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This weekend the weather may not cooperate, but there are several protests planned including in Cairo, Kinderhook, Gloversville, Monticello, and North Adams in Massachusetts. Organizers of the Black Lives Matter protest in Kinderhook from 2-6 p.m. July 11 are making worried comments online that too many people may show up. Even more may turn out after the assault that involved local police at the home of Adam Rosenstrach. who organized a pro-police rally in Kinderhook last month. Organizers at this Kinderhook event are asking attendees to "Please wear all black to show unity for the BLM Movement." There's also a Black Lives Matter Demonstration/March at 3 p.m. July 12 at Angelo Canna Park in Cairo, with speakers, voter registration, and live music. One of the organizers, Donald Jackson, previewed the event on WGXC. CLICK HERE TO PLAY BRIEF EXCERPT OF INTERVIEW. Meanwhile in Catskill, so far 3,683 people have signed a petition to paint the phrase "Black Lives Matter" on Main Street in Catskill. Village officials voted against the mural last week. On July 22 the Village Trustees will hear a proposal for an "All Lives Matter" mural there.

Nora Mishanec is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that as rumors continued to circulate countywide about the alleged brutal assault that took place at a private residence in Kinderhook over the holiday weekend, the Columbia County Sheriff's office announced that Deputy Kelly Briscoe Rosenstrach, the wife of Alex Rosenstrach, has been placed on administrative leave, effective July 9. The former school resource officer is married to the property owner Alex Rosenstrach, the owner-operator of the ClubLife Health and Fitness club in Kinderhook. “At this point in the investigation, it has been determined that no other deputy sheriffs were at this residence at the time of the incident,” according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. The statement directly contradicts social media reports that multiple law enforcement officers were present at the party held the night of July 4, and into the early morning hours of July 5. A call came into the Columbia County dispatch shortly after 1 a.m., that prompted emergency personnel to respond to 3193 County Route 21 in Kinderhook, where 31-year-old local mechanic Harold Handy, had allegedly been assaulted. Handy was then transported to Albany Medical Center for treatment. The investigation into the alleged assault is headed up by the sheriff’s office with the assistance of the state police Special Investigative Unit, despite the potential conflict of interest. The sheriff’s office defended its investigation of a case that may involve one of its employees. “We investigate every incident with the same integrity and skill,” a department spokesperson said. The state police declined to comment on the investigation. As of late Thursday, no one had been criminally charged for their role in the incident. Rosenstrach organized a pro-police rally in Kinderhook last month. Campaign records show that Rosenstrach's Clublife Health & Fitness business donated $1,500 to Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett's campaign in 2019. He also donated $1,400 to Bartlett in 2018 and $1,000 in 2016, and $772.70 in 2015. Bartlett claimed the donations will not affect his investigation. He told WNYT, "I don't control who gives money to my campaign if somebody wants to give money to my campaign they donate and that's that. That does not make a difference if someone gives money to a campaign whether or not there's criminal charges filed against them. That's the most corrupt thing I could ever hear and that's not me." Read more about this story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union New York's highest court has declined to hear an appeal of a lower court's unanimous decision to reinstate criminal charges against former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove. That means Abelove will likely go on trial this fall over his handling of a police shooting in April 2016. The Appellate Division judges reinstated the charges in November 2019, alleging that Abelove lied to a grand jury about the April 2016 fatal police shooting of unarmed DWI suspect Edson Thevenin in Troy. The Appellate Division decided that state Supreme Court Justice Jonathan D. Nichols of Columbia County wrongly ruled in 2018 the AG's office lacked the authority to prosecute Abelove for perjury and "erred in granting defendant's motion to dismiss the indictment." The AG's office then appealed Nichols' decision to the Appellate Division. In its decision, the court reinstated Abelove’s indictment for a single count of first-degree perjury, a felony that carries up to seven years in prison, and two counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor. The criminal charges against Abelove came out of an April 2016, incident in which Troy police Sgt. Randall French fatally shot Thevenin during a DWI stop. French died in April after contracting COVID-19. Abelove, a Republican, failed to get re-elected in 2018, losing to Democrat Mary Pat Donnelly. Read the full story in the Times Union.

MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting Amazon Logistics has announced it will open a new delivery station in New Windsor. The delivery station on Hudson Valley Avenue will help speed up deliveries for customers in Orange County. The site is expected to open this fall. Amazon is currently at work on a one million square foot distribution center in New Windsor. The delivery station will create hundreds of full-time and part-time jobs, paying a minimum of $15 per hour and offering a variety of benefits packages from day one, company officials said. Read the full story MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

The Daily Freeman reports that Tropical Storm Fay is predicted to dump heavy rains on the Hudson Valley on the evening of July 10 and on July 11. Because of the sixth named storm of the summer heading this way, a Flash Flood Watch has been issued for every county south of Albany and Rensselaer Counties through July 11. So far the prediction is for three to five inches of rain locally. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.

Columbia Memorial Health July 9, announced the expansion of its patient visitation guidelines. The Hudson-based health facility advised the changes will "maintain the safety of patients, visitors, staff and the environment of care concerning the prevention of COVID-19 transmission." The amended provisions are effective immediately. Under the new guidelines, Visitation will be allowed between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily; patients can have one healthy visitor per day; and that visitor must be 18 or older. Visitors entering the hospital must wear a mask. After entering the main lobby, they will be checked in, screened and have a temperature check. Visitors will be required to wear a face mask at all times, and perform hand hygiene upon entering and leaving the patient room. There are more extensive requirements for visitors to patients on enhanced precautions. CMH will ask visitors unable or unwilling to comply with the guidelines to leave the hospital. Psychiatric Services will not be accepting visitors until further notice. The Department of Emergency Services will allow visitors on a limited case by case basis. Read more at columbiamemorialhealth [dot] org.

Ryan Santistevan and Geoffrey Wilson are reporting for the Poughkeepsie Journal Dutchess County lawmakers will vote July 8, on whether to cancel more than $132 million in bonds to build a new jail. The bond authorization was originally approved in 2016, but the community conversation around the issue was reignited by the nationwide movement calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism. The vote Thursday is expected to bring 200 protesters to the county office building on Market Street in Poughkeepsie, beginning at 4 p.m. Democratic legislators, the Progressive Black and Latino Caucus and End the New Jim Crow Action Network of Poughkeepsie are the lead organizers. The county argues it must replace the jail, citing inefficiencies with the existing structure and the potential for rehabilitative programming in the new space. The project may cost $149.8 million, in addition to interest and fees on the debt, according to the Dutchess County’s Democratic Caucus. The existing jail can house 250 inmates. When the bond authorization was originally adopted, the county was housing 200 more people at out-of-county facilities at a cost of $8 million annually. In mid-2015, the county instituted a temporary fix, installing pods to house people. Recently those pods have been used as a 24/7 homeless shelter. There are approximately 140 people currently detained in the county jail; the proposed facility would be large enough to house 328 people. On July 5, Black Lives Matter Hudson Valley met to demand that the Dutchess County legislature revoke the bonds and discuss better uses for the money. In a press release, the organization described the project as "obsolete" and "futile." Read the full story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics New York lawmakers next week will hold a public hearing on the revamped redistricting process. The redrawing of boundaries for legislative districts is scheduled to happen next year. The public hearing will be held Wed., July 15, and be conducted jointly by the Assembly and the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “As we approach the next redistricting, it is crucial that we establish a process focused on fairness. This hearing is an important first step to finally achieving this important principle." Congressional and legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years based on the most recent census. The process has traditionally been controlled by majority Democrats in the state Assembly and Republicans in the state Senate. Good-government advocates applauded the announcement of the hearing, seen as a first step in the process. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news.

Click above to download or play today's "Better Weather." Produced by Joe Demanso of the Catskill Makers Syndicate.

