Stories that made the news, Nov. 10 to 12:

The Associated Press reported crews dredging a contaminated stretch of the Hudson River north of Albany dramatically picked up their pace in the third year of the massive Superfund cleanup. Crews working for General Electric Corp. will wrap up for the season next week. The project overseen by the federal Environmental Protection Agency is on track to be finished by fall 2016. GE is expected to spend more than $1 billion on the project to dredge up PCBs it released into the river before 1977. The upper river is considered so polluted that health officials warn people not to eat the fish. The dredging of the upper Hudson began in 2009. Read the full story in The Seattle Post Intelligencer.

Rick Karlin reported at Capitol Confidential Democratic and Republican election lawyers representing the Cecilia Tkaczyk (KAT-chik) and George Amedore campaigns in the race for the newly created 46th Senate District have agreed recavassing of the vote will begin Tues., Nov. 13, beginning with Albany County. Tabulation of the nearly 11,000 absentee ballots will start Mon., Nov. 19. A spokesman for the Amedore campaign said the hope is to have the race settled by Dec. 1 . Recanvassing will begin in Greene County,Fri., Nov. 16; absentee and affidavit ballots will be counted Wed., Nov. 21. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.

Jamie L. Carlson-Garland reported in The Daily Mail the Greenville Central School District was recently presented with the Innovation School Partner Award for its work with Tech Valley High School and "incorporating many Tech Valley High principles" into its own curriculum. The regional high school focuses on the importance of math and science, with the intention of preparing students for the growing high-tech economy emerging in the Capital Region. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

In town budget news, Nathan Mayberg reported in the Register Star the town of Taghkanic's board approved its 2013 budget, totaling $1.4 million, Sat., Nov. 10. The plan calls for a two percent increase in the tax levy. The approval was unanimous. The majority of spending goes to the highway fund. Read the full story in the Register Star. Barbara Reina reported in the Register Star the Town of Stuyvesant's annual spending plan was unanimously approved by its board following a public hearing, late last week. That plan carries with it a 3.7 percent tax levy increase. The tax hike was necessitated by the inclusion of a bond payment for the town's highway garage and salt shed project. Added health insurance and retirement contribution expenses were also factors in the budget's increased bottom line. Read the full story in the Register Star.