Clarence Fanto reports for The Berkshire Eagle that a group of nonprofit cultural organizations from Berkshire County, Mass., and Columbia County, NY, are looking to hear from current and former arts sector employees who may consider themselves underpaid and unable to support themselves and their families. Backed by the Berkshire economic development agency based in Pittsfield, the Berkshire/Columbia Compensation Equity Project is polling entry-level and mid-level arts and cultural workers in the nonprofit field. The online questionnaire is looking for details on how chronic low pay for nonprofit art professionals impacts the lives of workers and their families and is a barrier to participation in the arts and culture sector. “Passion is not a substitute for livable wages,” the leaders of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, the Mahaiwe [Mah-HAY-wee] Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, and the WAM Theatre in Lenox, Community Access to the Arts in Great Barrington, the Berkshire Arts Center in Stockbridge, and Art Omi in Ghent, N.Y., noted in a joint statement. The survey is open through December 5 and a link to the form is available on the WGXC Newsroom page. The details of the poll are expected to be announced in early 2023. The project is funded in part by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and was launched by the Multicultural BRIDGE Inclusive Leadership Cohort. According to Art Omi board member Gavin Berger, “new cultural offerings in our region are attracting growing numbers of homebuyers and visitors, while underfunded compensation models for arts professionals, especially entry- and mid-level workers, sustain outdated and elitist notions that working in the arts is a privilege that justifies sacrifice.” Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.

Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Ghent Town Board members, Democrats Patti Matheney and Koethi [COE-thee] Zan [Zahn], have resigned, alleging they were cut out of the information loop, removed from most of their committee positions, and recently were denied invitations, as elected officials, to the town’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. The pair submitted a three-page letter dated November 17, to the Ghent Democratic Committee, enumerating their various accomplishments, multiple allegations, and the rationale behind the resignations. “We don’t foresee being able to achieve anything by remaining in our current positions,” Matheney and Zan said in a joint statement. “Given the situation, we see no choice but to resign in protest and focus on our other personal and professional commitments.” Metheney and Zan's names remain listed on the town of Ghent website as town board members; however, the portion of the site that links to town board minutes has not be updated since August so it is unclear when the resignations actually took place. According to the Columbia County Democrats' web page, Metheny is the chair of the Ghent Democrats and the Ghent Democrats' Facebook page, maintained by Metheny and Zan, is private. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

Jeanette Wolfberg reports for The Columbia Paper officials in Columbia County issued a proclamation on November 1 stating, “members of the County Public Safety Committee by consensus… call on the New York State Legislature to pass the pending Clean Slate Act and the governor to subsequently sign it.” The act would seal the criminal records of convicted people three years after release from incarceration for a misdemeanor and seven years after completing incarceration for a felony if they have also completed probation and parole and have no subsequent convictions or pending charges. With a person’s criminal records sealed, they would be shielded from review by potential employers, housing agents, schools and license issuers. Law enforcement and courts would still have access to those records. At the October 19 Public Safety Committee meeting, Hudson First Ward Supervisor Claire Cousin introduced the proposal. “People who made a mistake and did time still find barriers. Clean Slate is an economic justice bill, not a public safety bill. When the bill passes, we start educating people, including employers,” Cousin said. Cousin is the executive director of the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition, an organization working at the intersection of housing and criminal justice. She is also vice chair of the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. “People will make a mistake in their life,” said Hudson Third Ward Supervisor Michael Chameides. “They need a chance to reintegrate into society.” The communities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie have issued proclamations supporting the Clean Slate Act. Austerlitz Town Supervisor Robert Lagonia said the consensus of the committee is to submit a proclamation. “My concern is the ‘automatic-ness’ of it,” he said. But he and Cousin had already had a “good discussion” about it. Cousin said other states have Clean Slate laws “even more progressive” than the one proposed for New York, and Pennsylvania, Michigan, Utah, and Connecticut, have already passed their versions of the legislation. Read more in The Columbia Paper.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics the state Commission on Judicial Nomination last week submitted seven candidates for Gov. Kathy Hochul's consideration as she reflects on who should lead the state's top court and its court system. By law, her nomination will be made between December 8 and 23. Potential top judges for the New York Court of Appeals include a sitting member of that court, Associate Judge Anthony Cannataro. Additional nominees include Yale Law School Professor Abbe Gluck, Appellate Division President Justice Hector LaSalle, Albany Law School Dean Alicia Ouellette [w-uh -L EH T], Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives Edwina G. Richardson-Mendelson, Associate Justice of the Appellate Division Jeffry Oing [Oi-ng] and Corey L. Stoughton, the attorney-in-charge at The Legal Aid Society. The commission is a body composed of panelists appointed by the governor, legislative leaders in the state Senate and Assembly and the chief judge. E. Leo Milonas, the commission chairman, said. "That so many exceptional candidates were motivated to apply demonstrates the remarkable strength and depth of the legal profession in the state of New York." Chief Judge Janet DiFiore stepped down in August after six years on the job. The chief judge of the Court of Appeals is appointed to serve a 14-year term. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup voters in the Greenville Central School District go to the polls on December 6 to decide the fate of a $14.48 million capital project. The improvements are focused largely on Scott M. Ellis Elementary School and will have no additional tax impact on district residents. District Superintendent Michael Bennett said the process began in mid-2021 with a building conditions survey as well as feedback from various parties. “Past projects put a focus on the middle and high schools, as well as the athletic fields. For this project, we’re shifting focus to the elementary school,” Bennett said. The total cost of the project is $14.48 million. District officials say the project will not increase taxes because retiring debt payments from a previous project will be used to fund the work. New York State Building Aid will cover approximately 72 precent of the project with the remaining amount covered locally. That local share, totaling $2.6 million, will come from the Capital Reserve account. The second of two public information sessions on the project will be held Tue., Nov. 29. Polls will be open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tue., Dec. 6 If approved, work is expected to begin in May of 2024. Read more at porcupinesoup [dot] com.

Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a 92-year-old truss bridge in Kinderhook will be closed for a month to allow for needed repairs. The bridge that carries county Route 21 over the Kinderhook Creek is scheduled to be closed beginning Mon., Nov. 28, to fix the steel trusses, officials at the Columbia County Commissioner of Public Works office said. The bridge was originally scheduled to be closed beginning November 21, but was postponed for a week. The bridge will be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians and bicycles, while the work is being performed. Motorists who normally use county Route 21 to drive to Kinderhook are being asked to follow posted detour routes, which will send drivers along Route 9 and Route 9H. The work will run through December 30, according to the electronic message boards. The most recent inspection of the bridge in 2021 found it to be in poor condition, but it was allowed to remain open with no restrictions. The two-lane, 119.4-foot-long span was built in 1930. Maintenance was last done on the bridge 20 years ago. Read more at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.

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

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

MidHudson News is reporting a group of Hudson Valley Democratic Party chairs has written to longtime state chairman Jay Jacobs asking him to implement four “common sense” reforms to increase democratic operations, provide robust supports to county committees, expand and diversify the voices involved in decision making and strengthen the party’s infrastructure ahead of the next election cycle. The general election this month saw mixed results in the Hudson Valley, ranging from successes in Ulster and Westchester counties to “disappointing outcomes” for statewide candidates in several counties as well as the loss of state legislative and congressional seats previously held by Democrats. Last week two letters were circulated — one calling on Jacobs to step down from his party leadership role and the other from county chairs offering their continued support. The members of the greater Hudson Valley coalition declined to sign onto either letter. That group wrote their own letter to Jacobs asking state leadership to convene a session of the State Democratic Committee’s executive committee before the end of the year to present, discuss, and adopt a plan to implement their reforms. The letter is signed by Columbia County Chairman Sam Hodge, Lori Torgersen of Greene County, Michael Dupree and Julie Shiroishi of Dutchess County, Kelleigh McKenzie of Ulster County and others. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media a Greenville property owner has stepped forward to donate a five-acre parcel to the town for the construction of a new rescue squad building. The town board voted unanimously on November 21, to approve the contract. “The person has property on Irving Road,” Town Supervisor Paul Macko [Mack-oh] said. “They want to donate five acres of property for the town of Greenville to build a rescue squad building. They are basically donating the five acres for $1, and we will cover all the closing expenses.” The town has declined to identify the donor. The Greenville Rescue Squad and the town entered into a new five-year contract on November 9, which included plans to construct a new emergency services building for the squad. The town had been considering a plot of town-owned land located behind the Greenville Public Library, but Macko said the Irving Road site is better situated to house the new structure. The property behind the library “...would have been a tough place to get in and out in times of emergencies, especially with parking at the library,” Macko said. “I think the Irving Road property will afford us much safer and quicker conditions to get in and out.” Town officials also established a building committee consisting of town board members John Bensen and Will VonAtzingen, plus a couple of rescue squad members, to work through the details of the project. The building is expected to cost somewhere between $750,000 and $1 million, Macko said. Town attorney Tal Rappleyea said he will start the process of acquiring the parcel. Read more at TheUpStter [dot] com.

Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Gov. Kathy Hochul Wed., Nov. 23, Hochul nominated attorney Kaylin Whittingham to serve on the Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government, the successor entity to the now-defunct Joint Commission on Public Ethics. Whittingham is a former president of the Association of Black Women Attorneys and the principal of her law firm. Her nomination will be subject to a review by a committee of law school deans before her appointment can be finalized.  The panel is composed of appointees by the governor, attorney general, state comptroller and legislative leaders from both parties in the state Senate and Assembly. Hochul previously nominated Michael Cardozo and Frederick Davie to serve on the panel; both appointments were confirmed by the independent review committee. "I am pleased to nominate Ms. Whittingham for the Committee's review and look forward to continuing our work to support the Commission's efforts to restore trust in government," Hochul said. Good-government organizations this week urged that the final commission appointments be made so it can begin its work in earnest before the start of 2023. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.

Today's daily news update.

Anna Gronewold reports for Politico that on Nov. 22 Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a partial cryptocurrency mining ban. The bill is the first-in-the-nation temporary pause on new permits for fossil fuel power plants that house proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining. “I am signing this legislation into law to build on New York’s nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the most aggressive climate and clean energy law in the nation, while also continuing our steadfast efforts to support economic development and job creation in upstate New York," Hochul said. The bill also includes a study by the state Department of Environmental Conservation of the impacts of the cryptocurrency mining industry on the environment. A super PAC funded by Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of recently failing cryptocurrency exchange FTX, spent up to $1 million on Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado's primary election campaign, the New York Post reported. At least one business group denounced Hochul's bill signing. “The Business Council does not believe the legislature should seek to categorically limit the growth and expansion of any business or sector in New York,” the group said in a statement. “We plan to further engage and help educate them regarding this industry and the benefits it provides to the local, regional and state economy.” Environmental groups, on the other hand, cheered the signing. "This first-in-the-nation law should set the standard for every other state where crypto miners are coming in, extracting resources, and wreaking havoc," said Liz Moran of the group EarthJustice. Read the full story at Politico.

Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that Amtrak won't say when exactly its service up the Hudson Valley to Montreal will resume. That has Rep. Elise Stefanik upset. "Families throughout upstate New York and the North Country seeking to utilize passenger rail services deserve certainty on when service will resume, especially before tourist season begins, not continued ambiguity from Amtrak," Stefanik, a Republican, wrote to in a letter to the corporation Nov. 22. Amtrak shut down early in the COVID-19 pandemic and has previously said it could resume in spring 2023. "We’re actively engaged with our congressional delegations regarding the return of Adirondack service and continue to work with the appropriate Host Railroads operation agreements," Amtrak spokesperson Jason C. Abrams said in a statement. Amtrak restarted The Maple Leaf service to Toronto in June and the Cascades service to Vancouver, British Columbia, in September. Stefanik represents the 21st Congressional District, from Rensselaer County to the Canadian border. She voted against the federal infrastructure bill that included additional resources for future Amtrak improvements. Read the full story in the Times Union.

Mid-Hudson News reports that Columbia County had the lowest unemployment in the Hudson Valley in October, at just 1.9 percent. That was down from 2.9 percent a year ago, and 2.4 percent in September. Greene County, by contrast, was at 2.5 percent in October, down from 3.1 percent the month before, and 3.7 percent in October 2021. Dutchess and Ulster counties, meanwhile, were both at 2.2 percent unemployed in October. Statewide in October, the rate of joblessness was 3.4 percent, down from 4.3 percent in October 2021. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.

Today's daily news update.

