Spectrum News reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the federal eviction moratorium. The COVID-19 pandemic protection would have expired at the end of the month. Instead, it now lasts through July 31, 2021. "This is intended to be the final extension of the moratorium," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky wrote in a statement. The eviction moratorium began last September, to lessen the COVID-19 spread. "Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings — like homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19," Walensky said at the time. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the bans on evictions for renters and mortgage holders were “always intended to be temporary.” Read more about this story at the Spectrum News website.

Steve Barnes and Larry Rulison report in the Times Union that as of June 25, New York's restaurants and bars won't be allowed to sell alcohol to go. On June 23 Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the end of New York’s pandemic-related state of emergency, and that ends the to-go alcohol. A number of liquor makers, distributors, and restaurant owners protesting in Clifton Park June 24, outside Yankee Distillers, asking to keep the pandemic to-go alcohol rules. State legislators failed to pass a bill legalizing to-go alcohol this session, but was opposed by liquor stores, who say it cuts into their sales. But the state Comptroller’s office reports around 8,000 restaurants closed permanently in New York during the pandemic, and those that remain say times have been tough for them. Jason Pierce, owner of Savoy Taproom, said, “To be able to sustain ourselves with additional to-go alcohol sales could mean the difference between employees being laid off or re-employed or not employed at all.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mid Hudson News reports that the Ulster County Sheriff wants to create a Professional Standards Division to oversee complaints against officers, internal affairs investigations, training, crisis intervention, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Employment Assistance Commission rules and regulations. Lt. Joseph Sciutto outlined the proposal June 23 at the Ulster County Criminal Justice Reform Task Force meeting. “In order for us to improve in all these areas, especially CIT and our Internal Affairs and increasing the transparency and having any type of bias in the decision making in the outcomes of anything, this Professional Standards Division would be separate from the Criminal Division and the Corrections Division and would operate as its own separate division, maintaining the standards and integrity of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office,” said Sciutto. The county would hire a professional standards division supervisor, proposed as a non-civil service position for an individual retired from a law enforcement, or a legal position. The county would also hire a crisis intervention manager, who would be a detective with a mental health background. The Criminal Justice Reform Task Force will vote on the proposals in late July. Read more about this story at Mid Hudson News.

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The Daily Freeman reports that, locally, the unemployment rate has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels. In Columbia County the unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent in May, down from 4.5 percent a month earlier, and from 8.8 percent a year earlier, according to the Department of Labor. In Greene County, the unemployment rate was 5 percent in May, down from 6 percent in April, and down from 12 percent in May 2020. The May 2021 unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in Ulster County, down from 5.3 percent the month before, and down from 12.2 percent a year before. Likewise in Dutchess County where in May there was a 4.3 percent jobless rate, down from 5.1 percent in April, and 11.4 percent in May 2020. Even in more rural Delaware County where there is a much lower COVID-19 vaccination rate, unemployment was down to 4.4 percent last month, down from 5.3 percent in April and 9.7 percent a year ago. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.