Columbia-Greene Media and News10 [dot] com report that the Columbia County Sheriff's Office on Tue., July 7, executed a search warrant at the home of Adam Rosenstrach, at 3193 County Route 21 in Kinderhook. The residence is believed to have been the site of an assault that occurred during a party held the night of July 4 and the early morning of July 5. Sheriff Paul Bartlett said the state police were brought in to investigate with his department out of an abundance of transparency. “We have an ongoing investigation with reference to an assault that happened in Kinderhook Sunday morning,” he said, but declined to provide details. An archived recording of the emergency center call obtained by WGXC, indicates the operator dispatched a unit to the location at approximately 1:08 a.m., Sunday (PLAY) After reaching 3193 County Route 21 the deputy reported at 1:18 a.m. that an EMS unit was staging, and the scene had been secured. At 1:35 a.m. the deputy signed out from that location. Rosenstrach is the owner of the ClubLife gym in Kinderhook, and kept the facility open in defiance of the state's business shutdown executive order. He continued to run the business even after it was shuttered under a cease-and-desist order from from the Kinderhook Code Enforcement Department. The gym was closed July 7 because of the current investigation. Rosenstrach drew attention countywide after he organized a Back the Blue rally June 18 at Kinderhook Village Square. His wife is employed as a Columbia County Deputy Sheriff. Read the story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Catskill Village President Vincent Seeley said at the July 8 village meeting that the vote by the Catskill Village Trustees last week to not allow a "Black Lives Matter" mural on Main Street was unanimous, and did not take place in a public meeting. The public did not get to witness the vote, as Seeley said it happened through email. Others brought up the matter again at the meeting, questioning the town's explanation that some things national "Black Lives Matter" movement officials have said have been, "causing more of a divide than ever before. Some of the statements of this organization are not in line to how our community feels as a whole," according to the statement the village released June 30 announcing the vote, Then Joseph Izzo, a member of the Catskill Town Planning Board, asked to be put on the agenda of the July 22 village meeting with a request to paint "All Lives Matter" on Main Street in Catskill. Meanwhile, in Clifton Park an image of a noose was drawn at a skateboard park. And in Schenectady more video was released showing a Schenectady Patrolman Brian Pommer punching Yugeshwar Gaindarpersaud six times, in addition to the previous footage showing Pommer kneeling on the suspect's neck. Pommer, who has been on the force seven years, is "assigned to desk duty during the review process" of the arrest of Gaindarpersaud, according to police. Rep. Paul Tonko, who represents Albany County as well as Schenectady and other areas, denounced the officer. "I am enraged and heartbroken to see this violence from a Schenectady police officer," Tonko wrote on Twitter. "I have been told that police departments across our region do not teach or use these tactics, so HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?" Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford was not happy with that comment. "To say I am disappointed that our local congressman rushed to judgment without waiting for the facts or even calling me or our mayor to discuss is an understatement," the chief wrote in a Twitter response. "Our leaders need to be better than this." And in Albany there was an attempt at betterment, as the Times Union reported that the city’s police department will create a paid cadet program to bring more women and minorities to the force. The City of Albany will hire four part-time intern cadets from the city, and between the ages of 18 and 32, making $15 an hour for 12 hours a week. "What we'd like is for the department to mirror the population," Albany Common Council President Corey Ellis said. "I'm glad the chief stepped up and did this." This weekend there are protests planned in Cairo, Kinderhook, Gloversville, Monticello, and North Adams in Massachusetts.

City of Hudson officials July 8 announced the details around the newly created Police Reconciliation and Advisory Commission to advise on police and reform. Mayor Kamal Johnson said In a statement published at cityofhudson [dot] org, “The organizing principle of this committee is that by working alongside our police department we can better understand our officers and, in exchange, our officers can better understand the needs of our community. Our goal is to always be proactive instead of reactive.” The group's first goal will be to produce a reconciliation report on various issues, including the level of trust residents of the city have for the three policy agencies that hold jurisdiction over them; specific incidents that have occurred in the past five years involving law enforcement that either inspired or undermined community trust, including incidents of police brutality or misconduct, as well as the level of job satisfaction and concerns among the employees of the Hudson Police Department. The 10 newly appointed members of the commission are Theo Anthony, Vern Cross, Elizabeth Dickey, HPD Sgt Christopher M Filli, HPD Sgt Mishanda Franklin, Linda Friedner, Joan E. Hunt, Gregory Mosley, 2nd Ward Alderperson Dewan Sarowar and HPD Officer Randy J. Strattman. NOTE: Cross and Johnson are active WGXC volunteer programmers. Read the full story at cityofhudson [dot] org.