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Roger Hannigan Gilson reports for the Times Union that more than two years after mechanic Harold Handy was badly beaten during a July 4th party at the Kinderhook home of a Columbia County sheriff's deputy, jury selection is set to begin November 28, in the trial of his alleged assailants. Deputy Kelly Rosenstrach; her husband, former gym owner Alex Rosenstrach; IRS agent Bryan Haag; and contractor Corey Gaylord were indicted on gang assault charges in the case, which sent Handy to the hospital in the early hours of July 5, 2020. Columbia County Judge Richard Koweek dismissed the top charges against all four in December 2021, but each of them still faces a felony charge of unlawful imprisonment, as well as various misdemeanors. The trial will begin Monday, then recess for December 8 and 9 before resuming on December 12, according to Paul DerOhannesian [Deh-ROH-hann-eesian] II, Haag's attorney. Handy's then-fiancee alleged in a deposition that Alex Rosenstrach punched Handy three times in the face and put him in a choke hold after the mechanic tried to participate in a martial arts demonstration at the party. As Handy and his fiancee tried to leave the party, Alex Rosenstrach attacked the man again. According to the deposition, several partygoers allegedly joined Rosenstrach in beating Handy and Kelly Rosenstrach warned Handy's fiancee to not call the police. Handy's fiancee was eventually allowed to call paramedics, who arrived at the party with on-duty sheriff's deputies. The deposition was given under oath, but counsel for the defendants were not able to challenge her account. In a recent interview, DerOhannesian said on the night of the assault, his client was "clearly acting in response to a threat," adding that Haag was not present for many of the alleged events that night. Handy claimed his injuries required surgery to insert a metal plate into his face, but the DA's office was never able to produce the medical documents to substantiate the claim. That led to Koweek's dismissal of the top counts as charged by the grand jury. The charge of unlawful imprisonment, if proven, carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. Read more in the Times Union.

Robin K. Cooper is reporting for the Albany Business Review Redburn Property Services, a construction arm for the prolific regional developer by the same name, has been sued by four black laborers over allegations of systemic discrimination. The workers claim Redburn and five supervisors nicknamed them the "felony crew" and regularly referred to them using racial slurs. Tony Gentry, Joseph Sherman, Abdullah McPherson and Shakeem Taylor claim they were denied promotions, paid lower wages than their white co-workers, and were often not paid for all of their work. Hired at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the men allege Redburn foremen and supervisors denied them masks, respirators and other gear despite ordering them to work at dusty and hazardous construction sites. The four plaintiffs are seeking unpaid wages as well as damages for harassment, discrimination and unlawful termination, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. Jeff Buell, a principal of Redburn Development Partners, said the company is taking the complaint seriously. "The allegations in the complaint are incredibly difficult to read and fly in the face of our core values," Buell wrote late last week. "We have immediately launched an internal investigation but given the seriousness of the allegations, we are in the process of engaging outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation. ... Our company and its leaders remain committed to a workplace free of harassment and discrimination." Besides Redburn Property Services, other defendants named in the lawsuit are supervisors and foremen Erik Smith, Chris Colwell, Justin Kramer, Michael Levit and John Barnes. Redburn Property Services is the construction and property management arm of Redburn Development Partners, one of the largest real estate developers in the region. Redburn was responsible for the $10-million conversion of the former candle factory on Cross Street in Hudson's 1st Ward, transforming it into the 55-room hotel called The Wick. Read more at biz journals [dot] com.

David Lee is reporting for The Columbia Paper the retirement of one of the most celebrated caisson horses of the U.S. Army was announced November 11, at the Equine Advocates Rescue and Sanctuary in Chatham. Sergeant York served for 25 years as the riderless horse for military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery including services for former President Ronald Reagan and General Colin Powell. A citation marking the occasion was composed by Governor Kathy Hochul and read out by Equine Advocates President and Founder Susan Wagner. Columbia County Veterans Service Agency Director Gary Flaherty also spoke. The Caisson Platoon is part of the Third Infantry. The horses chosen must have an imperturbable temperament and be black or gray in color. Born in 1991, Sergeant York is a standardbred race horse who had a brief racing career under the name Allaboard Jules before joining the Army in 1997. Read more in The Columbia Paper.