MidHudson News is reporting forest rangers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation last week rescued a hiker who fell downhill off Devil’s Path on Sugarloaf Mountain in Hunter. At 12:30 p.m., on June 18, Greene County 911 received a report of an injured 19-year-old hiker from New Jersey, on Sugarloaf Mountain. The man was hiking with two friends on the Devil’s Path from Prediger Road when an SOS beacon was activated. GPS coordinates placed him on the west side of the mountain approximately a half mile from Mink Hollow Notch. The man reportedly fell on the rocky trail and then about 20 feet downhill off the trail. He temporarily lost consciousness and later reported arm and wrist pain. The hikers met up with forest rangers and a paramedic at Mink Hollow Notch. At 2:35 p.m., the hiker was taken to the hospital for additional medical care. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media despite saying that it was looking beyond the usual suspects for its recent member search, the Hudson Development Corporation June 22, voted 9 to 3 to add former city alderman and attorney John Friedman to its ranks. The vote was anonymous; there was one abstention. Board Vice President and Nominating Committee Chairman Nick Haddad and board and committee member Christine Jones said diversity in terms of race, gender and sexual orientation was a focus during the process, but that candidates eventually withdrew their names from consideration. Hadded said it was because of time commitment and scheduling issues. Neither Haddad or Jones would identify the candidates they considered. Friedman said he looks forward to joining the board and that the subject of diversity needs to be addressed. “I am happy to join the HDC board as it enters into a new phase of its existence,” he said. The committee made the search known during the board’s meetings and encouraged board members to recommend candidates to reach out to about the position, but the board does not flyer for positions, Haddad and Jones said. Haddad said the search for new board members is largely through word of mouth. Mayor Kamal Johnson, an ex officio member of the board, said prior to the vote that he was willing to help reach out to communities they needed help reaching in the city. But Jones said Johnson did not suggest any names during the three-month-long search. Johnson said he did not suggest anyone during this search, but he did propose a candidate before the process began. That person was interviewed, put on hold and forgotten about. Johnson said he would hope the HDC board could reflect the local community. Board President Robert Rasner spoke to Johnson's concerns, assuring everyone an effort was made. At the same time, he begrudgingly acknowledged the need for diversity. "We look old, male and white and that needs to be changing. I got that," he said. Note: Johnson is a WGXC volunteer programmer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine SoupTed Nugent, president of Greenville Rescue Squad, Inc. attended the Greenville Town Board meeting June 21, to talk about plans to build a new station. The new headquarters would be located on two acres on State Route 81, just east of County Route 41. The property was purchased from the Greenville Fire District for $10,000, and the estimated cost of construction would be $500,000. The station would include a house for the crew and an 80-by-80-foot garage, Nugent said. The garage would have multiple bays for ambulances and the fly car, as well as storage space. The paid rescue squad now operates 24/7 and so far this year it has responded to about 200 calls. Nugent noted the squad would finance the project on its own, but it is hoping the town board will exempt the organization from zoning codes, something that can be done in New York state for certain applicants, including emergency services, Nugent said. The squad is expected to formally present the project at the July 19 Greenville town board meeting. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

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Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that Gov. Andrew Cuomo said June 23 that "the emergency is over." New York's declaration of emergency expires June 24, Last week Cuomo announced he was lifting most COVID-19 restrictions. Almost 70 percent of New Yorkers hav received at least one dose of the vaccine. Cuomo then spent taxpayer money on fireworks displays announced to the public hours before they went off. Then he reopened some buildings, but not the government offices, at the state capitol.

Read more about this story in the Times Union.

Mario Marroquin reports in the Poughkeepsie Journal about how housing prices continue to skyrocket in the Hudson Valley. In Dutchess County, for instance, the average sales price of a single-family detached home increased by nearly $100,000 in the past year, according to Mid-Hudson Multiple Listing Service. And over the past year the median sales price and the number of single-family homes sold are up by as much as 50 percent in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, and Sullivan counties, according to the real estate trade group Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors. "Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties have remained top choices for city dwellers searching for a more bucolic setting as well as for residents looking to trade up or trade down," Stephen Meyers and Liz Nunan of Brokerage firm Houlihan Lawrence wrote in early April. "Since the pandemic, buyers are less concerned about the distance to the city." The trends are continuing this year, as housing sales in Dutchess County for the first five months of this year outnumber sales for the first five months of 2020, 1,310 to 832. Read more about this story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Elouise Maxey, the president of the Northern Dutchess NAACP and an outspoken local civil rights leader, died on June 15. Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison remembered her as a woman who fought “tirelessly and faithfully for racial justice and equality.” Rolison also said, “She was never afraid, in her position as a community leader to speak her mind, and I always appreciated that.... I got to know her in my days in the Town of Poughkeepsie PD ad the county legislature and them becoming mayor, spoke on lots of occasions,” he said. “She was a very respectful and graceful individual who did so much for all of us.” Read more about this story at the Mid-Hudson News website.

