use of Search – Retail in the US Search Awards, for our work on the Gettysburg Flag Works website,” said Sara Mannix, founder and CEO of Mannix Marketing. “We partner with our clients to achieve success, so not only is this a tribute to the quality of work of the Mannix Marketing team on this project—led by Jessica Tracy and Amberly Rundell—but it’s also a tribute to our partner Maria Coffey, marketing director at Gettysburg Flag Works.”

“We partner with our clients to achieve success, so not only is this a tribute to the quality of work of the Mannix Marketing team on this project—led by Jessica Tracy and Amberly Rundell—but it’s also a tribute to our partner Maria Coffey, marketing director at Gettysburg Flag Works.”

KeyBank’s Capital Region Business Banking team was recently presented with the 2017 Large Commercial Lender of the Year Award by Bernard J. Paprocki, director of the Syracuse Small Business Association District.

In fiscal year 2017, KeyBank approved 32 loans at a Capital Region, leading value of $19.9 million, according to the SBA.

“SBA lending is critical to helping communities thrive, because it ensures that creditworthy businesses have access to the capital they need to start, expand and ultimately bolster the local economy and workforce,” said Greg Novitsky, senior SBA relationship manager, Capital Region, KeyBank. “We’re a proud SBA lending partner and excited the 2017 rankings reflect our commitment to help local businesses.”