Patricia R. Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman one after another of those participating in the listening town hall held in Poughkeepsie July 7, said the time for talk is over and the time for action is now. The forum was held via Zoom and hosted by Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights and the Northern Dutchess NAACP. The event was organized in response to widespread unrest nationwide in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who died May 25, in the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. More than 300 individuals registered to participate in the forum, though only 10 of them spoke. They talked about the first time they encountered racism in Dutchess County and about the fear they have every time one of their children leaves home. They talked, too, about the lack of economic opportunity that exists in Dutchess County for people of color, the struggles in communities of color for simple things like accessible grocery stores, and the lack of funding or attention to programs directed toward those communities. Molinaro said the forum was one of several he plans to hold so that decision-makers can get a better understanding of the needs and concerns of people of color and to develop ideas to "improve and move forward as a community.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.

Today's daily news update.

Federal officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, held a press conference July 8 about their intentions to have schools open in the fall, without announcing scientific benchmarks to reach to get the schools open. President Donald Trump said some local officials are keeping schools closed for political reasons, but offered no evidence for the allegation, which has been criticized by health experts. Gov. Andrew Cuomo also discussed opening schools on July 8. Cuomo also did not offer specifics about how indoor rooms full of children and adults could be safe during the current pandemic. But Cuomo did announce a timeline for the decision, with a final announcement promised by August 7. On July 13 the state will provide guidance to school districts so they can create individual reopening plans that are due to be turned over to New York officials by July 31. State officials will analyze the latest COVID-19 data and announce whether to allow schools to reopen at all, and whether to accept, reject, or modify each district's individual plan. "Everybody wants the schools to reopen," he said July 8 at a news conference. "Nobody wants the schools to reopen more than me." Read more about this story in the Democrat and Chronicle.

State Senator Daphne Jordan is calling on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to provide expedited COVID-19 testing for returning members of the U.S. military immediately upon their arrival in New York. Jordan's request comes in response to Cuomo's Executive Order 205 that requires travelers entering the New York from one of 19 designated states to be quarantined for 14 days. According to Jordan's press release, her office was contacted by Columbia County Director of Veteran's Services Gary Flaherty, seeking help in obtaining a waiver from the order for a service member stationed in Texas looking to return home to attend a family funeral. The waiver request was ultimately denied. Jordan argues that expedited COVID-19 testing for military members would prevent a recurrence of that situation in the future. She is advocating for the state to pay for the tests, as well. “The men and women of our military are true heroes who make incredible sacrifices to protect our liberty and defend our nation. Upon their return from training or deployment in another state, New York State must take every possible step to ensure that our military members can return to their families as expeditiously and safely as possible...," Jordan said in a statement.

Nora Mishanec is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the village of Coxsackie has forgiven the water and sewer bills for its residents as a way to help those struggling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes as municipalities throughout the region are facing the impacts of reduced tax revenue and lost state funding. Village residents received a letter marked “paid” in lieu of a second-quarter bill, saving households an average of $150, Mayor Mark Evans said July 7. The relief plan was proposed in late May by village board member Joseph Ellis, a retired accountant. Village officials have received an outpouring of gratitude from the community in response to the bill forgiveness plan. The decision will result in a loss of $200,000 from the water and sewer funds, Evans said. However, prudent fiscal oversight of the funds during the last several years made the plan possible, officials said in a letter to residents. The mayor acknowledged that many village residents have been hit hard financially by the pandemic. “If we could do something to help, we thought this was a good way to do it,” Evans said. Coxsackie's decision to forgive the quarterly payment is unique; no other municipality in Columbia or Greene counties has taken similar action. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.