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June 22 was primary day in New York, though there were few contested elections. The most important contest of the night was in Cairo, where longtime Greene County Legislator William Lawrence was retiring. Three Republicans faced off to replace him with Michael J. Camadine, backed by the Cairo establishment Republicans, winning with 183 votes, or 42.46 percent. Sherry B. True finished second with 155 votes, or 35.96 percent. Current Cairo Town Supervisor John M. Coyne was third with 85 votes, or 19.72 percent. There were also eight write-in votes. In Hudson, Democrats picked incumbent treasurer Heather Campbell, with 368 votes, over new mayoral aide Michael Hofmann, with 181 votes. For Second Ward Supervisor incumbent Abdus Miah won with 120 votes over current Second Ward Alderperson Tiffany Garriga, with 30 votes. For Second Ward Alderperson Dewan Sarowar with 107 votes, and Mohammed Rony, with 83 votes, won over Willette Jones, with 45 votes. For Fifth Ward Alderperson, Vicky Daskaloudi, with 73 votes, and Dominic Merante with 51 votes, were the winners, though Rebecca Borrer was one vote behind at 50, so that may change when absentee ballots are included. Mark Bodnar also received 29 votes. Democrats in Hillsdale choose Thomas Carty, Jr., with 142 votes, and Joanna Virello, with 117 votes, for Town Council elections with Gillian Sims-Elster finishing behind at 110 votes. For the first County Committee Member position, Tod Wohlfarth, with 78 votes, and D. Michael Dvorchak with 74 were picked over Steven Smith, with 34 votes. For the second County Committee Member nomination, Jason Durant, with 55 votes, and Shirley Ripullone, with 52 votes, finished ahead of Barbara Barrantes, with 34 votes, and Richard Collens, with 33 votes. The other election in Greene County was in Prattsville, for "Member of County Commitee." The four Republican winners were Elisha Martin with 43 votes, David W. Martin with 38 votes, Greg T. Cross with 37 votes, and Dennis Hull with 34 votes. James A. Young also got 12 votes, and Peggy A. Young received 11 votes.

Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media two candidates hope to win a seat on the Catskill Village Board in a special election on July 6. The seat has been vacant since the January resignation of former Village President Vincent Seeley. Republican Jeff Holliday and Democrat Michelle Williams are going head-to-head, hoping to fill the position until March 2022. Seeley stepped down from the board following a four-month absence, forcing the board to reorganize. Trustee Peter Grasse Jr. was appointed village president in April. The Catskill Village Board consists of two Republicans and two Democrats. Republican Holliday is a lifelong Catskill resident and enjoyed a 30-year career as a New York state trooper before retiring in June 2020, according to the Catskill Republican Club. He graduated from Catskill High School in 1983 and from Columbia-Greene Community College in 1985. Holliday is also a local umpire, basketball coach and softball coach. Democrat Williams is a local business owner who founded Mermaid Cafe and Bittersweet Ice Cream Shop, according to the Catskill Democratic Committee. She created the Stone Soup Project during the pandemic to provide free food to families in need. Williams was born in Catskill and attended St. Patrick’s Academy and Catskill Central High School. Grasse said he is looking forward to the addition of a new member. “I’m actually looking forward to it because we’re very busy around here and having that fifth person would definitely be a plus,” he said. Village Vice President Joseph Kozloski said it is important to fill the seat in order to have enough members to conduct business. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Porcupine Soup is reporting J. Theodore Hilscher has awarded professor emeritus status by the Columbia-Greene Community College Board of Trustees. Hilscher is a resident of Hannacroix and has been a professor of history at Columbia-Greene for 28 years. He previously served as the school's legal counsel for 13 years. Hilscher retired from the school at the start of the Spring 2021 semester. During his tenure at Columbia-Greene, he served as co-division chair of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department, helped create a commemorative video to mark the college's 40th anniversary, and assisted the college library in creating its first digital collection, significantly increasing its accessibility to a larger, virtual community. The college's Board of Trustees first authorized the granting of emeritus status in 1986. Emeritus status is granted to retired faculty with at least 15 years of service, who held the title of professor prior to retirement and whose service is determined to have been exemplary. Read the full story at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Larry Parnass is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle the Pittsfield Gazette will officially cease publication of both its print and online editions following the death June 11, of its founder and publisher, Jonathan Levine. Until Levine's death of lymphoma, at age 54, he almost singlehandedly produced approximately 1,500 weekly issues through the years. Using a modest inheritance from a grandparent, Levine founded, championed and sustained the Gazette since 1991. In a statement, his family said a sense of public good always topped Levine's agenda. “For nearly 30 years, the Gazette covered the people and happenings of his hometown with reviews of regional theater sprinkled in when the seasons permitted. Jonathan was driven by a strong sense of right and wrong and used his forum to praise city officials when he felt that was deserved and to call out those whose actions he felt were not in the best interests of Pittsfield's citizens,” it said. For years, Levine was one of the city’s closest observers of government, reporting not only on Pittsfield City Council, but on its subcommittees as well, immersing himself in the workings of government, fellow reporters recall. Tony Dobrowolski, a reporter for The Berkshire Eagle who once covered the city said of Levine, “He was the ultimate citizen journalist before there were citizen journalists.” Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

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